Laurens Central School
12th Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony
On Friday, December 27th, 2019 the 12th Annual Athletic Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony was held at LCS with five individuals being inducted. It was a very special night for our inductees as this school holds many fond memories for each. The inductees have either participated as an athlete representing Laurens Central School, have contributed to our athletic programs over many years or have contributed much to promote athleticism through their work and life choices. This year we were proud to induct four individual athletes and one contributor to the LCS Athletic Hall of Fame.
Mr. Brian Horey– Contributor
Mr. Horey is not an alumni of Laurens Central School. He has had, however, a long personal history of personal involvement in athletics, and of supporting and contributing to our athletic program. Most of us know Brian for his work in photography. In fact, he is here tonight taking photographs of the athletes from all of the participating schools.
What you may not know is that Brian was an athlete in both high school and college, finding success in the areas of Track and Field and Cross County. He attended LeMoyne College obtaining degrees in both math and science, and was selected as the LeMoyne Athlete of the Year in 1968 for his accomplishments as a high jumper and long distance runner. Brian also had the opportunity to participate in the Canadian Olympic Trials in those same events.
Brian developed an interest in photography as a young child and has continued to develop his craft to this day. His first contact with LCS was through Coach Grasso. He took coaching courses from Coach which was the beginning of a long term friendship. Coach supported him and in return, Brian supported Coach. Some of Brian’s favorite photos are of Coach, who would smile every time Brian turned a camera in his direction. One of those photos, with Coach in a NY Yankee jacket, is in the trophy case in the atrium.
Each and every time Brian has been asked to photograph for our athletes or for our school, he has not only done so, but also provided dozens of extra photos. For those of us who remember, when Coach passed, Brian provided all of the pictures for the photo boards and hundreds of photo buttons of Coach for our faculty, staff, and students.
Brian was nominated for membership by Mr. Dorritie, in recognition of all that he has done to support our school, our athletic program and to honor the memory of Coach Grasso. Today, we would like to honor him with Induction into the LCSD Athletic Hall of Fame. Ladies and Gentlemen, Mr. Brian Horey.
Mrs. Connie (Heck) Haney - Athlete
Connie (Heck) Haney is a 1982 graduate of LCS. While in high school Connie participated in Soccer, Colorguard, Cheerleading and Softball, playing four years of Varsity Soccer, 6 plus years in Colorguard and 2 years of Varsity Softball. Connie was a leading scorer in soccer with a great cross from the left side of the field. In her senior year she was the leading scorer on the team and within the Tri-Valley with 16 goals and was a 1st team All-Star. Connie was a captain in both soccer and colorguard, and the drum major for two years for the Marching Band, obtaining Best Drum Major awards at Sherburne both of those years.
In addition to athletics, throughout high school, Connie was a participant in Varsity Club, Key Club, Drama Club, Yearbook, Chorus, and Concert, Jazz and Marching Band. All of this was pretty amazing as Connie underwent major back surgery as a high school student, having two rods permanently placed in her back.
After high school Connie attended Fisher College in Boston from 1982-1984 and received an Associates’ degree in Retail Merchandising. She was a Sales Manager at the Harvard Cooperative Society from 1983-1988; returning to Laurens in 1988 to attend SUNY Oneonta completing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Economics in 1991. She then began working at Bassett Healthcare; starting in an entry level position in 1992, and working her way up to a Department manager.
All of these experiences were more than a little helpful when she, and her husband, Tim purchased the Cooperstown Bat Company in 2008. They continue to own that business, which became a Major League Baseball Bat supplier in 2014. Over the years, Connie and her husband have supported our school supplying bats for fund raisers and last year for our Modified Boys Baseball team.
Connie and Tim live in Hartwick, New York, and their two children attended Cooperstown Central School. Both children participated in athletics with their parents actively supporting all of the programs in which they participated. Between the years of 1992 to 2012, Connie served on each of the following:
The Leatherstocking Baseball Club
The Cooperstown Youth Football Board
The Cooperstown Youth Softball Board
The Friends of Football Board and served as Board President
Established and Administered the Cooperstown Travel Volleyball Program
She was an outstanding athlete in high school and has been a life-long contributor to athletics in our area. Mrs. Haney was nominated for membership by Mrs. Wenck as her former Soccer Coach and Colorguard Instructor.
Mrs. Jeanne Boudreau Malone: Athlete
Jeanne Boudreau Malone graduated from Laurens in 1988. During her high school career she participated and earned multiple varsity letters in Cross Country, Soccer, Basketball and Track, with soccer and track being her primary sports. During her senior year, Jeanne was the leading scorer both on the Laurens team and in the Tri-Valley League, with 12 goals and 3 assists, and was a first team all-star member for both her junior and senior years. She ran the 200 and 400 meters in track, qualified for sectionals and for much of her time on the track team she was the only female athlete.
