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Fitch honors Athletic Hall of Fame inductees
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Neighbors | Sarah Foor.The chairman of the Hall of Fame, Tim Kelty, called Gene Chepke the “sentimental favorite” of many attendees to the banquet. Here, Gene Chepke and his wife, Ramona, take a moment to smile for a picture before the event began.
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Master of ceremonies Tom Mock (right) took a moment to explain the accomplishments of inductees like Skip Getch, who had an impressive history in basketball at Fitch.
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School board member Kathy Mock interviewed the Hall of Fame inductees for Austintown Community TV- Channel 19. Her interview with Robert Goldner (right) will be shown on the station.
By SARAH FOOR
On Saturday, 350 members of the Austintown community gathered to celebrate the impressive achievements of Austintown athletes of the last 75 years.
The Austintown Fitch Athletic Hall of Fame, chaired by Woodside principal Tim Kelty, said its aim is to “enhance our tradition and motivate others to excellence.”
Inductees in the Hall of Fame’s third class for 2010 included the 1958 Steel Valley Champion Fitch football team, basketball star Jennifer Rodkey-Stearman (Class of 1992), football player Gary Ulciny (1970) and coaches Phil Resch and Gene Chepke, among nine others.
The event gave many of the inductees’ ample time to reflect, whether it was in an interview for Fitch’s Community TV-Channel 19, or at the podium as they accepted their awards.
The speeches from the honored guests went from thankful and serious to humorous and humble.
Gary Ulciny shared that when he received his nomination, he asked, “Did you run out of people already? Me, really?”
Phil Resch, who began and ran Fitch’s wrestling program for 17 years, shared, “My father always told me, no matter what you do, make sure you love it. And I loved this every day of my life.”