John N. Aramino, Jr., who led the LeRoy Oatkan Knights onto the football field as a co‑captain in 1960, was also a standout student, earning induction into the National Honor Society.
His life was cut short the following year when, at the age of 17, he rushed onto the tracks at Oatka Creek to pull a younger boy, Louis P. Brady III, from the path of an oncoming train, an act that cost him his own life.
The community never forgot that sacrifice. On July 19, a bronze sign honoring Aramino was unveiled in Trigon Park, the very spot where the rescue unfolded, drawing dozens of residents, former teammates and local officials.
A Legacy Cemented in Stone and Scholarship
Jim Bonacquisti, a longtime LeRoy assistant coach, championed the effort to erect the memorial, rallying alumni and civic groups to fund the project. The sign bears the inscription “No greater love has man than to give his life for a friend,” a line also carved on Aramino’s grave.
In recognition of his bravery, Aramino received the Young American Medal for Bravery from President John F. Kennedy in 1963, as well as a medal from the Carnegie Hero Fund, underscoring the national impact of his deed.
Today, his memory fuels the John Aramino Award, an annual scholarship awarded to a graduating LeRoy student who demonstrates similar courage and leadership, ensuring that his spirit endures in the next generation.
Reporter Jeff Uveino of the USA Today Network has chronicled the story for regional audiences, highlighting how a single act of valor can ripple through decades, inspiring new narratives of self‑lessness.