Nearly 200 friends, family, faculty, and alumni gathered in the Bridgeport High School cafeteria on Saturday to support the work of the Bridgeport High School Alumni & Friends Foundation and to honor four inductees into the group’s Hall of Fame.

 

The annual event is part of the Foundation’s efforts to raise scholarship money for Bridgeport High School students. During his greeting, Alan Dye, the President of the Foundation, celebrated the group’s success by citing growth in the number and monetary amount of scholarships the Foundation has been able to award each year.

 

After announcing that the Foundation awarded $33,600 to the class of 2014, Dye went “off script” and set the new goal of awarding $50,000 annually in scholarships by the year 2020.

 

After Dye’s remarks and dinner, the inductees were each given a turn at the podium. To say that the evening became a celebration of not only Bridgeport High School but in a larger sense the community of Bridgeport would be an understatement. Each inductee came from very different backgrounds and situations but had two things in common. First, none of them felt worthy of the honor they were receiving, and second, none could say enough about what the Bridgeport community and the high school meant to them and their personal journey.

 

A very humble Dan McNamee from the class of 1998 was the first at the microphone. He told the story of his family’s relocation from Pikeville, KY to Bridgeport.

 

“When my dad said we were moving to West Virginia, my mom was concerned about the school’s academics; all my brothers and I cared about were the athletics,” said McNamee. “I think we lucked out on both when we came to Bridgeport.”

 

He went on to list by name the numerous athletic coaches that he had over the years, and after sharing a few brief stories about some of his early experiences in Bridgeport, he reminded the audience of the life-changing event that happened during the fall of his sophomore year.

 

McNamee broke his neck in an away football game against Magnolia, paralyzing him from the waist down.

 

“In a way, I think my injury showed what this community is all about,” McNamee said with a calm smile. “My family and this community never left my side.”

 

He spoke of the friendship that he developed with Mike Martin through the countless hours of rehabilitation and physical therapy and thanked Alice Rowe for instilling a work ethic in him during her journalism classes.

 

“She put me to work the second I came back to school … that helped,” said McNamee.

 

Then, after speaking so much about where he came from, McNamee spoke about where he is now. Dan somehow fittingly met his wife Nikki at a football game, and they now live near both their families in Kentucky. He said that much of his heart is still in Bridgeport and that thanks to Connect-Bridgeport.com he is able to keep up with what is going on. Once a week Dan and Nikki travel into West Virginia to go to church.

 

“It’s good to breathe that West Virginia air,” McNamee said with a laugh.

 

Finally, Dan finished his remarks with perhaps the most inspiring words that were spoken all evening.

 

“Gavin Strong – that’s Bridgeport. The way this community supported the Hotsinpillers – that’s Bridgeport. Megan Krohe being crowned Homecoming Queen – that’s Bridgeport,” NcNamee said. “Last year this school won an unheard of five athletic state championships, but that doesn’t compare to what this community has been doing for years.”

 

After McNamee, Curtis Fleming from the class of 1984 entertained the audience. A native of Taylor County, Fleming hosts the popular TV show Fly Rod Chronicles.

 

As his remarks switched between comedic one-liners and hilarious true stories from his time at Bridgeport High School, he touted that he quite possibly has the lowest GPA of anyone ever inducted into the Hall of Fame.

 

The proud son of a coal miner, Curtis spoke about his family’s recent relocation back to the Bridgeport community.

 

“It has been my life-long dream to return to Bridgeport,” Fleming said.

 

He went on to talk about the relationship he built with Al Lanzy and Joe Leonette through the Outdoors Club, and what it meant to him and how it shaped him into the man he is today. He referred to Joe Leonette as his best friend.

 

“I tell my daughters that they have been robbed because they will never get to meet or get to know Joe Leonette,” Fleming said.

 

Finally, in a moment of seriousness, Curtis expressed how excited he was to be back in the Bridgeport community and quoted his wife saying, “Curtis you have won lots of awards, but this is by far my favorite.”

 

A very emotional Jim McDonald from the class of 1956 spent his time at the podium talking about how he went from a basketball star to a missionary.

 

From an All-American during his playing days at West Virginia Wesleyan to a collegiate coach of the year at Edinboro University, and an Olympic Gold Medalist in between, McDonald glossed over his athletic achievements and focused his brief remarks on the missionary work he has been doing in the Dominican Republic.

 

“People go on this trip, and their lives are changed,” McDonald said.

 

The founder of the group Meeting God in Missions and the author of the book A Journey with God: Meeting God in Missions told a few stories of a Bridgeport from another era and concluded his remarks by inviting everyone in attendance to join him on a mission trip.

 

“Come and see me in January,” said McDonald.

 

Finally, former special education teacher Pamela Hotsinpiller accepted her induction. Also a native of Taylor County, she cited some of her parents’ struggles as what drew her into her career path.

 

“I believe my father’s mental illness cultivated a compassion within me for individuals with special needs,” Hotsinpiller said.

 

She spent the majority of her remarks speaking of friends, colleagues, and students who have taught her lessons and shaped her life, crediting her husband for helping her understand what it means to be a teacher.

 

“Jim taught me that being a teacher was being a public servant,” said Hotsinpiller.

 

She spoke of operating by the principle that “It’s all about the kids,” and how she made it her personal mission to treat every student the way she wanted her own sons to be treated.

 

Hotsinpiller concluded with the simple statement, “I am who I am because of the circumstances that God has allowed me to experience.”

 

Dye wrapped up the banquet with a heartfelt thank you, and the remainder of the night was filled with photographs and fellowship among old and new friends.

 

Overall it was a very special evening in a very special school in a very special community. As it is most every year with this event, the inductees are really not the ones receiving the honors. It is those in attendance who receive the honor of listening to the stories, experiences, and the life lessons shared by the members of the Bridgeport High School Alumni & Friends Foundation Hall of Fame. 

 

Click HERE for a photo gallery from the event by Ben Queen.

 

Editor's Note: Top photo is a group shot of this year's inductees. Pictured, individually, from the top are Dan McNamee, Curtis Fleming, Jim McDonald and Pam Hotsinpiller. All photos by Ben Queen of www.benqueenphotography.com.