CHESHIRE ACADEMY
HALL OF FAME
Celebrating years of success and achievement
The Kevin Slaughter Memorial Athletic Hall of Fame
The D. Robert Gardiner Arts & Letters Hall of Fame
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award
The Alumni Achievement Award
The Distinguished Alumni Service Award.
The Kevin Slaughter Memorial Athletic Hall of Fame
In the spring of 1986, Kevin Dennis Slaughter, soccer coach, dorm parent, and math teacher at Cheshire Academy, brought the concept of an Athletic Hall of Fame to the Alumni Office. An avid proponent of the benefits of athletics in a young person’s life, he was very impressed with the rich athletic history at the Academy. Kevin served as chairman of the committee to design the Hall of Fame’s criteria and started research on prospective members. Tragically, in August of that year, he drowned in a scuba diving accident. Shortly thereafter, it was decided to name the Hall of Fame in the memory of this special young educator.
Read the names of our inductees beginning in 1987 below.
1987
Robert A. Chumbook ’51
Henry C. Cashen, III ’57
Thomas H. Silvanic ’66
1988
Joseph P. Della-Corte ’63
Robert Burg ’64
Robert H. Murphy ’67
Patrick K. McCaskey ’68
1989
William C. Zilly ’37
Edmund A. Gallucci ’59
Ronald C. Hanson ’64
Lendward Simpson, Jr. ’68
Spencer D. Moseley ’39
1990
Theodore R. Willis ’65
Harry B. Benninghoff ’50
John J. Yudkin ’75
1991
Dennis Alitz ’61
Daniel F. Begin ’51
George M. Wallace, Jr. ’46
John L. Zilly ’41
1992
Charles Klemovich ’42
Lew Goetz ’52
John LoRicco ’77
Hilary Renz ’67
Christopher ’68 & Michael Kita ’67
1993
Ronald J. Aliciene ’68
Christopher G. Erskine ’68
Thomas Fagan ’68
William Banker ’53
Peter Perreault ’58
Robert Dawson ’73
1994
Frank Shields ’30(D)
John J. White ’38
Michael Lardner ’67
Bevan Dupre ’69
Tom LoRicco ’74
1995
Fred Linehan ’27
John Panelli ’45
John Orton ’50
Robert Young ’70
1996
Richard Field ’36
Thomas Henderson ’51
John Mankowich ’61
Frank Motter ’61
1997
Alan Foster ’67
Hugh Barber ’37
Maria Onofrio Amendola ’82
James P. Collins ‘77
Dennis Buckley ’62
1998
David Markin ’48
George Stavnitski ’53
Paul Wagner ’63
Teodardo Risquez ’68
1999
Cary Palulis ’64
Tom Collins ‘74
Jose Millares ‘79
Lynn Alfonsi Flynn ’89
2000
Dan Zailskas ’65
Werner Seel ‘50
2001
Harry Stotz ‘51
Mel Shaftel ‘61
Charlie Rehor ‘71
Mike Belfonti ‘76
Alex Bell ‘76
2002
Frank Wisinski ’52
Howie Dickenman ’65
Thomas “Toby” Slocum ’91
2011
1960 Undefeated Football Team
2012
Stewart Lindsay
Timothy Onofrio ’77
Gail Murphy Otis ’90
Frank Quayle ’65
Tom Scheer ’61
2013
Arthur Lee Green ’90
Talya Vexler Nesbitt ’98
2014
Jose Caldera ’69
Barry Davis ’74
Arthur Leibowitz ’64
Richard McGowan ’64
Jorge Vidal Boscio ’79
2015
Amy Solomon Dupre ’80
Bridget Thornton ’05
James Elliman ’85
Kyle Pavlick ’95
1964 Undefeated Football Team
2016
Joaltham “JoJo” Outlaw ’91
Irwin Novack ’66
Maria Ferras ’06
Ken Ferriter ’81
2017
Harry Carpenter ’46
Adam Prince ’92
Ricky Greer ’97
Johann Harms
2018
Robert LoRicco ’78
Deron Rippey ’93
Chad Nelson ’93
Nare Diawara ’03
2019
Cody Keith ’11 (inducted Oct 19, 2019)
Glen Kelly
Class of 2008 Bowl Game Winners
Jason Curry ’91
Tanasia Hoffler ’09
2020-
Jonathon Marks ’00
Jen Leedham ’05
Basketball 1989-90 Team
Coach Casson
2021-
Richard Ferraro ’71
Ray Homan ’81
David Sherman ’91
Johannah Leedham ’06
2022
Jessica Vicente ’92
Malik Golden ’12
2023
1973 Varsity Men’s Undefeated Track Team
Brent Oakes ’93
2024
Emma L. Gawronski ’14
The 1964 Track Team
The 1964 Track team won the New England Prep School competition at Mt. Herman and took the Exeter Invitational Relays by storm – taking first place for both shotput and javelin and setting New England Prep School records to win the 2-mile relay. Later in the day, the 2-mile team decided to try the 1-mile race and set a record to win that as well.
