SHS Hall of Fame inducts first class
Published on June 4th, 2003
STONEHAM, MA - Just as Cooperstown recognizes baseball's greats and Springfield pays homage to the best in basketball, Stoneham now has an official vehicle through which it recognizes the finest examples of talent and dedication in local athletic pursuits.
On May 22, School Committee Vice Chairman Daniel Moynihan had the pleasure of announcing the first inductees into the Stoneham High School Athletic Hall of Fame. This is the inaugural year for the Hall of Fame which came to fruition through the dogged persistence and hard work on the part of dedicated group of committee members.
"Stoneham High School has a proud and distinguished heritage of athletic achievement. In recognition of that, the Stoneham School Committee established an athletic Hall of Fame in order to recognize those individuals whose integrity, sportsmanship and character have enhanced the overall educational experience of our youth," Moynihan said last November when he announced the opening of nominations for formal recognition of well deserving individuals or teams who have made their mark on Stoneham High School.
The first inductees of the Stoneham High School Athletic Hall of Fame exemplify all of the above traits and more, including versatility, for many have excelled in a number of areas and have successfully gone on to keep that winning drive a part of their lives.
When it comes to running at Stoneham High, no name stands above that of Kristen Seabury. The SHS 1987 graduate, now Kristen Till, dominated the Middlesex League like no one before or since. Her name can still be found all over the record board that hangs inside the Stoneham gym foyer.
Now married with a four month-old child and living in Baltimore, Kristen went on to excel at the University of Alabama but is quick to credit much of her success to her beginnings at Stoneham High.
"I ran a little before I came to Stoneham High, but it seems like that's where I really started. I had great influences like Mr. Rocher and Mr. Fillback. The thing I enjoyed was being part of a team, even though it's sort of an individual sport, I really enjoyed my teammates and having fun."
Though she failed in a previous Olympic bid, Kristen is far from through with running. She began the ultimate distance running by entering the Chicago Marathon, which qualified her to run in last year's Boston Marathon where she finished forty-two seconds shy of qualifying for the Olympics.
"I'd like to run some more marathons," says the Spartan running legend.
While Kristen had ideas of continuing her running career after Stoneham High, it wasn't her complete focus.
"I had it in my mind (to continue running) but mainly I just wanted to keep improving. I never quite made the Olympics, but that's OK." she says.
Ellis "Sonny" Lane continued to have Middlesex League success after graduating from Stoneham High in 1961. While a Spartan, Lane excelled on the baseball diamond and the basketball court earning Middlesex League All-Star honors in both sports in his junior and senior years.
"I was very fortunate to come in at the right time," says Lane.
"We had new coaches come in and I got some great coaching from Tony DeTeso, Bill Murphy, and Whip Halliday."
He was the leading hitter on the baseball team and was a Boston Globe All-Scholastic as a junior and Second Team All-Scholastic as a senior.
"I played with some terrific players like Billy Seabury and Cubby Gummow.. We were a unique group. Stoneham had been in the doldrums for a while. Fortunately, the new coaches made us look good."
On the hardwood, he was among the league's top scorers. Perhaps the most impressive testament of his athletic ability was going out for the football team for the first time as a senior and becoming a quarterback.
Lane continued his career at Suffolk University where he captained the baseball team on a four- year scholarship.
Lane eventually returned to the Middlesex League where he built the powerful Wakefield High basketball teams of the 1980's, a feat which garnered him an induction into the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame before moving on to become Athletic Director at Melrose High.
He now teaches coaching to high school coaches.
"I had a lot of great influences in my life. I coached with Bob Margarita and I learned a lot from him. When I'm teaching coaches, I still quote him quite a bit."
Though having lived and worked in neighboring towns, Lane feels touched by the good fortune life has given him, and for the being part of Stoneham history.
"I'm lucky. I can't say how honored I am especially when you consider the people that are in the Hall of Fame."
First established over two years ago, the Athletic Hall of Fame Committee set out to investigate similar Halls of Fame in surrounding towns, then set up bylaws along with nominations and elections processes.
Last month, Moynihan thanked former Hall of Fame committee members Marie Christie, Rosemary Geary, Michelle Meagher, Mary Pecoraro, Michael Sweeney, and Joanne Venochi Herzog for their determination in helping get this project off the ground. Moynihan also thanked current committee members SHS Athletic Director Michael Lahiff, who co-chairs the committee with Moynihan, Bernie Corbett, Jason Keith, Wendy Smith, Dan Margarita, Steve Rolli, Paul White, Jim Prior, Debbie Lacey, Helen McCusker, and Joe Zarella.
The banquet to celebrate the Stoneham High School Athletic Hall of Fame inaugural year and the first inductees is scheduled for October 25, 2003 at the Montvale Plaza. Complete biographies will be published in the Independent leading up to the ceremony.
The Hall of Fame committee urges the public to participate in the nominating process, which begins in the fall, for the second class of inductees.
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