Famous Golden Eagles

Class of 1966-_Peter Swevel was the founding bassist for New Jersey pop band, Looking Glass.  In 1972, they released their only hit, “Brandy (You’re A Fine Girl)” which shot to #1 on the singles chart while selling over a million copies.  No honorable ’70s pop collection is complete without it.  After Looking Glass broke up in 1974, Swevel and Jeff Grob formed Starz, a hard rock band that also had one big hit, “Cherry Baby.”  The band signed with Capitol Records and built a sizable cult following that still exists to this day.  Musically, Starz has been compared to Aerosmith, Kiss and Cheap Trick, and have been cited as a direct influence on the likes of Motley Crue and Poison.  Peter Swevel, age 42, passed away on January 23, 1990 

Al Leiter CLass of 1984

Alois Terry Leiter (/ˈlaɪtər/; born October 23, 1965) is an American former professional baseball player and current television sports commentator. He played in Major League Baseball as a left-handed pitcher from 1987 to 2005 for the New York Yankees, Toronto Blue Jays, Florida Marlins, and New York Mets. 

A two-time National League (NL) All-Star player, Leiter pitched for three World Series winning teams and threw a no-hitter in 1996 during his tenure with the Marlins. In 2000, Leiter was named the recipient of the prestigious Roberto Clemente Award. After his playing career, he worked as a television color commentator and baseball analyst for the YES Network and the MLB Network.

Career

Early career

Leiter was raised in a baseball-oriented family; all five of his brothers played the game.[1] A native of Berkeley Township, New Jersey,[2] Leiter attended Central Regional High School, in the township's Bayville section.[3] During one stretch in high school, he pitched consecutive no-hitters followed by a 32-strikeout game in 13 innings on April 19, 1984 (a game which ended in a tie when it was called for rain).[1][4] Leiter was selected for the Wilson First Team All-American team. In 2016, the NJSIAA named Leiter to the NJ High School Hall of Fame.

New York Yankees

Leiter was drafted by New York Yankees in 1984 MLB draft as a second round pick. Both he and his brother Mark became Yankees prospects.

Leiter made his MLB debut as the starting pitcher for the Yankees on September 15, 1987, earning the win in a Yankees 4–3 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at Yankee Stadium. Leiter has mentioned on a YES Networkbroadcast that early in his career with the Yankees, manager Billy Martin walked up to him and asked him why he was lifting weights. Leiter responded, "To strengthen my arm." Billy was quoted as saying, "If you want to strengthen your arm, do some long toss." The young Leiter grew nervous easily; teammate Tommy Johnobserved "If they had named him to start on opening day [in 1989], he wouldn't have slept for a week. That's how high-strung he was. He was a rookie bouncing off the walls."[5] In one of his final starts as a young player for the Yankees, manager Dallas Green left Leiter in to throw 162 pitches on a cold damp day in 1989.

Toronto Blue Jays

The Yankees traded him to the Toronto Blue Jays for outfielder Jesse Barfield on April 30, 1989.[6] After being dealt to Toronto, the left-hander had arthroscopic surgery. He pitched in fewer than 20 innings for the Blue Jays from 1989 to 1992, because of the surgery, a pinched nerve in his elbow, tendinitis, and another arthroscopic surgery on his left shoulder. His statistics during this period were a 5.17 ERA, 15

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2⁄3 IP, 14 H, 10 K, 11 BB, 1 HR, 1 GS, 0–0. He was, however, able to overcome a blisters problem with an exotic liniment(that he used throughout his career), and was still seen as a very promising prospect.[citation needed]

Leiter finally got over his injury troubles in 1993, making 32 appearances (12 starts) for the Blue Jays. That year he appeared in 5 postseason games and even picked up a win in relief in Game One, and hit a double in Game Three of the 1993 World Series, as the Blue Jays went on to win their second consecutive World Championship. Leiter pitched effectively for the Blue Jays for the next two seasons before departing via free agency in 1996.

Florida Marlins

Following the 1995 season, Leiter left Toronto and signed with the Florida Marlins as a free agent. In his first season as a Marlin, Leiter made his first All-Star team, going 16–12 with a 2.93 ERA and 200 strikeouts.

On May 11, 1996, he pitched a no-hitter against the Colorado Rockies, the first no-hitter in Marlins franchise history.[7][8] This was also the first no-hitter that included a three-pitch inning.[9] Leiter was also selected to his first All Star game. The game was played at Veterans Stadium in Philadelphia where he recorded the last out of a National League 6–0 win over the American League. The win was the last NL win for 13 years until 2010 when the National League won the All Star Classic in Anaheim.

In 1997, Leiter won another World Series as the Marlins beat the Cleveland Indians. Leiter started Game 7 for the Marlins, pitching 6 innings and giving up two earned runs while being credited with a no decision. The Marlins would go on to win the game 3–2 in 11 innings to capture the championship.

