After a period of dormancy for the Londonderry High School Hall of Fame, some committed folks got the bright idea of resurrecting LHS Hall of Fame induction processes and ceremonies last year and placing some important folks from the local school’s history into the spotlight.
Doing so served to remind people who have lived in Londonderry for a long time and educate newer residents of town about the wealth of talent which LHS has produced and benefited from since the late 1970’s when the little Londonderry Junior High was turned into Londonderry High School.
Thanks to momentum provided by the LHS Athletic Leadership Council and its advisor Crystal Rich, the school’s hall of fame was brought out of dormancy last year when the first new class of inductees since 1996 was announced and honored.
And now nominations for new inductees are being taken through the entire month of April with the goal of holding an induction ceremony of the Hall of Fame Class of 2017 on Mack Plaque weekend during the fall.
Students, community members, and past or present LHS staff may nominate students, community members, and past or present Londonderry High staff for induction. Alums must be out of LHS for five years before they can be considered for nomination.
Those who are interested in making nominations from April 1-30 can access a Hall of Fame Nomination Form at http://www.richlhs.org/londonderry-high-school-hall-of-fame.html. More information can be obtained by reaching out to Crystal Rich at crich@londonderry.org.
Many nominees to the hall of fame are known most widely for their athletic accomplishments at the school, but this isn’t strictly an athletic hall of fame. Members of the LHS Hall of Fame also made major contributions in academic, support, and community roles, and in many cases members contributed in numerous areas.
The Londonderry High Hall of Fame was started by the school’s first principal, Ed Thibodeau, with inductions occurring from 1986 to 1996 before the process fell dormant in the wake of Thibodeau’s retirement.
In bringing the hall of fame back to life for the 2016 inductions, the LHS Athletic Leadership Council announced, “Our mission is to revive the Londonderry High School Hall of Fame and give those who did not have the chance to be inducted over the past 20 years, and those who may impact the community in the future, the opportunity to create a legacy and be thanked for their lasting impact on the community of Londonderry.”
The 2016 class of 14 inductees included Mike Beeman, Stefanie Murphy, Arthur Tsetsilas, Matt Charette, Suzanne Johnson, Peter Willis, Paul Dutton, Michelle Hart-Miller, Katie Sullivan, Sean Delisle, Dr. Stephen Guerra, Robert Ross, Ed Burgess, and Chris Gingrow.