PETER J. SCHEIBNER
JOSEPH HOLLAND LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Rockland born and bred, Pete Scheibner has held a passion for Rockland County sports for as long as he can remember. That strong interest is what led him to contribute to the advancement of the County’s athletic heritage by getting involved with the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame.
Not only did he get involved – he went all in. Accepting an invitation by Hall of Fame founder Joe Holland, Pete joined the Board of Directors in 1988 and, nine years later, succeeded Leon Pesner as the RCSHOF’s 10th chairperson. Now in his 27th year at the helm, Pete is by far the longest-serving chair in the Hall’s 51-year history.
Charitable Works, Assiduous Record-Keeping, Programs Expansion
During Pete’s tenure as chairman, the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame has become much more active in philanthropic endeavors. Through his leadership, the Hall has made significant donations to numerous local organizations and charities, and underwrites annual scholarships to college-bound high school seniors from Rockland who have demonstrated athletic and academic proficiency. Pete has also been instrumental in steering donations from the RCSHOF to individuals experiencing medical hardship and financial constraints.
As befitting a man who served as Rockland County’s Archivist from the post’s inception in 1987 (appointed by inaugural County Executive John Grant) till his retirement in 2016, Pete is a stickler for proper data and records documentation. He has greatly expanded and modernized the Hall’s written and digital presence and takes pride in spearheading the production of the Hall’s state-of-the-art program journals. He also has overseen the transformation of the organization’s website, which he aptly describes as a “rich repository of Hall of Fame information.”
On Pete’s watch, categories have been added to the Hall’s roster of inductees, including the Holland Award, the Old-Timers Special Award and the Coaches Award, while the pre-existing Team of Distinction Award was revitalized. He also shepherded the concept of a RCSHOF Night to fruition, whereby newly elected Team honorees are formally recognized during a summer outing at the New York Boulders ballpark. The annual event regularly draws more than 100 guests and is a highly anticipated affair, as is of course the main induction gala held in April.
Net Result: A Love For Tennis
Outside of his work for the Hall of Fame, Pete was a three-sport athlete at Pearl River High School (soccer, basketball, baseball) and later starred as an All-Mid Hudson Conference first singles player for Coach Joe Famellette’s Rockland Community College tennis teams. During his two years with the team, Pete helped lead RCC to the Mid Hudson Conference team title and a berth in the qualifying round of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) tournament. For his superior play on the tennis courts, Pete was elected to the Rockland Community College Sports Hall of Fame in 2014. He extols Coach Famellette for mentoring him and developing his tennis game to a championship caliber.
The love affair with tennis that Pete initiated at RCC has continued unabated ever since. He has given back to the community by serving as a tennis instructor for RCC’s Continuing Education program, and also for the Town of Orangetown and the Village of Nyack Parks and Recreation department. Pete remains an avid competitor in age-group tennis singles play, and has met with a fair measure of success.
In his early 40s, he captained the 1994 Men’s 4.5 USTA Bergen County tennis team, which captured third place at the USTA nationals in Palm Springs, California. The team won the district, regional and New York State tournaments to reach the nationals. Pete recalled wistfully about that third-place nationals finish: “We had two match points on our racquets from making the finals!”
After earning an associate’s degree at RCC, Pete transferred to the University of Arizona, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in political science in 1974. He later enrolled in the New School for Social Research in New York City and obtained a master’s degree in Urban Affairs and Policy Analysis. Pete is a 1970 graduate of Pearl River High School.
Vocational Calling: Preserving, Documenting Historical Records
In his professional career, Pete’s work as an archivist and historical preservation advocate has been recognized in various forms. A certified archivist since 2002, Pete received the Wheeler B. Melius award in recognition of outstanding service to records management in New York State. That award was bestowed in 2005 by the New York Association of Local Government Records Officers.
Among his other professional honors, Pete was awarded the 2000 Cheryl Steinbach award in Local Government Records Management, and the Rockland County Executive Award from the Historical Society of Rockland County for Preservation Leadership, in 2008. Since 2004 he has served as a board member of the Rockland County Preservation Board and currently holds the position of vice chairman, serving as County Archivist designee.
Pete’s twin interests in sports and historical records management intersect in his work for the International Council on Archives, Section on Sports Archives subdivision. As treasurer and executive board member of that group, he has been afforded the opportunity to travel worldwide to meetings of this global council. Just last year, for example, he made a presentation in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates on preservation and document management of sports archives. Included in his talk was a focus on the information-rich RCSHOF website spanning more than 300 inductees. One of those enshrinees, 1936 Olympian Elizabeth “Pat” Ryan, was spotlighted by Pete as a 13-year-old swimmer at the Berlin Olympics – the youngest American athlete at the Games – who swam in the preliminary heats to help the U.S. 4×100-meter relay qualify for the final, where it earned a bronze medal for its third-place finish.
Retirement Agenda: Golf, Tennis, Travel – and All Things Hall of Fame
In retirement, Pete, who is 72, enjoys travel, tennis, golf and platform tennis. He currently chairs the Patriot Hills Golf Course Tuesday night men’s 9-hole, 28-player golf league in Stony Point.
Pete and Ann, his wife of 39 years, have lived in Stony Point since 1986. The Scheibner’s have one son, Matthew, 34, who owns a chartered financial analyst (CFA) certification and is vice president for Invesco US in White Plains. Matt and his wife, Sitora, a human resources adviser for financial software company SAP Fioneer, reside in Stamford, Conn.
The Holland award is named after the Hall of Fame’s founder and recognizes the lifelong contributions of individuals to the Rockland County athletic community. For his longstanding dedication, zeal and leadership with the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame, coupled with his active athletic participation and community service, Pete Scheibner stands out as a fitting recipient of the Joseph Holland Lifetime Achievement Award.
“It’s been an incredible honor and privilege to have been affiliated with the Rockland County Sports Hall of Fame and its members for the past 36 years as a board member, 27 of which I’ve served as chairman,” Pete says proudly. “I hope to remain a contributing member for the rest of my lifetime.”
