Southwestern Graduate, Beloved Musician Remembered | News, Sports, Jobs

Jackson Rohm, center, is pictured with Dale Pierce at remaining and Ed Harrell. A indigenous of Lakewood, Rohm was an recognized singer-songwriter and identified for his charitable attempts.
Photograph courtesy of Dale Pierce

Jackson Rohm may perhaps be greatest known as the Lakewood child who began his musical vocation playing a middle school dance and who afterwards grew to become an completed singer-songwriter. But Rohm also experienced an affinity to supporting many others — frequently making use of his musical skills to elevate cash, recognition and the spirits of these going through hardship.

Numerous of his initiatives, some community this kind of as the profit concert events for the United Way and some others more non-public, were being noted in dozens of private accounts and tributes posted to social media Wednesday subsequent his unexpected passing this 7 days.

He was a 1989 graduate of Southwestern High School. For the duration of his senior calendar year he was awarded the Frank Hyde Memorial Scholarship, presented in memory of the late Frank Hyde, sports activities editor of The Write-up-Journal from 1945-79. It is awarded per year to an remarkable faculty-certain athlete.

Tom Priester, a retired physical schooling teacher and cross nation coach at Southwestern Central University, remembered Rohm as a “super great kid” and an great scholar.

“Regardless of the setting, Jackson generally did what he was requested to do,” Priester claimed. “He was a terrific friend to absolutely everyone, a great teammate, and he normally encouraged and supported those all over him.”

Jackson Rohm is pictured in 1989. In addition to managing at Southwestern, Rohm was also a member of the Chautauqua Striders Monitor Club.
P-J file photo

While a profitable student athlete, Rohm’s career in tunes essentially commenced at a middle school dance the place he done with his band. It was not right up until his senior year of university at Miami University in Ohio wherever he created a subsequent at his weekly acoustic shows. Recognizing his new music could be a potential occupation, he grew to become a whole-time musician.

Among the his most proudest achievements was singing the Countrywide Anthem at Wrigley Subject in Chicago.

HOMETOWN Favored

In the years following his institution as a singer-songwriter, which involved the release of 7 entire-length albums, Rohm often returned to Chautauqua County for many fundraising attempts. As a observed keep track of history holder at Southwestern Central University, he done at the substantial faculty in 2007, with proceeds from a clearly show likely toward the district’s Athletic Intricate Fund. In 2009, Rohm was back again at Southwestern to assist the regional United Way chapter kick off its once-a-year marketing campaign push.

He carried out at local demonstrates, equally large and smaller, from the Thursday in the Village Eco-friendly Park in Mayville to becoming a visitor and decide on the Floating Phase for Chautauqua Lake Idol.

Rohm graduated from Southwestern in 1989. He launched many albums in his musical career and the moment sang the Nationwide Anthem at Wrigley Area in Chicago.

Rohm also touched quite a few lives as a result of personalized gestures not meant to deliver publicity. That was surely the circumstance in August 2007 when he sang a few songs with his guitar to a female in her bed at WCA Medical center in Jamestown.

Dale Pierce went to Falconer Central Faculty and knew Rohm from the rival Southwestern. On Wednesday, he remembered the gifted musician as a “very unique man or woman to so many of us.”

Pierce, who lives in the Charlotte place in North Carolina, recalled the day that Rohm frequented his aunt at the clinic. A admirer of are living performances, his aunt experienced arrive to enjoy Rohm’s audio and was taken care of to a own display inside of her medical center space.

“He arrived to comfort and ease a single of our cherished types in her past days, basically enjoying in her space at WCA, with his angelic voice,” Pierce told The Article-Journal. “In the years that adopted, I reconnected with Jackson, after I experienced moved to the Charlotte place. So a lot of Western New York people stay right here, and Jackson had a instead substantial subsequent in this region.”

Rohm even performed at a personal occasion Pierce hosted with his husband in North Carolina.

“Over the yrs, any time I picked up the mobile phone, if he was readily available, he would be there for grand openings, Christmas get-togethers and, additional importantly, charity fundraisers I hosted,” he reported. “His coronary heart was even larger than his amazing voice. I will normally cherish our friendship.”

A TRIBUTE TO A CHILDHOOD Close friend

Rohm was element of a group that served organize a operate in memory of Amy King, the Celoron native who died in the 9/11 attacks in New York Metropolis. Rohm 1st arrived to know King when they attended Celoron Elementary College in the late 1970s and early 1980s.

In 2019, Rohm reviewed with Article-Journal sporting activities editor Scott Kindberg his friendship with King.

“Amy was a single of those one of a kind little ones that was good friends with most everybody, not just in just a certain clique, like numerous of us,” Rohm explained to Kindberg by electronic mail. “This was accurate of her via middle college, high faculty and past. She actually was the sweetest lady, and most boys experienced a crush on her again then, as a great deal because of to her persona as her quite experience, not to point out her roller-skating prowess.”

With shared passions in managing, Rohm, Priester — the former Southwestern cross place mentor — and Tom Anderson believed it was only pure to hold a 5K race/stroll in King’s memory. In significantly less than three months following 9/11, the initial Amy’s Operate was held.

“It was one particular of these unusual 72-diploma, late-November days and individuals came out in drive to run or stroll in Amy’s memory,” Rohm recalled. “It was moving to see how our community arrived alongside one another in memory of Amy.”

It was at that first race in 2001 he was invited to sing “To Amy, With Enjoy,” a track he experienced published about King immediately after her passing. “I struggled to preserve it jointly,” Rohm said in 2019. “I however can not look in her mother’s or father’s eyes though I sing that song.”

‘CAPTURING HEARTS’

A number of persons who realized Rohm took to social media on Wednesday to supply condolences to his household and recount reminiscences.

Monthly bill Ward, president of Chautauqua Rails to Trails and community musician, provided the next:

“Many a long time back I would enjoy barn events for Bob Rohm and youthful Jackson would be bouncing about capturing hearts even as a little one. Flash ahead a number of years and Jackson was acquiring his legs less than him as a performer and would contact me for tips on gear, sound systems, and so on., and then sit in all through my breaks at Webbs. Watching him evolve into a seasoned and dynamic performer as effectively as a gifted and generous community chief, good friend and spouse and children person was a large joy of my lifetime. Jackson Rohm will be missed, and I am heartbroken for his family, good friends and supporters.”

Jason Sample, station manager at WRFA, said: “In the summer time of 1996 I put in numerous Monday nights at the On line casino in Bemus Issue … and that was my very first initiation to Jackson Rohm, a neighborhood singer and guitarist who appeared to be capable to play and sing any track with simplicity. His expertise only ongoing to improve the previous 25-as well as yrs. It is sad to master someone who nonetheless looked youthful and balanced has instantly passed absent. Condolences to his quite a few buddies, household customers and enthusiasts.”

Tricia Conklin, Southwestern university nurse and attended higher faculty with Jackson: “My fondest recollections of Jackson ended up his adore for audio and keeping relatives helpful live shows at nearby establishments for all people to get pleasure from. My youngsters grew up listening to Jackson’s CDs and it was extra specific when they could go see him in ‘concert’ at the Lakewood beach front, Celoron Park or Mayville Park. We usually looked ahead to the Fourth of July since we understood we would be looking at him at the Village On line casino in Bemus Stage.”

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