Hall of Fame

Wilson Area High School’s class of 1963. In high school he was a stand-out athlete, participating in Basketball, Football and Track. In his senior year he was named the football scholar athlete and captain of the basketball team. He won numerous awards and helped Wilson win two Lehigh-Northampton League Championships. He was also named league MVP in 1963. He continued his basketball career at Lafayette College where he was a three year starter, captain of his team and received MVP recognition for being the leading scorer.

He served in the United States Army until 1970, was a platoon leader and company commander in the 8th cavalry and received the Army Commendation Medal in 1969. After serving our country, he returned to the area and earned his Master’s degree in Business Administration from Lehigh University and went on to complete a successful 37 year career in private practice as a Certified Public Accountant. He has remained involved in our community and has supported the students of our district by being a donor to the high school weight room.

Wilson Area High School class of 1958. In high school, he lettered in three sports, Football, Baseball and Track. He also served as President of his Senior Class and was voted Prom King in his senior year. I would also like to note that he eventually married his high school sweetheart, Joan Meder, who was the Prom Queen that year.

After graduating from high school, he went on to serve in the United States Air Force. He returned to the Wilson area and spent a tremendous amount of time giving back to our community. He served as a Wilson firefighter for 19 years,
he was President of the Varsity W Club, served on the Recreation Board, The Wilson Zoning Board and he is a member of the Lion’s Club where he is currently serving his third term as President. He coached our community league baseball teams for 9 years and football team for more than 10 years.

He was nominated for induction into the Hall of Fame by one of his former players, who said “He was my favorite coach of all-time; he inspired me to be a better person on and off the field.” You know when someone makes statements like that 40 years after you coached them, you had to be doing something right. His senior yearbook states: “His winning ways won him everything from Wall Plaques to Women.”

Warrior of Service - He joined our district in 1984 as an Assistant Middle School Principal. The following year, he became the High School Principal, a position he would hold for 16 years. In 2001, he moved on to Central Administration and served the district as Director of Curriculum and Assistant Superintendent for an additional 6 years before his retirement in 2007. His career in education spanned 35 years with more than 2/3 of those years being spent in the Wilson Area School District. Over the years, he has spent a tremendous amount of time representing and leading the district. He has a tremendous faith in the education process and today's youth. The Wilson Area School District holds a special place in his heart. He often refers to Wilson as his other family. Even after his retirement, he continues to serve our district by volunteering his time raising money for Wilson Area Partners in Education Foundation and sponsoring an annual scholarship to a graduating senior. Every year he plays a major role in planning the Partners in Education Golf Tournament, which has become one of the major fundraisers for the Foundation.

Mrs. Linda Baskwell is a graduate of Wilson’s class of 1976. In high school, she was a member of the
National Honor Society, graduated in the top 10 of her class, and served her class as secretary during her
senior year. She was a member of the chorus and band front and was the captain of the color guard
during her senior year.

After high school, she went to Millersville University where she earned her degree in Special Education.
She worked as a teacher in the Nazareth Area School District for over 30 years and after retiring in 2016,
she began working in the Wilson Area High School cafeteria.

She has been very committed to serving our School District and community throughout her life. She has
been a member of the Wilson PTA and Band Boosters, she has volunteered many hours to make the
annual 4th of July block party a success, and she has served our district on the Board of Education for 20
years. She has served on the Board through several building projects and helped the District by serving
on, and even chairing, several committees. She is a huge supporter of our District and can regularly be
seen in attendance at our school events and performances.

Warrior of Service - Mr. Walter Boran served on the Wilson Area School Board for nearly 19 years. He was greatly involved in several of the district's building projects and was instrumental in the creation of the Hall of Fame. He served as borough manager of West Easton and Wilson Borough for a total of 16 years. He was actively involved with the Wilson Borough Lions Club, American Legion, West Easton Athletic Association, and Wilson Borough Community Activities Committee. He passed away in March of 2004, but he will long be remembered for his years of community involvement and service.

Wilson Area High School - Class of 1973. In High School, he was captain of the football team and was active in Track and Field, Band, Drama, Yearbook, National Honor Society, Chorus, Orchestra, and Freshman Wrestling. He was student council president in 9th grade and class president for grades 10 - 12. He graduated from Lafayette College in 1977. Over the years, he has spent countless hours volunteering as a football and basketball coach as well as serving on the Easton Area School Board for 10 years. He has also been active with the Wilson Area School District, serving as a founding member of the Partners in Education Foundation and serving as president of our district's Alumni Association.

Warrior of Service - Mr. Brown is being recognized for the contributions he has made to the district, our students and the community since moving into our district in 1962.  His four children were heavily involved in high school through sports and extra-curricular activities.  His youngest daughter, Andrea, was a majorette in the band and was head majorette until her untimely death in her senior year.  In 1979, our inductee and his wife established a scholarship in honor of their daughter and presented it to students who exemplify scholastic achievement and commitment to the community. Over 70 graduates have been awarded this scholarship since its inception. In addition to helping Wilson students through scholarships, he has also been very involved in our community and our country.  He served in the United States Marine Corps from 1942 through 1951 including serving active duty in Guam during WW II.  He was instrumental in the establishment of the Key Club at the high school through his active involvement with the Kiwanis Club.  He served the Kiwanis Club as Distinguished Lieutenant Governor and the Kiwanis Club advisor to our Key Club.  He established the Boy Scout Explorer Post at Easton Hospital for students interested in a medical career.  As a Thomas A. Edison Historian, he has presented over 100 lectures to various community groups and schools, most recently in February of this year at age 92.  He volunteered for Meals on Wheels for 17 years and delivered books to shut-ins for the library.  

