Upper Dublin High School to Induct Inaugural Class into Hall of Fame

November 14...Twenty-one alumni have been selected for the inaugural class of inductees into the School District of Upper Dublin Alumni Hall of Fame.

The creation of the Alumni Hall of Fame first was announced in March 2016. The community was encouraged to nominate alumni who have achieved distinction, an outstanding accomplishment or have made a significant contribution within their professions, in their communities or in the world. The Alumni Hall of Fame is co-sponsored by the School District and the Upper Dublin Education Foundation.

Following a rigorous nomination and committee review process, Upper Dublin High School Principal Robert Schultz and UDEF member and program chairperson Heidi Yutzler Overton proudly announced the names of the alumni who will be inducted into the Hall of Fame on March 24, 2017.

“It has been a thrill for me to hear the surprise and excitement in their voices as I tell them of the award,” said Overton. “Each is humbled and grateful for the honor.”

The 2017 inductees were selected according to six categories: Arts, Entertainment and Communications; Business and Law; Education; Government and Military; Medicine, Science and Technology; and Philanthropy and Community Service.

Honorees in the Arts, Entertainment and Communications category are:

• Suzy Kolber – Class of 1982 alumnus and ESPN sportscaster;
• Josh Tower – Class of 1988 alumnus and Broadway and television performer;
• Josh Singer – Class of 1990 alumnus and Academy-Award winning screenwriter with movie and television credits; and
• John Tartaglia – Class f 1996 alumnus and Tony Award winner and Emmy-nominated Broadway, television and radio actor, singer, dancer and puppeteer.

Honorees in the Business and Law category are:

• Michael Stiles – Class of 1963 and the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Philadelphia Phillies and former First Assistant District Attorney in the City of Philadelphia, elected trial judge and federally-appointed U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of PA ;
• Scott, Guy and Jon Orens – Classes of 1972, 1974 and 1978 alumni, the Orens are partners in Orens Brothers Real Estate, a full-service real estate development and property management company serving Pennsylvania and New Jersey; and
• Alex Furmansky – Class of 2003 alumnus and Founder and Chief Executive Officer of two successful startup companies.

Honorees in the Education category are:

• Robert Field – Class of 1958 and Upper Dublin School District teacher, coach and principal who was largely credited with raising Upper Dublin High School to prominence and earning the National Blue Ribbon School distinction;
• Rudi Klobach – Class of 1962 alumnus (posthumous) and immigrant survivor of a Nazi concentration camp, outstanding teacher and soccer coach in New Jersey; and
• Richard Mitchell Brown, III – Class of 1964 and a highly-regarded professor of national security at the U.S. Naval War College, following a 26-year career as a Naval Aviator, with more than 700 combat flights in South Vietnam among other stellar credentials in intelligence and strategy.

Honorees in the Government and Military category are:

• Vice Admiral George Sterner – Class of 1958 alumnus, U.S. Navy, submarine commander and Pentagon staff (retired);
• Colonel Steven Hogg – Class of 1973 alumnus, U.S. Marine Corps, Commanding Officer at Parris Island Recruit Training Regiment (retired);
• Commander Brian Solo – Class of 1982 alumnus, U.S. Navy, mission capability analyst, Navy ship Reactor Officer and Executive Officer and Commanding Officer (retired);
• Colonel Robert Beale – Class of 1988 alumnus, U.S. Army pilot and commander, special operations aviation soldiers, more than a dozen deployments to the Middle East and currently serving as Army Staff at the Pentagon in the Special Operations Division; and
• Major William Hackenbracht – Class of 1988 alumnus, U.S. Army, Special Operations Civil Affairs with multiple operational deployments to the Middle East with special recognition for shaping senior level policy decisions and humanitarian efforts related to refugees.

Honorees in the Medicine, Science and Technology category are:

• Dr. Christopher Clark – Class of 1964 alumnus (posthumous), a neurologist whose career was devoted to the study of Alzheimer’s disease, including a landmark study for advancing clinically-applicable Alzheimer’s disease diagnostics using a specific PET ligand;
• Dr. Paul Mansfield – Class of 1975 alumnus, surgical oncologist, Vice President of Acute Care Services and Professor of Surgical Oncology at MD Anderson Cancer Center; and
• Dr. Debra Somers Copit – Class of 1982 Alumnus, radiologist, Director of Breast Imaging at the Einstein Medical Center, honored with the Founder’s Award from Living Beyond Breast Cancer, and recognized by Philadelphia magazine more than 10 times as a top doctor in Philadelphia.

Honorees in the Philanthropy and Community Service category are:

• H. William Gift – Class of 1963 alumnus, more than 30 years as a volunteer in the community service sector in both elected and appointed positions with Upper Dublin Township, Oreland and Fort Washington fire companies, Community Ambulance Association of Amber, Angel Flight East and Patient Airlift Services;
• Lawrence Smith (posthumous) and Christine Jenkins Smith – Class of 1965 alumni, established a family charitable trust that has provided significant gifts to organizations providing a variety of children’s and family services, to stewardship of natural resources and disaster relief; and
• Dr. Richard DeMaria – Class of 1971 alumnus, a physical therapist who has been recognized nationally and internationally for his approaches and techniques within and beyond the treatment room working with people recovering from cancer and recently honored with the Founder’s Award from Living Beyond Breast Cancer.

Schultz said the March 24 induction is a perfect opportunity for alumni and current students to interact and learn from one another. “Two program objectives we have for the Hall of Fame are to provide positive role models and to promote excellence and inspiration for our current students,” he said. “This exceptional group of honorees embodies those objectives. Cardinal alumni are doing great things in the world, and we’re happy to celebrate them and the high school that provided a strong foundation for their successes.”

The Alumni Hall of Fame will be located across from the Cardinal Room on the second floor of the high school. Family, friends and community members are invited to join in the celebration by making reservations for the dinner and formal induction ceremony. Additional event details will be available in January.