AUBURN | Donald Gerald Clifford, 82, formerly of William Street, Auburn, died Monday, Feb. 4, 2013. A funeral mass will be at 11 a.m. Friday, Feb. 8, at St. Alphonsus Church, 85 E. Genesee St., Auburn. Burial will be at St. Joseph's Cemetery, Auburn. Don was born in Auburn on Sept. 5, 1930. He was the son of George and Gertrude Clifford. He was a graduate of LeMoyne College, with a degree in history. He received his masters from Syracuse University and was a Ph.D candidate at the University of Buffalo. Don was an assistant dean at SUNY Brockport. He was in the U.S. Navy, where he served two years of active duty. He taught history at Union Springs Central from 1961 to 1963, where he coached the first ever undefeated football team. He was a prime mover for the Ernie Davis Leukemia Fund in the 1960s at Syracuse University. He was a member of the American Legion of Auburn, N.Y.S. Teachers Association, and Cayuga County Coaches Association. He did recruiting for the leukemia fund and was cited in New York City and Rochester. Don was a great Syracuse Orange fan. He is survived by close friends, William Huther, Emmanuel Ferrara, and other friends. Arrangements are by Schulz-Pusateri Funeral Home, Newark.