He was a graduate of Wilson High School’s Class of 1952.  His yearbook described him as one of the most active boys in school.  He was his homeroom president, participated in football and track, was a member of the prom committee, science club, and Hi-Y. Shortly after graduating from high school, he enlisted in the United States Army and served our country for the next 22 years.  Army Aviation was his passion during his military career.  He served two tours of duty as a helicopter pilot in Vietnam and was awarded two distinguished flying crosses for his heroic actions in flight during combat.  He was awarded the Soldiers Medal after attempting to rescue crew members from his burning helicopter after a terrible crash that resulted in him receiving third degree burns on over 90% of his body.  His military career is filled with countless highlights, achievements and awards and he often attributed his success to his experiences at Wilson High School.  He retired from the Army in 1975 and was awarded the Legion of Merit for his exemplary service.  He returned to the Lehigh Valley after his years of military service and became the Vice President of manufacturing for McGinley Mills.  He was also very active in his church and community until he passed away in June of 2016. Randall and Charles Brown accepted this honor on behalf of their father – Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Charles T. Brown, Jr.

Michelle Kline Buonfiglio is a graduate of Wilson High School’s Class of 1982. During high school she was deeply involved in music and theater. She was a member of the marching and stage bands, and was captain of the drill team. She participated in District and Regional choruses, and was a four-year member of drama club and Wilsonaires. In her senior year she was voted ‘most dramatic’ and ‘most talented’ in the senior poll.

After high school she went on to college to study classical voice and broadcast journalism. In the spring of 1989—one year after leaving college to receive a kidney transplant—she was crowned Miss Pennsylvania and advanced to become a Top Ten finalist at the Miss America Scholarship Pageant where she won a prestigious national Community Service scholarship for promoting organ donation and transplantation. On full scholarship earned through the Miss PA Scholarship Pageant, she returned to college and graduated summa cum laude from St. Francis University with a degree in Fine Arts and Writing.

As a journalist, her engaging columns about books and pop culture—and interviews with bestselling authors—were syndicated with Lifetime TV and 80 TV news websites. She developed and hosted Barnes & Noble’s first genre fiction blog, and has lectured at Princeton University.

She currently works as a freelance editor and author. In addition, she works as a career-development counselor for women who are economically disadvantaged.

Jennifer is being recognized as one of our Warriors of Service for her outstanding service to our school and community.

She has been an outstanding teacher at the High School for the past 15 years, teaching in both our English and Science departments. As a Biology teacher at the High School she has played a prominent role in helping our school reach 100% of the state’s goal achievement on the Keystone Biology assessment. Students describe her as an inspirational teacher that does an outstanding job motivating and helping students. I describe her as a teacher that will do whatever it takes to help students learn, which often involves developing rhymes, songs and even dances.

In addition to teacher, she has advised some of our active service clubs at the High School. As our SADD advisor, she organized our first after prom party and mock car accidents to keep students safe and drive home the importance of making good decisions. She started our Wilson Buddies club to help out students with disabilities become more involved and included in our school. Her room is always filled with students inspired by her leadership.

She is also heavily involved in our community outside of the high school through her work with the Williams Township PTA, her church and coaching youth sports.

Class of 1949. In high school, he participated in football, track, and basketball. His high school yearbook credits him for charming many an audience with his piano and accordion playing and predicts music will be his career. It is easy to see, 58 years later, that this prediction was accurate. His talents were not only used as a career, but to raise money for families in need and to comfort the sick. From 1952 - 1954 he served for the United States Marine Corps, and played in the Marine Corps Band. His indoctrination is even more appropriate this year because in high school, he was co-captain of the only other Wilson Football team to go undefeated.

A graduate of Wilson's Class of 1960. In high school he was member of the French Club, Junior Foreign Policy Club and Drama. He was the sports editor for the newspaper and participated in basketball and soccer. His high school yearbook predicts that Law School and a good future lie ahead for him. After high school, he went on to Pennsylvania State University followed by the Temple University School of Law. He has over 25 years of legal experience, he is certified as a Civil Trial Specialist and he is the founder of the Cohen Feeley Law Firm. He has also been very active in the business community. He was the founder and former chairman of the Board of Director's of Ambassador Bank. He has been very involved with numerous projects with the Wilson Area School District. He has provided scholarships to Wilson students for over 20 years. He and his family have formed a foundation to assist numerous charitable endeavors and annually awards scholarships to high school students. In the past 20 years, the foundation has awarded over 750 scholarships to graduating seniors.

Mr. Bret Comp has been a teacher for the district for over 26 years. Prior to joining our district, he
served our country in the Marine Corps for four years, where he earned an award for marksmanship, an
overseas deployment ribbon, and a good conduct medal.

He joined our District in 1998 as a Social Studies teacher and football coach. In the classroom, he is
engaging and passionate. He teaches with a level of emotion that could motivate a rock.
He coached our Warrior football team for 18 years, 15 of them as head coach. His coaching career at
Wilson is filled with numerous highlights, including three Colonial League Championships, four District
11 Championships, and a PIAA State Championship in 2006. He was named Coach of the Year several
times throughout his career by the Colonial League, PA Associated Press, the Morning Call and Express
Times, and last year, he was inducted into the National Football Foundation Hall of Fame.

Graduate of Wilson Area High School and Temple University. His senior year of high school he was appropriately voted "Most Musical" by the members of his class.  He went on to become a member of the world famous Philadelphia Orchestra and is rated as one of the finest trumpet players in the nation.

Wilson Area High School graduate from the Class of 1956 and a former Wilson Area School District employee for 31 years.

Wilson Area High School graduate from the Class of 1945 and veteran of the United States Navy.

Valedictorian of the Wilson Area High School graduating class of 1967. Although his high school achievements are many, perhaps the most memorable is the winning touchdown he scored during the Wilson/Nazareth Thanksgiving Day football game in 1966. He graduated from Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1974 and was named the Outstanding Surgical Student. He went on to become a chief cardiac surgeon working at Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School. He started his own private practice in 1983. He served on many boards and published numerous surgical articles.

This gentleman is being honored as a Warrior of Service. He passed away in 1951; he didn’t graduate from Wilson because when he graduated from high school in 1904, Wilson High School didn’t even exist.

