Four new inductees were elected to the Sidney City Schools Hall of Honor this week and will be enshrined on Friday evening April 21, 2017 in the Sidney High School auditorium beginning at 7:30pm. The public is invited to attend this 24th annual event and the reception that follows in the adjacent gymnasium. The Hall will have 123 members with these additions.
Chairman Devon Beer (SHS 1983) offered an overview of the selections, "The Hall of Honor committee is delighted with the 2017 induction class. From teaching to marketing to local building trades, 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. These four emerged from a very strong field of candidates, many of whom could be elected in the future."
Three of the selections are Sidney High School graduates from the 1970's who plan to be in Sidney for the festivities including interactions with current students on the day of the ceremony. Two reside locally with one in California. The fourth is an educator who taught American History at SHS in a career that included that same decade.
Mick Given (SHS 1975) is the President of Ferguson Construction in Sidney. Currently notable in his community resume' is his leadership with the highly acclaimed Workforce Partnership program in the Sidney City Schools.
Tom Milligan (SHS 1978) is the President of Western Ohio Cut Stone. He's been at the forefront of the effort to purchase and restore the historic Sidney Theatre as a home for the arts. Completion of that downtown project could coincide with the year of his induction.
Susan Russell (SHS 1970) is nationally prominent in the fields of marketing and branding through her own firm, The Russell Mark Group, in the Silicon Valley region of California. She has donated her professional expertise to numerous charitable causes in northern California.
A West Virginia native, the late Ken McCormick spent 25 years teaching at Sidney High School including a 1992 Teacher of the Year designation. He was seen as an inspiration and mentor to both future and new teachers. Away from the classroom, Ken was very active in church and community.
Specific individual biographies of each recipient will be released in the spring as the April 21 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. This group's mixture includes a trio with local impact and one who has excelled elsewhere. The Hall of Honor has always recognized both," Chairman Beer concluded.