2014

Everett B. Law

Class of 1933

Everett Law lettered in football, basketball, baseball, track, and cross country at Stonington High School. He was a three-year starter in football, playing on the line as a guard and tackle. He was a starter on the basketball team as a junior; during his senior year, SHS did not field a team, but he was the high scorer on a team consisting of SHS athletes who competed in the Southeastern Connecticut Junior Basketball League. As a member of the track team, he was a top performer competing in discus and shot put during his sophomore, junior, and senior seasons. He was co-captain of the baseball team in his senior year, and was an accomplished pitcher. He was junior class president and a member of the "S" Club.

He played football and baseball in various local leagues after high school, and was a highly successful amateur golfer. He was a co-founder of the Mystic Little League.

Donald E. Palmer

Class of 1937

Contributor

Donald Palmer contributed to Stonington High School and the Town of Stonington throughout his life. Among his contributions to athletics at SHS, he was a founder of the SHS Athletic Boosters and served as its president, and he built the sports equipment storage building, later named in his honor, and built the concession stand operated by the boosters.

Other town and community organizations in which he was involved include the Town of Stonington Zoning Board of Appeals, of which he was chairman from its inception in 1961 until 1985. He was the chairman of the Stonington Tri-centennial Scholarship Committee; served as president of the Pawcatuck Lions Club, the Stonington Little League, and the St. Michael's Holy Name Society; and was a member of the board of directors of the Stonington Community Center.

He received the Westerly-Pawcatuck YMCA Service to Youth Award in 1971, was the Pawcatuck Lions Club Lion of the Year several times and Man of the Year in 1978, and was also honored by the Stonington Pee Wee Football Program. After his passing in 1985, the Stonington Board of Education named the SHS football field after him in recognition of his dedication to the community.

Robert Birchall

Class of 1943

Robert Birchall played football, baseball, and track at Stonington High School, and also served as basketball manager. He started at center on offense and guard on defense for the 1942 Eastern Connecticut Conference champion football team, one of the most respected teams in Connecticut that season and often called the best in school history. He was one of four SHS Bears to be named First Team All-State for the 1942 season.

After graduation, he joined United States Air Force and served during World War II and the Korean and Vietnam Wars, attaining the rank of Staff Sergeant before his retirement.

George R. McKenna, Jr.

Class of 1943

George McKenna participated in football and baseball at SHS. He played quarterback and defensive end for the football team, earning Second Team All-State honors as a junior and senior. He was a member of the 1939 Class B Champion team, and the 1939 and 1942 Eastern Connecticut Conference Champion teams. He played football at the University of Mississippi while undergoing training for the United States Army. After serving in Europe during World War II, he played football for the University of Connecticut, and graduated in 1950.

He was the director of the New Haven Boys Club, coaching football there until returning to Stonington as a teacher. He later earned a master's degree from the University of Connecticut and served as assistant principal of SHS and principal of Mystic Junior High School. In 1999, the Stonington Board of Education dedicated the gymnasium and athletic facilities of the newly renovated Mystic Middle School as "George McKenna Gymnasium."

He was involved in numerous community organizations, including serving as president of the Mystic Community Center; he was a founding member of the Southeastern Connecticut Chapter of the National Football Hall of Fame, and officiated Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference and semi-professional football games; the Mystic Chamber of Commerce; and St. Patrick Church, where he served as a trustee.

Bill Reardon

Class of 1969

Bill Reardon participated in football, basketball, and baseball at Stonington High School. He was captain of the football and basketball teams in his senior year, when he earned All-Eastern Connecticut Conference and All-State honors while playing wide receiver and defensive end for the football team. The Bears were ECC champions in 1968 with a 4-0 conference record and 8-2 overall. He was named outstanding lineman at the 1968 Thanksgiving Day football game, and was selected to play for the East Team in the 1969 Nutmeg Bowl. He received the National Athletic Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award.

His outstanding rebounding and defense led the basketball team to a 14-6 record and a berth in the state tournament in 1969. They achieved a 10-game winning streak and were the second highest scoring team in southeastern Connecticut.

He was president of the "S" Club in his senior year and participated in Student Council as a junior and senior. He attended Central Connecticut State University.

