There are 11 inductees in this year’s class, which include: Paul Beebe (1961), Everett Dunklee (1964), Jacob Ellis (2012), John Galanes (1985), Kathy Georgina (1992), Jeff Kerylow (1978), Chris Millerick (1988), Neil Ravenna (1981), Kevin Sprague (1992), Heath Squires (1994) and Brigid Thies (2004).
The BHS/BUHS Athletic Hall of Fame Banquet will be held Nov. 2, 2024 at Post 5 American Legion (ticket information below).
Here are capsule summaries of each of this year’s inductees:
Paul Beebe: Beebe was a four-year letterman in football and baseball, and a three-year letterman in basketball. He was the No. 1 pitcher as a freshman on the 1958 state runner-up team, then led the Colonels to the state championship in 1961 with a 9-inning win over Burlington and finishing with an overall 39-5 record as a high school pitcher. He was also the starting halfback as a freshman on the 1957 undefeated state champion football team, and captain of both the football and baseball teams as a senior. He was awarded the Dede Stolte Memorial Cup and Sherman Award upon graduation.
Everett Dunklee: One of the finest cross-country runners in Vermont scholastic history, Dunklee was a three-time state champion and recorded back-to-back undefeated seasons as a junior and senior. He finished first in meets against Windsor, Springfield, Mt. Hermon, Bellows Falls, Lebanon, Keene and Vermont Academy, and had record-setting performances at Stolte Field vs. Windsor and at Vermont Academy, shattering the course record in 12 minutes, 36 seconds. He went on to achieve great success as a cross-country skier, earning a spot on the 1972 Winter Olympic team.
Jacob Ellis: Ellis, a four year varsity athlete in both cross country and track and field, developed into one of the finest high school distance and middle distance runners in Vermont and New England. He was the Vermont State 800 meter champion in his sophomore, junior, and senior years, and won the 1500 meter title in both his junior and senior seasons. Jacob set school records in the 400m, 800m, and 1500m, 4×800 and sprint medley relay. He also held state records in the 1500 meter and 800 meter runs. Ellis continued his tremendous running career at Bowdoin College in Maine, becoming a three time All-American.
John Galanes: A 1985 BUHS graduate, Galanes was a three-year letterman in football, basketball where he was a thousand point scorer, and baseball. He was named MVP of the football and basketball teams and led the BUHS baseball team to a state championship in 1985. He was the first Vermonter named to all three Vermont-New Hampshire all-star teams. He continued his athletic career as part of the 1983 American Legion baseball state championships and with the semi-pro Brattleboro Maples. He also played two years of collegiate baseball and rowed crew for one year at UMass-Amherst.
Kathy Georgina: Georgina played soccer, basketball and softball for BUHS, and was MVP of all three in her senior year of 1991-92. She guided the Brattleboro softball team to back-to-back state championships in 1991 and 1992, with a 33-1 record inside the circle in that span and an 0.34 earned run average as a senior. The 1992 team went 19-0 and finished the season on a 30-game winning streak, with Georgina compiling a .603 batting average. She also scored 1,062 points in her basketball career. She went on to become a two-time academic all-American at Springfield (Mass.) College and longtime softball coach at Agawam (Mass.) High School, earning her 300th career win last year.
Jeffrey Kerylow: A standout in baseball and football at BUHS, Kerylow was co-captain of both teams in his senior year. Jeff was named Vermont Athlete of the Month in September of 1977 for his exploits on the gridiron, but it was on the baseball diamond that he really shone, leading the 1978 state championship baseball team as a hitter and pitcher. He caught the attention of Major League Scouts and passed up a place in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl to concentrate on baseball.
Chris Millerick: A three-sport star at BUHS, Millerick’s skills in football, basketball and baseball were matched by his leadership and character. In his senior year of 1988, he was named team MVP in all three sports and was captain of the football team. He was one of four Vermonters recruited to the University of Vermont for baseball in 1988 and won numerous other honors, including the prestigious Dede Stolte Cup.
Neil Ravenna: A three-sport standout at BUHS, Neil Ravenna excelled in football, basketball and track & field for the Colonels. He was the only Vermont athlete selected for both the 1981 Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl (football) and Alhambra Basketball Classic. He graduated as the school record holder in several track & field events and still holds the standard in high jump, more than 40 years later. He continued his athletic endeavors as basketball standout for Paul Smith’s College and the College of St. Joseph.
Kevin Sprague: A standout in football, basketball and baseball at BUHS, Sprague was co-captain of the baseball and basketball teams and started at quarterback, end, cornerback, punter and kicker on the football team. Nominated to the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, Sprague focused on baseball. He was scouted by professional teams and recruited by multiple colleges. Ultimately, Kevin chose RPI, where he was a 4-year starter (1993-96) at catcher and the first two-time captain in program history.
Heath Squires: Squires had an outstanding baseball and football career at BUHS from 1991-94. “Heater” was team MVP all four years in baseball and Marble Valley League Player of the Year in 1994, when he led the Colonels to the state championship, pitching a complete game with eight strikeouts in the title game victory over St. Johnsbury. In his senior football season, he was co-MVP of the team that went 9-0 during the regular season. He was named first-team all-state offense and defense, and was selected to the Shrine Bowl, scoring the only touchdown for Vermont. He went on to have an outstanding baseball career at the University of Vermont.
Brigid Thies: Thies was the Division 1 state champion in the javelin three straight years at BUHS, heaving it 116 feet during the state championship meet as a freshman. In 2002 she set the school javelin record for girls with a throw of 136 feet, 6 inches, and in 2004 won the state championship again with a meet-record throw of 132 feet, 10 inches. As a senior, she contributed to the best ever runners-up finish for the BUHS girls team in the state championship meet, and was runner-up in the javelin at the New England Interscholastic Outdoor Track and Field Championships.