Blacksburg High School announced its 2019-2020 Hall of Fame Class today. Inductees will be formally recognized at the BHS Homecoming Game on Friday, September 20. Inductees include:
Jeffery Raines (Class of 1960)
- Jeff was a Two-Time State Champion in Wrestling becoming the first and still the only Two-Time Wrestling State Champion in BHS history
- Captain of the Wrestling Team his sophomore, junior and senior years, Jeff earned four letters in wrestling and two in football
- Jeff was a 4-time State Wrestling Tournament Qualifier with an overall record of 44-2 with his only defeats coming from those who would go on to win the State Championship in his freshman and sophomore year.
- Wrestling at the 106-pound class as a junior and 112-pound weight class as a senior, Jeff went undefeated with back-to-back state championships.
- Jeff has remained in Blacksburg where he entered into private business, and helped coach sandlot football.
- He and his wife Patricia are retired and are active members of the Ellett Baptist Church
James “Buddy” Buford (Class of 1963)
- James was a multi-sport athlete at BHS earning 10 Varsity Letters – four in baseball, three in football and three in basketball
- James was awarded the H.B. Dillon Award and the Blacksburg Sports Club – Outstanding Athlete his senior year.
- He was a member of the National Honor Society and attended Boys State
- James would go on to play basketball at Virginia Tech where he graduated in 1967 and later earned his Master Degree from Radford University in 1974
- James 38 year career in education led him to teach and coach at both Christiansburg and Radford High School where he was the Head Basketball Coach and later became the principal at Radford High School.
- James retired in 2005 and he and his wife, Sue live in Radford. They have two children: Son – Matt (wife Jenny) and Daughter – Megan (husband Gabe Corey) and four grandchildren.
Charles P. (Chuck) Shorter (Class of 1968)
- Chuck Shorter a 1968 graduate was a 2-sport letterman in Football and Track
- He had perfect attendance from his first day of school in elementary to his last day of school his senior year. He was recognized with an award for his commitment and perfect attendance.
- His football playing career started in the fourth Grade while attending McGuffey Elementary School in Radford, Virginia. Chuck began attending Blacksburg Elementary School during his seventh grade year due to his mother being a teacher in Blacksburg. Chuck and his family (Parents) Joe and Frances Shorter and (Sister) Mary (Shorter) Saylor ’66 graduate moved to Blacksburg during his eighth grade year.
- Chuck was very involved and active in 4-H (Livestock Judging) and FFA while attending school in Blacksburg.
- Shorter is known throughout the community and by former teammates as one of the toughest and strongest athletes to play football for the Blacksburg Indians.
- He helped anchor the Blacksburg Indian Offensive and Defensive Lines for the 1966 New River District Championship team and the 1967 team where he played for legendary coaches such as Bill Brown, Allen Wiley, Cam Wiley and Ken Stickley.
- The final game of the 1966 season against Hillsville would determine the New River District Champions. Chuck (defensive tackle) recovered a defensive fumble in the end zone for the touchdown to help the Blacksburg Indians secure the 1966 District Championship
- During the 1967 season the Indians were taking on rival Giles Spartans. As the Indians trailed the Spartans 12-6 late in the second half. The 6-5 Chuck Shorter (defensive tackle) batted the pass up and intercepted it and returned it 45 yards for the touchdown. This touchdown put the Indians in the lead and they never looked back as the Indians won the game 19-12.
- Shorter was recruited out of high school by many schools and became a member of the nationally recognized powerhouse football program at Ferrum Junior College in 1969-70 season where he played for the legendary Head Coach Hank Norton.
- After his time at Ferrum Junior College and evaluating the recruiting process, Chuck returned home and accepted a full scholarship to play football at Virginia Tech during the 1970-71 and 1971-72 seasons. He graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Animal Science
- He received the Virginia Tech Monogram Club Football Letter – 1972
- Through hard work, common sense and learning efforts at Virginia Tech he has become known as one of the most knowledgeable and sought after farmers in the agriculture and livestock industry for our area and Virginia. While managing and operating his own family farm, he also worked for 30 years at Virginia Tech in the farming and agriculture industry before retiring.
- Chuck is a known leader, hard worker and genuine steward of the community.
- He received the prestigious Presidential Award from Virginia Tech in 1997 for his talents and dedication to Virginia Tech and the agricultural field.
- Chuck Shorter has served on many boards and commissions within our region and state. Some of the more notable ones are Montgomery County Board of Supervisors, Montgomery County Board of Zoning Appeals, New River-Highlands Resource Conservation and Development Council (Past President), Virginia State Farm Service Agency Board, Extension Leadership Council, Christiansburg Southern States Cooperative Board, Farm Bureau and the Virginia Forage and Grassland Council
- He lives with his wife Joan on their family farm in the Long Shop community just outside of Blacksburg. He has two married daughters that graduated from Blacksburg High School – Amy ‘91 (Brad ‘92) Epperley of Long Shop and Olivia ‘90 (Julian) Devereux of Falls Church, Virginia. He has 4 grandchildren – Cole ‘2019 and Parker ‘2022 Epperley; Finley and Jack Devereux.
Julie Myers Grender (Class of 1983)
- Julie was a dual sport athlete with an unusual combination of Basketball and Swimming.
- In basketball, she was on the JV team her freshman year and on a successful varsity team her sophomore and junior years.
- In the pool was where Julie excelled the most, which created the hard decision to forgo basketball her senior year to focus on swimming and her future college career.
- Her freshman year Julie brought attention to the sport of swimming which precipitated the creation of the Blacksburg High School Swim Team in 1979.
