Name: John D. Kerr Life Dates: 9/21/1955 - 11/10/2012 History John D. Kerr was born in Auburn, NY on September 21, 1955. He was the son of John H. Kerr and Julie Guter Kerr. He graduated from Auburn High School in 1973, he received a BA in history from SUNY Geneseo in 1977. He worked for SUNY Geneseo in the athletic dept. with the title Director of Intramurals from 1978 to 1987. He joined the City of Rochester as a Recreation Leader in July 27, 1987 at the Edgerton Community Center. He retired February 12, 2011 from the City as Coordinator of Athletics and Aquatics. He served the Rochester Community through Recreation in a variety of roles known for his work with Summer employment for Recreation and Aquatics programs. His other outstanding service was through the American Red Cross as a CPR and First Aid Instructor and as Treasurer of The Tony Jordan Youth Sports Foundation. He was working part time with the City doing special events, tours at the Public Market and training. His passion was giving to others, cooking, food, his career, special events and saving money through coupons. John passed away on November 10, 2012 at Strong Memorial Hospital. He is survived by his two aunts and his cousin Linda Kerr, close friends and his Recreation family. We, the family and friends of John D. Kerr would like to thank you for being so kind and thoughtful during these hours of sorrow. Remember we must celebrate all that was JOHN. We greatly appreciate the Trauma and ICU staff of the Strong Memorial Hospital for the love and care that was shown. Donations In honor of John's constant giving of time and money, in lieu of flowers please send a donation to the two organizations listed below. In the true spirit of John, even better to give of your time to either of the organizations. American Red Cross Greater Rochester Chapter 50 Prince Street Rochester, NY 14607-1016 http://www.rochesterredcross.org/Ways-To-Give.aspx. E-mail giving@grcarc.org or call (585) 241-4418. The Tony Jordan Youth Sports Foundation P.O. Box 13702 Rochester, NY 14613 e-mail at tjysf@hotmail.com Services Calling Hours: Friday, November 16, 2012 from 1 to 6 p.m. followed by the Celebration Service at 6 p.m. held at the Bartolomeo Perotto Funeral Home on 1411 Vintage Lane, Rochester (Town of Greece), New York 14626. He will be laid to rest back in his hometown of Auburn on Saturday, November 17, 2012 at St. Joseph's Cemetery. Additional Information John Kerr joined the City as a Recreation Leader in July, 1987 at the Edgerton Community Center after a stint at SUNY Geneseo where he oversaw the ice rink and sports facility. At Edgerton John was instrumental in helping to support and promote youth theater and cabaret programs and started a series of a revenue based, adult dinner dances. He also began a number adult based sports leagues and the "Super Stars Youth Sports Luncheon which brought youth together with local sports celebrities. In 1995, John was promoted to the position of Director at the Humboldt Recreation Center and quickly made the site a true asset in the community through collaborations with the library and neighborhood associations. He later became Director of the Webster Avenue Complex where he continued his focus on building community connections. In 2002, he was promoted to the position of Coordinator of Athletics and Aquatics which included the oversight of all the City's aquatics programs as well as the Genesee Valley and Manhattan Square Ice Rinks. This is where he was able to make his most significant impacts for our City. John instituted new lifeguard recruitment procedures that increased the pool of City lifeguards significantly and helped to erase perennial shortages. In this role he also was responsible for most of the Departments mandated training and improved and revised their formats and tracking. He also worked closely with the Red Cross and Monroe County Health Departments and helped them to review and revise procedures related to pool operations. John helped bring the Genesee Valley ice rink from a significant operating deficit to a revenue producer for the City. He also played a lead role in helping to start and sustain the Genesee Valley Ice Kats a City based youth hockey program and revamped and improved scheduling and collections. He was a key member of the team who redesigned the Manhattan Square Ice rink and was primarily responsible for its successful reopening. He has been chairperson of the annual DRYS Volunteer reception and countless other ribbon cuttings, trainings and celebrations and assisted with numerous major special events. John is an active member of the Genesee Valley Recreation and Parks Society and served on their board. He is also a certified food handler and CPR and First aid instructor. John coordinated a significant amount of the logistics related to the reopening of Durand Beach. This was a major undertaking that required John to work closely with a number of City Departments as well as the Monroe County Health Department. He and his team received an award for their successful implementation of this project. Besides recruiting and training all the City's lifeguards and pool staff, John has also played a leadership role in assisting with the Summer Youth Employment Program and also took the lead in ensuring that publicity for City-wide activities was coordinated. John's biggest contribution to the City can't be enumerated in a list of accomplishments, although as you can see he has had many, it was his willingness to always help with any project, to always be there when you needed him, to go above and beyond to make sure things went smoothly and to give tirelessly his time and energy. John never refused any assignment, never backed away from any challenge and always gave his all. His efforts certainly left our City a better place. On behalf of the City administration I want to personally thank John for all his years of service but more importantly for his dedication to both DRYS and the City. John, The City thanks YOU!