JOHN L. "JACK" WEHLE - Congratulations are provided

to the family of Jack Wehle for his induction into the Wheatland Community Hall of Fame. Jack was a life-long resident of the Scottsville area who, at the time of his death in 1993, was Chairman of the Genesee Brewing Company and the founder of Genesee Country Village & Museum. Jack Wehle founded Genesee Country Village & Museum in the Hamlet of Mumford in 1966, and it opened to the public in 1976. The GCV&M brings to life his vision for a museum that highlighted the history of the Genesee Valley in the 19th-century and now 49 years later, it still stands as one of the most significant organizations in the Town of Wheatland. Each year more than 90,000 visitors come to the Museum and learn about the history of the area and are exposed to the many businesses in the town. GCV&M also remains a significant employer in the area and is engaged with other organizations like the GWA Chamber of Commerce and community programs like the Genesee Valley Trail Towns initiative.

Well-deserved congratulations are also provided to the following people selected as 2025 Volunteers of Distinction supporting the Wheatland Community:

Debi Fitts – For her volunteer service in many capacities for the GWA Chamber of Commerce, including holding the Office of Secretary for the Board of Directors and several key responsibilities for the Charity Bible Church, such as Children’s activities, holiday gift collections.

Robert Montgomery – For his dedication and inspiration provided for the youth of the Wheatland Community, serving as a long-time volunteer coach and leader in the Scottsville Athletic Association and impactful service as a volunteer coach for multiple Wheatland-Chili School girls’ sports teams.

Mary McNamara– For her volunteer support of the Wheatland Historical Association, including helping to preserve the WHA clothing collection through an important grant and overseeing the planning and execution of the 2025 WHA Christmas Sale.

Nancy Rhoades– For her for long-time volunteer support of the Scottsville Free Library, including volunteer service on the Board of Trustees, organizing and working book sales and library programming.

Amy Thomsen – For her volunteer help in making the 2025 Village of Scottsville Summer Fest a success, including the leading KidsMart booth s activities, coordinating the Bike Parade, photos and musical slide show activities, and also for her support critical local food assistance initiatives.

Abigail Timberlake – For her long-term commitment in volunteer support of the Wheatland Community, including most recently exceptional support of the 2025 Village of Scottsville Summer Fest event, sharing significant time and a variety of skills to help ensure the event’s success.

The Wheatland Community Hall of Fame was founded in 2018, is governed by the GWA Chamber of Commerce, supported by a Volunteer Committee and is funded by a combination of donations and sponsorships. The purpose of the Wheatland Community Hall of Fame is to facilitate a community wide tradition of identifying, recognizing and celebrating deserving citizens and supporters who contribute to the general benefit of the Wheatland Community. 

The Wheatland Community Hall of Fame has been made possible through the efforts and diligence of a “Salute to Excellence Committee” for collecting nominations, evaluating candidate qualifications and recommending selections for the Wheatland Community Hall of Fame. The recommended selections are reviewed and approved by the GWA Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors.

There are two levels of citizen and supporter recognition defined within the context of the Wheatland Community Hall of Fame:

1.     Induction as a member of the Community Hall of Fame

2.     Selection as a “Volunteer of Distinction”

Induction as a member in the Wheatland Community Hall of Fame recognizes and honors Wheatland’s most outstanding citizens and supporters who have made significant, positive, notable and/or lifetime contributions to Wheatland in the areas of community, education, recreation, civil and social services. See the Wheatland Community Hall of Fame Honor Roll to read more about the members. A plaque is displayed for each member of the Hall of Fame in the Wheatland Municipal Building.

Volunteer of Distinction recognition celebrates those individuals, who freely give their time, effort and talent to a community need, cause or organization without compensation while making positive contributions through demonstrated excellence in support of the Wheatland Community. See the Volunteers of Distinction Honor Roll. The names of all Volunteers of Distinction are prominently displayed in the Wheatland Municipal Building.

The “Salute to Excellence Committee” would like to thank all those who submitted nominations in 2025 and in past years for candidates to be considered for these recognitions. Note that all nominations are retained, updated and reconsidered in subsequent years.

Be sure to submit nominations in 2026 for those deserving individuals supporting your local organizations and/or the broader community.