Distinguished Alumni

Between the years 1938 through 1976, over 7,000 young adults roamed the halls of Canton Lehman High School. We will never know the full, life stories of most of these classmates. Many were filled with success, many with a life of tragedy. It was not until 1993, the year that the Canton Lehman High School Association was organized that some of these lives started to reappear. In 2000, the very first effort was made to try and recognise those who had gone on to careers that would eventually impact the lives of so many others.

Since the first Distinguished Alumni awards were presented in 2001, over 150 names have been submitted for recognition. Their contributions cover a wide range of services be it art, civic, education, alumni, entertainment, athletics, military and business. So take a minute and click the link below to view who these outstanding individuals are and then look up their biographies in the January/Winter edition of the Lehman Journals.

Also, if you know of an alumni that you feel is worthy of this honor, please forward us their name and a brief synopsis of why you feel they would be worthy.

2001 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts Ellen Sinclair Junger 1947
Athletics Thurman Munson 1965
Business Stanley Ewing 1939
Civic/Community Mary Kay Wenger 1939
Medical Dr. Bernie McConnell 1946

2002 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Athletics Joe Gilhousen 1966
Business Ward Scott 1948
Civic/Community John Werren 1955
Education John Pieper 1958
Medical Dr. Joe Niamtu III 1969
Military Billy E. Deames 1960
Service to Alma Mater Jay Jones 1945
Teacher/Coach/Administrator Esther G. Smith  

2003 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment Janet Jerles Folsom 1953
Athletics Jack Greenwald 1945
Business Jason McCoy 1941
Civic/Community Gregg Schorsten 1965
Education Brent Bircher 1971
Military Gene C. Sue 1949
Service to Alma Mater Harry Steineck 1948
Teacher/Coach/Administrator Chet Fair 1943

2004 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Athletics Jack Lothamer 1942
Business Milan McMannis 1956
Civic/Community Claude (Skip) Shriver 1971
Education William J. Scoggan 1961
Military Larry Taylor 1951
Service to Alma Mater Karl Shank 1941
Teacher/Coach/Administrator Richard Myser 1941

2005 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment Suzanne Claflin Strew 1953
Athletics Jay Wagner 1941
Business Rocco Macri 1949
Civic/Community Mary Alice Smith Jones 1951
Education Dianne Talarico 1975
Medical Dr. Irving Gordon 1944
Service to Alma Mater Barbara Montgomery Udeck 1956

2006 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment Charlie Pickens 1940
Athletics Bill Wentz 1956
Business Jack Shearer 1945
Civic/Community Harry Klide 1949
Education Cynthia Meshel Loukas 1968
Military William Allan 1943
Service to Alma Mater Shirley & Jack Smith 1943

2007 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment Barbara Smith Hilbish 1946
Athletics The Class of 1952 Athletic Teams  
Business William Lemmon 1955
Civic/Community Carl Lavin 1942
Education Wendell "Bud" Williams 1950
Military Karl Shank 1941
Service to Alma Mater Dick Burrell 1956

2008 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment Lowell Ellsworth Smith 1942
Athletics 1971 State Basketball Champs  
Business Steve Brown 1970
Civic/Community Arlene A. Bartlow 1944
Education Richard Hart 1972
Military Rene' McClean 1953
Service to Alma Mater Bruce Williamson 1976

2009 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment Joe Vitale 1947
Athletics Pauline Frey Whitacre 1945
Business Raymond G. Wilkof 1944
Civic/Community Joanne Murray 1967
Education Richard L. Dorland
Military Lt. Col. George Canterbury 1952
Service to Alma Mater Bill Maronitis 1957
Service to Alma Mater Joe Helaney 1951

2010 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment Tom Robbins 1972
Athletics Susan Ketler Wise 1958
Business Tony May 1965
Civic/Community Richard Milligan 1972
Education John Lothrop 1944
Medical Richard Weaver 1953
Military Steve Gilmore 1970
Service to Alma Mater Gus Reale 1956
Service to Alma Mater Bill Rearick 1955

2011 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment David Horton 1969
Athletics Robert Fleischer 1959
Business Dan Finn 1974
Civic/Community Tom Pieper 1960
Education James Casper 1949
Medical Elaine Esber Elias 1957
Service to Alma Mater Corinne Esber Mahshie 1956
Teacher/Coach/Administrator Kent Smith 1959

2012 Distinguished Alumni Recipients

Arts/Entertainment Deborah Fezelle 1970
Athletics Lenny May 1965
Business Alex Garcia 1965
Civic/Community Helen Elite Kostel 1952
Medical Howard Weaver, M.D. 1957
Military Don Miller 1938
Service to Alma Mater Mark Shaheen 1976