Twelve graduates, ranging from an astrophysicist to a U.S. Naval Academy graduate, will be inducted into the Asbury Park High School Hall of Fame in May.
The induction ceremony will be held on May 16 at the Berkeley Oceanfront Hotel in Asbury Park. This event will mark the sixth induction ceremony since the first was held in 2003.
A wall of plaques, entitled “The Wall of Fame”, is located in a hallway at the high school, with each plaque featuring a photograph and brief biography of a prior inductee.
School personnel have reported that students often stop and study the success stories of the Hall of Fame members. Candidates were nominated by committee members, prior inductees, teachers, administrators, and community members.
“Many of both current and prior inductees have similar backgrounds to those of current Asbury Park High School students and have overcome tremendous hardship to achieve great success in business, public service, government, education, and in the professions,” said former Asbury Park Mayor Carl Williams, who is chairman and founder of the Hall of Fame,
During school hours on the day of the induction ceremonies, inductees will address current high school students, sharing information about their backgrounds, experience, and education that led to their ultimate success.
“This is aimed at providing positive role models for today’s students,” Williams said.
The 2014 inductees are Bruce Brener, class of 1958, a vascular surgeon and Chief of Division of Vascular Surgery at Newark Beth Israel Medical Center; Marjorie Diggs Freeman, class of 1954, a teacher, school principal, and world famous quilter; Barbara Levy Hollander, class of 1973, a Senior Vice President of R.H. Macy and Company, and Ross Stores; and William Larkin, class of 1964, former councilman and current Mayor of Ocean Township; Patrick Dennis McPherson, class of 1981, graduate of the US Naval Academy, patent and trade attorney in Washington D.C.; and Arthur Poland, class of 1960, astronomer and an astrophysicist for NASA , and college professor.
Also being inducted are Esther Pierkarski Lysaght, class of 1972, director of Alphabets pre-school in Asbury Park for 30 years; Phyllis Silver, class of 1965, educator and Administrator of the Massachusetts Disabled Children’s Program, director and New York State Advocate for Children’s Issues; Charles Smith, (1938-2012), class of 1956 Special Assistant to the Secretary of Labor during the Clinton administration and Vice President of compliance for Prudential Insurance Company; Thomas Steckbeck class of 1956, Vice President of Polaroid, Bell and Howell and Toshiba, and president of Sony consumer products; Xenia Keenan Ware, class of 1970, manager at Zerox for 30 years, now owner and manager of the Hunt Funeral Home; and Reginald Wilmore Sr. (1935-2002) class of 1954, the first African-American detective for the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s office, who rose to the rank of Captain.
For more information about the induction ceremony, contact MrsHankN@optonline.net.