He began his career at Wilson in 1916 as a Science and Social Studies teacher. At that time, Wilson High School was a three-year school that employed just three teachers. In 1918 he was named Principal of the school, and in 1919 a fourth year was added and Wilson became a standard four-year high school, making him the first Principal of our fabulous school district.
Much of the work in establishing the high school can be credited to this gentleman.

In 1920, there were a total of five students in the graduating class. Over the next several years, the school expanded rapidly and he added several departments, teachers and programs. He served as Principal for 33 years and in his final year, the staff included 39 teachers, two nurses, five custodians, and two cafeteria workers, in addition to a full Business department, a Manual Arts department, a Homemaking department, and Music department.

On December 21, 1951 he closed the Christmas Program, congratulated the Glee Club for their excellent performance and dismissed the student body. Three days later on Christmas Eve he unexpectedly passed away.

The yearbook that year said he was the guiding spirit of Wilson High School, crediting him with all of the growth and success the school had seen and dedicated the yearbook to him saying, “Mr. Dew was Wilson High School.”

After reading about him, the selection committee this year said, “That man needs to be in our Hall of Fame.” He has no living relatives that we could find to accept his award, but I will make sure his plaque is proudly displayed in the
district.

It is with pleasure to honor, the first Principal of Wilson High School, J. Harry Dew.

Warrior of Service - Our Warrior of Service for the 2010 school year is being recognized for his outstanding service to the Wilson Area School District. His service began in December of 1984 when he accepted a position on the school board. A position he would hold for the next 25 years. He served as board president for 20 years and chaired numerous committees including the Finance Committee, Technology Committee and Athletic Committee. In addition, he served as Wilson's representative for Northampton Community College, a position he continues to hold. Over the years, he has spent a tremendous amount of time representing and leading the district. He worked hard and was deeply involved in school district activities, and he spent many evenings showing his support for co-curricular events. His concern for our students, staff and community was a leading force that directed the administration to lead so students could achieve.

A graduate of Wilson's Class of 1967. In high school he was a member of the National Honor Society, Student Council and Key Club. He lettered in football, baseball, and basketball and was named MVP of his football team in his senior year. His high school yearbook predicted he would go off to college, become an engineer and a millionaire. He went on to earn a Bachelor's Degree in Mechanical Engineering from Bucknell University and a Master's Degree from Drake. He did become very successful as President and CEO of Southland Industries in southern California. He joined the company in 1982 as Executive Vice President and Chief Operations Manager and helped to propel the company's sales growth to an average of more than $260 million in annual contract volume. He is responsible for the company's rise as an industry leader. In addition to his impressive employment, he is a lifetime member of the Wilson Area Alumni Association and he is the founder and contributor of the Wilson-Joan Nicole Fimiano Legacy Scholarship.

Class of 1951. He was active in the high school, participating in intramurals, Hi-Y, yearbook, basketball, and football. He served on the Prom Committee and held the positions of secretary and treasurer for his class. He graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 1955. In 1997, he retired from the Dixie Cup division of the American Can Company with 40 years of service as a sales representative, director of distribution, and manager. In his high school yearbook, next to his picture, it reads, "Here's a fellow who always has a smile." This year there are a lot of people who are smiling, because for the first time ever, we broadcasted graduation live, thanks in a large part, to a substantial monetary contribution made by our next inductee, in memory of his mother, who is also a graduate of Wilson, class of 1932.

Wilson Area High School graduate of the Class of 1945, president of his senior class, and 57 years after his graduation he continues to work with the school photographing special events and activities.

Stephen graduated from Wilson Area High School in 1988. While in high school, he attended the Eastern Northampton County Area Vocational Technical School where he began learning the skills that would help him open his own Salon, Suddenly Samantha in downtown Easton. While he has owned the successful Easton based salon for over 20 years, it is for his incredible community service that earned him recognition in our Hall of Fame.

It began about 10 years ago when he opened his salon on Christmas day and offered free haircuts, food and companionship to those in need. His generosity has helped hundreds of people feel a little better, and it’s not just one day a year that he helps people in need. Every Monday, he opens his salon and provides free haircuts to residents of Safe Harbor and the homeless living on the streets. He regularly goes to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Allentown to cut hair for people in the churches’ day shelter and before every school year, he gives students from low-income family’s free back to school haircuts and supplies.

He also used his salon to start an annual fundraising event to benefit Safe Harbor. The event began as “Deck the walls” in his salon and has since grown to “Deck the Public Market” and raises thousands of dollars per year. He and his wife have also organized numerous breast cancer awareness and fundraising events. He has done an incredible job helping people in need in our community and beyond.

Warrior of Service - Frances Fox worked as a dental hygienist for the district from 1967-1981. Her many contributions to the district and community came through the countless hours she spent donating her time to the children and seniors of Wilson Borough. Along with being both a member and president of the PTA, she served on the Wilson Borough Recreation Board, Mary Meuser Library Board, and from 1983-1993 she was a member of the Wilson Area School Board. She passed away in 1993.

He was a graduate of Wilson High School’s Class of 1957.  He was very involved in high school, participating in baseball, basketball, and football.  He was a member of the Biology Club, Hi-Y, and Yearbook; he also served as vice-president of his homeroom in his senior year.  His high school yearbook described him as a happy-go-lucky fellow that was partial to algebra and girls. After high school, he went on to Moravian College where he majored in business and lettered in football, earning him a scholarship in his junior and senior years. He began working in the insurance industry after college in 1962 and started his own insurance agency in 1995.  After a very successful 55 year business career, he retired in 2016. He was also very active in his church and the community.  He coached little league baseball, youth football and served as president of the Bethlehem Steelers youth football organization. He taught Sunday school at West Side Moravian Church and served as the church treasurer. He was President of Moravian Village, which cares for senior citizens in our community, and President of Moravian Development. His commitment to volunteer work also included working with the Lehigh Valley All-Star Football Classic to benefit children with childhood disease and he was inducted into their Hall of Fame for his 25 years of service. 

