The first cohort of 25 individuals and a championship football team will be inducted into the newly established Marshwood High School Hall of Fame and Excellence at 11 a.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, in the high school auditorium. The public is invited to attend.
The inaugural class includes eight former student athletes: Steve Knight, Allison Gagnon, Dennis Wormel, Allison Marshall, Deanna Rix, Kathy Crosby, Alan Robertshaw and Bob “Bear” Fontaine; and eight people with achievements in academics and the arts: Elaine Burnham, Merril “Skip” Cousens, Nick Cerabona, Jan Cerabona, Jerry Burnell, Ann Lee Hussey, Mildred Obrey and Slaid Cleaves.
Four athletic coaches are Rod Wotton, Matt Rix, Lori McPherson and Mike Lewis; five administrator and contributor recipients: Ernie Wood, William “Doc” Gilbert, Richard Goulet, Grayson Hartley, and Bob Perham; and collectively, the 1989 Marshwood Hawks football team that won that year’s Maine Class A state championship.
Six of the awards are being presented posthumously.
The goal of the Hall is to recognize “people that have achieved great success not only at Marshwood, but in their personal lives as well,” according to Athletic Director Rich Buzzell
The selection committee was “very happy with their selections,” said Buzzell. Members were Bobby Pratt, Heather Muzeroll-Roy, Katie Gilpatrick, Vicki Stewart, Denise Brooks, Chris Ouellette, Bobby McPherson, Susan Casey, Brett Hoogterp, Superintendent John Caverly, Alan Robertshaw, Krystal Sbrizza and Buzzell.
To be considered for the Hall of Fame, recipients must meet certain criteria depending on their classification – student athlete, coach, administrator, or academic. Student athletes must have graduated at least 10 years ago, and during high school must have received an all-state recognition, an all-conference selection, and at least two varsity letters.
Coaches must have coached within the district for more than 10 years, with a waiting period afterward of three years. Academic recipients can be students, faculty and staff, or any person involved with the Marshwood school district who had a positive impact on the education system.
The first class will be the largest number of honorees, according to the school department. Next year, there will be up to seven inductees, after which the inductee class size will be set at a maximum of five.
To honor the recipients, a large touchscreen display will be installed in the Marshwood High School lobby, detailing the achievements of each inductee. The information will also be accessible in a database on the school’s website.
Nomination forms are available on the district’s website for consideration in future years.
