Four names will be added to the White River High Athletic Hall of Fame during a March induction ceremony.
The still-new Hall of Fame already counts eight individuals and two teams that span many decades of Hornet/Mountaineers sports history.
Expanding that list in March will be: baseball player Paul Strand, a member of the Buckley High graduating class of 1913; Ben Addink, a 1997 graduate, for his prowess on the basketball court; Marcus Dickson, a distance-running standout for the cross country and track teams and a 2021 graduate; and Bob McKean, who is entering as a longtime community contributor and was, for years, “the voice of the Hornets” from his announcer’s seat.
The quartet will be inducted the evening of Saturday, March 11, on the WRHS campus. The night will begin with a 6 p.m. reception in the school commons, which includes a formal unveiling on the Hall of Fame wall; at 7 p.m. the crowd will shift to the WRHS theater for the Hall of Fame ceremony.
Tickets for the March 11 event will go on sale in February.
The idea of a school Hall of Fame had been discussed for years and came to fruition with the inaugural induction ceremony in 2020. Due to the pandemic there was no ceremony in 2021, but honorees from both 2021 and 2022 were highlighted last March.
The Hall of Fame program considers potential inductees in four categories: individual athletes, coaches, teams and community contributors.
PREVIOUS INDUCTEES
Class of 2022
Inducted were: Trena Page, a teacher and coach from 1974 to 1993 who was the school’s first head coach for girls’ volleyball, basketball, softball and track and field teams; and football player Thron Riggs, a 1939 graduate who gained all-conference honors for Buckley High, was a three-year starter for the University of Washington on both the offensive and defensive lines and spent 1944 in the National Football League.
Class of 2021
Inductees included: Cindy (Browning) Meyer, a two-time state champion in javelin, class of 1979; Joe Kolisch, a three-sport athlete in high school who was inducted for the 20-plus years he served as athletic trainer for various Hornet programs; and the 1995 wrestling team that won league and regional titles before capturing the Class AA state championship.
Class of 2020
First-year inductees were: John Garnero (football, track and baseball), Buckley High class of 1926; Helen (Mills) Horton (basketball, softball and tennis), class of 1981; Andy Maris (track and cross country), 1990; coach John Hyppa (football, basketball and baseball); and the 1973 boys basketball team that won the Class A state championship.
