Heather Bell
hbell@ourvalley.org
The week of August 20 – 26 is Radford High School Hall of Fame Week, as proclaimed by city council on Monday.
Established in 2008, the RHS Hall of Fame honors standout RHS student athletes. This year’s class of six inductees brings the total to 86 and includes some well-known Radford residents.
“I’m very excited about this list,” said Councilman Keith Marshall.
The 2017 inductees include Sidney S. Johnson (50s and 60s), George A. “Abie” Williams (70s), Camille Rutzinski Kelly (80s), Robert G. Lineburg (80s), Dana O. Palmer (80s) and Elizabeth “Beth” King (80s and 90s).
Marshall said he is glad to see his former RHS Bobcat football teammate, Dana Palmer, make the list. Palmer passed away more than a decade ago, but his prowess on the football field as a standout running back and his great character are long remembered.
“I spent a lot of time in practice watching Dana disappear from the defense,” said Marshall. “He was a great person and a heck of an athlete.”
The Hall of Fame inductees will be honored on Friday, August 25 at the RHS home football game and again in a ceremony on Saturday, August 26. Each inductee will be given a framed copy of the council proclamation.
Council also made several appointments to boards and commissions at Monday’s meeting, including: David Horton, Jeff Weaver and Steve Frye to the beautification commission; Jeff Cumberland to the Radford Economic Development Authority; Vicky Collins to the New River Valley Community Services Board; Sonya Nicely and Nishant Grover to the Library Board; Mark Armentrout and Rick Slavings to the Recreation Commission; Penny Sweet to the Social Services Board; Fred McCoy to the Board of Zoning Appeals; Bruce VanArsdale and Tara Skews to the Building Code Board of Appeals; Tom Starnes to the New River Resource Authority; Naomi Huntington to the NRV Alcohol Safety board; Helen Harvey to the NRV Regional Commission; Robert Asbury to the Pepper’s Ferry Regional Waste Water Authority; Councilman Rob Gropman and Mark Williams to the City/ University Joint Commission; David Ridpath, Jenni Wilder, Deb Cooney and Rob Gropman to the Highlander’s Festival Committee; and Marceline Hunter, Naomi Huntington, Catherine Cotrupi, Steve Frye and Bryan Ward to the Tourism Commission.
City Council’s next meeting is set for 7 p.m. Monday, Sept. 11.