A graduate from Wilson in 1970 and Morehead State University in 1974. In high school he was the manager of the football team for 4 years and was president of his homeroom in his senior year. Immediately after graduating college, he returned to Wilson and has been with us ever since. To date, he has provided 37 years of service to the Wilson Area School District and community - and he's not finished yet. He has been a teacher in our district for 37 years and a coach for 36. He has been our Assistant Athletic Director for 20 years and served as head of recreation in Williams Township for 30 years where he is still leading the summer recreation program. He is regularly seen supporting our school and teams and truly exemplifies what it means to "bleed blue and gold." In his 30th year as head coach, he accomplished a rare milestone - 400 career wins. While we are proud of this accomplishment, we are more proud of what he teaches his students and athletes off the court. He has been a mentor to many teachers and students and has made a positive, lasting impact on many lives. He also works hard to "give back" to the school and community he loves. He has participated in Coaches for Cancer, raised money for Muscular Dystrophy and has distributed over $60,000 in scholarships for Wilson student athletes.

Class of 1972. Throughout all four years of high school, he was a member of the Honor Society and the football team. He was named MVP of the Wilson-Nazareth Football Classic. He also played baseball and track, as well as served his class as president in his sophomore year. He went on to Dartmouth College where he earned a degree in mathematics. In college, he was also a member of the Honor Society, played football and indoor track. He has had a successful career at Victaulic Corporation of America for over 35 years, where he currently is the Vice President of sales and marketing. He and his family have been major supporters of the school district for many years. He has been active in our Honor Society and our sports booster clubs. He was a charter member of the Wilson Area Partners in Education Foundation and is involved with the Alumni and Public Relations Committees.

Harlan French was a graduate of Wilson’s class of 1940. In high school, he lettered in Varsity Football for three years and was a member of the Tech Crew for the Drama production his junior and senior year. Also, while in high school, he experimented with, and displayed at a science fair, his design of an underwater breathing apparatus, and his high school yearbook states – “it was his ambition to break the depth record for underwater diving.” It is even more impressive to learn that his work came three years before Jacque Cousteau invented modern scuba diving equipment in 1943. It should be a surprise to no one that he went off after high school to have a very successful career as an engineer. As a result of his success as an Electrical Engineer for the American Can Company, he was able to endow an annual $20,000 scholarship available to Wilson graduating seniors. He also dedicated over 50 years of his life to ski patrol and safety. He not only patrolled the slopes, he trained and supervised patrol groups and he designed, developed, installed, and maintained communication systems, chair lifts and rescue equipment. He was named into the Pennsylvania Ski and Winter Sports Hall of Fame in 2002 and it is my honor to announce his induction into our Hall of Fame this evening. He passed away in 2014 at the age of 93. 

Wilson class of 1957. He attended Bloomsburg State College, Temple University, and Lehigh University He served in the National Guard for eight years, and after graduation he returned to the Wilson Area School District where he served in numerous capacities for nearly 38 years. He taught sixth grade for the district for 13 years - with some of these years also serving as building principal. For the next 25 years, he held the positions of assistant middle school principal, and building principal at five different district elementary schools with many of these positions held at the same time.

A member of the graduating class of 1953. In high school he participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He listed chemistry as his favorite subject in high school and went on to major in chemical engineering and had a very successful career at Air Products that spanned 28 years. He served in the military as a 2nd Lieutenant with NASA and is now the President of his own business.

1956 graduate of Wilson Area High School, taught and coached at Phillipsburg High School for 32 years and was listed in the Express-Times as being one of the top 100 Sports People of the Century.

Graduate of the class of 1982, had a very successful high school career in athletics, lettering in four sports and setting many league and school records. He continues to be a major supporter of the high school athletic program providing scholarships and supporting school organizations through financial contributions.

Mr. Joseph Gonzalez graduated from Wilson in 1968. In high school, he was very involved in sports, participating in baseball, basketball, football and soccer and he led the varsity soccer team in scoring his senior year. His high school yearbook credits him with being a great outdoorsman, always being involved in a sport, and being a real “girl watcher.”

After high school he went on to receive his bachelor’s degree from Mansfield University majoring in Education and then his master’s degree from Nova University. After graduating from Mansfield, he taught 5 th grade in New York for one year before returning to his roots at the Children’s Home of Easton where he grew up and resided during his high school years due to family problems. When he returned to the Children’s Home 46 years ago, he first worked in recreation, but quickly advanced through several positions, including serving as the Executive Vice President for many years.

He organized and ran the first National H’Olympic games for 600 students at Lafayette College, and later served as commissioner of the games held all over the country. He also served as Board Chairman at the inception of the Family Connections of Easton, helping to organize the board of directors and build upon its mission. In addition, he was active on the board of directors at DeSales University and McCann College. He coached the Wilson/Williams Township girls’ softball team to a two year 63-4 record in 1999-2000 and won the league championship.

Today, in his “retirement,” he supervises local social work college interns at the Children’s Home. An active outdoorsman and grandfather, he still has had time to supervise over 300 interns from local colleges and universities. Despite all of his achievements, he considers his family his greatest accomplishment.

Mr. Gross is a graduate of Wilson, class of 1957. He was very involved in high school, participating in soccer, basketball and baseball as well as yearbook, prom committee, and student council. His senior yearbook credited him with being a huge baseball fan and being the friendliest boy in the school.

After high school, he went on to Penn State where he studied drafting and design; which ultimately helped him become the owner of a lawn care and landscaping business. After college, he returned home to West Easton and worked right across the street at the Dixie building until he retired after 46 years with the company serving as warehouse operations manager.

He spent his entire life in the area, working and giving back to the community he loves for over five decades. He served as a member of West Easton Borough Council for 20 years, with 19 of those years serving as President. He served as the Borough Mayor for 32 years, and generated an extensive list of accomplishments over that time. In addition to working and serving in public office, he devoted many years to youth athletics. He created the Wilson boys’ and girls’ AAU basketball programs and coached at the youth level for many years before moving on to coach girls’ basketball at the high school level for
11 years.

