Hall of Fame
Paul Fauth grew up in South Buffalo, NY, where he attended South Park High School. He loved athletics and was the captain of his high school football and baseball teams, but was also attentive enough to his studies to have graduated as the valedictorian of his class of 750 students. As an adult he closely followed the career of Warren Spahn, who was a high school teammate and a stellar contributor to the Buffalo city championships won by his school’s baseball team.
Immediately following high school Paul enrolled at the University of Buffalo, where he studied engineering and played football. After one year his education was interrupted by World War II. By the age of 19 he was a pilot in the Army Air Force and flew 35 bombing missions over Germany. Following the war he stayed in regular contact with most of the members of his B-17 crew.
Upon his return from overseas Paul married his wife, Jean, and almost immediately enrolled at Springfield College, where he earned his BA. While still a college student the first two of his seven children were born. Following college graduation Paul immediately took a job at Jefferson High School in the Rochester City School District. From approximately 1949 through 1958 he taught physical education at Jefferson and was head coach for the school’s football, baseball, and wrestling teams, winning several city championships in football.
When the Greece Central School District opened its first high school (approximately 1958), Paul made the difficult decision of leaving Jefferson in order to become the first athletic director and football coach in Greece. Several years later he became an assistant principal at Greece Olympia and, shortly thereafter, became principal. Throughout the remainder of his career in education he continued to be a principal, spending a couple of years shortly before retirement at Greece Arcadia.
Paul’s involvement in Section V was long and personally meaningful. Paul initially became involved in Section V around 1969 and served as president 1976-1979. Beyond the meaning Paul found in his involvement in the Section V leadership, he made a number of close and lasting friendships. Even after retiring from education, he continued to stay in touch with issues and colleagues related to the organization, and often attended meetings.
Paul always understood the power of relationships and personal connections on the development of young people. He understood the potential influence that adult mentors, such as teachers and coaches, have on the lives of young people in terms of inspiring them, fostering their individuality, nurturing their potential, helping them to feel part of a larger community, and helping to instill respect for self and others. He delighted in the successes of students and colleagues and was always eager to sustain connections with students and to reconnect with those with whom he had lost touch. It was a thrill for him when he ran into students who had become educators or coaches and he had the treasured opportunity to higher and work side-by-side with a significant number of individuals who had previously been students at one of his schools. Paul viewed his work with Section V as an important way of fostering conditions for the type of learning, mentoring, team affiliation, and personal growth for young people that were at the heart of his career aspirations.
Paul passed peacefully in 2009 at age 86. He is survived by Jean - his wife, 7 children, 15 grandchildren.