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, and The Outstanding Young Alumni 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
Bant Oakes ’93
Emma L. Gawronski ’14
Emma joined the Cheshire Academy community as a freshman in 2010 and immediately decided to participate in multiple sports. As a member of the varsity girls’ cross country team, Emma received the Coaches Award and was voted ALL-NEPSAC during her freshman year. She was recognized with ALL-NEPSAC honors numerous times and placed second in the 500-meter freestyle at NEPSSA DIII Championships her sophomore year on the swimming team. She also placed first in the 500-meter freestyle and third in the 200-meter freestyle at NEPSSA DIII Championships during her senior year. That season, she broke the CA school records in the 200-meter and 500-meter freestyle events and the 400-meter freestyle relay, each standing for numerous years. Emma was named team captain during her senior year. During her time on the track and field team, she earned third place in the New England Championships in the 3000-meter and held school records in the 800-meter, 1500-meter, and 3000-meter.
Emma graduated magna cum laude from Connecticut College in 2018, earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology, and was inducted into the National Honor Society for Neuroscience and Psychology. She continued competing at the collegiate level, as a four-year member of the swimming and diving team for Connecticut College. Emma currently lives in New York, NY, working as a senior paralegal. Beyond her profession, she is a mental health advocate, belonging to the National Council for Mental Wellbeing and working with organizations such as New York Legal Aid Society, God’s Love We Deliver, and Partnership for Parks. Once an athlete; always an athlete! Our recipient has maintained a passion and love for endurance sports. She is currently training to run in the JP Morgan Chase Challenge in Central Park and works as a certified personal trainer.
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
Scott Ruderman joined the Cheshire Academy community as a freshman in 2005. He was involved with visual arts and received the prestigious Senior Visual Arts Prize. After graduating in 2009, he received an undergraduate degree in entrepreneurial studies from Suffolk University in 2013 and an MFA with a concentration in social documentary filmmaking from the School of Visual Arts in NYC in 2016. Scott’s work as a cinematographer and award-winning director has been featured on Netflix, Paramount+, MTV, HBO, PBS, BBC, Hulu, and more. He has also received recognition from film festivals such as the NewBorn Short Film Festival of Berlin, the Moscow Shorts International Film Festival, and the Dumbo Film Festival in Brooklyn, NY. He was named Best Director at the Madrid Arts Film Festival in Madrid, Spain. His documentary, “Pay or Die,” explores the crushing financial reality for millions of insulin-dependent Americans living with diabetes, as pharmaceutical companies push the price of this life-saving medication. Following his diagnosis of type 1 diabetes in college, he became an active advocate for insulin affordability and funding for a cure. “Pay or Die” fueled the cinematographer’s directorial debut, which premiered at the SXSW Film Festival in 2023. The film screened at the DC/Dox Film Festival in Washington, DC, in 2023; closed The Human Rights Watch Film Festival in NY; won first prize for Best Documentary Feature at the Flickers Rhode Island International Film Festival; and, in 2024, won the Cinema for Peace Dove Award on Global Health in Berlin. Scott is a member of the Documentary Cinematography Alliance (DCA) and passionate about his involvement with the Diabetes Research Institute. Made with his partner, Australian journalist Rachel Dye, and executive produced by MTV’s Sheila Nevins, “Pay or Die” is currently streaming on Paramount+.
The Outstanding Young Alumni Award
Evan T. Solomon '13
During Evan’s time at CA, he was a dual sport athlete, who served as a captain of the baseball team and was recognized as the MVP of the 2013 cross country team. He participated in numerous clubs on campus, holding leadership positions in many. His dedication and commitment to overall excellence at Cheshire Academy, exemplifying the Pillars of Bowden, led him to win the prestigious Trustees Award in 2013.
After graduating from Cheshire Academy, Evan received a bachelor’s degree in international political economy and philosophy in 2017 and a master’s in ethics and society in 2018, both from Fordham University. He began his career working in nonprofit operations, gaining extensive experience in the social service sector, specializing in training future civic leaders of New York. He has held positions as editorial research associate for the City and State of New York and senior communications associate, government & community affairs at Urban Dove, an organization that empowers inner-city high school students with high-quality education and support and sports programs. He currently serves as an associate director, administration and operations, at Fresh Youth Initiatives, an organization that empowers youth who have the fewest resources to achieve their greatest potential by addressing food insecurity, supporting mental health, fighting COVID learning loss, and providing safety nets for families.
In Evan’s spare time, he serves as a board member for the social service nonprofit organization Union Settlement, a community resource for East Harlem residents of all ages and a passionate advocacy group for the needs of the underserved. In addition, he serves as a board member for the Cheshire, CT-based nonprofit Abilities Without Boundaries.
