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John Paul Pryor, M.D.

1982 Varsity team picture. John, No. 3, is middle 2nd row kneeling, just left of No. 27

Our team celebrates the Section II "SuperBowl" win. John is No. 3 right, I am No. 54 left

This is myself (red), Brian McClintock (white), Chris Gomes (seated) and John posing for a picture at the Lake George Campgrounds. Rumor has it we saw the sun go down and come up without getting to bed. And through a sophisticated taste test that morning we determined that Budweiser does not make a good mate with frosted flakes !!!

Right, The full crew with Cindy Siedel (Andrews), Erin O'Brien, Kristy Sherriff (blue shirt), Jen Werner (Plateck).

Left, I call this the official staff photo for my 1986 graduation party from Hudson Valley Community College. Bad Hawaiian shirts were required attire.

Right, This a group photo from my 1989 RIT graduation party. I'm seated on Brian's lap (don't ask what his hand is doing) L-R: Erin O'Brien, Chris Gomes (mustache), Shelley Bittner, Jen Werner behind Brian, John hamming above Jen, Cindy Siedel & Kristy Sherriff.

Left: This is the official staff photos for my 1989 RIT graduation. Hawaiian shirts dress code was optional but we had stepped it up to high gloss bow ties.

Right: No!! It's not what it looks like!! John was goofing at someone off camera. It just shows how fun loving he was, where ever he was.

Right: This is taken in the parking lot of Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC). Who knows what concert. One, story about John and the track comes to mind. After working maintenance for the day at the track John had $20 left in his pocket. He'd not hit a race all day. Then in about the 6th race he sees a horse named "Boiling Point". Bingo! how could he pass on the name being in the medical school track? He puts down the $20 on a 20:1 horse and it wins !!!!! It was a sight to see as partying on Caroline Street reached new lows and John celebrated his good fortune.

Left: And so John really starts down the medical path. My mom saved this for me from one of her many visits to Albany Medical Center. When I first saw it way back when I was startled how serious John was. But it was a realization that he was dialed in on where he was headed. I think Grenada was right after this??

Saratoga played a large role in our growing up: concerts, the night life, the track. One night John drove us up to Saratoga but he tired and wanted to go home but the rest of us weren't quite ready to leave. John was ! and he did! Around 2:00 AM we (Brian, Chris G, Jen, Cindy and I think some of Jen's Penn State room mates) realized we had no ride home. We jammed into another friends Vega and plotted our revenge. Marshaling together the needed supplies we went down to John's house and found his Volare Station Wagon parked at the curb. The next morning John had to have stumbled over the neatly stacked tires, hubcaps and lug nuts on his front stoop as he bounded out for an ambulance call. After John called McClintock telling him that the cops would be coming to Brian’s house his Dad is reported to have asked John "What's going on?" John responded "They took my tires off and left the car on blocks, I missed a call!" After Mr. Pryor inspected the vehicle, He reportedly asked John, "What did you do to them?" John admitted he'd stranded us in Saratoga. At which time Mr. Pryor’s reply went something like "They did a nice job with the blocks, you're lucky that's all they did to you!"

The Pizza Hut incident: Going to Community College my first two years I was left me home alone a lot. I always looked forward to my friends coming home for the weekend. I recall one visit. John, Brian McClintock and I went to Pizza Hut for something to eat. At one point I left the table to use he rest room. A week or so later I was walking through the mall and reached into my coat pocket (the same one I'd worn the night we'd eaten out together) and discovered a pair of hardened pepperoni slices.

1993: John contacted me when he'd learned Nancy experienced a troubled delivery of our first child. He had just completed his OB/GYN rotation at Buffalo and he was particularly concerned about the severity of Nancy's condition. It was comforting to hear John lay it out as to what we were up against.

I was never able to tell John how proud I was of his accomplishments. I did get to say how much I appreciated his and his brother Rich's help after Rich admitted my Mom into Albany Med. John called to counsel me as to what was up with my Mom.

I wish we had gotten together to visit like we had promised during that phone call. I was proud of what he'd done with his time he had with us. Some day I hope that pride will lift me and others over the cloud of bottomless sadness I feel right now.

