Senior Valentina Puccio Wins Fulton Award

John Fulton, Sr. was a legitimate business genius and an all-around good guy who was highly regarded by everyone he crossed paths with during his relatively short time on this planet. A member of Huntington High School’s Class of 1973, he grew up in the community and maintained a long and faithful association with his alma mater.

Mr. Fulton sent his own children through Huntington High School and could frequently be found among the crowd at district events. When he lost his battle with multiple myeloma on August 27, 2009, at 55 years old, it was an awful loss to not only his family and friends but the community as well.

Mr. Fulton owned and operated the Huntington Pennysaver Group. As a successful businessman, he was able to help others, but preferred doing it without fanfare and usually completely anonymously. He helped for all the right reasons and cared nothing about receiving credit. It was this simple: Someone needed him and he was there.

John Fulton, Jr. and his family was hand on at the 58th annual Blue Devil senior athletic awards ceremony in the Huntington High School auditorium, where he discussed his dad’s life before announcing the 2026 award recipient; Valentina Puccio.

An exceptional student athlete who helped lead the Blue Devils to county, Long Island and state championships, Ms. Puccio was also an All-County tennis player.

Ms. Puccio tallied 65 goals and 18 assists on the lacrosse field this spring. She has been recruited to play at NCAA Division I Hofstra University where she will study accounting.

“The key to my success has been hard work, good study habits, and managing my time well,” Ms. Puccio said. “Throughout my academic career my parents have always stressed the importance of getting good grades, reading, and studying. A quote I like to use is ‘You get what you put in!’ This quote aligns perfectly with schoolwork. The things I’ve enjoyed most throughout high school are the support from teachers, staff, and coaches. I enjoyed my great coaches for tennis and lacrosse as well as my teammates.”

The John F. Fulton Foundation was created by the Fulton family to perpetuate the memory and values of a very special man who believed that young people and the schools they attend play an integral role in every community.

More than anything, Mr. Fulton believed in the value and importance of a good education. He always stressed that an education remained with a person for their entire life. He admired and respected Blue Devil athletes and rarely missed a game when his three children were playing for Huntington. Where the game was held, at what time or even what the weather happened to be on any given game day mattered little. He was there.

John Fulton, Sr. Scholarship Award Recipients

2012 Daniel Plant

2013 John Mallouk

2014 Christian Jamison

2015 Justin Weigold

2016 Taylor Moreno

2017 Ryan Stieve

2018 Clayton Jamison

2019 Paige Lennon

2020 Marissa Stafford

2021 Torin Bograd

2022 Kaleef Riley

2023 Grace Agrillo

2024 Thomas Girimonti

2025 Will Fallon

2026 Valentina Puccio