Click on the link below to access the photos featured on our state-of-the-art graphic panels of the Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame:
Hall of Fame Graphic Panels
History of the Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame
The idea for establishing an Athletic Hall of Fame at Brewer High School began with newly hired Athletic Administrator David Utterback in the fall of 2012. After meeting a group of Brewer alumni who were seeking to erect a memorial stone at Heddericg Field, Mr. Utterback invited several of those involved in that project to explore the concept of a Hall of Fame for Brewer High School. However, the project was put on hold to await news of the pending BHS renovation scheduled to begin the summer of 2013.
It was at that time that the initial formal Hall of Fame Committee formed to craft bylaws and establish a process for induction. The initial committee, comprised of administrators, teachers, coaches and alumni, all with a passion for Brewer sports, included David Utterback, Dan O’Connell, Jim White, Norris Nickerson, Dennis Kiah, David Jeffrey, Becky Bubar, Kathleen Cahill, Anne Pooler, Dottie Whalen, Jim Garrity, Dick Gray and Superintendent Jay McIntire.
Original Hall of Fame Committee
Front Row L-R: Dan O'Connell, Anne Pooler, Kathleen Cahill, Rebecca Bubar, Jim White, Dick Gray
Back Row L-R: Dave Jeffrey, Dennis Kiah, David Utterback, Paul Soucy (2017)
Absent from photo: Jim Garrity, Norris Nickerson, Dottie Whalen and Jay McIntire
In the summer of 2013, the timing was perfect to incorporate the Hall of Fame project to coincide with the major renovations commencing at the high school. The Hall of Fame Committee, working closely with engineers at WBRC, designed a state-of-the-art physical hall of fame to be displayed in the new main lobby of Brewer High School.
Although the project piggybacked off the $8.4 million renovation, through the efforts of the committee and support of the community, the Hall of Fame Committee surpassed the goal of raising the additional $30,000 necessary for the construction of the of the physical hall of fame concept, as seen in the architectural rendering below. The project encompassed four custom graphic panels protected by glass overlays, custom millwork and lettering, additional wall support structures as well as payment to the architects and designers who worked so diligently to put our ideas on paper for all to see.
During the summer of 2014, a sub-committee was formed to select the photos that would be displayed on the graphic panels. Committee members Kathleen Cahill, Jim White, Jim Garrity, Dennis Kiah and Dan O'Connell spent countless hours researching and outlining a comprehensive historical timeline of Brewer Sports from the 1800’s to the present. Scouring through old yearbooks, reaching out to past coaches, community members and the Brewer Historical Society, the sub-committee assembled an array of photos of athletes, coaches and teams which reflect the history of sports at Brewer High School. Each sport offered throughout our school’s history is represented on the graphic panels. Photos for each panel honor an era in our sports history: Pre-1960’s, 1960-1979, 1980-1999 and 2000-The Present.
To see the photos featured on the graphic panels, click here: HALL OF FAME GRAPHIC PANELS
As guests enter the main lobby of Brewer High School, they are greeted by this "first class" structure. Individuals and teams inducted into the Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame have their names affixed to the glass overlay that protect the graphic panels. In addition to the graphic panels, new trophy cases were installed in the Hall of Fame area as well as a large interactive TV where students and community members can access info about the Hall of Fame inductees and their athletic accomplishments as well as the history of sports at Brewer High School including descriptions of the graphic panel photographs.
In 2017, Richard & Donna (Corey) Varney became the official sponsors and naming partner of the Hall of Fame. In this financial partnership, the Varney’s have ensured the financial stability for the “Brewer Athletic Hall of Fame presented by Richard and Donna Corey-Varney” for decades to come. To read more about the Varney’s and their legacy, please click this link: RICHARD AND DONNA COREY VARNEY SPONSORSHIP
Thank you to the following CONSTRUCTION DONORS who made the Brewer High School Athletic Hall of Fame possible:
MAJOR CONTRIBUTORS ($2,500+):
Brewer Athletic Boosters Club
Getchell Brothers Ice and the Farnham Family
WBRC Architects & Engineers
"GOLD" LEVEL CONTRIBUTORS ($1,000-$2,499):
Richard & Donna (Corey) Varney
Daniel J. O'Connell and the entire O'Connell family
Robert E. and Kuniko K. Kiah Jr.
"SILVER" LEVEL CONTRIBUTORS ($500-$999):
Ellsworth Subway- Roger White and the White family
Larry Winchester
Anonymous I
Robert Giffard
Thomas Kelly III
Anonymous II
Cross Insurance
Alan Leathers
BHS Class of 1963
Gilman Electric Supply Co / CED (Lighting Supplier)
Sheryl Winchester & James Raczek
"BRONZE" LEVEL CONTRIBUTORS ($100-$499):
Jerry Goss
Jim Garrity
David Farley
Anne Allen (Robbins)
Vaughn Holyoke
Everett V. Pellon
Daniel Coombs
Robert Laliberte
Anonymous III
Charles C. Porter ("Cuppy")
Richard Farley
Nelson Savage
Patricia Farley
Sandra Green
William and Judy Fraser
Clifton Wood
Gayle Ferris Moores & Ronald Moores
Don Harnum
Allan and Cheryl Snell
CONTRIBUTORS ($1-$99):
Ralph & Peggy Holyoke
Judy (Cann) Martin & James Martin
Debbie (Blethen) Utterback
Bob Bragg
Robert Vachon
Larry T. Doughty
LeRoy Crawford
Robert Roy
Sheila Tardiff McReavy
Harry T. Bowden Jr.
Timothy and Nancy Costain
Wilson Jones
E. Jane Gohs
Leroy & Gail Stewart
Loretta Pomeroy
Dave Willette
Edson W. Arnold
Robert E. Jude
Wallace Hinckley (Class of '57)
Kathleen Hamm Wade (Class of '62)
Robert E. Blanchard
Jamerson Crowley
Charles Milan IV