2006 INDUCTEES
2006 Hall of Fame Inductions
- Congratulations to the second class of inductees to the RHS Hall of Fame! For 2006, we welcome ten RHS greats whose collective impact on the community and the country extends from the performing arts to politics to literature to cinema to sports.Margaret Prevost Beach '47 Janis Grant Berenstain '41 David Brooks '79 Lance Clemons '65 Charles Crawford '62 Randal Kleiser '64 Warren Lentz '30 Anna Moffo '50 Reggie Robinson '74 Sally Wilson Owens '70
MARGARET PREVOST BEACH ('47) -- Athlete, Coach
Margaret has been a longtime civic leader and athletic coach.
As a student at Radnor she played basketball, field hockey, softball and tennis. She is a 1951 graduate of Sargent College, where she swam and played field hockey, basketball, lacrosse and tennis and coached the senior basketball team.
Margaret was a physical education teacher at Radnor Jr. H.S. and coached at Radnor as well as at Eastern and Bryn Mawr colleges. She coached field hockey at Great Valley H.S.
For 15 years she was a Girl Scout leader and served as a member of its board of directors and head of the district council. She was lieutenant governor of the Kiwanis Club and president of the Regimental Officer Wives Club. With her husband Richard Beach she founded the Radnor Key Club and volunteered for the 4-H Club. She also found time to be a Sunday school teacher and Boy Scout den mother.
Margaret has been a longtime civic leader and athletic coach.
As a student at Radnor she played basketball, field hockey, softball and tennis. She is a 1951 graduate of Sargent College, where she swam and played field hockey, basketball, lacrosse and tennis and coached the senior basketball team.
Margaret was a physical education teacher at Radnor Jr. H.S. and coached at Radnor as well as at Eastern and Bryn Mawr colleges. She coached field hockey at Great Valley H.S.
For 15 years she was a Girl Scout leader and served as a member of its board of directors and head of the district council. She was lieutenant governor of the Kiwanis Club and president of the Regimental Officer Wives Club. With her husband Richard Beach she founded the Radnor Key Club and volunteered for the 4-H Club. She also found time to be a Sunday school teacher and Boy Scout den mother.
JANIS GRANT BERENSTAIN ('41) -- Author, Artist
Jan Berenstain, along with her husband Stan, created the Berenstain Bears, among most famous characters in childrens literature.Since the first bear book was published, Jan and Stans creations have inspired TV shows in 50 countries, amusement park attractions, toys and games.Jan attended junior and senior high school in Wayne. While a student at Radnor, Jan was co-captain of the varsity field hockey team in her senior year and co-art editor of the senior yearbook, in which she did Alice in Wonderland pen and ink drawings. She also used her artistic talent to make posters for school dances, sporting events, plays and concerts.Jan enrolled in the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art as a scholarship student in 1941, and met her future husband on her first day there. They married in 1946.Together they sold cartoons to such magazines as The Saturday Evening Post, McCalls, Good Housekeeping and Colliers. Their first book, in 1948, was Berenstains Baby Book, which was followed by several more books for young marrieds. Random House published their first bear book, The Big Honey Hunt, in 1962. Carrying on the Berenstain tradition, Jan and Stans two sons are writers and illustrators of books for older children.
Jan Berenstain, along with her husband Stan, created the Berenstain Bears, among most famous characters in childrens literature.Since the first bear book was published, Jan and Stans creations have inspired TV shows in 50 countries, amusement park attractions, toys and games.Jan attended junior and senior high school in Wayne. While a student at Radnor, Jan was co-captain of the varsity field hockey team in her senior year and co-art editor of the senior yearbook, in which she did Alice in Wonderland pen and ink drawings. She also used her artistic talent to make posters for school dances, sporting events, plays and concerts.Jan enrolled in the Philadelphia Museum School of Industrial Art as a scholarship student in 1941, and met her future husband on her first day there. They married in 1946.Together they sold cartoons to such magazines as The Saturday Evening Post, McCalls, Good Housekeeping and Colliers. Their first book, in 1948, was Berenstains Baby Book, which was followed by several more books for young marrieds. Random House published their first bear book, The Big Honey Hunt, in 1962. Carrying on the Berenstain tradition, Jan and Stans two sons are writers and illustrators of books for older children.
DAVID BROOKS ('79) -- Journalist, Author, Political Analyst
A columnist for The New York Times since 2003, David is a frequent political commentator on CNN, National Public Radio and the Newshour with Jim Lehrer on the Public Broadcasting System.
He has also been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard and contributes to such national publications as Newsweek, The New Yorker, Commentary, The New Republic and The Atlantic Monthly.
He has written two critically-acclaimed books, Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How they Got There and On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense. He is also the editor of an anthology, Backward and Upward: the New Conservative Writing.
