March 26, 2019
Wyandotte Distinguished Graduate
Inductees

Galeski, Scott Allan - 1983
Palamara, Joseph - 1971

Scott Allan Galeski Class of 1983

Scott Galeski distinguished himself as a Wyandotte police detective, for his coaching service in numerous school districts and as the founder of the Downriver Student Film Consortium.

Scott enjoyed his high school years at Roosevelt High School. He was voted class president his junior year.  Scott earned eight varsity letters in football, wrestling and track. He also won nine honors in track at regional and state competitions.

Scott Galeski came back to Roosevelt in 1985 and served as the freshmen
football coach. In 1986, he introduced intermural wrestling at Wilson Middle School while also serving as head varsity track and football coaches.
He continued to coach sports for over 30 years in other downriver school districts including Fordson, Riverview and Woodhaven. Scott also coached little league and various other recreation teams throughout the area.

In 1990, Scott received his training in law enforcement at the Wayne County Regional Police Academy where he served as class president. That year, Scott joined the Wyandotte Police Department as a patrol officer. From 1999-2004, Patrolman Galeski worked as an undercover narcotics office with the Michigan State Police in Detroit. In 2004, Galeski was promoted to detective – the third generation of his family to serve in that capacity. Over the years, Detective Galeski served as the DARE officer, as the lead investigator of crimes against children with the Downriver Violent Crimes Task Force, with the Downriver Arson Task Force, with the Downriver Crisis Negotiator Team and with the Rapid Response team known as SWAT.

As a police officer, Scott received numerous honors and recognitions including the Police Meritorious Citation in 1992, 1997 and 2009; the Chief’s Unit Service Award in 1993, 1998 and 2014; and the Congressional Police Medal in 1999. In 2002, Detective Galeski was honored as Wyandotte Police Officer of the Year and in 2003 was presented with the Child Advocacy Award and named National Narcotics Operative of the Year. In 2015, President Barack Obama honored Scott with a President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. As an athlete, Galeski wrestled his way to a 5th place medal in the World Games in Melbourne, Australia, in 1995.

Acting on a childhood dream, Scott became an independent filmmaker in 2009. Galeski founded “Ring of Fire Entertainment” which has produced dozens of films and videos that have been shown all over the world. In 2016, Scott and his wife founded the “Downriver Student Film Consortium” as a way to unleash young talent and help disadvantaged youth. Under Scott’s guidance, his students’ films have won several honors including a Best of Show Award at the Digital Arts Film and Television Festival.

Scott Galeski presently works as a school Truancy Officer – a job keeping with his passion to help children at risk. Scott holds a third degree in the Trenton/Wyandotte Lodge of Masons and serves as a board member on the Downriver Council for the Arts.

Scott and his wife, Noel, make their home in Wyandotte. They enjoy their children, Brittany and Stephen, and grandson, Weston (printable PDF document).

Joseph Palamara Class of 1971

 Joseph Palamara distinguished himself in both the private and public sectors, as a member of the Michigan House of Representatives and the Wayne
 County Commission, and as an outstanding athlete.

 While Joseph was at Roosevelt High School, he was a member of the National Honor Society, the Border Cities League Federation and the World as a
 Community class (WAAC).  Joe was an outstanding athlete and earned two varsity letters in baseball at Roosevelt.

 Joe also played baseball, basketball and hockey in the city’s recreation programs. In 1971, he helped lead his Class-D basketball team to the MRPA State Basketball Championship and in 1972 led the Trenton American
 Legion Post #426 win the State Baseball Team  Championship.

After graduating from Roosevelt in 1971, Joe was awarded an Evans (Caddy) Scholarship to attend Michigan State University. Joe majored in hotel, restaurant and institutional management. While at MSU, Joe was a walk-on member of the varsity baseball team. 1975 was a break-out year for Joe as a second baseman. He was the Spartans’ leading hitter, earning him the Steve Garvey Sportsmanship Award, named First Team All-Big Ten and an All-American Baseball Player by the American Association of College Baseball Coaches. That same year, Joe earned his bachelor of arts degree from MSU’s College of Business.

After graduating MSU, Joe worked in both public and private sectors. In the early 1980s, while employed by the city of Royal Oak as the arena manager and recreation supervisor, he attended evening classes at the Detroit College of Law. In 1985, Joe graduated with a juris doctorate degree. He has been a licensed attorney and member of the State Bar of Michigan for over 30 years.

In 1984, Joe made his first bid for public office. He won a seat in the Michigan House of Representatives. As a state legislator, Palamara sponsored a number of bills that became state law. Those included: measures to require DNA testing of criminals, a law to allow direct access to OB-GYN health care for women and another to regulate athletic agents in Michigan. Representative Palamara played an integral part in other pieces of legislation that were approved including supporting millions of dollars in state grants to upgrade the Wilson Middle School athletic field and build Wyandotte Shores Golf Course. Joe served in the State Legislature for seven terms until 1998, when term limits went into effect.

Joe was elected as Wayne County Commissioner in 1998, representing eight downriver communities. He has served eleven terms and has been instrumental in turning around the state’s largest county into consecutive years of budget surpluses. Joe has sponsored over a million dollars in local improvements from the county’s Parks Millage Fund to parks all over the downriver area. After serving as chairman of the Commission’s Ways and Means Committee, he currently serves as vice chairman of the entire Commission.

Palamara has also served as a board member at Henry Ford Wyandotte Hospital, the Michigan Association of Counties and the Wyandotte Public Schools Scholarship Foundation. Joe has been a volunteer coach in numerous youth sports. He has served as guest speaker and lecturer for a variety of schools and events including serving as master of ceremonies at President Bill Clinton’s visit to the Wyandotte Bacon Memorial Library in 1996.

Joseph Palamara and his wife Aline, also a graduate of Roosevelt (1973) and Michigan State University (1978), are the proud parents of three children (all MSU graduates) and four grandchildren (printable PDF document).