On September 19, the Hilton Central School District welcomed five inductees into its Alumni Hall of Fame: Randy Jensen, Class of 1976; Nancy Leport Whelehan, Class of 1970; Jeffrey Sorensen, Class of 1988; Lt. Col. John Franz, Class of 1993; and Karen Hermance, Class of 1974. This brings the total number of inductees to 60.
Lt. Col. John T. Franz, Class of 1993
Colonel Franz’ career with the United States Army began at the West Point Military Academy, where he graduated with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and a minor in Aeronautical Systems.
In 2001 Col. Franz graduated from the United States Army Aviation Center as a UH-60 helicopter operator. Two years after that he would serve his first of three combat tours in Afghanistan, flying countless missions as the pilot of a Blackhawk helicopter.
In 2017 he was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel and was appointed as commander of the U.S. Army Aviation Battalion at Camp Zama, Japan. During his time in the Army, Col. Franz was awarded 26 medals for his service, including two Bronze Stars, two Air Medals and three Meritorious Service Medals. He retired from the Army after serving more than 28 years.
Col. Franz has worked with and supported families and soldiers through the Family and Soldiers Readiness Group at Camp Zama, Japan and has also been very active in numerous churches as both a leader and Sunday School teacher.
Col. Franz now lives in Corpus Christi, Texas with his wife Tracy.
Karen Hermance, Class of 1974
Karen Hermance is Board President of the Sally Edelman Harry Gardner Cancer Research Foundation. It was established in 1984 with the goal of raising $1,000,000 for cancer research. Today it has continued raising these crucial funds and has donated more than $1.5 million to the Wilmot Cancer Institute. The foundation’s mission was to allocate all funds raised directly to research projects, avoiding administrative costs. Partnering with the University of Rochester ensured donations directly supported the Wilmot Cancer Institute. The foundation has contributed “seed” grants to Wilmot researchers, encouraging further funding from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) and National Institutes of Health (NIH). This strategy has secured over $8 million in grants for promising projects.
As one of her nominators Tiffany Paine-Cirrincione stated, “Karen is an inspiration to the women of my generation; teaching us by example that one person’s voice, perseverance, and compassion for their community can make a tangible impact.”
Randy Jensen, Class of 1976
Randy Jensen has literally dedicated his life to serving others. In 1978, at the age of 20 he joined the Lake Shore Fire Department. He rose through the ranks and served two separate three-year terms as Fire Chief. At the same time he was holding this volunteer position, he was also working full-time with the Ridge Road Fire District.
Mr. Jensen was also selected to serve the Monroe County Fire Bureau as the 2nd Battalion Deputy Fire Coordinator. Serving in this role from 2007-2019, he worked to coordinate firefighter and public safety training, as well as assisting in emergency response situations by providing assistance to incident commanders at active structure fires, special operations, hazardous materials incidents, and the coordination of mutual aid.
As committed as he has been to the local community, his efforts with the National Fallen Firefighters Foundation might be even more impressive. The NFFF’s mission is to honor America’s fallen fire heroes, supporting their families, colleagues, and organizations, while working to reduce preventable firefighter death and injury. For 12 years Mr. Jensen served as the Chairman for the Rochester Area NFFF Golf Tournament. Under his leadership it grew to be the largest tournament of its kind in the nation, raising more than $750,000.
Nancy Whelehan Leport, Class of 1970
Ms. Whelehan Leport is probably best known as the face of the Hilton Alumni Association, but she is so much more than that. Her commitment to community service began in her senior year when, as an 18-year-old she organized Hilton’s first Earth Day celebration. She climbed aboard a Town of Parma truck filled with recyclable bottles and cans and delivered them to Wegmans headquarters, urging them to begin a recycling program.
Ms. Whelehan Leport earned her Master of Divinity from Colgate Rochester Divinity School in 1990 and embarked on a 27-year ministry career that touched numerous communities and countless lives. She founded the LeRoy Christian Community Project, a cooperative involving multiple churches. This innovative program provided essential services including after-school programs, teen drop-in centers, and caregiver support groups, directly improving hundreds of families’ lives. She also established Real Life Programs, providing workshop and retreat leadership, life coaching, leadership coaching, and church coaching services.
As President and co-founder of the Hilton Alumni Association, she transformed initial pledges of $20,000 into a thriving organization that has awarded multiple scholarships annually to Hilton graduating seniors, provided classroom grants to teachers for unfunded educational projects, created lasting connections between the school district and broader Hilton community, and expanded membership across multiple decades of Hilton graduates.
Jeffrey Sorensen, Class of 1988
Mr. Sorensen excelled both in the classroom and on the soccer field during his time at Hilton High School. A member of the National Honor Society, he was also a starter on the 1987 New York State Championship Soccer Team. He continued that success at SUNY Oswego where he graduated Magna Cum Laude and also earned the 1991 SUNYAC Dr. T. Fred Holloway Award given for academic and athletic achievement.
Upon graduating from college, he went to work for Price Waterhouse Coopers, where he has been for more than 30 years. He is currently the Lead Engagement Partner on one of the firm’s largest and most iconic clients, IBM. Mr. Sorensen was also the partner assigned to the Eastman Kodak account when that company was going through its most difficult financial times.
Mr. Sorensen has contributed generously to the Hilton Athletic Department, and along with his wife Ginger, established the Jeffrey ’92 and Ginger Bray Sorensen ’93 Scholarship at SUNY Oswego. This scholarship was established to provide support for future generations of deserving students, particularly those students from disadvantaged backgrounds who did not have a lot of opportunity, with a goal of educating students who will contribute back to society.
The honorees were also on hand for the homecoming pep rally, the parade, and served as honorary captains at the football game. To see pictures from the day, visit https://hiltonschools.smugmug.com/2025-2026/District/HomecomingHall-of-Fame.
The district’s Athletic Hall of Fame induction will be held on January 2, 2026.
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