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• Tuesday, March 17, 2020

  Richfield Springs Student Is 2020 State Oratorical Champ

  

  Victor Gelfuso

  ALBANY — Victor Gelfuso, a senior at Richfield Springs Central School in Richfield Springs, New York, is The American Legion New York State Oratorical Champion for 2020, Oratorical Chairman Anthony Paternostro announced.

  This year’s contest was conducted on March 14, 2020 at the Desmond Hotel and Conference Center, Albany, New York instead of the Sand Creek Middle School in Albany due to the school closing during the coronavirus state of emergency.  The only people allowed at the contest finals were the contestants and their families, Chairman Paternostro’s working crew, and a few Legionnaires.

  “We did not want to cancel the competition after all the hard work these orators have done all year to get to this point,” Paternostro noted.

  Victor Gelfuso competed against four other finalists from a cross section of the state in the 83rd Annual American Legion Department of New York Oratorical Contest. He was sponsored by the Hugick Purcell Shepard Post 616 (Otsego County, 6th District, and Zone 4).

  

  ORATORICAL WINNERS: (From left) Riley Meckley, 3rd place; Scott Siegel, 2nd place; Victor Gelfuso, Department of New York Champion.