Hall of Fame
Member Bios 2010
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List - Members by Induction
Class - Biographies
Six teams inducted into the Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame will honor the players and coaches on six championship teams – the most teams inducted in one year into the Hall of Fame. The 1945 and 1946 football teams won the Group 4 sectional title, two of the last titles in Coach Howard “Skeets”Irvine’s tenure. Members of the team include: Wendell Anderer, Joseph Hinger, Larry Luongo, Roy Roth, David Hill, Mike D'Alessandro, Jack Latch, Jack Lingo, and Drew Wilson. The 1945 team finished with a record of 8-1-1 while the 1946 team finished with a record of 8-1.
The 1959 baseball team is being inducted for winning the Group IV sectional title. Members of the team include: Ken Casperson, Bill Dunn, Ron Giordano, John Hannigan, Bill Harper, Jerry Mangano, Cooper Means, Bob Ronketty, Tom Stokes, Lew Sweigert and Coach John Smith.
In addition, the 1959 wrestling team is being inducted for winning the District 28 wrestling title. Members of the team include: Ed Blumberg, Wayne Divis, Bill Harper, John Leek, Lew Sweigert, Ellwood Zimmerman and Coach Sam Coursen.
Also, two tennis teams are being inducted into the Hall of Fame. The 1956 boys’ team won the Group IV sectional title while the 1961 girls’ team won the only championship in school history by taking the West Jersey Girls’ League. Members of the boys' team include: Ken Heilig, Thomas Carl McIntire, Cliff Rubicam and Alexander Taylor. Members of the girls' team include: Carolyn Welch Alexander, Karen Rainey Kline, Margaret Klein Long, Jean Casperson Robb, Jill Dobie Cowen, Kathleen Burgess Ames, Dolores Greenig Hiles and Mary Anne Mackara Morgan.
Congratulations to all members and coaches of these Hall of Fame teams.
RON STEVENSON
Ron was the recipient of the 1964 Silver Medal as the Collingswood High “Outstanding Athlete Award”. He lettered for three years in both football and track. An outstanding end, he was a first team All-Group 4, All-Colonial Conference and All-Suburban selection following his senior year. He was also third team all-South Jersey in Coach Dick Ridinger’s debut as Collingswood coach.
He captained the track team and ran the sprints and relays for the Panthers. He was also selected president of the Varsity Club during his senior year.
Stevenson earned his degree and played football for Winona State College and was a helicopter pilot in the Marines and a captain when he retired.
He is now retired from a lengthy career in containerized ship cargo and now lives in Southern California with his wife, Joy, an attorney.
BILL SCHWARTZ
Bill Schwartz competed in football, wrestling and cross-country while a student at Collingswood High. He was co-captain of the 1961 wrestling team and was a district champion and third in the region in his senior year of 1961.
He holds an associate of science degree from Temple University and also attended Drexel University. A Navy veteran (rank of AT1), he is married to Joan and has two sons, Bryan and Eric.
BILL HICKS
Bill Hicks was a football standout for three years (1954-56), starting all three years and being chosen first team All-Group 4 that year. The team also named him its Outstanding Player and Outstanding Lineman for his senior campaign. He further gained recognition as two-time Brooks-Irvine Lineman of the Week.
Hicks also earned two letters in baseball and one in wrestling. He was an Airman First Class in the Air Force and attended Rutgers University. He is married to Carol and has three children, Frank, Kenneth and Susan.
AL KIRK
Al was a four-year wrestler at Collingswood, lettering two years and serving as co-captain his senior year. He also played football and threw the shotput, but tonight is being honored for his 43-year career as a college and high school wrestling coach, which is still ongoing.
He started the wrestling programs at Broward (FL) and East Arkansas Community Colleges and has coached the Manhasset (NY) and Deering High School (ME) teams to a total of 378 wins – the latter while holding the title of professor of industrial technology at the University of Southern Maine.
Kirk is a retired professor emeritus, but is still going strong as a high school wrestling coach. He and his wife, Judy, are the parents of six children, Lisa, John, Karen, Steve, Betsy and Shannon.
CHARLES LEARY
Leary, class of 1970, is being honored for his accomplishments in football and wrestling at Collingswood. He earned two letters in football and earned second team All-Group 3 honors as a center on the football team.
In wrestling, Leary also received two letters and co-captained the team in his senior year. That same year he was a district champion at 157 pounds and placed second in the region.
BARNEY BEALS
Beals is honored with the Service Award for his leadership during the past six years as chairman of the organization. He has served the Hall of Fame for 12 years in all.
He was a three-year letterman in football and was captain in his senior year of 1962. Beals also lettered for two years as a wrestler.
“I wish to thank all the Hall of Fame committee members who have worked so hard to make this a great organization,” he said. “We have accomplished many wonderful things and we are very proud of the scholarship money we give to our student-athletes today.”
He is married to Carol, has a son and a new grandson.
LARRY KELLY
Larry is a 1961 graduate who earned letters in wrestling and cross-country. He was a district champion at 148 pounds for the Colls and in the regional finals, he was leading by ten points when the referee disqualified him on a controversial decision.
He has a B.S. from Rutgers University and an M.S. from New Mexico State University. Larry was an electrical engineer who worked for Philco-Ford and had his own company. He is now retired and living in Nevada.
WAYNE DIVIS
Wayne was a seven-sport letterman in football, wrestling and track at Colls High. He was a starting tackle on the undefeated 1958 football team and a South Jersey (District 7) champion wrestler in the 168-lb. class.
He earned his college degree at Montana State University. Divis was married to classmate Eleanor Eckert and they had four children. She died in 1998 and he married Lou, who is studying to be a priest. He had a custom cabinet business and recently retired and turned his business over to his son. He has made six mission trips to Uganda for his church.