Two of my favorite memories of the Boudreau family were simple; #1 – When they first moved to Laurens. With 8 children in the family, and with running the local snack shop, they certainly had a huge impact on our school and our community. Everyone loved going to “Boudreau’s” for breakfast.
My second favorite memory was when Jeanne switched from Cross Country to Varsity Soccer. She was quick, had a ton of endurance and fearless on the field. On the flip side, one of my most frustrating memories was when her soccer team was in the Tri-Valley Championship game and two players from the other team, early in the game, not only took her down, but when they did so Jeanne ended up being sent to the hospital with a broken nose. As one of the leading scorers in the league it certainly seemed like a very unsportsmanlike and intentional “accident.”
After high school, Jeanne attended and graduated from Cortland State with a degree in Elementary Education. She then attended Elmira College, obtaining a Masters in Elementary Education with an Early Childhood Concentration. After teaching at the Ithaca Community Childcare Center for 8 years she was promoted to the position of Program Director in 2001. The center serves 250 children, birth to 10 years of age, and is partnered with the Ithaca City School District. As the director of a very successful program, Jeanne has been invited to speak at several National Early Childhood Conferences.
Jeanne is married and lives in Ithaca with her husband, Edwin, and her two children, Sidney, who is studying zoology at Guelph University in Ontario, and Isaac, 16, who is a junior at Ithaca City High School.
Jeanne continues to play soccer, year round, with two co-ed teams, both of whom are currently undefeated this season! (A fact of which she is very proud!) Mrs. Malone was nominated for membership by Mrs. Romona Wenck.
Mr. Thomas Dorritie and Mr. Andrew Parker
The next two individuals truly need to be inducted at the same time. They were inseparable both as young children and as high school students, playing the same sports and on the same sports teams from the time they both could walk! They were inseparable in school, on the athletic field and on the basketball court. Watching them play, you thought that they could read each-others’ mind.
Graduates of the Class of 2005, Tom and Andrew both played soccer, basketball and baseball all through high school. They were both Captains of all the teams they played on. They were both Tri-Valley All-stars and members of the soccer teams that won the Tri-Valley Championships in 2001, 2002 and the Section IV Championship teams in 2001 and 2004. They were also members of the 2003 and 2005 Tri-Valley Basketball Championship teams, and the JV Basketball Championship team of 2001.
Specifically, Tom Dorritie was an All-Starr for both soccer and basketball in 2003, 2004, and 2005. He was nominated to the All-State team for Soccer in 2004, the fall semester of his senior year, and was the Daily Star Player of the Year for Soccer.
During the 2003-04 school year, Tom earned the LCS Outstanding Athlete of the Year Award, while Andrew earned the LCS Athlete of the Year. During the 2004-05 year, both Tom and Andrew were honored with both being selected as co- recipients of the LCS Athlete of the Year award.
After high school Tom attended Syracuse University from 2005-2009, and then joined the Marine Corps in 2010 as a Machine Gunner. Tom was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and deployed twice while serving; first to Afghanistan and then to Okinawa.
In 2014, Tom married Keri-Jean Fraser, also a Laurens Graduate. They moved back to Laurens in 2015 and welcomed a baby boy, Jacob, in May of 2019. Presently Tom is an on-road supervisor for UPS.
Andrew also resides in Laurens, working with his father in the excavating field. He has been a member of the Mt. Vision Fire Department from the time he was 16 years old and has been a 1st Assistant Chief for the past 4 years. Most importantly, Andrew has a 7 year old son, Blake Parker and now coaches soccer and baseball for Blake’s youth teams.
Tom and Andrew were both nominated for membership by members of the Athletic Hall of Fame committee
I would like to take this opportunity to thank those individuals who were instrumental in organizing tonight’s events.
I would like to extend a word of thanks to the “Athletic Hall of Fame” committee members.
I would like to thank the Athletic Booster Club for their support of this program.
A most appreciative “Thank you” is extended to Mrs. Beth VanDeusen and Mrs. Jackie Tate for the wonderful dinner that was catered for the Hall of Fame Inductees and their families and guests.
A most appreciative “Thank you” is extended to our custodial and cleaning staff for all of their support and hard work involved in setting up this event.
Miss Anna Bell for a wonderful performance/singing of the National Anthem during the ceremony.
The LCS Board of Education for their continued support of this program.
Final Reminder:
Do you have an individual or team whom you believe is worthy of induction? If so, check out our website for a copy of the nomination packet, or contact the main office at school.
Thanks to all for making this event possible!!
Mrs. Romona N. Wenck