1962 graduate of Wilson and a graduate of East Stroudsburg University. In high school he excelled in football, track, and wrestling. His senior yearbook claimed no one could compete with him in wrestling and track. He went on to North Carolina State University where he has been coaching for 25 years. Under his leadership three of his athletes went on to win national championships. He was recognized as National Coach of the Year and is listed in the East Stroudsburg University Hall of Fame.

Warrior of Service - Gary Haas served the Wilson Area School District as both classroom teacher and coach. He was known as an innovator in the classroom. He was loved and respected by his students as well as his peers. He coached baseball and girls' basketball.

Wilson Area High School - Class of 1982. In high school he was a stand-out member of the football team, setting several league and school records - some of which still stand today. For the past 15 years, he has donated his time and resources to local high school football. He's been the District 11 writer and contributor for the Pennsylvania Football News since its inception in 1996 and has been providing stats to local TV and newspapers for all football teams in the area. He spent over 1,000 hours reviewing microfilm at local libraries to complete a comprehensive history of Wilson Football. He has been employed by JT Baker Chemical for 23 years and is currently the volunteer district 11 football statistician.

Graduated from Wilson Area High School Class of 1949 and set Wilson records in track for high jump and graduated from Penn State University where he also set records and qualified to try out for the Olympics in Europe. He taught history and physical education at Phillipsburg High School for 35 years where he was also known as the Voice of P'burg for many years of announcing home football games. He passed away in 1999 but the contributions he made in life and his memory will not be forgotten.

Wilson Area High School graduate, class of 1985. While in high school she participated in field hockey, where she was named Colonial League First Team All-Star; track, where she set numerous school and district records including the District XI javelin record, which still stands today; and basketball, where she became the first female in the history of Wilson High School to score 1000 points. In addition to her many athletic accomplishments, she also excelled academically, was a member of the National Honor Society, and president of her graduating class. She is an executive with the Proctor and Gamble Company in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Wilson Area High School graduate, class of 1928. While in high school he received nine varsity letters as an athlete and was captain of the football team in his senior year. After graduating from East Stroudsburg State College in 1933 he returned to Wilson where he taught Health and Physical Education for 26 years. In addition to teaching at Wilson, he was head football coach for 12 years, assistant football coach for three years, JV boys' basketball coach for 20 years, and head track coach for 26 years. In 1959 he received the distinguished teacher award from the Rotary Club and in 1961 the high school gym was named in his memory.

Warrior of Service - Daniel Kaye has been an employee of the District for over 35 years. The contributions he made to the District since his hiring in 1970 are many. He served as department chairperson for 24 years, directed our drama productions for 33 years, he mentored new teachers and assisted with staff development programs. He coached football and golf for a combined ten years. In addition to all of this, he advised numerous clubs and activities including National Honor Society, SAT Prep, Gifted Student Seminar, Tech Crew, and Martial Arts. He has made a tremendous impact on the school and the students for many years. This year, when asked to give up retirement for a few months to help us by substitute teaching, he enthusiastically jumped at the opportunity.

He was a graduate of Wilson High School's Class of 1958.  His very busy high school career included participation in the National Honor Society, student council and chorus. He was an officer of the Hi-Y Club, served as the Junior Class President and president of the gold Key Club and still found time to be a successful three sport athlete, participating in football, basketball, and track. He was the captain of five athletic teams and set school records in long jump, discus, and the 440 yard race. His athleticism and scholarship earned him a full scholarship to Penn State University to play football.  At Penn State, he majored in Liberal Arts and participated in ROTC and played on a football team that won three bowl games during his athletic career. After graduating from Penn State, he served our country in the Navy prior to beginning his career in Computer Technology with RCA. He continued his successful career at Bethlehem Steel after RCA until he retired. He is a long time resident of Williams Township where he has been active in the community and in his church.

Janis Krieger graduated from Wilson in 1973 and to this day she continues to be the epitome of what it means to bleed blue and gold; in fact, her last name literally translates to “Warrior.” She was extremely involved in high school. Her yearbook refers to her as one of the busiest members of the class. She was a member of National Honor Society, participated in the senior play, worked on the yearbook and newspaper, was a member of the Pep Club, Future Teacher’s Club and Prom Committee. She spent any remaining time with the Chorus and Band. After high School she went off to Lafayette College to earn her Bachelor’s degree and Penn State to earn her Master’s, continuing with a special certificate from Northampton Community College. Her commitment to serving our school and district has been outstanding. She has kept her class together by serving on the
reunion committee. She has been a member and president of our Alumni Association and she is on the Board of Director’s for
Northampton Community College. For the past 17 years she has been involved with our Partner’s in Education Foundation and she has served on the Wilson Area School District Board of Education since 2012. She is regularly in attendance at our sporting events, drama productions and music performances and she never misses the opportunity to come back onto the field every year at homecoming to perform with our Alumni Band as a twirler. 

Nicholas Kurilko is a graduate of the Wilson class of 1964. He was a three-sport athlete in high school, lettering in Football, Basketball, and Track. After high school, he went on to the Military Academy at West Point where he played four years of football for the Black Knights. NFL Coach Bill Parcels recalls the best punting performance he has ever seen was in 1966 when this individual punted three inside the five-yard line and booted another 73 yards from his own goal line. He is a self-employed businessman who has given back many times to the school and community.

Wilson Area High School graduate, class of 1964. He had a very successful high school career in athletics, lettering in football, basketball, and baseball. His athletic career continued into college where he was named Blue Mountain League Top Pitcher in 1967 and Moravian College Scholar Athlete in 1968. He returned to Wilson after college to teach English, which he did for 27 years. In addition to teaching he served as department chairperson, club advisor, boys' basketball coach, assistant football coach, and even as an assistant principal for one year. He is retired from teaching but still visits the high school regularly to cover athletic competitions in his present position as Director of Media Services for RCN.

Russ is one of our Warriors of Service for his nearly 40 years of service to our school and community.

