Harwood hall-of-famers honored Saturday

The six members of the 10th annual class of the Harwood Hall of Fame will be inducted in ceremonies Saturday, Sept. 14, at Harwood Union High School.

The six are:

• Keith Wallace, Waterbury High School, 1927

• Wilbur ‘Mac’ McAllister, Waterbury High School, 1950

• Diane Phillips

• Sue Duprat

• Todd Shropshire, Harwood 1987

• Roy Tuscany, Harwood 1999

The six inductees “have left their mark on the greater Harwood community, and set an example for all future staff, students, and beyond,” said Chris Langevin, the Harwood Union High School athletic director who’s a member of the Hall of Fame committee.

The 10th annual Harwood Hall of Fame induction ceremony and dinner starts at 5 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, in the Harwood Union High School cafeteria. Reservations are required; email clangevin@huusd.org.

• Keith Wallace, Waterbury High School Class of 1927.

Wallace was Mr. Everything in Waterbury — town moderator, school district moderator, Waterbury School Board member from 1937 to 1965; Vermont State School Directors Association president 1953-54, 4-H Club leader, state legislator and state senator, president of the Vermont State Farm Bureau 1953 to 1974; board member of American Farm Bureau Association 1960-69, among many other functions.

Wallace received the Citizenship Award in 1975 from the Vermont Chamber of Commerce. The Vermont Farm Bureau’s highest honor is named for him.

• Wilbur “Mac” McAllister, Waterbury High School Class of 1950.

Played varsity basketball and varsity baseball 1948-50, selected for 1949-50 Green Mountain League All-State Basketball Team, one-act plays junior and senior year,

Earned bachelor’s degree in 1955 and master’s degree in education in 1972 from University of Vermont. Taught social studies, algebra, geometry and grade-school phys-ed 1955-62 at BFA Fairfax High School and coached basketball and baseball. Twice he was selected Coach of the Year in the Northwestern League. Coached basketball and taught social studies at Essex High School 1962-66. In 1968, coached the freshman baseball team at UVM.

For 35 years, 1967-2002, provided game filming service to University of Vermont Athletic Department. With several photographers assisting him, also filmed games for Norwich University, Middlebury College, South Burlington and Essex high schools, and the high school state championships in girls and boys soccer, basketball, ice hockey, gymnastics, lacrosse, baseball, softball, field hockey and cheerleading.

• Diane Phillips, a graduate of West Reading (Mass.) High School, had a 39-year career in the Harwood Union School District music department, starting in 1973. Vocal music director, middle school music and theater arts (7-12) teacher, music department head 1991-2012, assisted with musicals, head of National Honor Society, secretary of Harwood Education Association for 20-plus years, school accreditation committee chair three times, director and coach of student preparation/rehearsing/auditioning for district, state and New England music festivals, Winooski Valley Music District Treasurer 10 years, Festival Audition Host 1999-2012, Jazz Festival Host since early 2000s, All State Music Festival adjudicator for sight reading 15-plus years.

Her select ensemble — Harwood’s I Cantori — sang at Waterbury and Statehouse tree-lighting ceremonies, at basketball games and school ceremonies. The Harwood Choir performed in the Soviet Union in 1985. Harwood is the first school in the state to develop and have a music technology Lab.

Phillips also performed in professional ensembles: Baroque Court (1987-14); Simple Gifts (1995-2001); South County Chorus/In Accord (2002-17), including 12 years at First Night-Burlington.

• Sue Duprat, a Burlington High School graduate, Harwood athletic director.

A legendary figure in athletics at St. Michael’s College — varsity coach of basketball, field hockey, volleyball, softball and lacrosse at different times, then assistant athletic director.

Duprat is one of only five New England Division 2 women’s basketball coaches with more than 300 career wins. She’s in the St. Michael’s Hall of Fame, the Northeast Women’s Hall of Fame and the New England Basketball Hall of Fame.

Duprat became director of athletics and activities at Harwood Union in 2003. She brought increased funding and support for all programs, created handbooks for student-athletes and coaches, added a full-time, certified athletic trainer/assistant athletic director for care and prevention of injuries, including concussions, and added fully funded varsity sports for boys and girls ice hockey, boys and girls lacrosse, and volleyball. “Pay to play” for all hockey was eliminated.

Duprat established the Harwood Union Hall of Fame.

• Todd Shropshire, Harwood Class of 1987.

Shropshire was in Harwood’s concert band, wind ensemble and National Honor Society. He played varsity soccer for four years and varsity basketball for two years, ran track for four years.

He was a member of the Harwood soccer teams that won the state Division 2 championship in 1983 and 1984. He was selected for the 1987 Twin State Soccer Game but a foot injury prevented him from playing.

Shropshire was on the 4x100 relay team that set a state record at the 1985 Division 2 Vermont Track and Field Championships; he placed second in the 110 high hurdles and second in the 300 intermediate hurdles in the 1982 state championships, and competed in the triple jump in the 1984 All New England Track & Field Meet.

In 1987, he won the Harwood Outstanding Male Athlete Award and the male Harwood Scholar-Athlete Award.

Shropshire played soccer for Gordon College for four years, won the 1994 Scholar Athlete Award, and earned a bachelor’s degree in movement science with high honors. D’Youville College (1994-96) selected him for the 1994 Physical Therapy Excellence Award and the 1994 Physical Therapy Research Award (master’s thesis). He graduated with a bachelor’s and master’s degree in physical therapy in 1996, with highest honors.

• Roy Tuscany, Harwood Class of 1999.

Tuscany earned academic honors at Harwood, ran cross-country for three years, competed in alpine skiing for four years and was team captain, and played baseball for two years. He was on the cross-country teams that won Division 2 state championships in 1997 and 1998 and was runner-up in 1996. His 1997 and 1998 teams also competed in the New England Championships.

In 2006, Tuscany suffered a fall that paralyzed his lower body and doctors told him he would never walk again. After two years of grueling physical therapy, he skis, bikes and surfs using adaptive equipment for people with paralysis.

To help other severely injured athletes, in 2009 he started the High Fives Foundation, a nonprofit that promotes injury prevention awareness and provides resources to people with spinal cord injuries, traumatic brain injuries, amputations or other injuries affecting mobility. The foundation raises money for athletes’ and war veterans’ rehabilitation. Its annual budget is now more than $1 million, and as of 2018 High Fives had helped 234 athletes from 32 states get back to the sports they loved.

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Information about the Hall of Fame: harwoodhighlanders.com, click “Legends of Harwood.”