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October 6,
2008
On Sunday, October 5, the 2008
homecoming weekend was capped off by an amazing induction
ceremony, honoring the
20
inaugural members of the Watervliet Athletic Hall of Fame.
The ceremony was a heartfelt celebration of the successes of
these 20 athletes, as well as a chance for old teammates to
get together and reminisce, for grandchildren to learn about
their grandparent's prowess on the field, and for the whole
community to come together and show their Cannoneer Pride.
"It's about time," was a common theme
of the evening, as inductee after inductee got up to accept
their award, and thanked the Hall of Fame Committee for
their hard work. "It's been a long time coming but we're so
glad we're finally here," said one inductee.
"This whole thing could not have come
together without the efforts of the committee," said
Athletic Director Richard Cowles. "They all put so much time
into this, especially Jack Weaver and Mike Reinfurt - the
hours these guys spent was incredible."
"I am so impressed with the efforts of
the Hall of Fame committee," agreed Paul Padalino,
Superintendent of Schools. "The amount of time they spent
researching the history of our athletic program, and on the
organization of the event itself is just astounding - they
are Hall of Famers in their own right."
"We also owe a debt of gratitude to
Rick Cowles for providing the jump start we needed - when he
came here two years ago, getting the Hall of Fame going was
one of his top priorities," Padalino said. "He not only met
this goal, but the work of this committee exceeded all
expectations!"
Click here to
view the
program from the Hall of Fame Dinner, which includes
pictures and full bios of all inductees. |
The Hall of Fame Plaques are on display in the
front hallway at WJSHS. The plaques will eventually
be on display in the Hall of Fame space that is
being created as part of the new gymnasium.
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