Haverford High Inducts 16th Annual Class into Sports Hall of Fame

The Sports Hall of Fame inducted eight new individuals members, the 1981 state championship 400 meter relay team, and delivered a special recognition award to a longtime friend of the program in a ceremony Tuesday night at .

Before an audience that included Haverford principal Jeffrey Nesbit, superintendent of school William Keibaugh, and a handful of sitting Hall of Fame members, Samantha Bates Floyd ('93 Cross Country and Track), Ivan Bell ('68 Soccer and Wrestling), Louis T. Hamilton ('78 Soccer, Volleyball, and Lacrosse), David Jensen ('82 Football and Track), Bruce H. Kennet ('69 Football, Wresting, and Lacrosse), Fred Schrader ('54 Soccer, Baseball, and Basketball), Elizabeth Tortorelli Byers ('01 Soccer, Basketball, and Lacrosse), Karl Keck (Coach Induction), and the state championship relay team of Mario O. Bowler Sr., David M. Jensen, Richard A. Santo Jr., Kyle Walton and coaches Mike McMillen and Mike Ahlum were inducted into Haverford's 16th annual Hall of Fame class.

George Campbell was given a special recognition award by the organization.

After a grilled chicken dinner and a group rendition of the Haverford alma mater that was led by the school's senior chamber singers, the inductees who were in attendance took the lectern to give some remarks.

"Haverford sports provided a foundation that I've built on," said Floyd, who was an All-State performer in track and cross-country in the early '90s for the Ford's. "I definitely appreciate my years here."

Ivan Bell, who was a state medalist on the wrestling mat and a standout soccer player for the Fords, said he uses many of the the lessons he learned as a young athlete in adult life.

"We have something special we share out on the field of competition and in the locker room that, even 45 years later, I remember like they were a couple of minutes ago," he said upon being bestowed the honor.

One of the most impressive speakers on the evening was neither a coach or a player, but simply a fan.

George Campbell, who graduated from rival Lower Merion High School in 1943, attended a Haveford softball game with a friend in 1987 and never left. For almost 20 years he was the video man for the girl's basketball team, and also did camera work for field hockey, lacrosse, and made highlight reels for Ford's with college athletics aspirations.

"The Haverford parents have been fantastic to me," said Campbell, who went on to joke at his alma mater's expense. He said he was once at a basketball game between Upper Darby and Norristown that was held at Lower Merion, and was surprised to see the concession stand wasn't open. When told it was because they didn't have anyone willing to run it, he said "I said, 'If this was Haverford, you'd have so many volunteers they'd be tripping over themselves."

Campbell added that he deserves the recognition, despite being a late-comer to the Ford family.

"I've been here for 35 years," he said. "So I feel semi-qualified to receive this award."