New York Mets

Leiter with the Mets in 2004

In the following off-season, Leiter was traded to the New York Mets in part of the Marlins' fire sale where owner Wayne Huizenga traded away almost all of the team's higher priced players.

In Leiter's first season as a Met, he reached a career high in wins going 17–6 and a career low in ERA finishing with a 2.47 ERA. In 1999, when the Mets were tied with the Cincinnati Reds for the National League Wild Card spot after 162 games, Leiter was the Mets starting pitcher in the "winner take all" one game playoff at Cinergy Field in Cincinnati. Leiter pitched a 2-hit shutoutto earn the win in the Mets 5–0 victory. The win put the Mets in the playoffsfor the first time in 11 seasons. The Mets would go on to lose the 1999 National League Championship Series to the Atlanta Braves 4 games to 2.

In 2000, Leiter made the All-Star team once again going 16–8 with a 3.20 ERA and 200 strikeouts. The Mets made the playoffs again in 2000 and this time reached the World Series. Leiter started Game 1 of the 2000 World Series at Yankee Stadium and Game 5 at Shea Stadium. Although he managed to achieve a 2.87 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 15

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2⁄3 innings, the Mets lost both games he started and eventually lost the World Series 4 games to 1. He was booed by Yankee fans when presented that year's Roberto Clemente Award prior to Game 2 of the World Series. Leiter was the second New York Met to be honored with the award. During the 2000 season, he pitched in the All Star game, and gave up a single to Derek Jeter.[10]

On April 30, 2002, Leiter became the first Major League pitcher to defeat all 30 teams, after beating the Arizona Diamondbacks 10–1.[11][12] Leiter would pitch for the Mets until the end of the 2004 season. In his seven seasons in a Met uniform, all wearing number 22, he went 95–67 with a 3.42 ERA. At the time he left the Mets, he ranked highly on several Mets all-time lists including wins (6th), strikeouts (7th with 1106), innings pitched (7th with 1360.0), and games started (6th with 213). He was the Mets Opening Day starting pitcher in 1999, 2001, and 2002.

In ten straight seasons, from 1995 to 2004, Leiter had at least 10 wins and at least a .500 record.

Second stint with Marlins

Following the 2004 season, the Mets declined Leiter's US$10 million option for 2005, making him a free agent. His former team, the Marlins, signed Leiter to a one-year, $8 million contract on December 8, 2004.

Leiter struggled during his return to the Marlins. He walked more batters than usual (60 in 80 innings, in addition to 88 hits). In 17 appearances (16 starts), he had a 3–7 record and a 6.64 ERA, and he took much criticism for the Marlins' first-half struggles in 2005 (they were 7 games behind the surprising Washington Nationals at the All-Star break). He was demoted to the bullpen in late June, but he returned to the rotation after an injury to Josh Beckett. On July 10, when the Marlins played their last game before the three-day All-Star break, he gave up six runs in three-plus innings.

On July 14, 2005, the Florida Marlins designated Leiter for assignment. 

Second stint with Yankees

On July 15, 2005, Leiter was acquired by the New York Yankees, who had four starting pitchers on the disabled list, for a player to be named later. His first start as a Yankee since April 26, 1989, came on July 17, 2005, against the division-leading Boston Red Sox. Leiter won the game, pitching 6

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1⁄3 innings, allowing one run and three hits, and striking out eight. After several starts with mixed success, he informed Joe Torre that he would be willing to pitch out of the bullpen, where he would stay for the latter part of the season, yielding his starting slot to Aaron Small.

Leiter worked out of the bullpen in the 2005 American League Division Series pitching in four of the five games between the Yankees and Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim. The Angels won the series 3 games to 2. In his final official appearance in a Major League uniform, Leiter earned a win, pitching 2⁄3 scoreless innings in Game 4 at Yankee Stadium. The Yankees won the game 3–2.

Leiter signed a minor league contract with the Yankees in 2006; however, he stated he would likely retire. The primary reason he spent part of spring training with the Yankees was to keep in shape for the World Baseball Classic. After the United States team was eliminated from the World Baseball Classic, he officially retired in an interview on YES, after a Yankees spring training victory versus the Indians where Leiter pitched 1⁄3 of an inning.[13]

