In barely two weeks, that statue will keep vigil when 250 students — representing 28 regional middle schools — bring life back to that high school, after 50 years.
Sean Kirst
Sean Kirst is a columnist with The Central Current. He has been an Upstate journalist for more than 50 years. He held his first reporting job as a teenager and worked for newspapers in Dunkirk, Niagara Falls, Rochester and Syracuse, where he spent 27 years before joining the Buffalo News in 2016.
He is the recipient of many national and state journalism awards, including the Ernie Pyle Award, given annually to one American journalist for writing about the dreams and struggles of everyday people. He received the national excellence in column writing award from the Society for Professional Journalists, Capitolbeat's top national award for column writing about state government and the National Coalition Against Domestic Violence national media award. Between 2016 and 2025, in Buffalo, he received the New York News Publishers Association distinguished column writing award eight times, often in its largest circulation category.
Kirst, who serves as a journalist-in-residence at Le Moyne College, was named a civic Wisdom Keeper by FOCUS Greater Syracuse and his name was placed on a Wall of Distinction by the Syracuse Press Club for lifetime achievement in journalism. Kirst has been honored by the federal Department of Justice for sensitivity to victims of violent crime. He has received honorary degrees from Le Moyne and Onondaga Community College, and was honored by SUNY Fredonia in 2022 for outstanding achievement by alumni. He is a recipient of the Onondaga Historical Association medal, the OHA's highest award for preserving and interpreting local heritage.
Kirst, a TedX speaker, has given many talks about the importance of storytelling in journalism, especially in a digital age, and he is the author of three books: The Ashes of Lou Gehrig, Moonfixer, and The Soul of Central New York, published in 2016, the fastest-selling book in the more-than-80-year history of the Syracuse University Press. The England-based Tolkien Society credits Kirst with serving as founder of international Tolkien Reading Day, now celebrated around the world.
Kirst and his wife Nora, a retired city schoolteacher, have three grown children: Sarah, Seamus and Liam.
Sean can be reached at skirst@centralcurrent.org
Posted inPeople
Sean Kirst: As a World War II veteran turns 103, a chance for all of us to say collective thanks
On a monumental birthday, asking readers to send a note or card in honor of a legendary life.
Posted inSean Kirst's Upstate Journal
Sean Kirst: For Norway maples in Syracuse, even before ‘State Fair Time,’ an early fall
A cosmetic disease called ‘tar spot’ affects this common tree, due to our wet, cold spring.
Posted inSean Kirst
Sean Kirst: A half-century after the Landmark Theatre was almost lost, Syracuse will see it again in its true colors
The detailed, high-profile restoration of much of the grand theater becomes an emotional symbol of a key preservation victory.
Posted inSean Kirst
Sean Kirst: 80 years after bombing of Nagasaki, OHA honors sailor’s photographic testament to devastation
An 18-year-old sailor from Syracuse who saw first-hand what an atomic bomb can do to a city spent his life trying to get across a simple truth.
Posted inSean Kirst
Sean Kirst: 50 years after historic Eucharist, remembering how Rev. Betty Bone Schiess shattered ‘stained glass ceiling’
Thousands of women today serve as bishops or priests in the Episcopal Church. Getting there took the barrier-busting courage of Rev. Betty Bone Schiess, and her contemporaries.
Posted inSean Kirst
Sean Kirst: For his 100th birthday, ‘ray of sunshine’ Bob Menotti still spreads light, sign by sign
Family and friends gathered this weekend to celebrate a century of rich achievement for Bob Menotti, a monumental figure in the Syracuse Deaf community.
Posted inSean Kirst
Sean Kirst: Artist builds civic plea into last summer for one big Syracuse couch, at Erie and McBride
A high-profile piece of Syracuse public art — in one climactic statement before it’s moved for Interstate 81 construction — will soon honor two slain officers, first responders and young victims of violence.
Posted inSean Kirst
Sean Kirst: At a sacred place, ‘mindblowing’ tale of the nesting eagles of Onondaga Lake
An historic nest of bald eagles near Onondaga Lake attracts a loyal group of skilled photographers, who waited months to see the young eagles take flight.
Posted inSean Kirst
Sean Kirst: For John Kucko, ‘water in motion,’ Upstate beauty and what he was born to do
Kucko, a former sportscaster in Rochester, has become a digital force by sharing the region’s natural beauty.