Paul Stambach papers, 1961-2014

Paul Stambach was born in Clifton Springs, NY on May 19, 1947 to William and Mary Stambach. He grew up in Shortsville, NY and attended Red Jacket Central High School from 1961-1965, located in Manchester, NY at the time. While in high school Stambach earned six varsity letters in football and track and field. He also played the clarinet and sang in the chorus, making All-county in both band and chorus on several occasions. Stambach participated in student council and was elected vice president during his senior year. Hobart College became interested in Paul because of his football skills, his extracurricular activities, and because he was a local student.

Stambach attended Hobart College from 1965 to 1969. He played football at an All East and All-Conference level and participated in track and field, holding the shot-put record for a time. He was initiated into the Kappa Sigma fraternity, served as a residence hall proctor for two years, and was Resident Director of Superdorm (Jackson, Potter, and Rees Halls) in 1968.

After graduation Paul tried to make it in the NFL with a tryout with the Harrisburg Capital-Colts, a farm club of the Baltimore Colts. He played in two preseason games but did not make the team. He then spent several months in New York City working on Madison Avenue. Disenchanted and a little intimidated with the Big Apple, Stambach returned home to Shortsville and poured steel in a local foundry while pondering his options. In the autumn of 1970, he went to graduate school at SUNY Albany where he recieved an M.A. in American History. While at SUNY Albany Paul was a graduate intern coaching football and lacrosse. This brought him back to Hobart College's Boswell Field for the 1971 North/South game where SUNY Albany recieved the Championship trophy for the lacrosse season during halftime. Following graduate school, Stambach went on to teach at the Keene Valley High School in the Adirondacks. He was the entire social studies department, teaching grades 7-12. The school's 1973 yearbook was dedicated to him by the senior class.

In the summer of 1973 he married his first wife and started a career with New York State Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) after having worked on railroad construction and as a stevedore at the Port of Albany, NY. At OPRHP, he managed 18th century historic sites including Fort Crailo in Rensselaer, NY and Schuyler Mansion in Albany, NY. While in this position Stambach conducted research on the Van Rensselaer/Schuyler families resulting in several museum exhibits, audio/visual programs, a book, and some articles. As his career progressed he became the Agency Safety Director, the Director of Staff Development and Employee Training, and served as a Labor Relations Representative.

In 1982 Paul married his second wife, Cynthia Schmit of Colonie, NY. They have two daughters, Betsy, a high school music teacher at South Glens Falls High School and Abby, a librarian/archivist at the Russell Sage Colleges. He retired from Parks in 2002 and has since been substituting as a social studies teacher, volunteering as a middle school football coach, and serving on the Friends' Boards for the historic sites he managed while working for Parks. He also volunteers for the New York State Military Museum, serves on the town of Clifton Park's Historic Preservation Commission, works with the town library staff on emergency action plans, and provides day care for his grandchildren. He still returns to the Hobart College campus for reunions and for football games, to see his great nephew Steven Webb play.