Five new members out of 45 semi-finalist nominees have been selected for induction into the Franklin High School Hall of Fame.
The new members are:
— Lt. Col. Harry A. Daye, Class of 1974, for outstanding achievement.
He commanded numerous squadrons throughout his career.
Daye is now retired.
— Susan Marwood Hilton, Class of 1969, for lifetime recognition.
Hilton, as an associate professor of communications at Clarion University, has educated many students who have gone on to achieve great things.
Hilton has also made her mark in the local community over the years.
— Robert Lynch, Class of 1959, for lifetime recognition.
Lynch enjoyed an outstanding athletic career while at Franklin and went on to become a teacher and coach for both Franklin and Oil City basketball. He amassed more than 500 victories during his tenure with the high schools as well as at Thiel College and the University of Pittsburgh at Titusville.
— William L. Schell, Class of 1969, for lifetime recognition.
Schell was a standout member of the 1967 undefeated Franklin High School football team.
He went on to serve in the United States Army during the Vietnam War and achieved SP4 rank. Schell was killed in action in Vietnam at the age of 21.
— The 1997 girls 200 medley relay swim team for athletics.
The team, coached by Eric Smith, included Amanda Armburger Walters (1999) in the backstroke, current FHS Hall of Famer Jill Wilkinson Blalock (1997) in the breaststroke, Gwynn Junkin Purse (1997) in the butterfly and Katie Findlan McNulty (1998) in freestyle.
The women would win 25 straight races during the 1996-97 season on their way to capturing the PIAA state title.
The team set five pool, invitational and district records, with their winning time of 1:50.10 still standing today, en route to the state title.
The 2019 class will be officially inducted Thursday, Oct. 3, at a reception held at the Quality Inn. The induction is always held in conjunction with Applefest.
Tickets may be reserved by calling the Franklin High School office at (814) 432-2121 or by emailing Dave Smith at smithd@fasd.k12.pa.us.
