Schools

Ross Gload, Howard Wood Among Inaugural Bonac Hall of Fame Class

Former East Hampton High School athletes, coaches and teams — plus local sportswriter — make-up first class.

The first class of the will be composed of star athletes, long-time coaches, two undefeated teams and one dedicated sports reporter, whose names elicit East Hampton pride and nostalgia.

Jim Nicoletti, the chairman of the board formed to establish the East Hampton High School hall of fame, said he was proud to announce the inaugural class, which will be inducted overcoming weekend on Sept. 22.

"We really wanted this year to be no-brainers — athletes from different eras, female and male, different sports," Nicoletti said.

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The people being inducted as players include football, wrestling and baseball star Ed Budd, Class of '83; Leroy DeBoard, a football, basketball baseball and track star who graduated in 1951, four-sport athlete Margaret Dunn, Class of '79; major league baseball player Ross Gload, Class of '94; Ellamae Gurney, who played field hockey, baseball and softball before graduating in 1994; former NBA player Howard Wood (who coaches high school girls basketball), Class of '77, and Kenny Wood, who graduated in 1989 and went onto play in Spain and South America.

Five others are being inducted posthumously. They are Rich Balnis Sr., Class of '63, Frank Jewels, '29, Bill McDonald, Class of '66, and Kendall Madison, Class of '91, Walter Sheades, '30,

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"These are 12 terrific people to represent the first class," Nicoletti said.

Two coaches are also being inducted; former athletic director Fran Kiernan, now 100, who coached football, basketball and baseball from 1945 to 1960, and Ed Petrie Sr., the winningest public high school boys basketball coach in the state and for whom .

In addition to the players and coaches, two undefeated teams will be inducted — the 1952 football team and the 1989 state-finalist field hockey team.

Jack Graves, on 's sports beat since 1979, will also be inducted as an honorary member of the Bonac Hall of Fame. "He's been a loyal supporter and advocated of East Hampton sports for 30 years," Nicoletti said. "Everybody loves Jack. We're thrilled to induct him."

Nicoletti said there were about 60 nominations and those who weren't chosen for the first class will be reconsidered for 10 years. "We know that there are many more out there," he said. While he chose not to mention any names, there were a few people he nominated who were not selected.

Including Nicoletti, the committee is comprised of 13 voting members. The others are Joe Vasile-Cozzo, the high school's athletic director, Ed Bahns, Ellen Cooper, Kathy McGeehan, Dick Cooney, Mike Burns, Bill Herzog, Erin Bock Abran, Hugh King, Sandy Vorpahl, Fred Yardley, and the high school’s principal, Adam Fine. The committee also has a non-voting group of historical advisers, who are Norton (Bucket) Daniels, Steve Marley, Fritz Schenck, Bob Budd, Dave Cheney, and Liz Granitz.

Nicoletti is a former baseball, soccer and tennis coach who also worked as a physical education teacher at the high school for 37 years.

A smaller class will be inducted every year. The key, he said, is for nominations to be filled out thoroughly in future years.


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