Danville honors some of its greats
Danville has seen its share of athletic greatness over the years and wants to honor some of its greatest athletes.
Announcing its inaugural Danville Area School District's Athletics Hall of Fame class, the district will honor a dozen athletes and a trio of coaches in September.
That number dwindled from 50 nominations, as the district asked for the public's input on its website. High school principal Lee Gump and athletic director Brian Albertson then helped sort the list for a panel of six voters, who in turn ranked the candidates.
"It took time for us to decide what number of inductees we wanted in our inaugural class," Gump said. "We knew we wanted anywhere between 10 and 15, and even thought about 12, but landed on 15. Once we got that number, we got to ranking and the committee reviewed it, talked it out and voted this group in."
Moving forward, Gump says each class's induction number will dwindle, but the committee agreed it wanted some high numbers to get the ball rolling early and honor some pioneers. This year's class didn't celebrate any teams or contributors, which are nomination options, but Gump says that will only be a matter of time. Every nominee not voted in will be reviewed for a second consecutive year.
Kenn Williams, Ken Treon, Jason Hanley, David Ackley, Bill Bowman and Troy Klinger were voting for this year's class.
Ackley says with such high success that some such as Jessi Perruquet (University of North Carolina) and Dr. James Martin (Penn State) had in college, as well as Joe Gerst (Bloomsburg University) and Robert Marks Sr. (Bucknell) already being inducted into their respective college Hall of Fames, Danville had to do its due diligence.
"Many are recognized for their achievements and in their college Hall of Fames," Ackley said. "They belong in their high school Hall of Fame, where it all began for these fantastic athletes."
The bylaws don't state a mandatory waiting period for coaches, such as Jeff Brandt, Ron Kanaskie or Walter "Whitey" McCloskey, or contributors. Athletes must wait at least 10 years after graduation, and teams 10 years after their achievements. There is no provision made for the case of a drastic health scare or death of a great athlete before the 10-year window opens.
It took some time for all of this to come together as well.
Gump says the idea has been around for years and even had an original committee. However, it hit a wall until the school board got involved, established the bylaws and created the eight-man committee. The group met multiple times a month to get to this point.
"Once things got rolling, there was a positive energy with everything," Gump said. "There was a consensus to move forward and ensure the foundation was firm, not just for this year. We are certain this will be around for a long time."
The athletes, ranging from the graduating classes of 1950 (Dick Deitrick) and 2000 (Perruquet), will be introduced during Danville's football game against Milton on Sept. 19. The ceremony will take place on Sept. 20 at the high school's Performing Arts Center. Of the 15 inductees, five — Jack Curry, Larry Rudy, Deitrick, Gerst, and McCloskey — who have since passed away, will be represented by their respective family members.
The 15 will then get a plaque with their names immortalizing their accomplishments fittingly inside the Whitey McCloskey center.
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