Alumni Hall of Fame
The Port Jervis
School District established the Alumni Hall of Fame to recognize
individuals who were educated and inspired by our school system.
Those selected for this honor have achieved personal success and
have made a significant contribution to society. They will serve
as role models to inspire current and future generations of
students.
The
2010 Alumni Hall of Fame inductees were honored October 10,
2010 at
the second annual induction banquet. Pictured (from left) are
Chris Farlekas, '47; Perrie Whitten who accepted the award for
her father Chuck Salmon, '47; Anita Pahmahmie Evans, '76; Linda
Dunn Brown who along with her brother Bo accepted the award for
their father Eddie Dunn,’35; Gib Romaine, '62; Bo Dunn;
Col.
Steven Dutkus, '83; Col. (Ret) Steve Banach, '77; and
LTC David
(Ret) Farace, '77
Click here for more banquet photos.
 Eddie Dunn
Class of 1935
Legendary Port Jervis High School football player Eddie Dunn
went on to be a star running back for the University of Miami
where he held every rushing and return record in Hurricane
history. It took 62 years for his last punt record to be broken.
Dunn was drafted by the Detroit Lions, but remained at Miami to
coach. He went on to become the head coach for both football and
baseball, and served as athletic director from 1943-45. After he
retired, Dunn, who married the daughter of the founder and first
president of UM, continued to serve the university as president
of the Alumni Association and as a member of the Board of
Trustees from 1964 until his death in 1980. Dunn is one of four
members of the UM inaugural Sports Hall of Fame class. In 2009,
he was posthumously awarded one of the University of Miami’s
greatest accolades – the UM football ring of honor – along with
Bennie Blades and Steve Walsh.
 Chuck Salmon
Class of 1947
A versatile football player, Chuck Salmon played offensive
guard and defensive tackle at Williams College, leading his team
to win the “Little Three Championship.” The team captain also
earned four athletic letters, and qualified for the first-team
"Little All American" status in senior year.
When he graduated
in 1952, Salmon was asked to try out for three NFL teams: the
New York Yanks, Philadelphia Eagles (World Champions 48-49), and
the Detroit Lions.
But, he joined the U. S. Air Force as a commissioned officer.
After receiving his wings, he flew an F86 Saber jet. When his
squad was attacked by Russian-made MiGs, Salmon was credited
with 1.5 kills and decorated for valor with the Distinguished
Flying Cross. This action almost reignited the Korean War. In
1958, he was selected to join the elite Thunderbird air
demonstration squadron. In 1959, Salmon died during a
Thunderbird training flight prior to reaching his dream of being
Port’s first astronaut.
 Chris Farlekas
Class of 1947
Writer, arts advocate, and storyteller Chris Farlekas has been
a shining example of a community journalist in the Mid-Hudson
Valley since 1964. His writing career actually began at Port
Jervis High School when he served as the editor of the Port
Jervis High School newspaper and 1947 yearbook.
After
graduation, Farlekas joined the Army, serving as a combat medic
in Korea. When he came home, Farlekas traveled 15,000 miles to
visit the families of the soldiers who died on the battlefield,
sharing their last words with their loved ones.
After earning a degree in English, Farlekas returned to writing,
working as a reporter for the Times Herald-Record in Middletown
for the next 45 years. Most of his career was spent covering the
Port Jervis area. Since his retirement in 1998, Farlekas has
continued to write stories about the arts and his hometown for
The Port Jervis Gazette. In 2006, he was awarded an honorary
doctoral degree from Mount Saint Mary College in recognition of
raising more than $2 million for charities over the years
through his production of benefit shows and other events. At the
age of 80, he also serves on the Friends of the Port Jervis Library
Board and as a champion for all things in Port Jervis.
 Gib Romaine
Class of 1962
Gib Romaine coached football at University of Maryland for 14 seasons
including the last four as defensive coordinator under head
coach Bobby Ross. During his tenure, the Terps won six ACC
titles and appeared in 11 post-season bowls.
Romaine coached
three NFL first-round picks including 1974 Outland and Lombardi
Trophy winner Randy White. He also helped the program by working
for 10 years as fundraiser for the Terrapin Club. Later, he
served as assistant athletic director at Mt. St. Mary’s College
in Maryland. Currently, he serves as the athletic director at
Hood College in Maryland.
 Anita Pahmahmie Evans
Class of 1976
After graduating from Port Jervis, Evans went on to earn a
degree in physical education and French from Emporia State. In
1980, she started her teaching career in Kansas in the Kew
Valley School District. During her 15 year tenure, Evans coached
numerous sports including volleyball, track, softball,
basketball, and the drill team.
Since 1995, she has served as
the Title VII (Indian Education Federal Funds) director and as a
physical education teacher at Royal Valley High School, where
she has coached volleyball and softball. In 1997, Evans was
named Native American Educator of the Year by the Kansas
Association of Native American Education. Four years later, she
was named National Indian Teacher of the Year by National Indian
Education Association.
 Col.
