Four new inductees were elected to the Sidney City Schools Hall of Honor this week and will be enshrined on Friday evening April 17, 2015 in the Sidney High School auditorium. The public is invited to attend this 22nd annual event and the reception that follows in the adjacent gymnasium. The Hall will have 115 members with these additions.
Chairman Devon Beer (SHS 1983) offered an overview of the selections, "The Hall of Honor selection committee is pleased with the diversity and strength of the 2015 induction class. These are four very different people who deserve this recognition. We are anxious for the Sidney schools community to learn about the great contributions these individuals have made in their vocations and home communities. We are extremely appreciative of the strong nominations that we received on behalf of this group."
All 2015 inductees attended SHS and three should be in Sidney for the festivities including interactions with current students on the day of the ceremony. Three are Sidney graduates while the fourth moved away with his family during his senior year. One is deceased while another resides locally and two are out-of-state.
W. Todd Bassett was set to graduate with the class of 1957 when his parents were transferred during his senior year from Sidney to Cincinnati with the Salvation Army. Todd followed in their footsteps by working for the Salvation Army from 1963-2006, serving as both National Commander and C.E.O. of the entire organization. He retired to Maine where he remains a Salvation Army volunteer.
The late Donald Manning (SHS 1933) was a national and international force in the bus transportation industry for some 60 years, first with C.D. Beck & Company in Sidney before joining Mack and then General Motors. The innovative engineer held over 30 patents including many that became industry standards.
Ken Monnier (SHS 1977) has become a prominent Sidney community leader as he ascended through the ranks at Copeland/Emerson over the past 30 years to become Vice-President of Air Conditioning Engineering. His civic leadership includes the arts, Wilson Memorial Hospital, and Holy Angels Catholic Church.
Todd Taylor (SHS 1990) was a key player on Sidney's 1989 state football "final four" squad who has enjoyed a very successful career in professional sports marketing and administration including his current Executive Vice-Presidency of the NBA's Indiana Pacers. He's also worked in Major League Baseball and the National Hockey League.
Specific individual biographies of each recipient will be released in the spring as the April 17 induction approaches. "When we tell their full stories, we hope to make our community proud and to inspire current students, consistent with the Hall of Honor Mission Statement," Chairman Beer concluded.