The South High Bulldog Pride Hall of Fame will welcome five new members at its 15th induction ceremonies at Common Roots in South Glens Falls on Oct. 25. A reception starts at 6 p.m. The ceremony starts at 7 p.m.
The 2024 inductees are:
*Jack Celeste, Class of 1979, a community icon whose years of coaching girls’ softball helped the Bulldogs set the stage for state championships in 2002 and 2007. Celeste joins two of his daughters in the South High Bulldog Pride Hall of Fame. His daughter Lindsey Fredette was on the 2007 team that was inducted in 2023. Eldest daughter Brittany Smith was a member of the 2002 team that was inducted in 2010.
*Ellen (Donohue) Marcantonio, Class of 1972, an all-around athlete before Title IX who went on to a legendary coaching career in field hockey at Hadley-Luzerne. Marcantonio joins her sister Mary Donohue Matusiewicz in the South High Bulldog Pride Hall of Fame. Matusiewcz was inducted in 2012.
*John Vishneowski, Class of 1977, was a wrestler for the Bulldogs who went on to a Hall of Fame coaching career at Ravena Coeymans Selkirk, where he started the wrestling program. Vishneowski is the longtime Section II wrestling chairman. He joins his father, the late Alex Vishneowski, in the Bulldog Pride Hall of Fame. Alex Vishneowski was in the inaugural Hall of Fame class in 2007 with Murry O’Neil.
*Richard White, Class of 1980, a multi-sport athlete who became a defensive captain and standout for the Colgate football team before a distinguished career with the New York State Department of Labor. White was one of the top football players in Section II, a dominant force on both defense and offense, and also was a top shot putter in Section II.
*The late Cliff Winslow, a math teacher at the Oliver W. Winch Junior High School who was a standout basketball player under coach Tony Luciano at Hudson Falls. Winslow’s kindness and singular focus on helping each student learn at their own pace is legendary. Many former students to this day say he was the best teacher they ever had.
The South High Bulldog Pride Hall of Fame, established in 2007, recognizes worthy individuals who have made a difference in the South Glens Falls community. The Hall of Fame includes former athletes, coaches, teachers, administrators and community members. Most inductees were not athletes and many didn’t attend South High, but they all made a difference in the community.
With the induction of the five members of the Class of 2024, the South High Bulldog Pride Hall of Fame will include 68 individual honorees and the two state championship softball teams.
This will be the second time the Hall of Fame induction ceremonies will be held at the Common Roots Bierhall and Barrel House private event space. In 2023, the event was sold out with 200 people in attendance.
Tickets are $40 each and will be available in September. For more information, contact committee chairperson Gordon Woodworth at 518-926-8906. Updates are also available on the Bulldog Pride Hall of Fame Facebook page and on the school district’s web page, www.sgfcsd.org.