David honed his skills at Radnor as a member of the Model United Nations and the debate team. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1983 and immediately became a police reporter for the City News Bureau, a wire service owned jointly by the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times. He worked for The Wall Street Journal for nine years, first as editor of the book review section and then as a foreign correspondent posted in Brussels, covering Russia, the Middle East, South Africa and European affairs. His last post at the Journal was as op-ed editor.
A columnist for The New York Times since 2003, David is a frequent political commentator on CNN, National Public Radio and the Newshour with Jim Lehrer on the Public Broadcasting System.
He has also been a senior editor at The Weekly Standard and contributes to such national publications as Newsweek, The New Yorker, Commentary, The New Republic and The Atlantic Monthly.
He has written two critically-acclaimed books, Bobos in Paradise: The New Upper Class and How they Got There and On Paradise Drive: How We Live Now (And Always Have) in the Future Tense. He is also the editor of an anthology, Backward and Upward: the New Conservative Writing.
David honed his skills at Radnor as a member of the Model United Nations and the debate team. He graduated from the University of Chicago in 1983 and immediately became a police reporter for the City News Bureau, a wire service owned jointly by the Chicago Tribune and Sun Times. He worked for The Wall Street Journal for nine years, first as editor of the book review section and then as a foreign correspondent posted in Brussels, covering Russia, the Middle East, South Africa and European affairs. His last post at the Journal was as op-ed editor.
LANCE CLEMONS ('65) -- Baseball Player
A successful athlete in high school and college, Lance played professional baseball primarily as a pitcher for several minor and major league teams, including the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros.
At Radnor H.S. Lance lettered in football and swimming and was captain of the baseball team. After graduating in 1965, he attended West Chester State College. As a collegian he was on the swimming team for two years but then signed with the Kansas City Royals as a first base/outfielder after his junior year and was assigned to Corning, N.Y. in the New York Penn League. He returned to West Chester to finish his senior year and graduate.
A successful athlete in high school and college, Lance played professional baseball primarily as a pitcher for several minor and major league teams, including the Kansas City Royals, St. Louis Cardinals and Houston Astros.
At Radnor H.S. Lance lettered in football and swimming and was captain of the baseball team. After graduating in 1965, he attended West Chester State College. As a collegian he was on the swimming team for two years but then signed with the Kansas City Royals as a first base/outfielder after his junior year and was assigned to Corning, N.Y. in the New York Penn League. He returned to West Chester to finish his senior year and graduate.
CHARLES "CARDY" CRAWFORD ('62) -- Author, Artist, Teacher
Cardy has had a distinguished career as a writer, artist and Radnor teacher.
A graduate of Radnor H.S. and Williams College, he taught at Radnor for 32 years and helped create the Radnor Middle School Humanities Program. He spent 26 years at the middle school before transferring to the high school.
Named The New York Times outstanding book of the year for young adults, his first book, Bad Fall, was published in 1972. He then published Three-Legged Race, Letter Perfect, and Split Time, all concerning young adult or adolescent problems. His books have been translated into Russian, German and Danish. As an artist he has worked in watercolor and oil and has exhibited in numerous art shows.
Cardy says he was inspired by his seventh and eighth grade teacher Ben Napier and high school teachers Wayne Miller and Rose Ferdinand, who allowed him to write a novelette in lieu of a senior research paper.
Cardy has had a distinguished career as a writer, artist and Radnor teacher.
A graduate of Radnor H.S. and Williams College, he taught at Radnor for 32 years and helped create the Radnor Middle School Humanities Program. He spent 26 years at the middle school before transferring to the high school.
Named The New York Times outstanding book of the year for young adults, his first book, Bad Fall, was published in 1972. He then published Three-Legged Race, Letter Perfect, and Split Time, all concerning young adult or adolescent problems. His books have been translated into Russian, German and Danish. As an artist he has worked in watercolor and oil and has exhibited in numerous art shows.
Cardy says he was inspired by his seventh and eighth grade teacher Ben Napier and high school teachers Wayne Miller and Rose Ferdinand, who allowed him to write a novelette in lieu of a senior research paper.
RANDAL KLEISER '64 -- Director, Producer, Writer
Randal has had a long and distinguished career as a film and television director, producer and writer, best known internationally as the director of Grease, one of the most successful movie musicals ever made. His other films include Big Top Pee-wee, Honey I Blew Up the Kid, Flight of the Navigator, Shadow of Doubt and The Blue Lagoon. As a writer/producer, Randal was responsible for the surfing classic North Shore. On television, his work includes the Emmy-winning movie The Gathering, as well as such notable productions as The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway. Working in 70 mm 3-D, he directed Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, which has drawn record crowds at the Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo and Paris. A frequent seminar and symposium participant, he has lectured overseas and at the American Film Institute, California Institute of the Arts, the Los Angeles Film School and California State Universities. He serves as a judge on the student awards committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and on the editorial committee for the monthly magazine of the Directors Guild of America. He also co-produced a short film for the Guild, Directing: How to Get There, with advice for film students from successful working directors. As chairman of the academic subcommittee of the Guild, he inaugurated a videoconferencing program to connect film classes with working directors.
