ONEONTA _ Thirteen Oneonta High School graduates will be honored for distinguished careers and service by their alma mater.
The OHS Alumni Association announced the second class of inductees into the Oneonta High School Wall of Distinction and Athletic Hall of Fame.
The 13 graduates were selected from more than 80 nominees and will be honored at a public induction ceremony at OHS' Belden Auditorium at 9 a.m. Oct. 4 as part of the Alumni Association Weekend activities.
``It's a tremendous honor,'' Kelly Sosa, a 1998 graduate who works for American Express in New York City, said Monday. ``I'm looking forward to the event and celebrating my 10th reunion.''
Sosa, a four-sport athlete who won honors at Princeton University, said she was proud to represent OHS as a soccer player and looks forward to joining and congratulating other inductees.
This year's Wall of Distinction Inductees, selected from more than 30 submissions, include:
ä Irving McNeil Ives, class of 1914, who became a U.S. senator;
ä Joseph P. Molinari, class of 1919, who became a state Supreme Court judge and was presented with the Papal Bull by Pope Paul VI;
ä David C. Hurley, class of 1958, who is the chairman of the National Air and Space Museum board;
ä Singer Jerry Jeff Walker, who graduated in 1960 as Ronald C. Crosby; and
ä John L. Carline, class of 1946, who went on to receive a B.S., M.A., M.S., M.M.S. and a Ph.D., and was a coach, superintendent, professor, commercial pilot, business owner, producer, education specialist and an actor, among other accomplishments.
The Athletic Hall of Fame inductees, chosen from a group of 48 nominations, are:
ä Clay Bellinger, class of 1986, who played for the Yankees, earning two World Series rings, and participated in the 2004 Olympics;
ä Joe Hughes, class of 1976, Athlete-of-the-Year in 1976 who was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles and is now the athletic director at OHS;
ä Joe Pidgeon, class of 1956, John Bertuzzi, class of 1972 and Rick Page, class of 1975, three three-sport athletes who were voted athletes of the year in 1956, 1972 and 1975;
ä Sosa, class of 1998, who earned All Ivy-League honors three times playing soccer for Princeton University;
ä Krissy Zeh, class of 1999, the all-time leading scorer at OHS with 1,698 points and a record 495 steals, among other honors; and
ä Harold (Hal) Hunt, an inductee to the Section IV Coaches Hall of Fame, a recipient of a citation from the Cooperstown Hall of Fame as Section IV All-Star Coach, who also was a history and Sunday school teacher, a Boy Scout leader and a firefighter.
``Both committees had a very difficult task as there were more nominations joining the candidates who were still on the list from the inaugural year," said association President Kathryn Dailey in a media release.
Chairmen Ron Brazier, class of 1958, of the Wall of Distinction panel, and Vince Foti, class of 1953, of the group considering athletes, did an outstanding job with their committees, she said.
``They both feel the second class is as strong as the first, and sets a high bar of excellence for future years," said Dailey, a 1973 OHS graduate. This year is the second for both awards programs.
``I see this as something that's going to keep growing,'' Dailey said. The Alumni Association has about 2,000 members, with membership costing $20, and a database of about 9,000 graduate names, she said.
Recipients had to be nominated for consideration, Dailey said. In choosing recipients, committees considered reasons for nomination and the significance of achievement for the Wall of Fame and the sports performance, usually at OHS, for the Athletic Hall of Fame, she said.
The awards are to recognize alumni accomplishments, Dailey said, and to inspire current students, whose response might be ``Wow! Some famous people did go through these halls.''
Living recipients and families of deceased honorees _ Ives, Molinari and Hunt _ have been notified of the awards and invited to the induction ceremony, Dailey said. Last year's program lasted about 90 minutes, including time recipients spoke and shared stories from their school days, she said. `
`It's really nice, and funny and heartfelt,'' Daily said. Recipients also will be introduced during half-time at the OHS football game and invited to participate in Oneonta's centennial parade later that afternoon, she said.
Leslie Craigmyle, of Oneonta, said the family is pleased her grandfather, Hunt, is being recognized.
``We're all very proud,'' she said. ``He would have been tickled to get it.''
For information about the weekend, visit: www.oneontahighalumni.org.
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