Steve Banach
Class of 1977
A Red Raider football First Team All-New York State selection
and wrestling standout, Steve Banach went on to wrestle and
letter for the legendary Dan Gable at the University of Iowa. He
was also a member of the All-Army Wrestling Team and runner-up
in the 1984 USA Olympic Freestyle Wrestling Eastern Regional
Tournament. After graduating and completing the University of
Iowa ROTC Program, Banach was commissioned as a U.S. Army
infantry officer in 1983. Banach retired in August 2010 after
more than 27 years of service to the Nation, which included nine
years of service in the 75th Ranger Regiment.
He served in the Gulf War in 1991, Operation Enduring Freedom in
2001 and 2002 in Afghanistan, and Operation Iraqi Freedom in
2003. Banach’s illustrious career included commands at the
company level, two battalion commands, and brigade level
command, which included six combat deployments. In 2007, he was
selected by Four-Star Army leadership to serve as the Director
of the prestigious School of Advanced Military Studies (SAMS).
Banach’s military awards and decorations include the
Distinguished Service Medal, the Nation’s third highest award;
two Legion of Merit Awards; a Bronze Star for Service in combat
in Afghanistan; and a Bronze Star with “Valor Device” for
heroism in the first Gulf War. A U.S. Army Airborne Ranger,
Banach earned two Combat Bronze Jumps Stars for parachute
assaults into Afghanistan in 2001 as the spearhead for the
Global War on Terrorism and for a combat jump into western Iraq
in 2003.
 LTC David Farace
Class of 1977
Star quarterback for the Port Jervis Raiders and the Army Sprint
Football Team, Farace led the cadets to two consecutive national
championships - twice being named MVP of the annual Army-Navy
game. At graduation, Farace was presented the Colonel John A.
Robenson Memorial (Outstanding Player) Award, and commissioned a
second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.
In over 20 years of military service, Farace served in the 4th
Infantry Division, had multiple overseas tours, and deployed on
numerous exercises and operations in Europe, the Middle East,
and the Pacific. He served in command or on staff at the
battalion, brigade, division, and corps level, and on the
faculty of the U.S. Army Engineer School. Farace was the
Operations Officer for the U.S. Engineer Group in Turkey during
Operation Provide Comfort; Chief of Staff of the Task Force
Pershing deployed to the Balkans in support of Operation Joint
Endeavor; and Director of Public Works supporting the Supreme
Headquarters Allied Powers Europe during the Kosovo War - the
first campaign in the 50 year history of the North Atlantic
Treaty Organization (NATO). Following his promotion to
lieutenant colonel, Farace served as the Director of
Installation Support, Fort Belvoir, VA, where he led a
500-person strong work force responsible for public works,
facilities, engineering, housing, fire protection, safety,
logistics, and environmental services. After retiring from
uniformed service, Farace, who holds a master's degree in civil
engineering from North Carolina State University, was selected
to serve as the first executive director of the Facility Program
Office for the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency - a
combat support element of the Department of Defense. An athlete,
a soldier, and an engineer, Farace has dedicated three decades
of public service to the Nation.
 Col. Steven Dutkus
Class of 1983
After graduating from Port Jervis, Dutkus went on to graduate
from the Air Force Academy in 1987. A decorated fighter pilot,
Dutkus flew missions in Operations Desert Shield and Desert
Storm. During his 23 years of service, Dutkus has also served as
an F-15C instructor pilot, worked for the Deputy Undersecretary
of the Air Force, and lead the team responsible for flight
operations and parachuting at the Air Force Academy.
In 1997, Dutkus
was named the Air Force Association’s Flight Commander of the
Year. He returned to flying the F-15C in 2003 as mission
commander of Operation Noble Eagle, which was responsible for
patrolling U.S. airspace to prevent further “9/11 style
attacks.” Later, he commanded the Air Force Academy’s airmanship
training program which conducts 15,000 training and competition
flights annually for cadets. After graduating from the
highly-selective Air War College, Dutkus was named Deputy
Director of Operations for NATO Combined Air Operations Center
in Turkey.
2010 Hall of Fame Committee
The district wants to thank the
following alumni, teachers, staff, school board member, and
community members for serving on the Hall of Fame Committee:
Christine Addy,'89 Tom Hoppey,
'49
Frank Bell, '60 Jared Kahmar,
'96
John Bell, '85 Lori Lawrence,
'81
Kevin Birmingham, '71 Tom Leek,
'78
Tom Bongiovi
Luann McCarthy, '76
Deb Cassara, '76 Mike McCarthy,
'52
Phil Chase, '50 Deb Meerdink,
'90
Mike Cordisco, '78 Richard Roberts,
'66
Kelly Decker, '85
George Rollman
Nancy Dunn Dan Ronson,
'03
John Faggione, '90 Ron Semerano,
'73
Chris Farlekas, '47 Bill Smith,
'78
Lynn Hendershot, 83 Hugh Spangenberg,
'59
Jim Hendry, '95 John Xanthis
2009 - INAUGURAL HALL OF FAME
Click here for the 2009 Hall of Fame Page
to learn
more about the seven distinguished alumni.
Click here to see more photos of the Hall of
Fame Banquet & to watch the
Channel 6 news segment about the
inaugural induction ceremony.
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