For decades, Jim Patsos has quietly shown up wherever Waterloo needed help — from youth sports and community service projects to church leadership and local agriculture. Later this month, the Waterloo Library & Historical Society will formally recognize that lifetime of service.
The organization announced that James “Jim” Patsos Jr. has been named the 2026 recipient of the Henry C. Welles Award, an honor presented annually to individuals who embody the spirit and community commitment of Memorial Day founder Henry C. Welles.
The award ceremony is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on May 22 in Fatzinger Hall at the Waterloo Library & Historical Society and will serve as the kickoff to Waterloo’s Celebrate Commemorate Memorial Day weekend events.
Patsos moved to Waterloo at age 18 and attended Cornell University before returning to the area to operate his family’s Beltavern Farm in Junius. Alongside his late wife, Deb, he spent decades raising five children while remaining deeply involved in community organizations and volunteer efforts throughout Seneca County.
According to the Waterloo Library & Historical Society, Patsos served as a 4-H leader for 35 years, spent eight years as a Waterloo Little League board member and umpire, and held leadership roles with the Seneca County Farm Bureau. He also served as a church elder for the Church of Latter Day Saints and has volunteered for decades with the Seneca County Bereavement Support Group, the Community Christmas Project, and Trevor’s Backpack Project.
Even after retiring from farming, Patsos has remained active in the community, frequently helping transport Amish residents for work and other activities.
In a statement released by the organization, Patsos said he was “honored, happy and humbled” to receive the recognition and dedicated the award to his late wife.
Waterloo Library & Historical Society Board President Coreen Lowry described Patsos as someone who consistently serves the community without seeking recognition.
“It is a privilege to be able to recognize someone so deserving yet as humble as Jim,” Lowry said in the release.
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