In balloting by members of the Shelby High School Alumni Association, the following have been voted 2014 inductees for the Shelby High School Hall of Distinction: Jim Anderson ’47, Russ Hepner ’58, Tom Baker ’60, Rick Fisher ’68, Angela Phillips ’89 and former teacher and coach Ron Strine. Standing in for the late Jim Anderson will be his granddaughter Abbey Bartosiak ‘08.
Each inductee or stand-in has selected a presenter: Abbey Bartosiak for Jim Anderson, former teacher Mark Zimmerman for Russ Hepner, Bill Wilkins ’60 for Tom Baker, former teacher and coach Bill Varble for Rick Fisher, Mary Lee Hannafus Barr ’66 for Angela Phillips, and Donnie Strine and Annette Bevelhymer for Ron Strine.
The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, Aug. 16 at the new Shelby High School, 1 Whippet Way, off West Smiley Avenue. The induction ceremony will start at 1:30 p.m. and be followed by a reception in the school’s commons and then a dinner at 6 p.m. at the Kehoe Center on Mansfield Avenue. For registration information for the dinner call 419-347-5539.
The most senior of this year’s inductees is Jim Anderson ‘47 who built a successful business career at the Shelby Mutual Insurance Company and served as president and board member of Shelby City Parks, Shelby City Schools and Pioneer Career and Technology Center.
Russ Hepner ’58 taught and coached football in Ohio and Michigan. In 20 seasons at Grosse Point South High School, his teams went 143-69 and won 10 league titles. He was elected to the Michigan High School Football Coach’s Hall of Fame.
Tom Baker ’60 founded his own software and consulting company and then established the Baker Family Foundation that has helped more than 200 inner city youth attend college.
Rick Fisher ’68 spent his career teaching and coaching, including 15 years at Murray High School in Kentucky. There his teams went 129-54 and won two regional championships. He was elected to Murray State University’s Athletics Hall of Fame.
Angela Phillips ’89 serves as president and chief executive officer of a manufacturing company with multiple locations and supports community organizations in both Middletown and Shelby.
Ron Strine taught at Shelby High School for 36 years – 1958-1994 – and coached for 33 of those years.
More complete biographies of each inductee will be included in the printed program that will be distributed to attendees at the Hall of Distinction induction ceremony and dinner and will be inserted into Biography Books, copies of which are kept at SHS.
In addition, each inductee will receive a framed certificate, and the name of each has been engraved on a plaque that is displayed in the SHS Commons, which will be available for viewing at the Aug. 16 event.
The Hall of Distinction was established in autumn 2004 with the first group of inductees honored in 2005.
Previous Hall of Distinction inductees include Zorayda Sheets Bussom ’19, John Clark ’21, Joe Yetzer ’24, Tom Simon ’38, Roger Adam ’39, Harold Bliss ’39, Eleanor Wentz Sheehe ’39, Doris Fisher Ryland ’41, David Yohn ’46, Grant Dowds ’48, John McHugh ’51, Dick Reed ’54, Don Thurman ’56, Bill Henson ’56, Daavid Zehner ’56, Larry Siegfried ’57, Lynn Wright ’59, Dave Winans ’60, Bill Wilkins ’60, Mark Lowmiller ’60, Evan Richards ’60, Russ Pfahler ’61, Jim Hennessy ’61, Susie Bashore Henkel ’62, Ralph Phillips ’62, Janet Page Whitehill ’62, Rick Wright ’62, Jim Henkel ’63, Mike Johnson ’63, Steve Smith ’64, Steve Bell ’64, Jeff Martin ’64, Karen Robertson ’64, Cathy Dodge ’65, Ritchey Hollenbaugh ’65, Lynn Guerin ’65, Karen Lafferty Hendricks ’66, Joel Hunter ’66, Dave Spangler ’66, Don Troxell ’66, Dave Jones ’69, Tom Armstrong ’70, Mark Peeples ’70, Kenny Albert ’70, Greg Daniel ’71, Sheryl Chase Cramer ’72, Dave Witchey ’74, Leonore Witchey-Lakshamanan ’79, former superintendent Byron Carmean, former teachers Mel John, Harryet Snyder, Ray Vermilya, Jeanette Bly Allard ’50, Edith Huston, Marie Hughes ’08, Phil Pearson, former band director Dwight Somerville, former teachers and coaches Howard Plocher, Bill Varble and Bill Wilkins.
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