Lee Ann Lewis Schoenecker

Class of 1978

Lee Ann Lewis Schoenecker participated in tennis, basketball, and track at Stonington High School, earning eight letters during her three years, and served as captain of all three sports in her senior year. She was valedictorian of the Class of 1978 and was awarded the Athletic Achievement Cup, awarded annually to the top female athlete in the senior class.

As a member of the tennis team, she was the Eastern Connecticut Conference singles runner-up as a junior, and in her senior year won the championship. She was a two-year starter for the basketball team, and competed in the 400, 800, high jump, and shot put for the track team, which won the ECC championship in 1978.

She was awarded a tennis scholarship to Seton Hall University, where she competed for the varsity team for four years and was co-captain in her senior year. She graduated magna cum laude with a B.S. in Mathematics and was named the university's female Scholar-Athlete in 1982.

John Bolduc

Class of 1980

John Bolduc participated in football and track at Stonington High School and was awarded the Tuite Cup as the top male athlete in his graduating class. He was co-captain of the football team in his senior year, and earned All-Eastern Connecticut Conference honors as a lineman. He was also co-captain of the track team, earned All-ECC and All-State honors, placing first in the shot put at the ECC and Class M meets. He was awarded an athletic scholarship to the University of Connecticut, and holds degrees from Charter Oak State College.

He has coached both football and track at SHS, served as chairman of the Board of Education from 2005-2009, and was vice chair of the SHS Building Committee from 2002-2007.

Haley Sutman Graham

Class of 1994

Haley Sutman Graham participated in tennis, basketball, and track at Stonington High School, earning 11 varsity letters. As a senior she earned All-Eastern Connecticut Conference honors in tennis, was a member of the Class M state champion girls basketball team, and earned All-ECC and All-State Class M honors in track, while serving as co-captain for all three sports. She earned ECC recognition in each of her four years participating in track, and took first in the 400m at the ECC meet as a junior and senior. She qualified for the Class M meet in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 300m hurdles, and long jump, and was a member of the 4x400m team which set a school record and competed at the New England meet.

She was awarded an athletic scholarship to Central Connecticut State University, where she was a member of the Cross Country and Indoor and Outdoor Track teams, earning All-Conference and All-New England honors in both Indoor and Outdoor Track.

Charity Schmitt Cress

Class of 2000

Charity Schmitt Cress participated in soccer, basketball, and track at Stonington High School. She earned All-Eastern Connecticut Conference honors in soccer as a sophomore, junior, and senior, and was Class M All-State as a junior. She also earned All-ECC honorable mention in basketball as a senior, and as a junior was a member of the Class M state champion 4x800 relay team.

She earned a B.S. in Education and played soccer at Hofstra University, where in her junior and senior seasons she was team captain and earned All-Conference honors. She was named team Most Valuable Player as a junior, and received the Outstanding Senior Athlete Award as a senior. She also holds a master's degree in Education from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and is a Health & Physical Education teacher at Desert Oasis High School in Las Vegas.

Blake Jensen

Class of 2003

Blake Jensen participated in football, basketball, and track at Stonington High School, earning 10 letters. He was awarded the 2003 Tuite Cup as the top male athlete in the graduating class. He was a captain of the football team in his senior year and of the basketball team as a junior and senior.

He earned All-Eastern Connecticut Conference in football in each of his four years, and was named Class S All-State as a junior and senior. He holds the Connecticut high school football record for career receptions with 188. He was named to the Westerly Sun's All-Decade team for both the 1990s and the 2000s. He also earned All-ECC honors in basketball as a junior and senior, and grabbed over 1000 rebounds during his career.

He is a graduate of Fordham University.

1942 Football Team

The 1942 football team is considered to be the best in school history, winning the Eastern Connecticut Conference championship and ending the season with a 9-1-1 record despite a formidable schedule of powerhouse teams from Connecticut and Rhode Island. They did not allow a point in ECC play that year, and all 11 starters received ECC recognition. Four starters were among the 11 players named First Team All-State, and three players were given second team or honorable mention honors. Every senior on this team served in the United States military during World War II. Six of those seniors have been inducted as individuals, including two this year, and their coach, Mike Cronin, was in our first Hall of Fame class in 2005.