He served on the Wilson Area School Board from 1994-95, has been a Wilson Borough Councilman for over 10 years, he has served on the board of Mary Meuser Library and he has been heavily involved in Wilson youth Sports since the early 1980’s.

He is a familiar face to just about everyone in the Wilson community, but it is not his face that he is most known for, it is his
voice. In 1995, he first started announcing Wilson Wrestling matches; since then he has been the Public Address Announcer for most sports at Wilson Area High School and today he is known to most people as the “voice of Wilson athletics.” Even when he is not announcing a sporting event, or activity, he can most likely still be found in the stands cheering us on because he is also a huge supporter of Wilson students.

Our first and only inductee this year is a graduate of Wilson Area High School’s class of 1986.  In high school, she was named most valuable player of the track team for her participation and achievements in the long jump, triple jump and relays.  She was a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council.  She was involved with the band for four years as a twirler and was a majorette in her senior year.  She was Prom Queen, Homecoming Queen and volunteered with the Special Olympics. After graduation, she went on to continue her education at Shippensburg University where she lettered in Track and Field, graduated with honors and obtained a degree in Finance.  In 1994, she obtained a masters degree in Business Administration from Lehigh University.  Her educational experiences and degrees led her to successful management positions at Outer Circle Products, Crayola and Liz Claiborne. She took a career break and dedicated herself to raising her children but continued to give her time by volunteering as a CCD Instructor and serving on the Board of Directors at BeeSafe Children’s Programs.  After her children were in school, she pursued her desire to become a teacher.  She attended East Stroudsburg University while she was fighting a 4 year battle with breast cancer.  She was able to complete her degree and earn a teaching certification in 2012 before passing away in January of 2013. She credits much of what she accomplished in her life to the experiences she had as a student at Wilson. Her appreciation and love of our district prompted a scholarship to be set up in her honor, which was awarded to a deserving member of this year’s graduating class.

Mrs. Kelley Moore was a graduate of Wilson’s class of 1986. In high school, she was a member of the
softball team and girls’ basketball team and she served the team as captain in her senior year. She was
named the schools most outstanding athlete and was selected to the 1986 Larc All-Star Basketball team.
She was also involved with the Drama Club, the Prom Committee, and she volunteered with the Special
Olympics.

After high school, she went on to earn her teaching degree through Millersville University and then
returned to Wilson where she taught Special Education in our middle school for over 20 years. Her
dedication and compassion made her a teacher that was loved and respected by everyone. In addition
to being an amazing teacher, she also coached our middle school girls’ basketball team and worked as a
homebound instructor for the district, where she provided an education in the home for students too
sick to attend school. Sadly, after a long battle with cancer, she passed away last year.

Warrior of Service - Mr. Patterson is being recognized for his outstanding service to the Wilson Area School District. His guidance and vision were instrumental in the successful establishment of the Wilson Area Partner's in Education Foundation (a non-profit organization established 8 years ago, that provides supplemental resources to support all students in the district.) He served as the foundation president for five years and his leadership helped to solidify the mission of the foundation. He reached out to the community, local businesses and alumni promoting the goals of the foundation and providing financial support that has enhanced the academic, athletic, and co-curricular programs offered to our students. Our foundations success is a direct result of his leadership, dedication and commitment to enhancing the educational experience of our students.

Lou Pektor graduated from Wilson in 1968. In high school he was the class treasurer for two years. He participated in Wrestling and Soccer. After graduating from Wilson, he went on to Moravian College where he earned a degree in business and continued on to Lehigh University where he received his Masters of Business Administration Degree. Throughout his career, he spent time on Wall Street and dabbling in real estate endeavors until 1988 when he founded Ashley Development Corporation. He has given back to the community and the school consistently over the years. He has received numerous awards and recognitions over his career for his accomplishments in the business and real estate industry.

Class of 1955. He too was a co-captain of his high school football team where he played for four years. In high school, he also participated on the basketball and baseball teams, was a member of stage crew, and served as his class vice president. After graduating, he made Wilson his home, serving the community for most of his life. He served on Wilson Borough Council for 24 years where he served as president for 20 of those years, Wilson Lions, and the Varsity W Club. He was the first vice president of the Mayor's Association in the State of PA. He, deservingly, was named,Man of the Year, by three different organizations. He has served the Borough of Wilson as Mayor for many years.

1949 Graduate of Wilson Area High School and President of his senior class, and is a former president of the Varsity "W."

Wilson Area High School - Class of 1978. While in high school, he played football and track, was president of student council his senior year, and was an active member of the Drama club all four years. Following his passion for the stage, he studied theater at DeSales University and started his career in the entertainment industry. Since then, he has become an acclaimed comic book writer and editor, as well as a writer, producer and director of both television shows and feature films. To date, he has produced six motion pictures, including his latest production, Window of Opportunity, a black comedy about corporate greed. During his career, he has worked with numerous celebrities including John Densmore (the legendary rock-and-roll drummer from The Doors) Quentin Tarantino and Sin City creator Frank Miller. He has won multiple gold and platinum Telly and Aurora awards for his documentary work in television. And in 2001, he won an Emmy Award for producing and directing a half-hour TV special for the IRS. Currently, he spends much of his time creating and developing projects at Black Hat Magic Productions; a motion picture development, production, and licensing company that he founded in 2010.

Wilson class of 1964. In high school he was an outstanding wrestler, maintaining an undefeated regular season record during his senior year. Additionally he participated in other sports and clubs during his high school career too numerous to mention. He served as a member of the school board for 12 years serving as the treasurer for part of his reign. He was greatly involved in the planning and building of our current high school. He was a member of the Wilson Borough Elementary School PTA and was involved with the YMCA, Rec Board, PIAA, Boy Scouts, and the Band Boosters. His relentless support of activities in every area was extremely powerful. His commitment to program growth, particularly in the area of technology, was outstanding. He is the type of individual who, through personal effort, dedication, and sacrifice becomes the foundation for a community.

