2009 Induction Night

The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame Association is pleased to announce the members of the induction class of 2009. William (Bill) Dennehy, the late Charles (Charlie) A. Barber and the 1980 East Hampton High School Girls Basketball team have earned selection as the newest members of the Athletic Hall of Fame. The 2009 Induction Ceremony took place on Friday November 6, at 6:00 pm at the Blackledge Country Club in Hebron, Conn.

Bill Dennehy was a three-sport athlete who graduated from East Hampton High School in 1966. Bill earned 12 varsity letters and was captain of his soccer, basketball and baseball teams his senior year. A great all-around athlete, Bill earned selection to Charter Oak Conference all-star teams in all three sports throughout his high school career. Bill is in his 38th year as a physical education teacher and coach at Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire.



Charlie Barber, born in 1913, was a town resident who attended Middletown High before the town of East Hampton had its own high school. He played baseball for the Belltown Bombers of the Middlesex County Baseball League for over 25 years. A great baseball player, he earned many MVP and batting titles throughout his career. Well respected by his teammates, in his 25th season of playing on the Bombers, his team honored him with a “Charlie Barber Day”. Mr. Barber passed away in 1966.




The 1980 East Hampton High School Girls Basketball team, with team members Holly Brown, Nancy Connelly, Anita Guilbeault, Ann Harasimowitz, Deb Hass, Karen Karavolis, Julie Lutton, Linda Lutton, Jean Manning, Sheila Pekari, Mary Beth Rand, Lisa States and Coach Bruce Rich, have earned recognition for their outstanding achievements. The Charter Oak Conference (COC) champions went into the 1980 Class S State Tournament ranked 5th and went on to beat defending champion Westbrook, #1 ranked Wamogo-Litchfield and COC co-champion Coventry to win the State Championship. They finished the season with a 20-4, 10-2 record.


The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame plaque is on display at the East Hampton Town Hall.

2009 Scholarhips Awarded

The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame Association presented scholarships to four deserving local student-athletes at the organization’s annual awards banquet Sunday, June 14, at the Sears Park Pavilion.
Brooke Pitcher received the Harold F. Riley scholarship, given to a senior athlete who best exemplified the qualities of athletic excellence, competitive drive, and a consistent team-above-self commitment.
Andrew Briere was awarded the Jane A. Cerri scholarship, presented to a senior who exemplified these qualities: An infinite commitment to learning, compassion, commitment, and respect for others and the fortitude for overcoming life’s obstacles.
Rachel Nowakowski and David Quackenbush were presented with scholarships as an acknowledgement of their outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments throughout their high school careers.

(Pictured from L-R: David Quackenbush, Brooke Pitcher, EHAHOFA President Mike Vasquenza, Rachel Nowakowski and Andrew Briere)

Class of 2008 Announced

The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame Association is pleased to announce the members of the class of 2008. Lisa Abbott, Jason Clark, Carl William (CW) Currie, Sheila Pekari Mongiat and Paul Peszynski have been selected as members of the Athletic Hall of Fame. Induction Night will take place on Saturday November 8, at 5:30pm at the Blackledge Country Club in Hebron, CT.

Lisa Abbott was a four-year starter in three sports at East Hampton High School through the years of 1987 to 1991. Lisa was recognized as Class S All State goalkeeper and Charter Oak Conference All Star multiple times in basketball and softball. Lisa played both basketball and softball at Western Connecticut State University and currently serves as assistant softball coach.





Jason Clark was an outstanding soccer player at East Hampton High School. A 1993 graduate, Jason was a two-time All Charter Oak Conference and All Middlesex County as well as Class S All State his senior year. A great all-around athlete, Jason also earned varsity letters in baseball two years, basketball where he was a member of the 1993 COC Conference Champion team, and in track where he was awarded team MVP his senior year.




Carl William (CW) Currie is being inducted as an athletic contributor. An active member of the East Hampton Little League Board of Directors for 44 years CW has been Park Director for the past 21 years, overseeing construction and maintenance of fields, dugouts, fences, press boxes, electronic scoreboards, concession stand and restroom facilities as well as the CW Currie Field House. In his time with the East Hampton Little League, the facility has developed into one of the most respected in the state.









Sheila Pekari Mongiat was a standout athlete in cross country, basketball and track during her tenure at East Hampton High School from 1977 to 1981. She was Class S Cross Country state champion for three years. Sheila was a member of the 1980 Class S State Championship basketball team, and also set records in track for the 1500 and 3000 meter races.












Paul Peszynski has played and supported East Hampton sports for more than 60 years. A player in the very first season of East Hampton Little League, Paul continues to contribute to the league as a valued sponsor. A 1956 graduate of East Hampton High School Paul was one of the first athletes to earn twelve varsity letters. He captained all three sports his junior and senior years and won team awards for highest batting average in baseball and highest shooting percentage in basketball.





The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame plaque is on display at the East Hampton town hall.

The EHAHOFA was founded in the spring of 2006 and intends to honor and acknowledge outstanding athletic accomplishment by those involved in athletics in the Town of East Hampton.

Tickets for Induction Night are available for $30 per person. The evening will consist of social hour, dinner, and induction ceremony. If you would like to share in the celebration, please contact EHAHOFA President Michael Vasquenza at 860-267-7405 or send an email to ehahof@sbcglobal.net.

Nominations Open!!

The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame Association is now accepting nominations for the class of 2008.

Last November the East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame Association inducted its second class, Holly Brown, Brad Caron, Russ Oakes and Ron Wallace.

