LEGISLATIVE RESOLUTION honoring the members of The Pierce Family upon
the occasion of their designation as recipients of the Distinguished
Alumni Award by the Heuvelton Central School District

WHEREAS, Individuals who give of their time and energies and serve the
best interests of their communities are an asset beyond remuneration and
cannot be sufficiently extolled; and
WHEREAS, The members of The Pierce Family have given not only of their
time and energies but also of their competence, intelligence and leader-
ship and consequently have been designated for special honor; and
WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to honor the members of
The Pierce Family upon the occasion of their designation as recipients
of the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Heuvelton Central School
District to be celebrated at the Alumni Dinner on Saturday, August 20,
2011 at the Heuvelton Fire Hall, Heuvelton, New York; and
WHEREAS, The Pierce Family has exemplified what it means to be part of
the Heuvelton Central School District (HCS) experience; and
WHEREAS, The members of The Pierce Family have been called upon to
contribute their time and talents to countless civic and charitable
endeavors and have always given of themselves unstintingly; and
WHEREAS, David and Mary Pierce operated a very successful dairy farm
on the McGowan Road in Heuvelton called Royal-J-Acres from which they
have retired; and
WHEREAS, David Pierce was a HCS board member from 1974 until 1979; he
has been past Master of the Heuvelton Grange, Farm Bureau Director,
Allied Federation Bulk Milk Co-op Director, and Seaway Bulk Milk Direc-
tor as both President and Vice President; he has also been a member of
the 4-H Club (Brooklyn Beavers) and a St. Lawrence County Extension
Committee member; and
WHEREAS, Around 1980, Dave and Mary Pierce started giving Royal-J-A-
cres Awards to graduating seniors who were planning on continuing their
education in the field of agriculture, specifically animal science;
these awards have evolved over the years and are now given to seniors
whose families are involved in dairy farming; they also contribute money
each year to go toward the end of school year awards; and
WHEREAS, Since 1963, Dave and Mary Pierce have had children and grand-
children attending HCS; they have raised five very successful HCS gradu-
ates: Keith, Class of 1976; Ellen, Class of 1977; Kelvin, Class of 1979;
Kent, Class of 1997; and Kristine, Class of 2000; each of their children
have also gone on to distinguish themselves in their chosen careers; and
WHEREAS, Keith Pierce graduated from Canton ATC with an associate's
degree in Agricultural Science; he received his bachelor's degree in
Agricultural Science from Cornell University; he went to work for his
father at Royal-J-Acres in 1980 and in 1986; he and his wife, Kathleen,
became partners of Royal-J-Acres; under Keith's direction, the farm has
grown to be one of the St. Lawrence County's largest and most successful
dairy farms; and
WHEREAS, Ellen Pierce graduated from Canton ATC with an associate's
degree in Animal Husbandry; in 1979, she married the late Alton LaVack
and was employed on the LaVack farms for 27 years; in 2006, Ellen
married her current husband, Dean Harper; together, they operate a farm
near Richville, raise beef cattle and have a baled hay business; and
WHEREAS, Kelvin Pierce graduated from the NYS College of Agriculture &
Life Sciences at Cornell University with a bachelor's degree in Animal
Science; he received his doctorate of Veterinary Medicine from the NYS
College of Veterinary Medicine at Cornell University; he worked as a
veterinarian for many years and established his own private practice,

which he ran until 1995; he married Dr. Carolyn McNamara and in 1996,
they established Ranch Veterinarians, LLP; and
WHEREAS, Kent Pierce graduated Cum Laude from Nazareth College of
Rochester with a bachelor's degree in History; a member of the Phi Alpha
Theta History Honor Society, after graduation Kent spent two months
studying the German language and culture at the Goethe Institute in
Bonn, Germany; since 2001, he has worked as a publishing specialist at
Thomson Reuters in Rochester, New York; and
WHEREAS, Kristine Pierce graduated Magna Cum Laude from Nazareth
College of Rochester, receiving a bachelors degree in Biology with a
chemistry minor; she later received a master's degree and her Ph.D. in
Biological Sciences at the University of Buffalo; at the present time
she is a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Molecular and Microbi-
ology at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine in Cleve-
land, Ohio; she is married to Thomas Potter, Jr. and currently lives in
Shaker Heights, Ohio; and
WHEREAS, The Pierce Family stands as an excellent example of what can
be achieved by Heuvelton Central School District graduates; and
WHEREAS, Throughout the entire period of their community service, a
period of constructive involvement, the members of The Pierce Family
have stood constant in dignity, good grace and humor; and
WHEREAS, Rare indeed is the impressive dedication shown by individuals
for the benefit of others which the members of The Pierce Family have
displayed throughout their lives; and
WHEREAS, It is the sense of this Legislative Body that when individ-
uals of such noble aims and accomplishments are brought to our atten-
tion, they should be celebrated and recognized by all the citizens of
this great Empire State; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
honor the members of The Pierce Family upon the occasion of their desig-
nation as recipients of the Distinguished Alumni Award by the Heuvelton
Central School District; and be it further
RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be tran-
smitted to The Pierce Family.