Athletic Honor Society 11th Induction Class

The 11th induction banquet of the Athletic Honor Society honored nine athletes and three of the most successful teams in Penn Charter history.

The crowd at the Union League on the eve of the 131st PC/GA Day included three generations of one PC family (Shipon), quite a large contingent from two other families (Andris, Gallagher) and a teacher who left Penn Charter in 1977 (former physical education teacher Peter Nagafuchi).

Keynote speaker William A. Graham IV OPC ’58 charmed the crowd with his personal tale of a young boy who became a tenacious athlete and business leader.

Graham said he was small and skinny when he came to Penn Charter in seventh grade. By ninth grade, he was still small for his age, so he took the advice of an older student who encouraged him to join the wrestling team because it would be the only sport where his opponent would be about the same size. His confidence, along with his stature, grew. He wrestled at Bucknell University for four years and was co-captain of his 1961-62 team, which was undefeated.

“In addition to building my confidence, wrestling helped to develop my drive, perseverance and persistence. I learned not to be satisfied with being number two, but to always strive to be number one.

“No matter what you choose to do in life,” Graham said, “the qualities that make you a successful wrestler or football player, soccer player, or whatever sport you play—will also make you more successful in your career and in life.”

The 11th induction banquet of the Athletic Honor Society highlighted stellar athletes who brought championships and honor to Penn Charter. 

2017 AHS Induction Class

Richard Allman OPC ’60

Kenneth Devenney OPC ’01

Jennifer Gallagher OPC ’94

Colin Hitschler OPC ’05

Jennifer Leath OPC ’99

Megan Miller Wilson OPC ’94

Brendan Moore OPC ’97

David Shipon OPC ’88

Mark Skoczynski OPC ’87

Team Inductees

1961 Baseball Team

1976 Lacrosse Team

1993 Football Team