Hennesseys, Chadbourne, Santeusanio Inducted into DEEP Hall of Honor

The Danvers Educational Enrichment Partnership is inducting its four newest honorees for the DEEP Hall of Honor Thursday night. The local residents are being recognized for their contributions to the Danvers Public Schools over the years.

The 2010 inductees are Ron and Colette Hennessey, Bruce Chadbourne and former Superintendent of Schools Richard Santeusanio.

The will be held at the Danversport Yacht Club from 6-9 p.m. The Hall of Honor is sponsored by , the Salem Five Charitable Foundation, and NMTW (Northern Massachusetts Telephone Workers) Community Credit Union.

Selectman and DEEP board member Dan Bennett will act as the master of ceremonies. 

Ron and Colette Hennessey 

For more than 20 years, Danvers High graduates Ron and Colette Hennessey have been involved in the lives of young athletes in town, as well as raising their own children.

Ron Hennessey graduated DHS in 1973, Colette in 1975. They attended different colleges and married in 1980. They have two sons: Patrick and Steven.

Ron Hennessey works at Lynn Vocational Technical School as an electrical instructor and is also proprietor of the Hennessey Electrical Company. Colette Hennessey works as a secretary in the curriculum center for the Danvers Public Schools.

As their sons entered high school, the couple became even more involved at school, assuming shared leadership of the football and track boosters, along with the boosters for boys’ lacrosse, basketball and baseball.

Ron installed the original lighting at Dr. Deering Stadium in 1995, as well as the sound system in 2004. After installing the practice field lighting in 2006, he helped raise funds to re-surface the field. In 2009, he spearheaded a project to paint the press box and install the lettering for “Home of the Falcons.”

During that time, Colette volunteered for Project Graduation, serving both as Treasurer and Co-President.

In 2004, Ron received the Danvers American Little League Service Award after 25 years of coaching Little League Baseball. In 2008, the couple received the Northeast Conference Community Service Award in recognition of their support of student-athletes in Danvers. They were given the Touchdown Club of Danvers Contribution to Youth Award in 2009.

Bruce Chadbourne

Bruce Chadbourne grew up in Danvers, attending first Great Oak School and then Holten-Richmond Junior High School before graduating from Danvers High in 1976. He went on to Northeastern University’s College of Criminal Justice and as part of a school co-op program, worked as a cadet with the Danvers police.

During that time he was able to work undercover on a drug sting operation and infiltrated a gang involved in stealing parts and equipment from a local car dealership.

From there, he eventually moved on to immigration services and customers enforcement, working in Boston, Quebec, Washington D.C., and New Jersey. In Boston, Chadbourne became the assistant director for the district office of the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service.

He now works as the Director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s New England field office in Boston and lives in Danvers.

Chadbourne is being recognized as the 2010 Former Danvers Student Hall of Honor inductee for dedicating his life to ensuring the safety of the local community, Massachusetts, New England and the nation, offering “innumerable” contributions to public safety and national security throughout 34 years of law enforcement experience.

He’s also offered this piece of advice: “One should never be afraid to fail, as the best operations and programs evolve through trial and error – one simply needs to step up to the plate and at least swing at the ball; do not get caught looking.”

Richard Santeusanio, Ed.D.

Dr. Richard Santeusanio, former Superitendent of Schools in Danvers for 13 years, is being honored as the Former Danvers Educator inductee for 2010.

Born in Everett and raised in Revere, Richard and his brother John were the sons of Romeo and Louise Santeusanio. He graduated from Revere High School in 1960, received his bachelor’s degree from Suffolk University in 1964, his master’s degree from Northeastern University in 1967 and his doctorate from the University of Massachusetts in 1972.

Santeusanio began working in Danvers in the fall of 1976, hired as the Director of Reading. In quick succession, he then served as the Director of Pupil Services, the K-12 Curriculum Director and Assistant Superintendent of Schools, before taking the top job in 1989. He served as Superintendent of Schools until retiring in 2002.

His legacy in Danvers includes the development of a strong K-12 leadership team, many members of which continue to serve the district today. He implemented Professional Learning Communities, providing a venue for teachers to extend their practices by focusing on student work. He oversaw the development of two district-wide strategic plans and pioneered a team evaluation process that allowed teachers to receive valuable input about their profession from a variety of perspectives.

Santeusanio also instituted a teacher/mentor training program, with the goal of retaining the highest quality teachers possible.

He has also taught many college courses in his specialty area of adolescents and reading. As a published author, renowned in his field, he has written five textbooks and countless articles that have appeared in peer-reviewed journals.

Santeusanio now works as the director of the Reading Certificate Program at Massachusetts General Hospital’s Institute of Health Professions. 

Click here for more information on the DEEP Hall of Honor.

Editor's Note: Biographical material on each inductee was provided by DEEP.