May god bless John and his family. You've only just been taken from us but we can't express how much we miss you

John always had an awareness about doing the right thing so he was more often than not the designated driver, long before it was the commercial, politically correct thing to do. We all decided to go to the Village for a little night life. We almost wound up making it a night in jail. As we drove past the Lake George cop directing traffic I’m fairly certain an inappropriate remark was made. And yes the cop’s microphone was open. So the next intersection’s traffic cop directed John to pull over. Thank god John was the DD. He was the only one who could string an intelligent stream of thought to get us out of the whole we had dug for ourselves. He was able to secure all of us dispensation so long as we did not show up in the Village again that weekend !!!!!

John's family has established a web site
in John's memory. Please goto:

Only 4 weeks after his death, news of John had begun to fade from the news archives. I will post a few of the archived records of John's death and shift focus to the life that he led. Please contact me at:
cpsheridan@frontiernet.net or Facebook

John's death has affected us in ways we cannot understand and describe. I know this because it has affected our children. They've seen Nancy and I cry, they've seen us being melancholy, they've seen us laugh - about John. With sadness and pride I've seen the kids offer unsolicited to change things in their lives. Carolyn has been number 4 in soccer and lacrosse since she began playing. No. 4 was my college lacrosse number. She asked what we would think if she changed her soccer jersey number to No. 3 this year. JP's football No.

Patrick asked if his Pinewood Derby car could be painted red white and blue and, if No. 3 could be painted on it. The numbers weren't big enough so he asked for JP's initials to be added. The car ran fast and won his Den but just finished out of showing in the Pack races.

Then, the kids asked if we would visit John's grave this Memorial Day Weekend. We've taken the kids to the Vietnam Memorial in Rochester, NY for years. So often so they ask, without reservation, when are we going? I was proud of them for asking. I was relieved because I wanted to visit JP's grave.

On Veterans Day 2010 a memorial to John and a dedication to all service members who are Shenendehowa Alum was dedicated. It is in a courtyard that is now formed by the westward expansion of the new high school wing. It's basically where the old music room/girls locker room entrance used to be, yes, near the old smoking area. Eagle Scout Tom Verling performed the work, fund raised and the Class of 1984 chipped in. A very nice granite bench was created and now stands as a legacy to John's Shenendehowa experience.

Fittingly there will also be a plaque that will go into a military service members display case. It will be displayed next to the plaques I remember from the old athletic trophy case in the main lobby of the HS. Those plaques commemorated Shenendehwoa athletes who were killed in action in Vietnam. I remember being struck how alums from my school had lost their lives in Vietnam. I'd wondered where they had gone as time moved on in the high school. I glad that they now have a place of prominence again, but saddened beyond words that they hang alongside one that describes my good friend JP

Recently I was in Schenectady on a business trip (I know, don't make fun of me) and was walking past the elevated train platform near Liberty and North Broadway. I recalled our many trips to Schenectady to see our HS hockey team play their "home" games at the Center city Ice rink (now a crumb rubber indoor soccer turf field). I flashed to a cold night when we were making our way to the rinks back door after parking in the Liberty / N Broadway parking lot. John noticed a street person sprawled out on the ground next to the concrete wall that supported the train platform. We all urged him to keep moving with us but John stopped and asked "Hey buddy! You alright? It's too cold tonight to be laying here." We kept our distance from the vagabond but John approached. We cautioned him about the person lashing out at him but John persisted. John joined us soon after but he fretted about the man during the game and after it concluded John came back out and swept the area looking for the man. He was gone. John was mature beyond our years in many ways, even in HS.

    John's funeral was held January 5th, 2009 at the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul in Philadelphia. He was interred with full military honors at the Colestown Cemetery in Cherry Hill, New Jersey.

    On January 10th, 2009. John's family invited friends to attend a memorial gathering at the Van Patten Country Club Vista banquet facility in Jonesville, NY.
On January 31, 2009 residents of the Savanna Club Community met to express their sorrow and to remember the life and contributions of John.
    The University of Pennsylvania held a Memorial Service for John on April 30, 2009 in the Irvine Auditorium, 3401 Spruce Street. Philadelphia. PA. 19104.

On August 27, 2009 the Shenedehowa Alumni Group co-named a memorial scholarship contribution in honor of John.

The United States Army Medical Reserve Corp dedicated the Medical Reserve Center in honor of John at Fort Dix New Jersey on September 25th, 2009.