Bridgeport High School Hall of Fame Class of 2016 Inductees Announced; Tickets for Event on Sale
By Jeff Toquinto on August 12, 2016 via Connect-Bridgeport.com
Bridgeport High School’s Hall of Fame is set to get a little bit larger in a little more than a month. The Bridgeport High School Alumni & Friends Foundation, which is responsible for the creation of the Hall of Fame, have announced the date for this year’s dinner and have 
also announced the inductees.
also announced the inductees.
The Class of 2016 will be recognized Sept. 17 at the Bridgeport Conference Center. Four members comprise this year’s honorees including Hugh Gainer, John Ebert, Marilyn McClure-Demers and the late Walter Barth.
Social hour will kick off the evening at 6 p.m. It will be followed dinner at 7 p.m. The cost to attend is $30 and tickets can be purchased by contacting the high school, any member of the Foundation or Darletta Stout, Foundation President, at 304-203-8300.
“For those that attend they can expect an evening filled with fellowship, pride and sense of community like no other,” said Stout.
The dinner is open to the community. You do not have to be a graduate of Bridgeport High School to attend.
As for this year’s honorees, it’s a distinguished group that includes the following:
- Hugh Gainer: Gainer was a long-time educator at Bridgeport High School. His impact on students can be traced for decades and he also was one of the school’s most decorated coaches with several state titles to his credit. Gainer was beloved not only by those he coached, but by his students as well.
- Walter Barth: Barth, who passed away earlier this year, was a major volunteer in the community and at Bridgeport High School including work with United Hospital Center and with the Indians’ football program. Along with serving as a coach for the Indians, Barth was the point man for the first artificial turf project.
- John Ebert: Ebert is known by man as one of Bridgeport’s most successful businessmen for owning dozens of McDonald’s within and outside of West Virginia. However, Ebert is also a significant community leader who has been a long-time contributor to BHS, including major contributions on the academic front.
- Marilyn McClure-Demers. The former Marilyn McClure is a 1984 graduate of Bridgeport High School who left the area and state and has gone on to big things. Currently, she is one of the most prominent lawyers in the state of Ohio and is the president of the Ohio Women's Bar Association.
This marks the second year the event has been held at the Bridgeport Conference Center. For years, it was held at the Bridgeport High School Cafeteria.
“We just ran out of space and that was a bit of a problem,” said Stout. “It was a good problem to have and the Conference Center is an excellent place for the event.”
The first class, which included Dr. John H. Lodge, Maxine Moose Bruhns and William Dunkin Lodge, was inducted in 2007. For the complete list of inductees, click HERE.