If you know of an individual, coach, or team that you deem worthy of this honor, please consider nominating that person and/or team.

Nomination forms can be obtained at the East Hampton Public Library, or requested via an email to EHAHOF@sbcglobal.net or by sending a self-addressed envelope to the EHAHOF P.O. Box 156 East Hampton.

Request your form today as it will take some time to do the appropriate research necessary to properly endorse your nominee.

All information on the form must be completed and received with supporting letters of recommendation by September 12, 2008 for the candidate to be considered for this year’s induction class.

The Induction Banquet for this year’s class will be held on November 8th, 2008.

2008 Scholarship Recipients

EHAHOF President Mike Vasquenza is pictured with

Sarah Chicoine, Elizabeth Murray,

Sam Pach and Nicole Muhlberg.

The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame Association presented scholarships to four deserving local student-athletes at the organization’s annual awards banquet Sunday, June 8, at the Sears Park Pavilion.
Nicole Muhlberg was the first to receive the Harold F. Riley scholarship, given to a senior athlete who best exemplified the qualities of athletic excellence, competitive drive, and a consistent team-above-self commitment.
Elizabeth S. Murray was awarded the first annual Jane A. Cerri scholarship, presented to a senior who exemplified these qualities: An infinite commitment to learning, compassion, commitment, and respect for others and the fortitude for overcoming life’s obstacles.
Sarah Chicoine and Sam Pach were presented with scholarships as an acknowledgement of their outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments throughout their high school careers.

Poker Rally Winners!

2nd Annual POKER RALLY!!

Mark your calendars for May 31st at 2:00pm for the East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame’s 2008 Poker Rally, presented by UNISON. This year’s event will include new “rally stops” with new interactive events.
The Rally is our major fundraiser designed to fuel the Hall’s annual scholarship program. Scholarships are awarded to select graduating seniors who reside in our community and have excelled athletically and personally. Also, this is the first year the Hall will award the newly created Harold Riley and Jane Cerri Memorial Scholarships.
Poker Rally participants and their guests will be directed to five locations in and around East Hampton, gathering their 5 sealed poker cards along the way. No poker experience is necessary! Every destination will include an activity sure to make the day one to remember. All legal modes of transportation are welcome!
The event will conclude with a BBQ and a Poker Showdown. Exciting auction items will also be made available for bid.
Stay tuned for further details, or to reserve your space contact John Tuttle at Tuttlekahn@aol.com or by calling him at 267-5757.

2007 Induction Night Photos

Russ Oakes is congratulated on his induction by his son.

Holly Brown (right) pictured with former teammate and nominator Deb McKinney.

Ron Wallace with longtime friend and nominator Tom McCabe.

Brad Caron with nominator Linda Wallace.

Class of 2007

Russ Oakes, Holly Brown, Ron Wallace and Brad Caron were inducted into the East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame on Saturday November 10th 2007. The Class of 2007 Induction Ceremony was held at the Quarry Ridge Restaurant in Portland, CT.

Class of 2007 Announced

The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame Association is pleased to announce the members of the class of 2007. Holly Brown, Brad Caron, Russell Oakes and Ron Wallace have been unanimously selected as members of the Athletic Hall of Fame. Induction Night will take place on Saturday November 10, at 5:30pm at the Quarry Ridge Golf Club and Restaurant in Portland, CT.

Holly Brown was an All-State basketball and softball player in the East Hampton High School class of 1980. The first female to score 1,000 points, she led her team to East Hampton’s first ever Class S State Championship in 1980. Brown is the first female to be inducted into the Hall.

Brad Caron was an outstanding cross-country and track athlete from the East Hampton High class of 1977. He is the first inductee who was an athlete of EHHS then returned as a coach where he led his cross country teams to a 234-54 record. Caron also started the EHHS Indoor Track program and founded both the Bellringer Invitational and the Middle School Panther Fest.

Russell Oakes is being inducted as an athletic official. As a member of the Connecticut Board District 6 basketball officials Oakes refereed both boys and girls high school basketball for 41 years. He has also served as coordinator of the St. Patrick CYO basketball program for 25 years.

Ron Wallace was an outstanding basketball and soccer athlete from the EHHS class of 1961. He captained both teams his senior year, and led his soccer team to an 11-0-1 season, the first undefeated EHHS sports team in history. Wallace, who was one of the area’s top scorers on the court, went on to play 15 years of semi-pro basketball.

The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame plaque is on display at the East Hampton town hall.

The EHAHOFA was founded in the spring of 2006 and intends to honor and acknowledge outstanding athletic accomplishment by those involved in athletics in the Town of East Hampton.

Tickets for the Induction Night are available for $26 per person. The evening will consist of social hour, dinner, and induction ceremony. If you would like to share in the celebration, please contact EHAHOFA President Michael Vasquenza at 860-267-7405 or send an email to ehahof@sbcglobal.net.

2007 Scholarships Presented

The East Hampton Athletic Hall of Fame Association presented scholarships to a pair of deserving local student-athletes at the organization’s annual awards banquet Sunday, June 10, at the Sears Park Pavilion.
East Hampton High School seniors Leigh Ann Odell and Kelsey Taylor were each the recipient of $250 as an acknowledgement of their outstanding academic and athletic accomplishments throughout their high school careers. Odell, who will attend Trident Technical College and the College of Charleston, was a four-year member of the cheerleading squad and three-year member of the tennis team. Taylor, a cross-country and track performer, was named a CAS Scholar Athlete and received all-conference honors three times. She will attend Connecticut College in the fall and will be a member of the cross-country and track and field teams.