Remembering 'the good' at Patchogue-Medford's 2017 Hall of Fame inductions

Among the individuals honored at the Patchogue-Medford Hall of Fame’s 2017 induction ceremonies Friday night, more than half are already deceased.

Yet that didn’t stop huge crowds from flocking to the high school, just as they did for last year’s inaugural event.

“It’s amazing,” said Patchogue-Medford Superintendent Michael Hynes. ‘You have the families of those who passed that are coming, and that shows how important it is to the families. That really says something.”

The second annual Hall of Fame class consisted of nine individuals, which includes a Person of the Year, as well as two teams: the 1997 varsity football team and the Patchogue Fire Department Van Guards Forty Thieves Drill Racing Team. The inductees are nominated by the public and then picked by a committee. (Complete list and blurbs below.)

Among the individual honorees was Paul Regina (1974), a television and Broadway actor perhaps best known for his role in Brothers. He also had a regular character in the Untouchables series and in other shows. Regina died in 2006. See filmography.

Regina’s family packed a table Friday night in his honor — and none live nearby anymore.

Among them was Regina’s daughter, Nicolette Regina, 26, a 2008 Pat-Med graduate who lived in Medford and has since moved to Portland, Ore. Also an actor, she strives to honor her father’s memory through the way she lives her own life — and treats others.

“I remember him as the silly dad. He would make me laugh to no end,” she said. “He was a cartoon character. He was huge influence in the person that I want to be. And I want to continue his legacy of super silliness and kindness. It’s just an awesome way to live.”

“Paul was the heartbeat of the family” added one of his younger sisters, Joyce Regina, who traveled from Key West, Fla. “He was the entertainer of the family. Not only on screen but at family gatherings. He was also a tremendous role model and philanthropist.

“He did matter,” she continued. “And it’s nice that people want to remember him, too, and keep his spirit alive.”

That theme of remembering people and honoring the past is what fueled the Hall of Fame Booster Club to form in the first place, and start hosting the induction ceremonies which much student involvement. (More photos below.)

The club has also been collecting donations and sponsorships toward a $500,000 hall of fame building that will one day welcome all students, staff and visitors to the high school.

“The common thread [with the induction classes] is that they all come home,” said Manny Felouzis, the booster club’s president. “Just like our logo says, ‘Where the past is always present.’ They may have graduated, and moved on to other states and other communities, but there’s always a chance to come home again, and this is a part of that.”

During his three years with the district, Dr. Hynes said he quickly noticed that people in the Patchogue and Medford tend to have long memories.

“People don’t forget,” he said. “They don’t forget the good, and they don’t forget the bad. But when they don’t forget the good, it runs very deep in them and it gets passed on from generation to generation. It’s beautiful to see and it’s highlighted today.”

Photo: Manny Felouzis talks to the high school band members alongside band teacher Rudy Johnson during Friday night’s dinner. (Credit: Michael White)

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)