Warrior of Service - Ray Rawson is recognized for his long-standing service to the school district. He served as a member of the school board for ten years, which included holding the position as president of the school board from 1983-1985. He was named by Wilson Area Educators' Association as a "Friend of Education." He attended nearly all events scheduled at Wilson. He volunteered at Northampton Community College and was instrumental in the development of the Plastics Technology Program. In addition to working on the school board he was also active on the zoning board for 20 years. He was also on the board at Mary Meuser Library where his involvement helped to computerize the library. He passed away in November of 2000, but his many contributions to the school and the community will long be remembered.

Class of 1995. In high school, she competed in track and field hockey. She was involved in chorus, SADD, student council and yearbook. She was a peer helper, new student guide, a member of homecoming court, and qualified for district chorus. For all four years of high school, she participated in drama, and her yearbook states her plans were to attend a four year college and major in theater. I would say her efforts in that area have been quite successful. Since graduating from DeSales University in 1999, she had starring roles in several musicals including, "Cats," "Pokemon Live" and "Little Shop of Horrors." In 2006, she began playing the lead role in the Chicago production of "Wicked." The production closed in January of 2009, after becoming the most successful musical in Chicago history. In July of 2009, she made her Broadway debut, starring in "Wicked" until just a few months ago. She supports many charities and she returned to the high school for the second time this year to work with our drama club as they prepared for our musical.

Linda is a familiar face to many of our graduates. She is not only a graduate of the district; she has been an employee of the district for the past 31 years. She graduated from Wilson in 1973. In high school she was involved in a variety of activities, especially those featuring her talents in music and art. She was in the marching band, concert band, orchestra, and twirling squad. She represented Wilson High School in the Northampton County Junior Miss program. She was the head majorette in her senior year and her artistic ability made her an invaluable resource for the newspaper, yearbook, and the prom decorating committee.

As a teacher in our District, she has been outstanding in and out of the classroom. During the 1980’s, she served as advisor to the Wilson High School band front for 5 years. In the 1990’s, she was awarded a fellowship from the National Science Foundation, which benefited the school. She was recognized as Teacher of the Year in 2005. She coordinates the annual Disney Youth Education Series program, advises National Junior Honor Society, and is the Reading Department Chairperson. In addition, she has been heavily involved in our school District and community. She proudly serves on the board of the WAPEF, and is a member of the Wilson Alumni Association.

Warrior of Service - Sidney Segal was an English teacher at Wilson Area High School for 25 years. He had an unparalleled love of teaching and was extremely knowledgeable in the field of English. His notes on various classic novels can still be seen in the margins of books that are still being used as references today. In addition to teaching at Wilson, he also served as club advisor, assistant drama director, and he served as athletic director. Because he was so heavily involved in high school activities, a prestigious high school award was named in his honor that recognizes students involved in multiple activities.

Captain Christopher Scott Seifert is a 1993 graduate of Wilson Area High School. He was very involved in sports and extra-curricular activities while in high school. He participated in Track and Cross Country as well as SkiClub, Ecology Club and Newspaper. He was a member of Jazz Band, Marching Band and Concert Band. He was involved in the drama production all four years and made it to the state finals in speech. He went on to Moravian College to major in History and minor in Military Science. He remained very involved while in college. He was a member of the Drama Club, Grotto Club, Moravian Theatre Company and Student Government. He was also a student ambassador for the college, a resident advisor and a tutor. He volunteered with Big Brothers, Big Sisters of the Lehigh Valley for 4 years and was named Big Brother of the year in 1996. He was a member of the ROTC at Lehigh University where he trained and received awards at Fort Dix, Fort Indiantown Gap and Fort Knox. He was later assigned to the Army’s 1 st brigade 101 st Airborne Division. He was an infantry platoon leader, and Airborne school graduate and received training as a Military Intelligence Officer. He was killed in the line of duty in Kuwait in a grenade attack the day before his unit was to move from Kuwait to Iraq. 

Burton Seiple was the president of the WAHS class of 1934. From Wilson Area High School he went to JT Baker Chemical Company where he advanced from a laborer to a research chemist lab supervisor. He organized the Baker Federal Credit Union and served as its president for over 30 years. He was a member of the Wilson Area School Board, PTA, church group and AARP, serving as a president of all four organizations. He was an Air Raid Warden and member of his church choir. He raised seven children - all proud Wilson graduates.

Wilson Area High School’s class of 1963.  While at Wilson High Gordy focused his efforts on excelling both academically and athletically: He was Vice President of his class,  co-captain of the football team, and an integral part of Wilson’s first undefeated wrestling team. Gordy competed for and won an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy. After graduating from the Academy, Gordy went on to have a highly successful career as a Naval Flight Officer. While serving in the Navy, Gordy continued his education by receiving a Masters Degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the Naval PostGraduate School. Gordy then went on to graduate from the U.S. Navy Test Pilot School rising to the position of Chief Test Pilot. Gordy retired from the Navy as a Commander after twenty years.  Gordy was raised at the Children's Home of Easton, having arrived there at the age of four and remaining at the home until he graduated from Wilson, thirteen years later.  "Work Hard, Play Hard, and Pray Hard." These were the words written on an inconspicuous sign in the woodworking shop at the Children's Home that inspired Gordy to succeed throughout his life.

Wilson Area High School - Class of 1957. During high school, he was a member of the Track Team, Drama Club, Chorus, Basketball, Jr. Band and, he was co-captain of the FIRST Soccer Team Wilson ever had. He started his announcing career in 1966 for the International League's, Richmond Braves. He was named the state's "Sportscaster of the Year," twice, before making his debut for the Montreal Expos in 1969. During his 32 years announcing for the Expos, he saw Willie Mays' 3,000th hit, Nolan Ryan's record-setting strikeout and called 11 no-hitters including perfect games by Denis Martinez, Roy Halladay and David Cone. He called games on both ABC and NBC. In 2001, he began announcing for the Florida Marlins. On July 23, 2011, he received the Hall of Fame's Ford C. Frick Award during the induction ceremony in Cooperstown N.Y. This award is the highest honor an announcer can receive.

