The Patchogue-Medford Hall of Fame Booster club has announced the second class of inductees into the hall.
The announcement comes after the group’s inaugural Hall of Fame induction dinner at the high school this past spring, at which 11 people and an athletic team were honored.
The Hall of Fame, formed as a nonprofit group in 2015, honors distinguished graduates and others who have contributed to the schools and the wider community. The inductees are chosen from three categories: sports, music, and fine arts and entertainment. There’s also a general category.
Below is the complete list of 2017 inductees:
Army Staff Sergeant Keith Bishop (1999), who lost his life while serving in Afghanistan. (posthumous)
Frank Provenzano was a track and field coach and athletic director who coached a number of successful spring/fall teams. (posthumous)
Former English teacher Bert Pollock directed more than 45 school musicals during his career within the Patchogue-Medford School District. (posthumous)
World renowned opera singer Christine Goerke-Hollowa (1986), is among the alumni inductees.
Paul Regina (1974) was a television and Broadway actor. (posthumous)
Dr. Debra Judelson (1969) is a clinical cardiologist and proponent of women’s health issues.
Edward Ellis (1982) is a state champion in shot put and discus, and currently an athletic trainer at the University of Georgia.
U.S. Coast Guard member and Patchogue Fire Department First Responder Michael Reilly graduated in 1977. Reilly was killed while home on leave and responding to an emergency call with the fire department. He was in an ambulance that crashed when he was killed. (posthumous)
TEAM
The 1997 varsity football team
The Patchogue Fire Department Van Guards Forty Thieves Drill Racing Team.
PERSON OF THE YEAR
announced at the induction dinner
The booster club has been collecting donations and sponsorships toward a $500,000 hall of fame building that will — one day — welcome all students, staffers and visitors to the high school. The inductees are nominated by the public and then picked by a committee in each of the three categories.
Follow Patchogue-Medford Hall of Fame Booster Club happenings on Facebook.
Top: Actor Kevin Connolly reunited with retired Pat-Med guidance counselor Patty O’Neill during May’s inaugural induction ceremony at the high school. (Credit: Michael White)
Coverage from May’s dinner:
https://patchogue.greaterlongisland.com/2016/05/patchogue-medfords-first-hall-fame-night-true-family-affair/
