Medina High School recognizes 4 ‘distinguished alumni’

Honorees include Horace Clark Bird (Class of 1956), Colin Huwyler (Class of 2002), Dr. Daniel Terryberry (Class of 1980) and Toby Williams (Class of 1991)

Photo courtesy of Medina Central School: Pictured from left, first row, include Dr. Daniel Terryberry, Bobbie Huwyler (accepting for her son Colin Huwyler) and Jeff Bird (accepting for his dad, Horace Clark Bird). Back row: Medina Athletic Director Eric Valley (accepting for his friend Toby Williams) and Medina Junior/Senior High School Principal Michael Cavanagh.

Press Release, Medina Central School

MEDINA – Medina Junior/Senior High School recognized four distinguished alumni on Friday for their outstanding contributions to their community and/or their chosen career.

The award is given annually to honor alumni, promote school spirit, foster pride in the school and community and to serve as an incentive for the current student body.

This year’s recipients are Mr. Horace Clark Bird (Class of 1956), Mr. Colin Huwyler (Class of 2002), Dr. Daniel Terryberry (Class of 1980) and Mr. Toby Williams (Class of 1991).

“Having worked in Medina for many years, I can definitely say that it is a blessing to be part of a community like ours,” said Michael Cavanagh, the school principal. “The people that we honor today are proof that we are all capable of achieving greatness and truly making a difference in society.”

Horace “Butch” Clark Bird graduated in 1956. After high school he attended Cornell University, playing saxophone in the Big Red Marching Band. After graduating with a B.S. and Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering in 1961, he joined the US Air Force and piloted C-130 cargo aircraft. He flew over 178 combat missions in Southeast Asia and accumulated over 4,000 flying hours out of combat areas. He was awarded seven Air Medals and earned the rank of Captain.

He and his wife Dayle met in Tachikawa, Japan and moved to Rochester, New York where they raised their three children. Butch worked as an engineer at Eastman Kodak Company. He and his colleagues held patents for the first instant camera.

After retiring in 1995, Butch started teaching English while working at Minolta in Osaka, Japan. After earning an English as a Second Language teaching certificate, he taught English and Japanese in Bangkok, Thailand. Sadly, Butch passed away January 4, 2023.

Colin Huwyler is a member of the Class of 2002. After graduating, he went on to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and also earned a certificate in Entrepreneurial Leadership from Carnegie Mellon University’s Tepper School of Business.

While a freshman in college, Colin experimented with biofuels on his Volkswagen Jetta. These experiments led him to create a biofuel system for passenger vehicles, and over the years, this drew interest from a number of private fleets who wanted to utilize the technology to reduce the emissions of the heavy-duty trucks. This led Colin to be a veteran of the renewable fuels industry and becoming the CEO of Optimus Technologies. He also founded Fossil Free Fuel and was the Director of Research and Technology at Steel City Biofuels. He is the co-inventor on several Optimus Technologies patents.

In 2019, Colin was announced as the winner of NYSERDA’s (New York State Energy Research and Development Authority) 76west Clean Energy Competition.  With his prize money, he plans to establish a company in the Binghamton/Ithaca areas.

Colin has consulted and given lectures on biofuels, product development, the low-carbon economy, and a variety of other topics for non-profits, government agencies, corporations and universities.

Dr. Daniel Terryberry was a member of the Class of 1980. During his time at Medina High School, he participated in JV and Varsity Football, as well as Varsity Tennis. He was also selected as the Boys’ State representative his junior and senior years, representing the school for football in All League. He went on to Houghton College and then studied medicine at the University at Buffalo. After receiving a country-wide scholarship to encourage physicians to practice medicine in small, rural towns, he established roots in Elizabeth City, North Carolina. In a nod to his alma mater, the name of his practice is Mustang Medical!

Dr. Terryberry began his medical practice in the fields of gynecology and obstetrics and then later switched his practice to family medicine. He has been voted “Best Doctor” many years and has served as Chief of Staff, Chief Medical Officer, Medical Review Officer and Occupational Health Director throughout his career. He also managed the response to the Covid-19 crisis for the entire Vidant Hospital System.

During his career, he has completed two mission trips with Doctors Without Borders to assist patients in Belize and most recently supported a family from the Ukraine as they were fleeing their native country. Mustang Medical has also had a presence in Kabul and Mazur in Afghanistan and the embassy in Baghdad. His practice continues to support American defense contractors in Qatar, Israel and Burkina Faso.

He and his wife raised four daughters in Elizabeth City and remain a pillar of the community. He serves on several boards and his committed to youth development as he funds multiple sports camps and development programs. He is active in his church and gives back every chance he can. Dr. Terryberry supports local Mustang athletes every year by generously donating to the Boice-Ossont Scholar Athlete Scholarship, which is awarded annually at the Medina Junior/Senior High School Block M Banquet.

Toby Williams is a member of the Class of 1991. During his time at Medina High School, Toby was a member of the National Honor Society and Ski Club. He also participated in Varsity Soccer and Baseball throughout high school. Both of Toby’s parents were members of the faculty at Medina Central School District. He gives credit for his solid education foundation to his parents, along with many supportive teachers he had while at the district. He especially remembers the encouragement and support from Mr. O’Dea, who was his soccer coach.

Toby earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Houghton College, where he majored in Political Science. Afterwards, he went on to pursue a Master’s in Business Administration and a Juris Doctor Degree from Ohio State University. He started his career as securities and mergers and acquisition lawyer in Washington, DC and New York.

Toby later went on to become an investment banker at Citigroup, Inc. He later became the Director of Corporate Development at Paychex, Inc where from 2006-2011 he led all mergers, acquisitions and corporate development efforts. In 2017, he joined Paylocity as Chief Financial Officer and was promoted to President.

In 2022 he was named Co-CEO. Paylocity is a leading provider of cloud-based human resources and payroll software and is recognized as one of the best places to work.  It has been named one of Chicago’s 101 Best and Brightest, along with being one of the best places to work in Illinois. Toby resides in Washington, D.C.