Five new members inducted into Great Alumni Hall of Fame
Bethel Park High School honors five Great Alumni for their contributions to the community and professional accomplishments.
Friday, Jan. 27 saw the return of Bethel Park’s annual Great Alumni Hall of Fame ceremony.
The Bethel Park Great Alumni Hall of Fame was created in 2013 to recognize and honor Bethel Park High school alumni who have demonstrated outstanding accomplishments either personally or professionally after graduating from Bethel Park High School.
Honorees are selected because they either significantly improved the lives of others, contributed significant volunteer or community service, or achieved significant advancement in their professional field.
The night began with a reception in the LGI room where the five inductees and their guests were provided with refreshments before the start of the official induction.
Being honored at the ceremony were: Dr. Carl Amrhein, Mr. Dave Levy, Dr. Daniel Martell, Dr. Charles Vaughn Strimlan, and Lt. Col. Dan Svaranowic.
Dr. Amrhein (Class of 1974) holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Geography from Pennsylvania State University (1978) and a Ph.D. in Geography from State University of New York at Buffalo (1984) with research interest in economic geography, labour markets, decision theory, migration, and quantitative methods. Dr. Amrhein served as Provost and Vice-President (Academic) at the University of Alberta from 2003 to 2014. Dr. Amrhein came to the University of Alberta following his 17 years at the University of Toronto. He has also served as Visiting Professor, Graduate School of Education, Peking University, Haidian, Beijing, China, during October 2012. Dr. Amrhein was awarded the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Merit from the Federal Republic of Germany in 2011. He received an Eagle Feather to honor his contributions in advancing the role of Traditional Knowledge of the First Nations in university programming in 2014. Also in 2014, he was awarded the Alberta Lieutenant Governor’s Award for Excellence in Public Administration.
Mr. Dave Levy (Class of 1985), probably the most well-known inductee at the ceremony, serves as the Video Director of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. His responsibilities include all recording, editing and production for the team. He also manages Tampa Bay’s digital game film library. In preparation for each season’s NFL Draft, Levy’s department also aids the personnel department in acquiring, editing and maintaining digital game footage on draft-eligible players. He was hired by the Buccaneers after previously serving as an assistant in the Pittsburgh Steelers’ video department.
Next was Dr. Daniel Martell (Class of 1976), one of the most highly qualified forensic neuropsychologists in the United States. Due to his intensive schedule, Dr. Martell was unable to attend the ceremony in person; however, he briefly participated in a Skype call with the other inductees at the beginning of the ceremony.
Dr. Martell has over 20 years of clinical forensic experience in both criminal and civil litigation. Dr. Martell has consulted on hundreds of forensic cases in over 30 states, specializing in issues of mental disorder, brain damage, and violent criminal behavior. He is Board-Certified in Forensic Psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology. He is also a Fellow of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences and serves on its Board of Directors.
The next person to be honored was Dr. Charles Vaughn Strimlan (Class of 1963). Dr. Strimlan graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in Economics. H
e continued his education at Penn State/Hershey Medical school. His post-graduate education includes the Cleveland Clinic and the Mayo Clinic. Dr. Strimlan is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine and Pulmonary Disease. Dr. Strimlan now works primarily in hospice care, end-of-life medicine, and in an opiate drug addiction clinic.
The final inductee was Lt. Col. Dan Svaranowic (Class of 1985). Svaranowic began his career in public service in 1989, when he earned a commission as an Army officer through ROTC upon graduating from Duquesne University. Svaranowic served on active duty in the Army for 20 years, including a tour in Operation Desert Storm, two tours in Germany and one tour in South Korea. In 1995, Svaranowic became the first Army Finance Corps officer assigned to the 10th Special Forces Group, serving as the group comptroller. Among Svaranowic’s Army awards are the Parachutist Badge, Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal. After retirement from the Army at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel, Svaranowic continued his public service, first as an Army civil servant, and then serving the past six years as a civil servant with the U.S. General Services Administration.
At the ceremony, the inductees were presented with a copy of the plaques now on display in the lobby, as well as a Great Alumni Hall of Fame pin.
Following the ceremony in the LGI, the inductees were taken into the lobby where they posed with their awards in front of the Hall of Fame wall.
The Inductees posing in front of their plaques in the lobby.
The prestigious group was then presented at halftime of the boys’ varsity basketball game that night to an applauding audience.
If you are interested in nominating someone for next year’s Great Alumni Hall of Fame, the nomination form is available here. Nominations are due by October 31, 2017.
BPHS senior Greydon Tomkowitz is the current Editor-In-Chief of Hawk Eye, a position he has served in for three years.
Greydon joined the newspaper...