It has been five years since the last activity in the Hall of Fame and Court of Champions, which is why 10 new members are to be introduced on April 16. Starting at 1 p.m., the induction ceremony will consist of acceptance speeches by the inductees as well as the viewing of their plaques inside the first floor of the Hutto-Patterson Gymnasium, said Robert Lewis, the sports information director.
“It is a larger class because we haven’t had an enshrinement for athletes since 2005. The Court of Champions [outside the gym] had bronze bust additions in Ron Ballatore, Geralyn Shepard, and James Slick Stocks in 2006 . the last activity for the Hall and Court until now,” Lewis said in an email.
The 2011 class will induct two of the greatest running backs in PCC football history, said Lewis – Jonathan Smith (2001) and Jerome Harrison (2003, current player for the Philadelphia Eagles). Also to be inducted are two women’s softball players, pitcher Kim Maxwell (1992) and shortstop Chris Zboril (1994). Tiana Sanders (1999) will be one of the first women’s basketball members to be inducted, Lewis said. In addition, men’s track and field star Kenny Hays (1978), men’s team swimmers Glen Aikin (1978) and Eric Marks (1978), and gymnast George Greenfield (1967) will also be inducted.
“The ceremony is a collaborative effort between the Alumni office, sports information office, and the Hall of Fame chairman, [Dick] Ratliff,” Lewis said.
The Hall of Fame was started in the 1960’s, “with Jackie Robinson among those in the inaugural class,” said Lewis. From 1961 to 1966, the Hall continued drafting new members but then became dormant, Lewis said.
The Hall continued to lay dormant for 35 years, “until [in] 2001 . Ratliff, President of the PCC Foundation Board, put his own money and support into resurrecting the Hall,” Lewis said.
“Without the opportunity to show their skills at PCC, it’s possible that many of our greatest athletes would not have earned college degrees and advanced themselves from an educational and athletic standpoint,” Lewis said.
“All 10 are greatly deserving of their enshrinements. There are others that could have been included . but it would saturate and take away from the current group if
[we] selected more than ten. I am hopeful that we will have another Hall of Fame class in the next few years,” Lewis said.
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