Shay Family Athletic Hall of Fame Officially Open

Alfred State recently hosted a ribbon-cutting celebration as they debuted The Shay Family Athletic Hall of Fame. The Shay Family Hall of Fame, located on the main floor of the Orvis Activities Center, is the new home for the 88 individuals and 10 teams that have been honored in past.

The former Orvis lounge has been transformed into the Shay Family Athletic Hall of Fame over the past few months. The room features a maple wall that will feature the Wall of Excellence, which has plaques honoring each of the college's 23 classes of inductees. The wall has room to accommodate future Hall of Fame classes, as well. At either end of the room, 60-inch touch screen monitors will allow visitors to explore the new digital Hall of Fame. The program designed internally by the Alfred State web-development team features pictures of every inductee and team along with the words from their Hall of Fame plaque. The program is searchable by name and sport. The monitors are mounted on natural stone panels. The room also features a Krueger International conference table that has ample seating for two dozen people. The room has 24 logoed Dream Seat chairs and a pair of logoed couches. New flat LED panels with motion/occupancy sensors have been installed along with directional LED can lights shine on the Wall of Excellence.

Alfred State President Dr. Skip Sullivan commented, "We are humbled and honored to be able to recognize the Shay Family for their support of ASC and their lifetime support of the community. We are blessed to know and have the Shay family as friends of Alfred State College."

Director of Athletics Jason Doviak echoed Dr. Sullivan's message. "The generosity of The Shay Family has allowed us to create a dedicated space where we can celebrate the accomplishments of our former student-athletes, coaches, administrators, and supporters. It is incredible to see each Hall of Fame inductee's name proudly displayed on the wall along with their full bio and photos revealed on the digital monitors. This is a tremendous addition to our facility and will be a focal point for all campus visitors for years to come. We are truly grateful to the Shay family for this opportunity." 

Jon Shay has been a lifetime supporter of commerce and community in Livingston and Allegany counties, a member of the Alfred State President's Society, and a past member of the Alfred State Development Fund Board, Inc., a 501(c)(3) fundraising corporation. Through his generous support in the earliest days of Alfred State College's first Major Gift Campaign, The Shay Family Athletic Hall of Fame was established to recognize our past and inspire our future Pioneers.

After graduating from Dansville High School in 1960, Shay quickly became involved in the family trucking business - Shay's Service, Inc. He remained in an ownership role of Shay's Service and other family corporations until 2012. During these 50-plus years, Shay oversaw the growth of existing family businesses with his brother Tim, and father, Harold. He was an integral part of the creation and expansion of new family businesses: Main Tire Exchange, Inc., HASCO Realty, and Dansville Mini-Storage, Inc. Shay was also a president of the New York State Motor Truck Association. 

He and his wife, Linda, were married in 1963 and had three girls, Kelly (ASC '85), Kristine (ASC admissions counselor 1990-99) and Nicole. Like his father before him, Shay has demonstrated enormous generosity in giving back to his community. He is a former member and president of the Noyes Memorial Hospital Board of Directors, a former member and president of the Tri-County Family Medicine Board of Directors, past Chair of Noyes Health Foundation, former member and president of Dansville Chamber of Commerce, current and 40-plus-year member of the Dansville Rotary Club member and multiple term president.  
Shay was recognized by the Dansville Chamber of Commerce as the 1982 Man of the Year. He was the first recipient of the George Trabor Community Service Award from the Livingston County Chamber of Commerce. In 2002, he was an Olympic Torch Bearer. Shay was recognized in 2006 as the Tire Dealer Magazine (a national publication) Humanitarian Award Recipient, given for charitable and civic community contributions. With little sign of slowing down since his "retirement" in 2012, he was enshrined in 2020 on the Foundation for Dansville Education Wall of Pride, one of the Dansville community's highest honors.

The Shay Family Athletic Hall of Fame was constructed to honor Pioneer Excellence, the Shay Family, and especially in loving admiration of Jon's father, Harold A. "Tim" Shay (June 12, 1913 – Oct. 27, 2009) and brother, Timothy L. Shay (June 2, 1950 – Sept. 26, 2016).

For more information, visit www.alfredstate.edu/hall-of-excellence. 

Check out a photo gallery of the Shay Family Athletic Hall of Fame.

Check out a walking tour of the Shay Family Athletic Hall of Fame.