Randal has had a long and distinguished career as a film and television director, producer and writer, best known internationally as the director of Grease, one of the most successful movie musicals ever made. His other films include Big Top Pee-wee, Honey I Blew Up the Kid, Flight of the Navigator, Shadow of Doubt and The Blue Lagoon. As a writer/producer, Randal was responsible for the surfing classic North Shore. On television, his work includes the Emmy-winning movie The Gathering, as well as such notable productions as The Boy in the Plastic Bubble and Dawn: Portrait of a Teenage Runaway. Working in 70 mm 3-D, he directed Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, which has drawn record crowds at the Disney theme parks in Anaheim, Orlando, Tokyo and Paris. A frequent seminar and symposium participant, he has lectured overseas and at the American Film Institute, California Institute of the Arts, the Los Angeles Film School and California State Universities. He serves as a judge on the student awards committee for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and on the editorial committee for the monthly magazine of the Directors Guild of America. He also co-produced a short film for the Guild, Directing: How to Get There, with advice for film students from successful working directors. As chairman of the academic subcommittee of the Guild, he inaugurated a videoconferencing program to connect film classes with working directors.
WARREN LENTZ '30 (Coach 1953-71) - Athlete, Teacher, CoachWarrens wins as a football coach are the most in Radnors history. His record from 1953 to 1971 is 185 wins, 42 losses and three ties. From 1957 to 1962 his team was undefeated with only one tie.As a Radnor student he played baseball and football. At the University of Pennsylvania he was a running back on the 1933, 1934 and 1935 teams.After graduating from college and completing a stint in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Warren started his coaching career at Spring City H.S., after which he moved to Ardmore Jr. H.S. as a physical education teacher and coach. He came to Radnor as a physical education teacher, football and baseball coach in 1953, retiring in 1972.At Radnor he coached many fine players, such as Ted Dean and Joe Iacone, who were both high school All-Americans and were nominated for the Delaware County Football Hall of Fame (and were inducted into the inaugural class of the RHS Hall of Fame in 2003).
ANNA MOFFO ('50) -- Operatic SopranoA leading soprano at the Metropolitan Opera, Anna performed in opera houses throughout the United States and Europe and made frequent television and film appearances. She was nominated for a Grammy for best classical solo performance by a vocalist in 1962. She was hailed by critics and audiences for her elegance, grace and glamorous beauty as well as her singing. A New York Timesmusic critic called her one of the most beautiful women ever to grace the stage of an opera house. She made her stage opera debut in 1955 in Donizettis Don Pasquale and a year later starred in the TV production of Puccinis Madame Butterfly. She first performed at the Metropolitan Opera in 1959 as Violetta in La Traviata. At Radnor H.S., Anna played basketball, was captain of the field hockey team, and was valedictorian of her graduating class. She was an alumna of the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia, and studied voice and the Italian language on a Fulbright Fellowship in Rome.
REGINALD VAN ROBINSON ('74) -- Basketball PlayerReggie had a distinguished career in basketball both at Radnor H.S. and Villanova University.At Radnor he played baseball, football, track and basketball. The all-time leading point scorer in basketball up to that time, he was named to All-Scholastic, Central League All-Star, and All-American in 1974. From 1974 through 1978 Reggie was a stalwart of the Villanova Wildcats, led by coach Rollie Massimino. He averaged 11 points per game over a total of 119 games, and pulled down a total of 559 rebounds. He captained the 77-78 squad which made the Eastern Regional Finals of the NCAA tournament. Reggie played professional basketball in Europe. In 2003 he was named to the Villanova Hall of Fame
SALLY WILSON OWENS ('70) -- Athlete, CoachSally has had a long and distinguished career as an athlete and coach. For three years she was a member of the United States Lacrosse Team, which toured Great Britain and Australia. The team was the first with an undefeated record in 42 years of international competition, and in 1975 was the first to defeat the English team on English soil. The 1975 team will travel to England next year to celebrate the 30th anniversary of their achievement. At Radnor H.S. she played field hockey and lacrosse, after which she attended the University of Delaware. Since the school did not have intercollegiate lacrosse, she played for the Bandits Club of Philadelphia. Sally has taught theater and physical education and coached field hockey, basketball and softball at several New England schools and colleges.