Shakir Saunders ’07
Captain of Varsity Boys’ Lacrosse, Saunders also played basketball, soccer and ran track and field at Cheshire Academy. After CA, he went on to play varsity lacrosse at Elizabethtown College and later went pro with the Jamaican Men’s National Lacrosse Team and traveled to Israel, Colombia, and Canada to compete on the world stage. Now a talent acquisition manager, he coaches and referees the sport.
The D. Robert Gardiner Arts & Letters Hall of Fame
The Arts and Letters Hall of Fame was established to recognize Cheshire Academy Alumni who have achieved the highest standard of success in their respective fields of artistic expression both at Cheshire Academy and in their professional field. Recipients must have made an active positive contribution in Arts and Letters while at Cheshire Academy, be considered a leader in the arts and have had significant influence within their profession.
Read the names of our inductees beginning in 2018 below.
Andrew Fezza ’72
David Jepson ’59
Kenneth Campbell ’65
Bellamy Forrest ’94
Mark Kurlansky ’66
Matthew Nicholson ’06
Scott Ruderman ’09
Julie Montero (Robles) ’07, AEA
Having performed in 19 theatrical productions in four years at CA, Montero went on to earn her BFA in Acting at Pace University and an MFA in Acting at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a teaching fellowship. She was recently named Performing Arts Department Chair at the Allen-Stevenson School, an all-boys prep school in New York City. A member of Actors Equity, she has performed in multiple productions at theatres such as La MaMa ETC, Triad Stage, and The Snapple Theater Off-Broadway. She is the creator of the interdisciplinary educational program “A Morning of Mythical Proportions” and formerly worked behind the scenes on “Inside The Actors Studio” with James Lipton.
Rick McGowan ’64
A member of the Slaughter Hall of Fame for achievements in hockey and lacrosse, McGowan will be honored for his professional work as a sportswriter/columnist. A 35-year veteran of the Newport Daily News, McGowan is a member of the Rhode Island Journalism Hall of Fame, the Rhode Island Words Unlimited Hall of Fame, the Newport Gulls of New England Collegiate Baseball Hall of Fame, among others. He has received numerous honors and awards from the Associated Press, United Press International, and the Rhode Island Press Association and was named the National Association of Sportscasters and Sportswriters Rhode Island Sportswriter of the Year 14 times.
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Evan T. Solomon ’13
Alexis Holmes ’18
Holmes won a gold medal in the 4x400m relay and was a finalist in the 400m at the 2024 Paris Olympics. A former world champion and two-time world record holder, she graduated cum laude from the University of Kentucky and is committed to being a role model for young female athletes. Competing for Nike and Team USA, she embodies the spirit of dedication and excellence. She actively engages in mentorship and outreach initiatives, inspiring and empowering the next generation, including speaking to the entire student body last fall at CA’s Alexis Holmes Day.
The Alumni Achievement Award
Pat McCaskey ’68
After serving as a contributing editor to the literary magazines at Loyola University Chicago and Indiana University, McCaskey, who ran cross-country and track at Cheshire, started working for the Chicago Bears in 1974. Now the Bears’ corporate secretary and vice president, he is chairman of Sports Faith International, which recognizes people who are successful in sports while leading exemplary lives. He is the author of 12 books, including Bear with Me: A Family History of George Halas and the Chicago Bears and Sports and Faith: Stories of the Devoted and the Devout.
The Distinguished Alumni Service Award
Michael Bozzuto ’75
Michael A. Bozzuto is the chairman, president, and CEO of Bozzuto’s, Inc., a leading organization in the wholesale distribution industry. Upon graduating from Stetson University, he started his formal career at Bozzuto’s, Inc., working his way up the ladder. He has grown the family business into a $3 billion dollar company with tenured employees servicing over 1,500 retail accounts from Maine to Maryland. He is a member of the IGA Inc. Board of Directors and a former member of the National Grocers Association and the Food Marketing Institute Board of Directors, among other positions.
