Joan Oare

Mrs.Oare is a lifelong resident of Gloversville, and one of its most familiar faces. She graduated from GHS in 1949 and worked for the Gloversville Enlarged School District for 31 years before retiring in 1991. She has served on the district’s Board of Education since 1999.

Since her teens, Mrs. Oare has enjoyed being a visible part of the Gloversville scene. While in high school, she worked as a candy girl at the Glove Theatre and at J.J. Newberry’s. She also notes that some people may recall that she wore a bow in her hair every day during the 1960s!

Mrs. Oare was a football cheerleading coach for almost a decade, and she coached basketball cheerleading for two years. She helped organize Little Huskies Cheerleading, and she organized many, many cheerleading clinics for young girls.

She has been a Girl Scout Leader, member and officer of the local Parent Teacher Association, as well as president of Central Council PTA. She was the first president of the Band Boosters and organized a fundraiser to buy new band uniforms. She was chairman for the March of Dimes fund raising project and a hostess for the Miss Fulton County Pageant.

Not one for idleness, when Mrs. Oare retired from working at the school district, she began working part time at the Lexington Center, where she still works. She is active in the “Generations of Faith” program at Sacred Heart Church.

Recently, she was the mistress of ceremonies of the 2006 Memorial Day Parade. And she took part in the 10K Lexington Run – as a spotter, not a runner.

Mrs. Oare was married to her husband Kenny for 51 years. Mr. Oare passed away on Dec. 30, 2005. Together they have three daughters: Kimberly Russo, Tracey Salvione, and Sheri Lee Oare, who is also deceased. They have three granddaughters: Kayla Russo, a freshman at Russell Sage College; Jennifer Russo, a junior at GHS; and Ashleigh Dockstader, an eighth-grader at Gloversville Middle School.

She was nominated by Robert Gould.