Minuteman High Announces Inaugural Hall of Fame Class

The following was provided by Judy Bass, communications specialist for Minuteman High School.

in Lexington is proud to announce its first inductees to its Hall of Fame. All have distinguished themselves for excellence, professionalism, service, and tireless dedication to Minuteman. They are Roger S. Eleftherakis, Dr. Ronald J. Fitzgerald, Beverly Lydiard, Sandy Lambrinos, Laura Ryan, Nick Papas, Alice MacInnis, and the 1986 hockey team.

The inductees will be honored at a banquet on Saturday, Oct. 20 at Montvale Plaza in Stoneham. Anyone interested in attending the inaugural Minuteman Hall of Fame banquet can contact John Fusco at jfusco@minuteman.org.

A little bit about each of the inductees:

Roger S. Eleftherakis (Athlete): Roger graduated second in a class of 273 in 1983 and amassed a record of stellar achievements in both academics and sports, earning numerous awards for his remarkable ability. He was on the High Honor Roll for four years, was president of the National Honor Society and the Eastern Massachusetts National Honor Society, was in the initial class of the Tech Prep program, was a member of the Student Advisory Council to the State Board of Education in 1982 and 1983, and was a Vernon Page Award recipient.  He earned a William E. Maloney Scholarship from Lexington Rotary, and the Andrew V. Papas Memorial Award for leadership, character and sportsmanship. Roger also was awarded a certificate from Minuteman for Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics and a VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America) Gold Medal for Extemporaneous Speaking. While still in high school, Roger worked for MIT’s Lincoln Labs in Lexington. He also taught Adult Education classes in computer science at Minuteman. His milestones in athletics were equally impressive.  Roger earned 11 varsity letters in four sports and was Captain of the football, basketball and track teams. He was a 1981 member of the All-Star football team, a member of the All-State Vocational Basketball squad in 1982 and 1983, and the varsity swim team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1981 and 1982. Roger was on the Football CAC (Commonwealth Athletic Conference) All-Star Team in 1981 and the All-State Vocational Basketball Squad in 1983. Roger received a scholarship to Dartmouth College and was to begin his education there in the fall of 1983, but he was diagnosed with leukemia that summer and passed away on Oct. 28 of that year. Sadly, he did not have a chance to show Dartmouth or the world what other great things he could achieve.

Dr. Ronald J. Fitzgerald (Service): Superintendent-Director of Minuteman Regional Vocational Technical School District, January 1976-August 2004. His tenure at Minuteman was distinguished by innovative leadership and marked by an unparalleled commitment to vocational education, academic integration and a learning styles approach to teaching students. Fitzgerald played a major role in establishing Minuteman’s stature as one of the best vocational/technical schools in Massachusetts and Minuteman being named as the best vocational school in the Northeast region of the United States. Fitzgerald has continued his work with presentations and by authoring several books. See his website for more information. Fitzgerald took charge with a vision that Minuteman was not to be “just another vocational school.” He was determined that this facility would become a true center of learning for students, staff, parents, and the community. Throughout Fitzgerald’s term, he was relentless in seeking new educational philosophies, techniques, and ideas. He got actively involved by mastering processes first, and then assisting staff to learn, adapt, and apply to their own group of students.

Beverly Lydiard (Service): Beverly retired in 1997 after 30 years of dedication and commitment to Minuteman. An original member of the Minuteman District Planning Committee, she was an inspirational force in the planning, development, and construction of Minuteman and served as Assistant Superintendent for 20 years. A state and national expert on equality in public education, she was a pioneer in the implementation of Title IX and gender equality. She championed instituting non-traditional technical majors at Minuteman. A tireless advocated of student equal rights, she was at the forefront of the issue of sexual harassment in the workplace with a focus on schools. 

Sandy Lambrinos (Service): Sandy has served Minuteman for more than 30 years as an administrative assistant, primarily in the Athletic Department.  Sandy has been a standout at Minuteman in many areas, be it scheduling, administrative help, organization, and supporting the student athletes. Sandy also coached field hockey and cheerleading.

Laura Ryan (Athlete): Laura is a 1983 alumna who was a 12-letter athlete in field hockey, basketball, and softball. Laura also captained all three sports, earning the Female Athlete of the Year Award in 1983.

Nick Papas (Coach): Nick started the boys’ basketball program at Minuteman, coaching from 1975 to 1984. His record at Minuteman was 142 wins and 43 losses, and the team made the Massachusetts State Tournament eight times. Nick has 479 career wins in his 37 seasons at Minuteman, Melrose, Burlington and Buckingham Browne & Nichols. Throughout his career, Nick has earned many awards: the Leo Miller Award in 2007 from the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association (MBCA) for outstanding contributions to high school basketball in Massachusetts, the Sherm Kinney Award in 2004 from the MIAA for dedication to high school basketball in Massachusetts, the National Federation of Interscholastic Coaches Association Distinguished Service Award,  and the Sons of Italy Award for outstanding service, success and unselfish devotion to the game of basketball. Nick has also earned numerous Coach of the Year Awards from the MBCA – 1981, 1984, 1989, 1996, 2003, and the 1989 Boston Globe Division I Coach of the Year. Nick is a member of MAHPERD and served as the Vice President of Boys’ and Men’s Athletics from 1991-1993. Nick is also a member of the Watertown High School Hall of Fame.

Alice MacInnis (Coach): Alice Maclnnis, for a long time at the start of Minuteman’s history, was the embodiment of the female athletics program. She was one of the female physical education instructors and was head coach for field hockey, softball, and basketball. She was a recipient of the NIAAA (the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association) Distinguished Service Award in 2005 and the MSSADA (the Massachusetts Secondary Schools Athletic Directors Association) Distinguished Service Award in 2004-05. She is an active contributor to many state associations. MAHPERD (the Massachusetts Association for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance) presented Maclnnis with the Honor Award in 2003, the same year she received the MSSADA Presidents Award. She has served as President of MAHPERD, Vice President of the Massachusetts Vocational Athletic Directors Association, on the Board of Directors for MIAA, and on the MIAA Field Hockey Committee. Alice is an active member of the MIAA Equality Committee and a participant at the MIAA Girls and Women in Sports Day.

1986 Hockey Team (Team): The 1986 hockey team finished in third place in the Commonwealth Conference while qualifying for the Division 3 State Championship. The team members were Keith Lombardi, Mark Frizzell, Curt McKelvie, Paul Turner, Scott Enwright, Tim Donovan, Chris Keene, Mark Downey, Mike Sisson, Brian Martin, Peter Stanley, Mark Anderson, J.B. Flueckiger, Paul Stewart, Steve Burns, Jim Cutler, Scott Arsenault, Sean Hersey, Dean Hillis, Steve Botelho, Mike Wesley, Scott Dennison, and Dave McLaine. The coaches were Assistant Coach John Coughlin, Assistant Coach Ike Bevins and Head Coach Steve Bevins.