About The Author

Dennis Pysnack was raised in a family where helping others was simply part of everyday life. Service, hard work, and giving back shaped the environment he grew up in and became the foundation for everything that followed.

His mother worked as a nurse, while his father served in the United States Navy during the Korean War before continuing his commitment to service as a New York State Police Officer. Dennis also grew up inspired by family members who dedicated their lives to helping others, including an uncle who served in the United States Air Force and later led a national anesthesiology certification program. Along the way, his brother Joe became both a trusted partner and teammate in years of Booster Club work and community efforts.

Dennis began playing basketball at eight years old and continued playing into his sixties, developing a lifelong passion for the game and the lessons it teaches. In his early twenties, he started coaching at St. Patrick’s Catholic School in Seneca Falls and soon expanded into local youth sports programs. He launched a summer basketball camp that eventually merged with the town’s program and spent thirty-seven years helping young athletes learn teamwork, discipline, confidence, and community.

In 1987, Dennis joined Hobart College as an assistant basketball coach a role he proudly continues today, approaching four decades on the sidelines. What began as a short term coaching opportunity became a lifelong journey of mentorship, leadership, friendship, and learning alongside generations of players and coaches.

Outside the gym, Dennis spent thirty seven years at Goulds Pumps, Inc., where respected mentors helped shape his leadership philosophy and approach to teamwork. Those lessons carried into youth sports, community building, and eventually the creation of the Booster Club.

As the Seneca Falls Community Center prepared to open in 2001, Dennis founded the Booster Club, Inc. and became its President a role he continues to hold. Under his leadership, the organization grew beyond youth sports to support families, recreation programs, community initiatives, and people in need.

For Dennis, More Than 25 Cents is not simply a story about basketball. It is a story about people about mentorship, perseverance, service, and what becomes possible when communities choose to show up for one another.