29th Annual EPHS HALL OF FAME Induction !

HALL OF FAME CEREMONY - By Bob Rodericks

The 29th annual East Providence High School Hall of Fame induction ceremony will be held on Sunday, October 14th, 2012 at the Venus de Milo Restaurant in Swansea, Massachusetts. The event is open to the public and tickets are available at the high school main office and at Martin and Riverside Middle Schools. Tickets are $40. and include a full dinner. Reception is at 12 noon and dinner at 1:00 p.m. Tickets can also be obtained from Don and Linda Carlson by calling 401-433-3693. Tickets can be obtained through Monday, October 8th, 2012. Hall of Fame inductee, Dr. Kenneth R. Walker, class of 1949, retired East Providence school administrator, Rhode Island College professor and current Chairman of the R.I. Parole Board will be Master of Ceremonies.

The Hall of Fame was created and initiated by former Superintendent of Schools, Myron J. Francis, Class of 1947, and was instituted in 1984 in conjunction with the East Providence High School Centennial Year Celebration. Francis was also 1947 EPHS class president. The Hall was designed to recognize distinguished TOWNIE graduates who have brought honor to themselves and to the high school.

The five 2012 inductees are: Raymond B. Studley, 1983; Debra Zepp, 1971; Angela Renaud, 1966; Edmund Anelundi, 1945; and David J Kelleher, honorary category.

Studley is a 23 year veteran of the Rhode Island State Police and a Lieutenant Colonel. He is also Deputy Superintendent and Chief of Field Operations and second in command overall. Studley has served in many capacities including being named interim police chief for East Providence in 2009. Studley is a 2011 graduate of the FBI National Academy. While in high school, Studley was a three sport athlete and received a student/athlete scholarship to attend URI.

Debra Zepp was recently named Rhode Island Elementary school principal of the year in 2011. Zepp is principal at the Matunuck Elementary School in South Kingstown. Zepp was recognized for “her willingness to try new approaches and for her infectious enthusiasm”. Zepp has also been praised in education circles for her efforts to boost her school’s science writing abilities and for her style of “reaching out to parents, the community, students and teachers.” Zepp was further recognized for improving her school’s culture by her “personal touch, which includes writing notes on each child’s report card and her daily greeting of student’s by name every morning.”

Angela Renaud a post- secondary accreditation evaluator for the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. Renaud is also Dean of the John Hazen White School of arts and sciences and a full professor. She has worked as an educational consultant and a reading coordinator for the Diocese of Providence. Renaud has also been a reading specialist for the Swansea School Department and taught English in East Providence for two years in the seventies. She was named Outstanding Woman of the Year by Johnson & Wales University in 1991 and has been a speaker at several national conferences. Renaud has been a volunteer board member for several charitable organizations.

Edmund Anelundi was an all-state basketball player and lettered in track and field at EPHS and was named all-state. He continued to excel in athletics at the University of Rhode Island. After a stint in the US Navy, Anelundi played semi-professional basketball. He then went on to a 20 year career with the East Providence Fire Department. Anelundi became an expert tennis player and instructor. He was tennis pro at Ledgemont Country Club and was also head tennis coach for Barrington High School. His teams there won two state championships and many division titles. He continues to coach today at 77 years of age.

David J. Kelleher was a three year honors student at Our Lady of Providence Seminary. While in high school he participated in three sports and was an active volunteer helping out at area hospitals. Kelleher has served East Providence as a teacher, principal, local historian and preservationist, and a member of several civic groups and a role model for many young people. He first taught school in Attleboro and came to East Providence in 1968. Kelleher was named principal at several East Providence elementary schools. A published author, Kelleher wrote “An Illustrated Tour of East Providence”. He has been a leader in the East Providence Historical Society since 1985 and has been a founding member of the ‘Friends of Pomham Lighthouse’ committee which has worked to restore that historic landmark. Kelleher is an active volunteer in several key East Providence social and educational organizations and a respected educator.

The Hall of Fame Committee invites all to help honor these 2012 inductees by attending this year’s ceremony. Any EPHS graduate is welcomed to join the Hall of Fame Committee. Anyone can nominate someone for Hall of Fame consideration. For further information please email bob_rodericks@yahoo.com.