SHELBY — In balloting by members of the SHS Alumni Association, the following have been voted 2016 inductees for the Shelby High School Hall of Distinction: Paul Milliron ’47, Larry Reed ’63, Mary Lee Hannafus Barr ’66, Steve Maier ’67, John Gurney ’70 and former teacher Jack Gray.
Each inductee or stand-in for a deceased inductee has selected a presenter: Vella Milliron King ’72 for the late Paul Milliron, Mike Johnson ’63 for Larry Reed, Connie Jones Glorioso ’66 for Mary Lee Hannafus Barr, George Wilcox ’67 for Steve Maier, Steve Eyler ’70 for the late John Gurney, Dave Spangler ’66 for Jack Gray.
The induction ceremony will be held Saturday, Sept. 17 in the theater at Shelby High School, One Whippet Way. The induction ceremony will start at 1 p.m. and be followed by a reception in the school’s rotunda, and both are open at no charge to alumni, friends and the public. Then will come a dinner at 6 p.m. at the Shelby Country Club. Registration for the dinner is available at 419-347-5539.
The most senior of this year’s inductees is Paul Milliron ’47 who had a long career with Columbia Gas Company and a second career centered on community involvement highlighted by leading the formation of the Girls Softball Association.
Central to the career of Larry Reed ’63 was national defense and space exploration. During Navy service he flew anti-submarine patrols and reconnaissance flights over Vietnam. During his aerospace career he worked on such programs as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Airborne Laser and Missile Defense.
The career of Mary Lee Hannafus Barr ’66 evolved from accounting to business management during 22 years at Standard Tube Company (later aka Quanex and Tech Form Industries) to education where for 21 years at Pioneer Career and Technology Center she taught and held a series of leadership positions.
Steve Maier ’67 distinguished himself in athletics, excelling as a player in both high school and college where at Northern Arizona University he received All-America mention and then was drafted by the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys. He served in the Army in Vietnam and then coached and taught for 28 years.
From athletics to business, John Gurney ’70 excelled. During a 44-year career in banking he rose to vice president. Simultaneously he officiated high school and college sports for 42 years.
During 30 years at SHS Jack Gray first served 13 years as assistant director of bands and 17 years as director. In every one of those 30 years Whippet bands earned a superior rating in state competitions. He also has worked to raise funds for cancer research and in 2014 received the national Spirit Award from the Livestrong Foundation.
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 handsomely framed certificate, and the name of each has been engraved on a plaque that is displayed in the SHS Commons and will be available for viewing at the Sept. 17 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, Jim Anderson ’47, Grant Dowds ’48, John McHugh ’51, Dick Reed ’54, Don Thurman ’56, Bill Henson ’56, David Zehner ’56, Larry Siegfried ’57, Russ Hepner ’58, Bob Burky ’59, 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, Anne Lafferty Stock ’63, Steve Smith ’64, Steve Bell ’64, Jeff Martin ’64, Karen Robertson ’64, Connie Fry Ament ’65, Cathy Dodge ’65, Ritchey Hollenbaugh ’65, Lynn Guerin ’65, Karen Lafferty Hendricks ’66, Joel Hunter ’66, Gary Seals ’66, Dave Spangler ’66, Don Troxell ’66, Rick Fisher ’68, Dave Jones ’69, Tom Armstrong ’70, Mark Peeples ’70, Kenny Albert ’70, Greg Daniel ’71, Sheryl Chase Cramer ’72, Tim Guenther ’73, Dave Witchey ’74, Bruce Berdanier ’76, Leonore Witchey-Lakshamanan ’79, Angela Phillips ’89, former superintendent Byron Carmean, former teachers Mel John, Harryet Snyder, Ray Vermilya, Jeanette Bly Allard ’50, Edith Huston, Marie Hughes ’08, Phil Pearson, Eileen Handley Plocher, former band director Dwight Somerville, former teachers and coaches Howard Plocher, Bill Varble, Bill Wilkins and Ron Strine.
