Dick Warrender, founding President of the New York Association of Convenience Stores, passed away February 5 at his daughter's home in Vermont.

With John MacDougall, Bob Seng, Kevin Noon and others, Warrender co-founded NYACS in 1986. Colorful, straight-talking, and enthusiastic, he took on the role of staff executive, building NYACS into a respected voice on C-store industry issues in Albany and an effective statewide vehicle for industry interaction and problem-solving.

"Without his work ethic and pioneering spirit, it never would have succeeded," said current NYACS President Jim Calvin. "His legacy is a member-driven trade association as professional, engaged, and lively today as the one he helped create 28 years ago."

After leaving NYACS in the early 1990s, Warrender served for 10 years as the New York State Advocate for Persons With Disabilities under Gov. George Pataki.

In 1996, he was one of the first individuals inducted by NYACS into the New York Convenience Store Hall of Fame.

The Warrender family plans to schedule a springtime memorial service in Dick's hometown of Marcellus NY (near Syracuse).