2005 Hall of Fame Inductees

Elizabeth Cady Stanton (deceased), Johnstown Academy 1831

Mrs. Stanton, the chief architect of the women’s rights movement in the United States, was dynamic, intelligent and an unusually farsighted advocate for women’s suffrage, married women’s property rights, equal pay, and other issues of gender equality. Mrs. Stanton rose to national prominence as one of the first organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention held in the U.S. She worked closely in the battle for women’s rights with her friend and fellow activist Susan B. Anthony. Mrs. Stanton was the first woman to run for U.S. Congress, and in July, 1876 at the National Centennial held in Philadelphia, together with Susan B. Anthony, she distributed a Declaration of Women’s Rights. On February 15, 1921 an eight-ton statue of Mrs. Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott was dedicated in the main rotunda of the US Capitol. Mrs. Stanton authored three volumes on the history of women’s rights, as well as an autobiography. Mrs. Stanton studied Greek, Latin and mathematics and played chess. As a very young woman she applied to Union College but was rejected because Union did not accept women. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was truly a woman of distinction.

Frederick G. “Ted” Vosburgh (deceased), JHS Class of 1921

Ted Vosburgh’s earliest success resulted in his winning five dollars for an essay published in the American Boy magazine. Mr. Vosburgh helped to start the Johnstown High School newspaper, becoming its first editor. He wrote about sports while attending Syracuse University, where he became editor of his college yearbook. He worked for the Syracuse Post Standard newspaper before joining the Associated Press. Ted spent seven years with the AP and in 1933 joined the National Geographic. During WWII he served with the Army Air Corps editing intelligence material. Thirty days after D-Day he landed at Omaha Beach. In service he earned the Bronze Star and the Air Medal. After WWII he returned to National Geographic where he by-lined articles ranging from fireflies, jets and the endangered everglades. As a result of his skill as an editor he became assistant editor in 1951 and associate editor in 1957. In 1967 he ascended to the position of editor of the National Geographic magazine. After retiring he became a volunteer driver for the Red Cross and made deliveries for Meals on Wheels well into his nineties.

Stanley A. Bown (deceased), JHS Class of 1928

Stan attended Springfield College from 1928-1932, where he excelled in athletics and earned letters in track and cross-country. His 1931 cross-country and track teams were undefeated. In 1931 Stan set the inter-collegiate one-half mile record of 1:58:2, a record he held for twenty-five years. In 1933 Stan became physical director at the Saratoga YMCA until 1935 and then physical director at the Nyack YMCA, which served all of Rockland County. In 1940 he became physical director at Niagara Falls YMCA and in 1943 he enlisted in the Army Air Corps, where he held the position of physical director at several military bases. In 1945 he returned to the Niagara Falls YMCA. In 1949 Stan accepted the position of physical director at the YMCA in Binghamton and in 1954 he returned to the Johnstown YMCA as executive secretary. In his long career with the YMCA, Stan was always a leader in promoting athletics and fitness. Stan was also active in community service organizations and in 1963 he was presented with the “Mr. Johnstown Award” in recognition of outstanding community service.

Eric L. Steenburgh, JHS Class of 1959

Eric Steenburgh is a graduate of General Motors Institute and RPI, with a BS degree in Industrial Engineering and a Masters degree in Management. He joined Xerox in 1965 and devoted twenty-seven years to the corporation, holding senior management positions in management and marketing. Eric was among the key executives who led Xerox to win the prestigious Malcolm Baldridge National Quality Award. After retiring from Xerox, Eric joined the Ricoh Corporation as President and Chief Operating Officer responsible for all Ricoh company business in North and South America. Eric was the first American to be appointed to the Ricoh presidency and board positions. In 1995 he accepted a position with Gould Pumps as President. In 1998 he accepted a position with Eastman Kodak as Executive Vice President and Assistant CEO. After retiring from Kodak he accepted a position with Torvec Inc., serving as Chairman and CEO.

Eric is a trustee of Clarkson University and in 1980 was inducted as an “Eminent Engineer” in the Clarkson Chapter of Tau Beta Pi, the National Engineering Honor Society. Eric serves on many community and business related committees and boards in the Rochester NY area.

Frank D. Steenburgh, JHS Class of 1961

Frank graduated from General Motors Institute with a BS in Mechanical Engineering and from RPI with an MBA degree. Frank is Senior Vice President of Business Growth for Xerox Corporation’s Production Color Business. He was appointed to corporate office in May of 1998. As Senior Vice President he has responsibility for growing Xerox’s production business, with a strong focus on production color. Frank joined Xerox in 1967 and has held various sales and management positions. Most recently he was Senior Vice President and General Manager for the production color business.

Frank has received numerous recognitions in the graphic arts industry. He has authored graphic arts articles and promoted educational programs in digital printing technology. Frank is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Technical Institute for the Deaf Foundation. In 1994 Frank became President of Indigo America Inc., a Netherlands company and a world leader in digital offset color printing products.

Karl F. Steenburgh, JHS Class of 1971

Karl Steenburgh, Vice President of Controls Competency Center in the Platform Development Unit Production Systems Group at Xerox Corporation, graduated from Union College with a major in Political Science and a minor in Mechanical Engineering. He has completed the Software Engineering Bridge Program at RIT as well as the Masters program in Management Technology from the National Technological University. Karl began a career with Xerox in 1977 with the Development and Manufacturing Group. He later joined the Digital Systems Group, where he was responsible for software development and management. Karl then led the Systems Engineering Team as Technical Program Manager for Xerox Document Centre Line products, with complete responsibility for technical decisions and delivery of Document Centre Line in the office market segment. Karl maps strategy for controls technologies working with the Xerox Innovation and Technology Group to pioneer and integrate the latest technologies with the company product line, which includes the flagship iGen3 Production Publisher and Xerox’s new lead offering in monochrome printing, the Nuvera Platform.

William A. Steenburgh, JHS Class of 1975

William holds a BS degree with honors in Industrial Engineering from Union College and an MBA degree from RIT. William is Senior Vice President of Xerox Services, leading an organization of 16,000 employees. Before joining Xerox, William worked for Xelus Inc. as Executive Vice President of Operations. His duties included product management, development services, recruiting, human resources and U.S. customer support. In 1998 William worked for Xerox as Vice President North American Supplies Business. Prior to that he spent eighteen years at Eastman Kodak and two years at Danka Corporation as Senior Vice President of Customer Service and Support. William served as President of the Association for Services Management International Finger Lakes Chapter and received its International Presidents Award, which recognized excellence and leadership in the services industry. William is an active member in the Services and Support Professional’s Association. William serves on the Special Olympics Corporate Advisory Board and the RIT School of Business advisory council.