By Carol Fisher-Linn
Reginald Alexander Lenna graduated from Jamestown High School in 1931. In 1936 Lenna earned a both a degree in Industrial Engineering and a commission in the U.S. Army where he was involved in planning for the Invasion of Normandy and procuring machine tools for the Manhattan Project, resigning as a Major in 1945. The family business, Blackstone Corporation supported the war effort manufacturing car and truck parts. Lenna expanded Blackstone into the international arena, opening an auto parts manufacturing plant in Stratford, Ontario in 1954, followed by plants in Sweden, Netherlands, Spain and Mexico becoming the major supplier of radiator cores and heat exchangers to Chrysler and Volvo. Lenna retired and sold Blackstone Corporation to the Armstrong Rubber Company in 1985 for $103 million.
For most of the 20th century, Blackstone Corporation was Jamestown’s largest employer and one of the driving cores of the local economy. During his lifetime, Reginald Lenna made philanthropic contributions to Southern Chautauqua County, including: The Reg Lenna Center for the Arts in Jamestown in 1987 and The Elizabeth S. Lenna Hall at Chautauqua Institution. In 1986 they established The Reginald and Elizabeth Lenna Foundation, a private grant-making foundation, which is the conduit for charitable contributions from Lenna’s estate, the bulk of which went to the foundation. Grants are limited to service organizations in Southern Chautauqua County, New York, and exceed two million dollars annually.
world, including The Week, Time, Newsweek, MAD, the Washington Post, USA Today, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times.
Adam Zyglis, Buffalo/Alden native is a 2004 Canisius College honors graduate, 2015 Pulitzer Prize winner, and currently the staff editorial cartoonist for the Buffalo News. His cartoons are internationally syndicated through Cagle Cartoons and have appeared in magazines and newspapers around the world, including The Week, Time, Newsweek, MAD, the Washington Post, USA Today, the New York Times, and the Los Angeles Times. It is in college that Zyglis was able to flex his cartooning muscles with his first cartooning job for The Griffin, the weekly Canisius newspaper where his work won him three national collegiate cartooning awards. Pulitzer awarded him the Pulitzer for his use of, according to the committee’s citation, “strong images to connect with readers while conveying layers of meaning in few words.” His images are not without controversy. An example of how his work hits home was his cartoon “The July 2025 Central Texas floods” which prompted numerous death threats directed at Zyglis and his family, resulting in the cancellation of an event promoting local journalism at the Buffalo History Museum due to safety concerns. Yet he continues.
Let’s talk about the Buffalo Bills, shall we? We broaden our reach occasionally when we can’t resist claiming someone not born here or even living here, yet who are part of the color and fabric of Buffalo NY. Kind of like six levels of separation. I’m talking about NFL star, Buffalo Bill Steve Christie. Geographically, his is one of us because, after all, Ellicottville is part of Canada, Eh? Born in Oakville Ontario, married to Kelly Christie (niece to Madigan’s Grace Kell – Ellicottville connection) they now live in Florida but regularly come back to WNY to visit family, to coach, consult and do appearances for the Bills. Christie became an NFL free agent signing a contract in 1992 with the Buffalo Bills. He went on to score 1108 points in 156 consecutive regular season and post-season games and still stands as the top scorer in Bills’ history. In his Bills’ career, Steve won games with a field goal in the final minute of regulation or in overtime 13 times. On nine of those occasions, his kick was the game’s final play. The most memorable kick would be his clutch 32-yard FG to propel the Bills to a thrilling 41-38 OT playoff win over the Houston Oilers (January 3, 1993 – I WAS THERE! AND STAYED) in the greatest comeback game in NFL history.
Steve was honored numerous times during his Buffalo career. He was selected as the AFC “Special Teams Player of the Month” twice and was named AFC “Special Teams Player of the Week” seven times. He was honored as the Bills’ “Special Teams Player of the Year” four times by the Monday Quarterback Club.
Steve also made his mark in the WNY community. He was appointed in 1994 to the Board of Directors of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society and helped raise thousands of dollars for Camp Good Days and Special Times.
Christie left the Bills after the 2000 season and went on to play for the NY Giants and San Diego Chargers before ending his 16-year career by retiring after the 2004 season. Wishing him and his family only the best. Find this 3Downnation article from 2021 for more about Christie and his ties to Buffalo.