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By STEVE SEMBRAT steves@leader.net
Sunday, January 30, 2000 Page: 3C
WILKES-BARRE – The Killer Bees Athletic Club came up with its own way of
marking Y2K.
The club is honoring Greg Skrepenak as its “Person of the Century” as
part of its Board of Governors Awards.
The awards, chosen by the club, will be handed out at the KBAC’s annual
awards banquet, which starts at 6 p.m. Saturday at Genetti Hotel & Convention
Center in Wilkes-Barre.
Club officers decided to honor a former winner of the Joe Hoinski Memorial
Awards for Excellence in Athletics who is active in the community. Skrepenak
won the Hoinski award in the open division in 1989, when the former GAR star
was an All-America lineman at the University of Michigan.
He went on to a pro career with the Oakland Raiders and Carolina Panthers.
During that time, he established the Skrepenak Charities Foundation, which
raises money to help underprivileged children in the area.
Other Board of Governors Awards and winners are:
The Jim McCarthy Sr. media award goes to Bobby Day, who works for WARM
radio and is the public address announcer for the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton
Penguins.
The award is named in honor of the late Jim McCarthy Sr., a nationally
known figure who was a local broadcast pioneer.
Bernie Hargadon Award for Excellence in Running goes to local racewalker
Donna Chamberlain, who qualified for the Olympic Trials.
The award honors Hargadon, who was a force as an organizer in the running
community until his death in 1994.
The Eddie White Pioneer Award goes to Phil Latinski, who was active in
high school athletics as principal at GAR High School.
The award honors White, a local sports legend as a coach and promoter of
semipro basketball.
The Kerri O’Neill Award for Dedication to Excellence goes to state Rep.
Kevin Blaum. Blaum was instrumental in the efforts to build the First Union
Arena in Wilkes-Barre Township.
The award is named in honor of the late Kerri O’Neill, a stellar runner for
Wyoming Valley West High School and the United States Naval Academy who died
in 1993 at 21.
The Tom McLaughlin Unsung Hero Award goes to Jen Sawicki, a junior forward
for the Crestwood High School field hockey team.
This award honors the memory of former Wilkes-Barre mayor and KBAC official
Tom McLaughlin, who died in 1997. McLaughlin was active on KBAC sports teams,
and had a knack for coming up with a winning basket or hit.
Sawicki scored the winning goal in overtime in the PIAA Class 2A state
championship game, and will be honored for that feat with the McLaughlin
Award.
Pete Gray Award for Overcoming Adversity goes to Melissa DeCesaris of the
Lake-Lehman High School field hockey team. DeCesaris kept playing during her
senior season despite needing reconstructive knee surgery.
The award is named in honor of Pete Gray of Nanticoke, who lost his arm in
an accident but still made it to Major League Baseball, playing for the St.
Louis Browns.
Besides honoring Skrepenak, the club also will give special recognition
awards to:
The Bishop Hoban High School girls basketball team for winning the 1999
PIAA Class 2A state championship.
The Bishop Hafey High School boys cross country team for winning the 1999
PIAA Class 2A state championship.
The Wyoming Valley West High School girls water polo team for winning the
1999 state championship.
The Crestwood field hockey team for winning the 1999 Class 2A state
championship.
John Joseph for recognition of career achievements. Joseph recently retired
as Coughlin High School’s head football coach.
All of the award winners will be introduced and honored at the banquet.
Also at the banquet, the Killer Bees will hand out its Joe Hoinski Memorial
Awards for Excellence in Athletics, and its student-athlete awards.
Tickets to the banquet cost $25 and can be obtained by contacting any club
member, or Steve Sembrat at 829-7229 or by e-mail at steves@leader.net.