- As a club swimmer, Julie qualified for Junior Nationals three years in a row (1981-83) in the 100 and 200 backstroke events. She also qualified for Y-Nationals in 1983.
- Academically at BHS, Julie was in the National Honor Society, Student Council, Jayteens and received a citizenship award from the Daughters of the America Revolution and the Rebecca Orr Outstanding Math Student award.
- Julie received a scholarship to swim for Virginia Tech, where she set team records in the 100 and 200 backstroke and three relays in 1983, and qualified for NCAA Division I Swimming Championship in 1984.
- While swimming for Tech, Julie was honored as an Academic All-State first team member and received All-American, All-State and All-Conference Honors; and she was also co-captain of the 1986-87 team.
- During her senior year, Julie was given Tech’s highest academic award for an athlete, the Frank P. Loria award.
- Academically, Julie majored in Statistics at Va. Tech and went on to earn a PhD in Biostatistics at LSU Medical Center in New Orleans in 1991.
- Julie is employed by The Procter & Gamble Company where she has worked as a Research Fellow statistician for the past 27 years.
Julie has supported her three children in their academic and athletic endeavors, and currently resides in Cincinnati OH with her husband, Andy Grender, also a BHS graduate.
Meredith Braine Shealor (Class of 1994)
- Meredith Braine Shealor was a 3-sport athlete and 4-year letter winner at Blacksburg High School, earning nine letters in basketball, volleyball, and track
- She was a member of three State Championship Teams
- For volleyball, she was co-captain for two years.
- She was named first Team All New River District for three consecutive years
- She was named New River District Hitter of the Year for two consecutive years
- Meredith was named first Team All-Region her junior and senior year
- She was named “Region Hitter of the Year” her junior year
- She was named First-Team All-State her senior year and was selected to play on the Virginia All-Star Team
- She was given the Blacksburg Sports Club Outstanding Senior Athlete Award in 1994
- In basketball, Meredith was named to the New River District Team for three consecutive years and was co-captain for two years
- Meredith was a starting member of the basketball team where they won back to back state championships and were undefeated for those two years
- In track, Meredith was a sprinter, running the 100m, 200m, and 4×100 relay
- She was on the All New River District Team for two consecutive years
- In 1991, she qualified to compete in the state meet in the 100m where team won the state championship
- She was named “Blacksburg High School Female Athlete of the Year” and was selected Who’s Who among American High School Students as well as Who’s Who in Sports
- Meredith earned a full scholarship to play volleyball at Virginia Tech and was a four year letter winner
- She played in every match of her college career
- She was a co-captain for two years
- During her career she was selected first Team All-Atlantic 10 Conference
- She was selected to the Virginia Tech All-Academic Team as well as the Academic All-Conference Team for the Atlantic 10
- Meredith was named a GTE District III Academic All-American
- On Sept 28, 1998 she was selected the Atlantic 10 Player of the Week
- She is one of 17 players in Virginia Tech history to have 1000 career digs
- She is currently ranked seventh in Virginia Tech history with 1,241 career digs
- Earned her undergraduate and graduate degrees from Virginia Tech in five years
- Meredith married her high school sweetheart, James Shealor, and they have three children together: Bennett (15), Brody (13) and Sullivan (9).
- They live in Blacksburg where Meredith works for Montgomery County Public Schools as a Health/Physical Education Teacher at Blacksburg Middle School
Clay Robert Schwabe (Class of 1997)
- Clay earned 10 varsity letters in Cross Country, indoor Track, and Outdoor Track during his Blacksburg High School Career.
- Earned All-State honors in cross-country and in the outdoor mile as a Junior
- As a senior, he earned All-State honors in cross-country, the indoor mile, the 800 meter run, the outdoor mile, and as a member of the 4 x 800m relay team.
- In 1997, he set a Blacksburg High School record in the individual 800 meter run.
- As a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy he earned nine varsity letters in cross-country, indoor Track, and Outdoor Track.
- Over the course of his sophmore, junior, and senior years at West Point he competed in five NCAA Division 1 Championships in the Men’s 1500 meters – earning All American honors in 2001.
- He was a USA Track and Field National Championship Finalist in the 1500 m run in the summer of 2001, and qualified for the World University Games in Bejing, China.
- He was ranked in the top 10 of American milers in the nation among collegiate and professional athletes in 2001.
- He became the only cadet in West Point history to break the four-minute mile barrier twice during a four-year cadet career.
- After graduation he was selected as a member of the Army’s World-Class Athlete Program and achieved the Olympic trials qualifying standard in 2004.
- Eighteen years later, he still holds three Academy records at West Point: in the Outdoor Mile, the Men’s 1,000 meter run, and the Men’s 1500 meter run.
- All-State 1996 – Outdoor 1600m (third)
- All-State 1996 – XC (fifth individual)
- All-State 1997 – Indoor Mile (second)
- All-State 1997 – Outdoor 800m (third) – BHS School record… 1:57
- All-State 1997 – Outdoor 1600m (third) – 4:26
- All-State 1997 – 4x800m (third)
- USA National Championships Finalist 2001 – sixth place (3:38.53). Ranked 10th in the US that year in the mile/1500
- NCAA DI All-American 2001 1500m
- IC4A 1500m Champion 2001
- World University Games Qualifier – 2001
- West Point Record Holder – 1500m (3:38.53) mile (3:58.91), 1000m (2:23.64) – all three still stand
- Patriot League Record Holder – 1000m (2:23.64) – still stands
- Patriot League T&F Athlete of the Year 2001, 2002
- Member US Army World Class Athlete Program – US Olympic Trials Qualifying Standard 2004
–Blacksburg High School