District scores a slam dunk with inaugural Hall of Fame induction

A decade-long effort finally came to fruition last month when friends and family gathered in the Alexander Hamilton High School auditorium to celebrate athletes and teams of the past. A group of former athletes, coaches and teams became the first inducted into the new AHHS Athletic Hall of Fame.

“The mood was beyond our expectation; the event vibrated with joy, pride, and marvel at the incredible athletic accomplishments in such a small community,” Ellen Purdy Henson, Class of ’77, and Hall of Fame committee member said. “The gratitude from our athletes and their families was incredible. It was humbling and inspiring all at once.”

“It was electric,” committee member Wayne Bass, Class of ‘81, said of the ceremony. “I don’t know any other word for it.”

During the ceremony inductees processed into the auditorium to their seats in the front. As soon as they came in, guests immediately stood and gave them a standing ovation.

“I think that in and of itself just set everything off,” Mr. Bass said. “To see all these former athletes in the building, some have not been here for 40-50 years and to put names with faces. There were plenty I had heard of, but I didn’t know. To see them and the comradery of them hugging each other. I thought it showed a great sense of community.”

The idea of developing a Hall of Fame began in 2011, when Superintendent Marc Baiocco was principal at AHHS. He said the idea gained traction after he became superintendent, plans were developed, and a committee was formed.

Ms. Purdy Henson said interest continued to grow when committee members realized there was a lack of knowledge among current students about the athletic achievements of those who had come before them.

Mr. Bass said his son once mentioned a track record and did not believe it was real. The runner in question did achieve the record and even went on to run in college and participated in the Olympic trials.

“When I explained to him that was true, the light went on,” Mr. Bass said. “There was no way for kids to know what is true and wasn’t true.”

“We needed to document what happened and hopefully inspire kids to work hard and try to achieve,” he continued. “We are a little school, but you can still achieve a lot if you work hard.”

“We all agreed that the perfect starting point for generating pride for future students was to properly honor those who’ve gone before them,” Ms. Purdy Henson agreed.

Once organized, the Hall of Fame committee began the process of seeking nominations. It was important to find as many multi-generational former athletes as they could. Social media, personal contacts and emails were used to generate nominations. Once the nominees were submitted, the real work began.

The committee devised a special system for selecting nominees that will be used in the future. First, all the claims listed in the nomination application are researched and verified. The committee then conducted a weighted, blind vote on the candidates. The results were tabulated by the Athletic Department. Those with the highest votes will be inducted, those who were nominated but not inducted will remain in the voting pool for a period of five years. Classes for induction will be selected every year, however, induction ceremonies will take place every two years.

One of the reasons for the alternate ceremony years is to give the committee time to conduct all the research to confirm records.

For instance, Mr. Bass found out so many things he did not know. His own football coach John Stoddard, ’63, for example, played college football for the University of Connecticut.

“He never once in my time told me he played college football,” Mr. Bass said. “To discover that and get excited about the stories, hearing the stories. It was exciting.”

Those inducted into the inaugural class were impressive.

“Their athletic records were amazing. So many of our athletes broke county, section, and state records,” Dr. Baiocco said.

The first induction ceremony was delayed for a year due to COVID-19 concerns and finally held on Sept. 11, 2021. All those inducted will have their names placed on an Athletic Hall of Fame Monument wall outside the newly renovated gymnasium at AHHS.

“The names of our greatest athletes and teams will forever be celebrated by generations to come,” Ms. Purdy Henson said.

“The Hall of Fame showcases the amazing contributions of our AHHS students over the years. The new wall will be on display each and every day for everyone to see,” Dr. Baiocco said. “I had the pleasure and honor of being at the ceremony. The feelings of joy and pride were palpable. It was great to see alumni interacting and reminiscing about their time at AHHS. The event also elevated the Red Raider pride.”

ALEXANDER HAMILTON ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

Hall of Fame Class of 2020

Mauro D’Ippolito ‘82 - Soccer

Stafford Farmer ‘66 – Basketball

Dominick Festa ‘50 – Basketball Coach

Trisha-Ann Hawthorne ’07 - Track

Daniel Lewis ‘63 – Basketball

Donovan Mitchell ‘88 – Baseball

Cusena Newton ‘87 – Basketball

Ronald “Tony” Newton ‘70 –Basketball

William “Billy” Newton ‘72 – Basketball

James” Jimmy” Redd ‘71– Track

Kerry Young ‘94 – Softball

Teams

1968 Relay Team

1968 Frosh Relay Team

1969 Varsity Football Team

1972 Boys Varsity Basketball Team

ALEXANDER HAMILTON ATHLETICS HALL OF FAME

Hall of Fame Class of 2021

Kevin Bass ‘73 –Basketball

James Bason ’73 – Basketball

David Konsens ’80 –Track

Eugene Spatz ‘66 – Baseball

John Stoddard ’63 - Football

Bill Tibbs ‘78 – Basketball

Robert Winter –Track Coach

Teams

1971 Cross Country Track Team

1987 Boys Varsity Basketball Team