He is a graduate of Wilson’s class of 1962.  During his high school years, he participated in Football, Wrestling, and Track earning a total of seven varsity letters and setting a school record in the 100 yard dash during his senior year.  He was the Vice-President of the All Sports Club and a member of the Hi-Y Club. After graduation he went on to serve his country in the United States Navy.  He served in the Navy for four years and is a Veteran of the war in Vietnam. He has been very active in our district and in the community.  He was the founder of the Wilson Area Midget Wrestling program and he coached midget wrestling for 15 years.  He has also been very involved with our high school wrestling program and was instrumental in bringing back the Wilson Invitational Wrestling Tournament.  He has served on the Wilson Borough council for eight years and is currently the Wilson Borough Council President.  He spent many years on the Wilson Recreation Board and as a member of our Varsity “W” Club including holding officer positions for both organizations.  He remains an active member of the Wilson Borough Lions Club and he has served as a member of the Wilson Area Board of Education for a total of 24 years. During his time on our board, he chaired numerous committees, represented the district on the local Vocational Technical School Board and was involved in many major building projects for the district including serving as the building and grounds chairperson during the intermediate school construction project. 

Major Tony K. Verenna is a graduate of the Wilson Area High School Class of 1992. In high school, he competed in football, wrestling, baseball, and track. He finished his high school wrestling career with 109 wins. He was recognized as All Area in football and wrestling. In addition to his athletic accomplishments, he served as Student Council President, was a member of the National Honor Society, and served as president of his class. After high school he went on to the United States Military Academy at West Point. He earned a bachelor's degree in System Engineering and holds master's degrees in Management and Leadership from Webster University, and Defense Analysis from the Naval Post Graduate School. He serves in the Aviation Branch of the U.S. Army. He has flown over 800 hours in support of the global war on terrorism. He served as company commander in Camp Humphrey's Korea, and in 2007 he was promoted to Major.

He graduated from Wilson Area High School in 1975.  His busy high school career included participation in the Band, Chorus, and Wilsonaires.  He was a writer for the school newspaper and yearbook as well as a student athlete participating on the basketball and tennis teams.  In his senior year of high school he served as the President of the Warrior Band and won the District 11 doubles championship in tennis.  After high school he earned his teaching degree from West Chester University and his master’s degree from Lehigh University. His service to the Wilson Area School District includes working for five years at Philip Lauer Middle School as the Assistant Principal.  He had a brief stint as interim director for our Warrior Band and he coached our girls’ tennis team for a year.  He completed his career in education in the Stroudsburg School District where he served as Principal for 21 years but he continued to stay involved with the Wilson Area School District.  He was also one of the founding members of the Wilson Area School District Partner’s in Education Foundation.  He took an active role in volunteering for our Wilson Invitational Wrestling tournaments, and he has been awarding annual tennis scholarships for over 25 years.  Currently, he is working for East Stroudsburg University as an adjunct professor, serving schools in the Intermediate Unit. He will be joining his father, who was inducted into our Hall of Fame in 2005.

Graduate of Wilson class of 1954. While in high school he achieved numerous accomplishments and represented the school in various sports including football and track. In addition to his involvement in athletics he was also an active participant in such activities as the Usher Club, Prom Committee, Hi-Y Club, Yearbook, and he was vice-president of his senior class. After graduating from college, he returned to Wilson to teach physical education in our elementary schools which he did for 41 years until his retirement in 1999. Still today it is not uncommon to see him cheering on Wilson students at sporting events, supporting Wilson students through his involvement with the Rotary Club, or supporting Wilson students by presenting scholarships on behalf of the Class of 1954.

Mr. Williams graduated from Wilson in 1964. In high school, he was very involved in the athletic program, participating in basketball and track. He was a major factor in the 1963 basketball team that went on to win a League Championship, something that has only ever happened two other times in the school history, one in 2009 and once again this year. 

He graduated from Moravian College in 1972 with a degree in Mathematics and Computer Science and spent an impressive career in the computer field. Over his 37-year career with IBM, he was involved in the advancement of early computer hardware and software programming to the development of advanced data processing and advancements in cyber security. He was a founder of the messaging software Blockchain and was also one of the founders of Galileo International, the first global reservation system.

Since his retirement in 2010, he has invested much of his time and energy in ways to give back to the community where he was born and raised. In honor of his wife (who is a 1963 Wilson Graduate), he established a nursing scholarship for Wilson graduates interested in furthering their education in the nursing field. Last year, he established a second scholarship for Wilson graduates with innovative ideas in the technology field. He continues to inquire about ways he can help and support the school, the students and the community. His generosity is inspiring and I’m sure that recipients of his scholarships will develop their innovative ideas that will change the future.

Wilson Area High School - Class of 1963. In high school he participated in football and wrestling, as well as the Great Book Club and Model U.N. His high school yearbook states he enjoyed everything about high school and refers to him as somewhat of a class clown. After graduation, he went to Florida Southern College and obtained a degree in Business Administration, but before he could do much with his degree, in September of 1968 he was drafted and sent to Vietnam. His military service earned him the Vietnam Combat Medal and a Purple Heart. After serving our country in Vietnam, he went on to graduate from The University of Florida College of Law in 1973. He ran for public office in 1984 and was elected Florida State Attorney - a position he would hold for 28 years. Highlights of his career include starting a comprehensive victim's rights program that serves as a national model, founding a Children's Advocacy Center and a domestic violence shelter as well as having his office recognized as the Outstanding Local Prosecutor's Office in the country. 

Warrior of Service - Albert Zarbatany served the Wilson Area School District for 38 years. He was a teacher, principal, coach, and superintendent. In addition to teaching, he acted as class advisor, junior prom advisor, coach, and class trip advisor. During his term as a wrestling coach, 1956-1972, he recorded a total of 126 wins and had numerous district title winners. He was the principal of Philip Lauer Middle School for eight years and superintendent of the district for 13 years.