RICHARD DiDIO
DiDio won a total of six letters in football and track at Collingswood High.
He was a starting guard in football and earned All-Group 4 honors in both his junior and senior year. The latter was the undefeated Golden Eleven team and DiDio was named All-South Jersey for that team.
He also won three letters in track and was the shotput and discus thrower for the Panther thinclads. He received bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Glassboro State College and retired as principal of the Maple Shade junior high. His 34 years in education included time as a football coach.
He is married to Dottie ’61 and has three children and three grandchildren.
PATTI SHIELDS
Patti Shields won two letters each in field hockey and basketball and four letters in softball. She also won the Howard T. Irvine Award for girls in the class of 1987. She was a junior starter on the 1986 state champion basketball team and captained the team the following year.
She also captained the field hockey teams in her junior and senior years and was an All-South Jersey, All-Conference and All-Group 2 selection in her senior year, when she was also chosen the team’s MVP.
Patti was a member of the Group 3 state title team in softball and also captained the team in her senior year. She was an All-Conference, All-Group 2 and All-South Jersey first team selection in softball that year.
TOM DEETS
Tom Deets ‘71was a baseball and basketball standout for Collingswood High. He was a three-year starting pitcher and was chosen first team All-Conference, All-Group 3, All-South Jersey and All-State. In the South Jersey Group 3 finals, he hurled 13 innings and struck out 21 opposing hitters.
He was also a three-year starter in basketball and played on a South Jersey Group 3 championship squad. Deets was a first-team All-Group 3 selection in his senior year.
JIM AMBROSIUS
Jim Ambrosius starred in baseball and basketball for the Colls from 1986 to ’89, and also played football in is senior year. He was All-Conference for two years in basketball and scored over 1,000 points, which was third highest total for Collingswood at that time.
Ambrosius was an intense athlete and nowhere more than on the baseball field. A good pitcher and hitter, he was a two-time first team All-South Jersey performer in baseball. He attended East Carolina University and earned his BA degree from LaSalle University.
He is married to Amy and the couple has three children.
KEN LANDIS
A football player during his Colls High days, Landis became an Internal Revenue agent and then an attorney specializing in tax matters. He was an active Boy Scout and Explorer in Troop 59. As an adult, he served as chairman of the Haddon Township Planning Board and its master plan committee, as well as counsel to the Zoning Board and Rent Control Board.
Landis is today counsel to the Collingswood and Haddon Township Athletic Halls of Fame, the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame, Tatem-Shields Legion Post and Cooper River yacht Club. He is also active in the Old Grads, Cloud Lounge F & AM, and the Excelsion Consitory Lodge.
Landis is married to Carol and has a daughter, Lee-Ann, and a son, Ben. He is being honored for meritorious service to all of the aforementioned organizations.
Colls Hall of Fame Inducts Five Legends from 1940s
For the third straight year, the Collingswood Athletic Hall of Fame will be inducting some of the great athletes of the past—particularly those who achieved “All-South Jersey” honors for football.
In 2008, we inducted those of the 1920s and last year we recognized those from the last years of Coach Skeets Irvine’s reign.
Wade Weikal ’44, Jack Salmons ‘45, Jack “Biffer” Bozarth ’45, Jim Hankins ’49, and Varon Schwalbe ’49 made the South Jersey Group Four first team. Bozarth, Weikal, Salmons, and Hankins were named to the All-South Jersey second team while Schwalbe was a third team choice.
Two inducted posthumously into Colls Hall of Fame
Two deceased men will be inducted posthumously tonight into the Collingswood Athletic Hall of Fame.
Carlton Ayres was a javelin thrower of the mid-1950s. He is best remembered for winning the State Group Four javelin title with a throw of 172’6” in his senior year of 1956.
Dave Kennedy was a star football, wrestling, and baseball player in the class of 1960. He was a rugged lineman in football, a standout heavy-weight wrestler, and capable baseball player. He lost his life in a fishing accident while living in Washington state.
Lifetime Achievement Award
BRIAN J. McINTYRE
Brian McIntyre was a 1976 graduate and played football and track for the Colls. He was guided and motivated by his honors chemistry teacher, Mrs. Betty Powell, who taught him that small acts of kindness and encouragement can lead to student confidence and achievement.
Brian earned a degree in biochemistry from the University of Maryland. His entrepreneurial spirit, love of technology and family support inspired him to launch a number of human resource technology companies and non-profit firms. In 2003, he started WorkStrategy, Inc., focusing on web-based software solutions to empower corporate managers and employees. WorkStrategy today services over 100 global organizations with a team of software developers and consultants.
Brian also provided the funding to create Project VisionShare, a think tank designed to provide startup money and mentorship to aspiring business owners. The assets of Project VisionShare were used to create the Entrepreneurial Center at Howard Community College in Columbia, MD, where he resides.
In order to give back to the Collingswood community, Brian established the McIntyre Family Scholarship Fund for Collingswood High students in 2000. In 2005, the program was renamed the George F. and Joan D. McIntyre Scholarship Fund to honor his parents. Since its inception, over 45 students have been awarded academic scholarships totaling $240,000.
Brian serves on the board of directors of several technology and non-profit firms. He and his family look forward to personally awarding the Collingswood High School scholarships each spring.
Previous Lifetime Achievement Award Winners
2002 – Robert Scarborough ‘42
2003 – Doris E. Hand ‘35
2004 – William K. Dickey ‘39
2005 – Capt. Robert J. Bloxsom ‘38
2006 – Dr. Ralph A. Skowron ‘47
2007 – Dr. Neil O. Thompson ‘62
2008 – Suzanne Zimmerman Williams ‘58
2009 – E. David Wilson ‘55
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