John DeValve— President
Born and raised on Long Island, John DeValve has
been a resident of Montgomery County since 1973. After a four-year
stint in the US Air Force, Mr. DeValve accepted a position teaching
strings in the Canajoharie Central School. He directed the
orchestras, created a handbell choir which toured Europe three
times, and served as Arts Department Chairman for twelve years.
After retiring in June of 2002, Mr. DeValve was elected to the
Canajoharie Central School Board of Education where he is currently
serving.
Mr. DeValve has performed with the Schenectady Symphony for
twenty-three years and also with the Syracuse Symphony, the Utica
Symphony, the Catskill Symphony, the Santa Monica Chamber Orchestra,
and the Upper Catskill String Quartet. He did his undergraduate work
at Ithaca College and graduate work at Central Michigan University.
Rachael Mason
Rachael Mason has long-standing ties to the community. She’s lived in Canajoharie since 1992, and her husband, Roger, graduated from high school here. Originally from Scotia, Rachael graduated from the College of Saint Rose in Albany with degrees in elementary education and English. She’s been a substitute teacher for several years and has worked at Fulton-Montgomery Community College since 1999 as an English as a Second Language Instructor. Rachael and her husband have two children: Katie, a high school senior, and Benjamin, an eighth grade student. In her free time, she enjoys reading, photography, hiking, camping and fishing.
Mark Brody
A far cry from where he was born and raised in
New York City, Mark Brody has worked as a large animal veterinarian
in Montgomery County for 18 years. He is married with two sons,
Jake, a student at
Canajoharie Middle School, and Nate, who graduated from Canajoharie
and now attends Earlham College in Richmond, Indiana.
Dr. Brody has had a checkered career. Before entering veterinary
school at the age of 41, he was a newspaper reporter, New York City
cab driver, and, finally, garbage truck mechanic for the City of New
York. He was also a shop steward and served on his union’s executive
board. Dr. Brody enjoys woodworking, music, skiing, mountain biking,
cooking and gardening. His punning ability pales in comparison to
that of his elder son's.
Eric Trahan
Eric Trahan
grew
up on a dairy farm outside Fort Plain. He is a graduate of Fort
Plain High School, Herkimer County Community College and the
University at Albany. Eric came to Canajoharie in 1992 to become the
Director of the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery. He lives in
Ames with his wife, Lisa, and their six children, who are students
in Canajoharie schools. Eric has been serving on the Board of
Education since 1999.
In addition to his work at the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery
and interest in regional tourism promotion efforts, Eric enjoys
music, farming/gardening, and playing volleyball. He has been a
cantor and music leader at St. James Church in Fort Plain for over
20 years. He maintains an active interest in his family’s dairy
farm, grows a garden that is way too big, and raises several
varieties of poultry, as well as Dexter cattle. He plays volleyball
as often as possible, in various regional leagues and tournaments.
Dr.
Carol A. Balfe
Carol Balfe grew up in Palatine Bridge. She
graduated from Canajoharie High School in 1985 and went on to earn a
B.S. in Biology from Hartwick College in Oneonta in 1989. She
continued her studies at the New England College of Optometry in
Boston where she earned her Ph.D. in 1993. She is an optometrist
practicing in Canajoharie.
Carol lives in Ames with her three children. They are very involved
in a variety of school activities in the middle and elementary
schools. Carol is also active in her church, teaching 6th grade
religious education class at St. James Catholic Church in Fort Plain.