BENNETT BEACON
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Mel was a two sport star in both cross country and track. Mel achieved a double-all-high in both sports. In cross country Mel was the # 1 finisher in the all-high run in both ’67 & ’68. In track Mel was the 880y run champion in Junior and Senior years.
Art “Buzz” Serotte graduated from Bennett in 1957. After matriculating at the University of Buffalo, he became a Physical Education Teacher and coach in the Buffalo Public School System. During his illustrious 35 year career, Serotte made his mark by coaching football and basketball at Grover Cleveland H.S. His football teams captured 12 Harvard Cips, and shared another in 15 title game appearances. Art’s 1 60 – 52 – 5 won/lost career record is one of Western New York’s all-time best. In basketball, Grover won 5 Yale Cups, and 7 Section VI Class titles under his tutelage. He also coached cross country and track at various stages during his coaching tenure at Grover.
During Serotte’s high school days at Bennett, he stood out as a football lineman.He was named All-High by the Buffalo Evening News in his senior year. Serotte helped lead the Tiger gridiron forces to a won 6, lost 2 record, and a 9-6 Harvard Cup Consolation Game victory over McKinley in 1956, for third place. For his outstanding play during the season, he was named to the Buffalo Ad Club’s All-Star game, pitting the Buffalo Public School representatives against a team picked from the Erie County Conference and the Niagara Frontier League.
Art also played basketball at Bennett and was a member of the 1957 Yale Cup Championship team during his senior year.
Emery Fisher is an ideal candidate for this award named in memory of former Bennett athlete and charter member of this Sports Hall of Fame committee, Earle Y. Hannel. Emery’s contribution to the local sports scene includes that of an athlete, coach, cross country, track and swimming official, and director of several amateur sports events in our area.
As an athlete, Emery was a hurdler and sprinter at Bennett, finishing 3rd in the All-High meet as a junior, and 2nd as a senior. It must be noted that this was the era of post-graduate students, which means Emery competed agaist 5th year athlete during his 4 year career. Emery continued his sprinting and hurdling career after Bennett in the army, and then at the U. of Buffalo. Emery was a varsity athlete at U.B. from 1947 -1951 .
Emery’s coaching career included a 21 year stint as cross country and track coach at the U. of Buffalo. His teams at U.B. had a winning record during his tenure there.
Anyone that ran track in the Buffalo Public Schools would recognize Emery as the starter for the “Scalp & Blade” track meets. Emery was the official starter for the league from 1974 – 2005. Emery was also an official for high school and college competition in cross country, track and swimming. Emery was also a starter and finish judge in numerous local road races. Emery’s lengthy resume also includes former president of the N.Y.S. Collegiate Track & Reid Association, regional officer of the Jesse Owens Games (1967- 1984), and the World University Games in Buffalo.
Emery was also head official for the Olympic Marathon trials in 1980 and 984, and started the “Big E” Relays in W.N.Y. Emery was a huge contributor to W.N.Y. sports as an athlete, official, and director, in the true sprit of Earle Hannel.
Fate brought the ever popular Coach Vickery to Bennett HS. After finishing graduate school in Iowa, Byron was making his way East on his way back home to his native Wales, G. B. A stop-off to see Niagara Falls was a must. During his stopover in our area, Byron stopped at City Hall and inquired about a job. Byron was immediately put to work at school #6 and in 1963 came to Bennett. At Bennett Byron became a consistently successful educator. Byron’s teams won championships in cross-country(? Columbia Cups), swimming(4 Syracuse Cups) and tennis(3 Dr. Bapst trophies). Byron also had a short stint coaching his favorite sport, soccer. Nichols School benefited from Byron’s expertise, with a 33 wins, no losses in the early 60’s.
The highlight of this brilliant coaching resume’ has to be the year 1978. Byron’s teams went undefeated in all three of his sports, winning the boys and gins championships in cross country, swimming and tennis, surely any coaches dream.
The star athletes Coach Vickery developed are too numerous to mention here. It must be noted however, that Byron was the first coach to use females on a boys varsity team. Byron helped “revolutionize” Buffalo city sports when Kathy McCarthy and Lydia Manuel swam on the varsity swim team in 1971.
Robert “Bobby” Higgs was one of the most prolific runners to perform in Western New York in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. His Bennett cross-country career began in the Fall of 1969, his Sophomore year, and steadily improved on an annual basis. In his Junior year he was All-High (finishing 3rd overall) and in his Senior year he was All-High as the #1 Cross-Country runner in the City.
As impressive as his Cross-Country skills were, he excelled even more for Bennett in the Scalp and Blade track competition. In the Spring of 1969, Bobby was the only Freshman to start on the varsity track team, running what would become his trade mark 880 in every meet that year. In his Senior year (1972), the All-High track meet was cancelled because of gang fights, but All-High medals were awarded to the athletes that had the best times in each event during the regular season meet schedule. Bobby received the most medals (4) of any athlete in the City, for the 880, mile, two mile and two mile relay. He won every race in every event he competed that year. In a unique coaching strategy in his Senior year, Bobby ran the 440, mile and two mile races only one time during the regular season, when he was paired against the best runners in those events in order to “steal” first place points in tight contests. He beat the runners every time in their specialty events. He culminated his stellar career by representing Section VI at the State meet in New York City, in the 880.
Bobby is a well-respected Board of Education employee at City Honors School and admired by the City Honors family, who because of his humble ways have known little about his prior athletic prowess … until now!