Pearl Harbor vet named Grand Marshal for B’ville Memorial Day Parade

Police chief named President for the Day

The village of Baldwinsville named the Baldwinsville Police Chief Michael Lefancheck as President for the Day for the village’s Memorial Day Parade, to be held beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, May 30.

Lefancheck is a native of Onondaga County, having graduated from Liverpool High School. He attended college here and, prior to his police career, worked as a juvenile delinquent counselor at the Hillbrook Detention Center.

Lefancheck began his career with the Baldwinsville Police Department in 1987, serving as a patrol officer, sergeant and lieutenant before being promoted to the position of chief of police in 2008.

He has worked in many assignments during his career, including as a field training officer, an instructor at numerous police academies and police supervision courses, as the department’s accreditation manager, along with many others. He holds a degree in criminal justice and was the honor graduate at the University of Arkansas’ Rural Executive Management Institute in 2010.

He is presently the first vice president of the New York State Association of Chiefs of Police and his one-year term as president will begin this July. He served for six years as the chairman of the Onondaga County Chapter of Chiefs of Police and currently sits on the board of directors for the Central New York Association of Chiefs of Police.

He is a past chairman of the Onondaga County Traffic Safety Advisory Board as well as a recipient of the John H. Mulroy Award for Traffic Safety. The chief was also named as the Baldwinsville Police Officer of the Year in both 1989 and 1991.

Lefancheck resides in Baldwinsville with his four children, all graduates of Baker High School, with three having graduated from the University at Buffalo and the youngest recently completing her freshman year in college.

When not working, the chief enjoys golfing, boating, bicycling and hunting.

Pearl Harbor survivor to serve as Grand Marshal

Acting as Grand Marshal for the village’s Memorial Day parade is Baldwinsville resident Larry Parry.

Parry is a World War II veteran and one of the few remaining survivors of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

He was stationed on Honolulu Harbor in Oahu as an Army motor mechanic in December of 1941 when the Japanese attacked the naval base.

“You really couldn’t believe what you were seeing,” Parry told the Messenger in 2014. “The runways were all bombed, the hangars were afire, the planes were afire, the cars were afire, and every one of our battleships was tipped over.”

Village issues Memorial Day proclamation

The Village of Baldwinsville Mayors, Past and Present, the Baldwinsville VFW Post 153 and the Baldwinsville American Legion Post 113 have proclaimed the recognition of Memorial Day on the Traditional date of May 30. On June 28, 1968, the Congress passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act, which moved four holidays, including Memorial Day, from their traditional dates to a specified Monday in order to create a convenient three-day weekend. For many people this change moved Memorial Day from its traditional May 30 date to the last Monday in May.

As per Wikipedia

The preferred name for the holiday gradually changed from “Decoration Day” to “Memorial Day,” which was first used in 1882. It did not become more common until after World War II, and was not declared the official name by federal law until 1967. This day is set aside not as a celebration but more as a time for solemn reflection and observance of the memory of the more than a million men and women who have died throughout history, defending our nation and the principles of freedom and democracy throughout history.

Memorial Day observance ensures that these people did not die in vain. The purpose of this day is not to celebrate but to recognize the sacrifices made by our veterans and decorate their final resting place. Memorial Day is also the time to say thank you to our living veterans and to our men and women who are around the world battling terrorists and ensuring the freedoms we have as Americans.

Let us not forget – it is the veteran that has given us: