MATT VOLZ
Editor in Chief
When most people think of Buffalo, they think of three things — chicken wings, snow and the Bills.
But for people with an affinity for American history, several U.S. Presidents come to mind.
That’s a big reason why Jeff Schober is where he is today.
Schober was the next guest speaker invited to Fredonia by the school’s chapter of the American Democracy Project (ADP).
He visited the campus on Wednesday, Oct. 15, where he delivered a presentation titled “Western New York’s Unique Presidential Connections.”
Schober, a journalist and retired high school teacher, currently serves as a trustee of the Buffalo Presidential Center.
He explained that, in addition to the two Presidents who made their careers in Buffalo, Millard Fillmore and Grover Cleveland, the area has ties to several other administrations.
Cleveland’s wife, Frances Folsom Cleveland, was a native of Buffalo as well.
Belva Lockwood, who became the first woman candidate for President in 1884, was a native of nearby Royalton.
Buffalo was also the site of President William McKinley’s assassination in 1901, as well as the following inauguration of Theodore Roosevelt.
“Besides Washington, D.C., Buffalo is the city with the most connections to the 45 men who have served as president,” the Buffalo Presidential Center website reads.
The goal of Schober and the Buffalo Presidential Center is to celebrate Buffalo’s historic ties to the highest office in the nation, he explained.
In addition to working with the Buffalo Presidential Center, Schober is also the co-founder of Buffalo Tales, a storytelling website.
He works with his co-founder, photographer Steve Desmond, to produce long-form feature stories with connections to Western New York.
“Everything [in current media] is short and fast. We’re doing the opposite,” he said. “Give us 10 or 12 minutes whenever we publish a story, dig into the story, and we promise we will give you a really good read or a really good story that we believe is interesting.”
Many of the stories published on the Buffalo Tales website draw connections to Buffalo’s history, something Schober has a strong connection to.
Schober’s love of history began when he was young, as his parents took him on trips to several historic locations.
He visited places like Thomas Jefferson’s home at Monticello and the location of the Boston Tea Party.
“I am unabashedly a history nerd,” Schober said. “I make no apologies for it.”
Beginning his career as a journalist, Schober wrote for Bee Newspapers in Buffalo for two years before deciding to become a teacher.
After teaching social studies at an alternative school in Orchard Park for five years, Schober spent the rest of his career as an English teacher at Frontier High School, retiring in 2024.
Schober always found a way to incorporate history into his English classes. On one occasion, a student told him that his classes seemed to be 60% English and 40% history.
“I took that as a compliment, because I think the two go together,” he said. “If you don’t understand history or context, you’re not much of a writer because you have to be able to see the big picture.”
Schober is a strong believer in open and honest political dialogue, and he said that he would often discuss controversial topics in his classes.
“It’s a very fraught time to express your views,” he said. “We’ve got to somehow be able to get past that as a nation, where we can talk to one another without vilifying one another and making one another the enemy.”
In an election as divisive as last year’s was, it can be hard for Americans to find a candidate they fully identify with.
But as Schober pointed out, it’s hard to fully agree on every single issue.
“You have to vote for a vision, and you have to be involved in the political process, because if you’re not, you’re giving up your voice,” he said. “I don’t know why anyone would give up their voice.”
Voter registration drives were held before and after the presentation, with one at 10 a.m. and another at noon.
“I’m glad there’s a voter registration drive,” he said. “I’m going to make a push for my audience that if you’re not registered to vote, please do so.”
ADP is a nationwide initiative that aims to promote civic engagement among college students. Nearly 300 colleges and universities across the U.S. have ADP programs, including Fredonia.
For more information on ADP, visit aascu.org/civic-global-engagement/american-democracy-project/.