Schalmont Central School District is proud to announce this year’s Schalmont High School Alumni Wall of Distinction honorees: James J. Ryan, PhD, MD, class of 1974; and Edward Troiano, class of 1980. They will be inducted during a formal ceremony on Thursday, June 2, at 4:30 p.m. in the Schalmont High School Library, 1 Sabre Dr. The ceremony, which is open to the public, will be followed by a reception.

Wall of Distinction honorees serve as role models for Schalmont students and as symbols of the high caliber of graduates produced by this district.

The committee chose the following alumni for their significant contributions to their school, community and/or country:

James J. Ryan, PhD, MD, class of 1974 (pictured at left), was a beloved doctor who was involved in cutting-edge research in the field of human genetics as related to seeking cures for cancer.

During high school, he played football, ran track and was inducted into the National Honor Society. He was also the 1974 Schalmont High School Salutatorian.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, his PhD from Yale University and his MD from New York University Medical School. After college he practiced at the Emergency Physicians Medical Group in Ann Arbor, Michigan for four years. He moved to the Capital District Oncology practice in Amsterdam, NY, and finished his career at Hackley Hospital in Muskegon, Michigan.

He was a published researcher in the field of human genetics and cancer research, and has several patents pending for therapeutic cancer treatments. As part of his medical practice, he served as a physician liaison to the Visiting Nursing Association and Hospice, working closely to ensure cancer patients received much-needed home care.

He received the National Science Foundation Research Award (1979-1983) and was named the American Cancer Society Clinical Oncology Fellow in 1990. He was named chairman of the American College of Surgeons Commission on Cancer. He was a member of the American Society of Internal Medicine and the American Society of Clinical Oncology. He was also involved in a number of hospital committees, such as the Transfusion Committee, the Infectious Disease Committee and the Tumor Board.

After being diagnosed with stage four colon cancer, he fought his disease for another five years while continuing to care for his family—his wife, Jane, and his two children, Trevor and Kerry. He lost his battle with cancer in 2006.

Edward Troiano, class of 1980 (pictured at left), inspires family, friends and colleagues with his devotion to the research and engineering field, and to volunteering in his community and around the country. During high school, he participated in soccer and football. He also began volunteering at his church and at the local soup kitchen at a young age.

He earned a bachelor’s degree from the University at Buffalo and a master’s degree from RPI. He has worked as a mechanical engineer for the U.S. Army, Benét Laboratories, since 1984.

He holds three patents and one provisional patent—the most distinguished being the U.S. patent for “Multiple Autofrettage” in 2010. Over the past 25 years, he authored and co-authored more than 100 published articles, many of which are in national and international scientific journals. He was the two-time recipient (awarded in 2000 and 2004) of the U.S. Army Research and Development Achievement Award recognizing outstanding scientific and engineering achievement and technical leadership.

He remains an active volunteer through Volunteers in Mission, a Christian-service organization serving those in need locally and across the country. He helped residents rebuild their lives on the Gulf Coast of Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina and volunteered to work in the disaster relief efforts in Cedar Rapids, Iowa after the flood of 2008. He actively volunteers on projects coordinated between the North Country Ministry and Skye Farms, which provides free labor and materials to disadvantaged families. He has volunteered as a ski patroller at Gore Mountain for the past 22 years, and he recently volunteered at Maple Ski Ridge to provide sled training for new patrollers. He assists a local firehouse with fundraising events throughout the year, and previously served as a volunteer firefighter for eight years.

He currently resides in Rotterdam with his wife, Lynn. He has two step-children, Kevin and Rene.

Alumni who were nominated this year and not inducted will be reconsidered by the selection committee next spring, along with new nominations. They will be notified of their nomination and have the opportunity to submit additional information for consideration.