Greece Town Supervisor Bill Reilich was joined by Greece Town Council Members Mike Barry, Bill Murphy, Mike Bloomer, and Diana Christodaro for several proclamation ceremonies during the Town Board Meeting on Thursday, August 19, 2021.
The first proclamation ceremony recognized two outstanding members of our community: Ali and Joyce Farrokh. Dr. Alinaghi Farrokh and Edna Joyce Baker were married in 1962. In 1967 “Ali” and “Joyce” moved to the Rochester area, at which time Dr. Farrokh began practicing medicine. In 1968, they purchased their first home on Mt. Read Blvd. in Greece. In June of 1968, Dr. Farrokh opened his medical practice at 2080 West Ridge Road. The office remained at that location until 1988, at which time the practice relocated to 1790 Long Pond Road. Joyce Farrokh served as bookkeeper for the practice for a half century and office fill-in whenever needed. It is likely that over five decades the number of people served was well over 1,000. In 2017, Dr. Farrokh retired after 50 years of local medical practice. During that time, he was affiliated with Unity Health and Rochester General Hospital, and a member of the American Board of Internal Medicine. Ali and Joyce have four grown children: David, Fred, Zahra, and Aaron. All are Greece Arcadia graduates. They also have eight grandchildren: Tanya, David, John, AnneMarie, Grant, Daniel, Claire, and Paul. The Farrokhs were among the early members of the Islamic Center of Rochester, which met in various locations prior to finding its current home on Westfall Road. Joyce has been an active member of Aldersgate United Methodist Church on Dewey Ave, volunteering as a lay preacher, as well as a Crop Walk and craft show organizer. The couple are avid golfers and were members of Ridgemont for many years.
“I was proud to acknowledge Ali and Joyce and present them with a proclamation celebrating their lives and their positive impact on the health of many people in Greece and Greater Rochester” said Supervisor Reilich.
The second proclamation ceremony of the evening recognized a local dance studio that was celebrating its 50th year anniversary. Marilyn Caccamise is the owner and director of the Marilyn Schneider School of Dance, located on Long Pond Road in the Town of Greece. Marilyn and her husband, Jerry, raised their family in the Town of Greece and Marilyn chose to locate her dance school in our great town as well. The importance of family and community is emphasized through Marilyn’s studio. Community projects Marilyn has lead and participated in include a food drive for local food banks, delivering goodies to health care workers, presenting many shows at local nursing facilities during the holidays, honoring past dancers that are no longer with us by creating scholarships in their names, and hosting a benefit show for the hospice Journey Home. In addition to her family and community involvement, Marilyn is also a creative and innovative teacher. For example, during the Pandemic, her school never shut down. Marilyn embraced alternative options and technology to help the show go on by transitioning to online lessons. The Marilyn Schneider School of Dance offers a strong commitment to artistic integrity taught in a positive and nurturing atmosphere. The dance program Marilyn established blossoms talent and instills self-confidence and poise in all of her students. Marilyn’s students go on to do great things – including being featured on Broadway! This Thanksgiving season, Marilyn’s dancers will be performing at Disney World to kick off the holiday season.
“I was honored to recognize Marilyn and present her with a proclamation celebrating the 50th year anniversary of the Marilyn Schneider School of Dance” said Supervisor Reilich.
The final proclamation recipient of the evening was Warren Crandell. Mr. Crandell was celebrating a special birthday milestone: 95 years! He reached this milestone on July 27th of this year. Mr. Crandell was born on July 27th, 1926. He is a lover of music, children, literature, politics, and people in general! He also loves to dance, travel, sing, and ski. Having been an educator for 40 years, he understands the importance of knowledge, and he never wants to stop learning. He graduated from Oswego College and taught at Allendale Colombia School. He also helped establish the Industrial Arts Program at Olympia High School and helped expand the Industrial Arts Program at Britton Road School. He donates towards the Greece Teachers Scholarship Fund to help students who want to become teachers. Even after he retired, teachers would ask him to come and talk to their students and encourage them to go on and become teacher. Mr. Crandell’s love of music developed from his mother, who taught music in schools. His love of literature and poetry can be traced back to his mother’s side of the family as well, as there is a connection in the family to the family of William Shakespeare! Mr. Crandell is a proud supporter of the Eastman School of Music and loves to hear the students perform and grow as musicians. He is also a supporter of WXXI Public Television. Mr. Crandell has also been a member and program chairperson of the Retired Men’s and Women’s Club of Greater Rochester. Throughout his life, he has been a member of the Genesee Valley Barber Shop Group. Mr. Crandell is a veteran and served in the navy from 1944 -1946. He was married to Marion on December 26, 1958 and was married for 47 years before her passing.
“I was honored to present Mr. Crandell with a proclamation wishing him a very happy 95th Birthday” said Supervisor Reilich.