JAMESTOWN, N.Y. — Months after his unexpected passing, the Jamestown community gathered to pay tribute to friend and teacher Tony Dolce by dedicating the Greater Jamestown Riverwalk in his name.
Dolce, 64, passed away in July.
"A true leader, the voice in the room that kept everybody intact and on the goal, the voice of reason," Mayor Kimberly Ecklund told WKBW. "Definitely a man committed to his community and committed to whatever it is he did, he did with full commitment."
In 1993, Tony was first elected to Jamestown City Council representing Ward 2, an office which he held for over 30 years. He served as council president and council representative to the board of the BPU.
On Thursday, Ecklund led the dedication ceremony for Dolce.
"When you work with someone for that many years, the relationship naturally grows beyond work itself. Sometimes we were more like brother and sister, Christian and Amelia, disagreeing and arguing, but yet the love was there," Ecklund told those in attendance. "Alongside those challenges and decisions that came with serving Jamestown, we shared countless conversations and experiences that helped build a friendship I came to truly treasure."
Dolce's family was also in attendance.
"We all know how much our dad meant to Jamestown, but what I hope people understand today is just how much Jamestown meant to him," Amelia Witkowski, Tony's daughter, said.
"To him, those weren't just different roles or responsibilities; they were different ways of contributing to the same place he cared so deeply about," Tony's son Christian said. "And while many of you knew our dad through those roles, we've had the privilege of knowing a side of him that most people never saw. To us, he was dad."
Christian continued, "We saw the man behind the responsibilities, the man who came home after long days, who cared deeply about his family, and who taught us far more through the way he lived than anything he ever said."
Prior to his retirement in 2024, he was employed by the Jamestown Public School District as a history/government teacher at Jamestown High School. During his tenure, he was a class advisor five times and oversaw Student Organization, which is responsible for Battle of the Classes, graduation ceremonies, and baccalaureate services.
In addition, he coached baseball for the school for 19 years and the Babe Ruth League from 1984-2016, as well as coaching Jamestown High School's cross country team.
Following the ceremony, the current cross country team, donning their green Coach Dolce shirts, were the first to run on the trail under its new name.
"He meant a lot to adults. He meant a lot to colleagues. He meant a lot to the people he worked with in the city. You saw a fire department here, police department here, meant a lot to kids," JPS Superintendent Kevin Whitaker told WKBW. "Everyone here forged a personal relationship with Tony, and that's because he was a very special guy who wanted the best for everyone.”
“Really, his legacy is all of the kids that we see here and all of the things that he did," Whitaker added.