Broadcasting career

Al Leiter has worked in the television broadcast booth for Fox during the playoffs for several seasons, mainly to provide in-depth analysis of various pitchers. Worked the post season for ESPN as studio analyst in 1998 and 1999. While still playing for the NY Mets, his first opportunity as a color commentator for Fox Sports was in 2003 NLCS. The Marlins went on to win the World Series that year beating the Yankees. Leiter worked as an analyst alongside Thom Brennaman and Steve Lyons. The following year, Leiter was in the booth with Joe Buck and Tim McCarver for the Boston Red Sox Vs. NY Yankees in the ALCS. Since 2006, Leiter has worked as a color commentator and a studio analyst for the YES Network. He won a NY Emmy in 2007 for the "Manny game" in Boston. In 2009, Leiter was hired by MLB Network and appeared on the very first show the Network produced on January 1, 2009. He became a studio analyst for MLB Network in addition to his commentating job for the YES Network. In 2009, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2019 he received a National Sports Emmy Award Nomination for Studio Analyst. In 2012, 2014, 2016, and 2019 he received the Sports Emmy for Outstanding Studio Show-Daily MLB Tonight Segment Producer. He also worked select games for the Miami Marlins on Fox Sports Florida in 2016. In 2016, he won the NY Sports Emmy for game analyst for the YES Network.[14]

Leiter broadcasting a game.

On March 3, 2019, he was named a baseball operations advisor for the Mets. Leiter will focus on scouting and player development with an emphasis on mental preparation for pitchers, working with players at every level of the organization, from newly drafted players to Major Leaguers.

Charitable work

Leiter has won nearly every philanthropic award MLB offers, including the 2000 Roberto Clemente Award. He also won the Branch Rickey Award in 1999.

Political activities

Leiter has expressed interest in running for political office as a Republican in his home state of New Jersey.[15] He served as a member of New Jersey Governor Chris Christie's transition team. Leiter was appointed as a member to the New Jersey Sports, Gaming, and Entertainment Committee. Governor Christie nominated him for the New Jersey Hall of Fame Commission and he was appointed to the commission by the state senate.[16]

Leiter has donated thousands of dollars to GOP candidates, including Donald Trump, David Perdue, Kelly Loeffler, Lindsey Graham, Chris Christie, and Rudy Giuliani.[17]

Personal life

Leiter is of Austrian, Czech and British descent.[18] He and his wife Lori have four children: Lindsay Brooke, Carly Jayne, Jack Thomas, and Katelyn Grace. His brother Mark Leiter pitched 11 seasons in the Majors.[19]Another brother, Kurt, played in the Baltimore Orioles organization and reached as high as Double-A.[20] His nephew Mark Leiter Jr. is also a professional baseball pitcher

Mark Leiter , class of 1981

Meghan Macafferty class of 1991 

has written about adolescence for two decades.  The author of thirteen novels, she is best known for the original Jessica Darling series which was described by the Wall Street Journal as “Judy Blume meets Dorothy Parker.” Twentieth anniversary editions of the entire Jessica Darling series went on sale throughout 2021-2022. SLOPPY FIRSTS (2001), was ALA Top 10 Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers, an ALA Popular Paperback, and a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age. Its sequel, SECOND HELPINGS (2003) was also selected to the NYPL list, and was a Booklist Editor’s Pick for one of the best novels of the year. CHARMED THIRDS (2006)  FOURTH COMINGS (2007) and PERFECT FIFTHS (2009) were instant New York Times and USA Today bestsellers.  In March 2018, Megan’s stage adaption of SLOPPY FIRSTS premiered at Round House Theater.

In March 2022, Scholastic released BEST FRENEMIES FOREVER, a sequel to TRUE TO YOUR SELFIE (MG, Scholastic).  Set entirely in a New Jersey “monument to consumerism” in 1991, her 2020 novel THE MALL (YA, Wednesday Books) technically qualifies as historical fiction. In 2013, she launched a series of middle-grade prequels to the Jessica Darling series. The first book inspired  JESSICA DARLING’S IT LIST, starring Chloe East, co-produced by Debby Ryan and featured on Netflix. She also wrote the futuristic satires BUMPED and THUMPED, described in Publisher’s Weekly as “sharply funny and provocative” and edited the anthology SIXTEEN: Stories About That Sweet and Bitter Birthday (2004). She has contributed to many fiction and nonfiction anthologies including Dear Bully (2011),  My Little Red Book (2009), Does This Book Make Me Look Fat? (2008) and Everything I Needed to Know About Being a Girl I Learned From Judy Blume (2007). Before she was a novelist she wrote and edited for Glamour, Seventeen, Cosmopolitanamong many other national magazines. Her work has been translated into fourteen languages including German, French, Japanese, Chinese, Turkish and Hungarian.

