A Vestal High School graduate who died in the Newtown, Connecticut massacre is being remembered as a hero.

Mary Sherlach was one of 6 adult staff members killed at Sandy Hook Elementary by 20 year-old gunman Adam Lanza last Friday. Sherlach, the school psychologist, along with the school's principal were both shot as they rushed Lanza in an attempt to stop him. She graduated from Vestal in 1974 as Mary Greene, her maiden name. The school's yearbook lists her as a member of the girls community service group Alpha Gamma Hi-Y as well as the yearbook staff. She went on to SUNY Cortland where she graduated cum laude with a degree in psychology in 1978. She also met her husband Bill Sherlach in Cortland. According to the college's president, Mary was an active Cortland alum, visiting frequently including last month's Cortaca Cup football game against Ithaca College. SUNY Cortland President Erik Bitterbaum calls Mary's actions at Sandy Hook heroic and exemplified courage, compassion and dedication.