President James Sunser and Richard Ensman unveil the 2014 plaque to honor the new inductees

Yesterday, GCC inducted Stephen C. Tarbell ’78 and Lawrence M. Saupe ’89 to the Alumni Hall of Fame, a yearly tradition at the college.

Stephen Tarbell earned a Criminal Justice degree from GCC in 1978 and subsequently joined the Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department. Over a 23-year career, he served as a Deputy Sheriff, Scientific Evidence Technician, Technical Sergeant, and Investigator specializing in Crime Scene and Fire Investigations.

While working for the Sheriff’s Department, Steve earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice/Public Administration/Accounting from Empire State College and a Master’s Degree from the Nelson A. Rockefeller School of Criminal Justice at the University of Albany.

Steve served on the Warsaw Central School Board as a Board Member, as Deputy Mayor of Silver Springs, and as Wyoming County Youth Court Coordinator. He served as Town Councilman for the Town of Castile, and currently serves as the Town Supervisor. He is also a member of the Wyoming County Board of Supervisors and the Wyoming County Community Hospital Board of Managers.

Steve has received numerous awards including Wyoming County Deputy of the Year and Wyoming County Sheriff’s Department Commendation Award; local, state, and national awards for his service to youth; a U.S. Department of Justice FBI Commendation; and Leadership Wyoming 2013 Alumni Leaders award.

He lives in Silver Lake with his wife of more than thirty years, Mary Pamela, who says “he still finds time to be a great father, husband, and grandfather to his granddaughter who he adores.”

Stephen and Lawrence shake hands as the newest members of the Alumni Hall of Fame

Lawrence Saupe is a Major in the New York Air National Guard and will be promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in September of this year. He began his military service after graduating from Pembroke High School in 1982. He served as a crew chief for C-130 transport planes in Germany, graduating with honors from Flight Engineer School.

After four years of active military service, Larry came to GCC in 1987, earning an associate degree in 1989. He continued his studies at the University at Buffalo where he earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Aircraft Systems and Mechanical Engineering. His senior year was delayed when he was deployed to Southwest Asia in support of Operation Desert Shield/Storm. He earned two air medals and his crew received a special honor for rescuing three critically injured Marines under hazardous conditions.

While working at Graham Corporation in Batavia as a research and development engineer, Larry earned his Master’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from UB. After ten years at Graham, he took a position in 2002 with General Electric in Schenectady, NY. In 2007 he joined the Knolls Atomic Power Lab in Niskayuna, NY where he currently serves as a Thermal Test Engineer.

Larry lives in Galway, NY with his wife Shelli and stepdaughter Allison. He is president of Experimental Aircraft Association’s Adirondack chapter and enjoys flying, biking, kayaking, sailing, boating, and snowmobiling.

More photos of the event can be found on our Alumni Facebook page. Congratulations to Stephen and Lawrence!