Megan lives with her husband and son in Princeton, New Jersey where she works in Youth Services at Princeton Public Library. She has volunteered for HiTOPS and Good Grief and is Princeton University Community Fellow for Mathey College. For more,  she’s @mccafferty.megan on Instagram though she mostly uses it to make comments on her favorite podcasts and post news about New Yacht City, the band she is currently singing with. You can also write her an email: megan@meganmccafferty.com. Representation: Heather Schroder, Compass Talent, hschroder@compassliterary.net

Shannon Macdonald class of 1976

In past years, Shannon's art has become as familiar as the internationally recognized celebrities she showcases in her exquisite paintings. Inspired by the contributions of her subjects to the entertainment industries, as well as the worlds of sports and politics, Shannon has an extraordinary ability to capture the distinct energy and spirit of each of her subjects and to reflect these unmistakable qualities through her wonderfully vivid creations. Combined with a tremendous flair for originality and daring expression, Shannon possess an uncanny ability to express the grace, dignity, strength, and intensity which have elevated her subjects to positions of irrefutable recognition and prestige.

Summary

Utilizing her innovative eye, strong sense of design and inspiring creativity, Shannon has developed and perfected her painting style and in the process has amassed legions of loyal fans. Creative design, vivid depictions and luminous images are well known characteristics of art that is purely...Shannon.

1996 - Shannon Gets A Stallone Stamp of Approval

Shannon's art has garnered the most gratifying of accolades, the enthusiastic support and approval of celebrities themselves and those within the industries in which they have achieved notoriety. One such celebrity, Sylvester Stallone, expressed his sincere appreciation and overwhelming support to Shannon personally moments after unveiling a five postage stamp tribute to the Rocky series on the 20th anniversary of the release of the United Artists' Oscar winning motion picture, Rocky, in November of 1996 at New York City's Planet Hollywood. Shannon worked with Sly again, on the development of the movie poster for, "Driven". More Postage Stamps

Shannon's highly acclaimed Rocky postage stamp tribute followed other successful stamp design projects... James Dean, Jackie Kennedy, Muhammad Ali, Elvis Presley, Diana / Princess of Wales, JFK Jr. and others. All Shannon postal stamp designs receive national and international recognition.

1998 - The World's Greatest Beatles Artist

Shannon prestigious awards in the fields of fine art soon jumped the Atlantic Ocean and caught the attention of the England audience. In 1998 Shannon was donned "The World's Greatest Beatles Artist" by the Lord Mayor of Liverpool. In 2000 a millennium celebration was held, complete with fireworks and Shannon's artwork projected on the great buildings of Liverpool. Her Fab-4 Fame secured her the position of creating over one hundred paintings for the first ever Beatles themed hotel, appropriately called, "Hard Day's Night Hotel". The hotel opened its doors in 2008.

More Beatles Accolades In 2009 Shannon was inducted into The Cavern Club's "Cavern Hall of Fame". She is now the Official Artist of The Cavern Club. There is now a "Shannon Gallery" at the Cavern Club and a 9' x 9' Shannon painting depicting The Beatles during their last appearance at The Cavern over 50 years ago. Shannon met Yoko at The Cavern in 2013. Shannon presented her with a painting called "The Ono Lisa".

2006 - Over 100 Paintings For A Beatles Hotel

Over 110 Shannon paintings grace the walls of The Beatles' only hotel in the world. The Hard Day's Night Hotel, in Liverpool, was the brain child of Bill Heckle, Dave Jones, and from The Cavern Club and Cavern City Tours. Bill Heckle was pleased when he met Shannon and saw her Beatles Art. She was the missing puzzle he had been looking for to complete the project. The hotel opened its doors in early 2008. In 2014, Shannon will be opening a gallery website dedicated to her large body of work in and outside the Hard Day's Night Hotel. Serious buyers, from around the globe, can finally look forward to purchasing some of the beautiful Shannon Art that exists in this famous U.K. hotel. About The Hotel

This boutique hotel, set in an attractive 19th century listed building in the heart of the city centre (right on the corner of Mathew Street, where the renowned Cavern Club may also be found), features discreet and tasteful Beatles memorabilia. Hard Days Night Hotel consists of 110 rooms in total, including standard rooms, executive suites and two spectacular penthouse suites; all guest rooms boast modern amenities and clever touches of decadence throughout, as well as exclusive works of art by the famous Beatles artist Shannon.

2008 - Chopper Motorcycles On Gift Shop Shelves

From top to bottom, Shannon has created the first dozen Phantasy Choppers® motorcycles. They smack of street hugging velocity, bullet-like curves,fat bottom rear-end torch, and an awesomely bad tempered look that reflects a blatant attempt to annihilate the competition. And that is when they're just sitting on your shelf!

Shannon joined forces with King Features and signed on with Westland Giftware to distribute the 3-D radical Phantasy machines. The choppers were a big hit! Shannon is still represented, in licensing, with King Featueres and will present new 3-D projects in the future. King Feautures

King Features is one of the largest and most experienced organizations in merchandise licensing and entertainment. Among its most beloved and successful classic characters are Popeye the Sailor Man, Olive Oyl and Betty Boop. In recent years, the company has expanded its portfolio and now represents a varied array of pop culture and art properties.

- IMDb Mini Biography By: The Shannon Gallery