KHS names six
to Hall of Fame
BY PATRICIA A. MILLER
Staff Writer
KEYPORT — Their graduation dates span over 30 years, from 1944 to 1976.
But the most recent inductees to the Keyport High School Hall of Fame share a common achievement — a lifetime of community service.
For Jerome "Bob" Zampelle, recognition came early.
He was named Keyport High School Athlete of the Year in 1944. Zampelle later spent years coaching football, basketball and baseball teams at the high school, including the banner year of 1961, when the baseball team won the Central Jersey Group I championship.
Zampelle didn’t stop there.
After stints as vice principal at Keyport High School and then principal of Union Beach Elementary School, he worked his way up to principal of Keyport High School, a post he held from January 1970 to March 1988.
"I’m very proud, I guess humble at the same time, that they would consider me," Zampelle said. "I’m very pleased to be nominated."
The Board of Education and the Hall of Fame committee will honor Zampelle and five other Keyport High School alumni at the 13th annual Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, to be held on Oct. 10 and Oct. 11.
The inductees will be introduced to the Keyport student body at an assembly in the gym on Oct. 10, where they will speak to the students about their accomplishments.
The other inductees are:
Jay W. Demarest, class of 1949. Demarest spent 43 years as an educator, coach and administrator from 1958 to 2001. He coached the Keyport High School boys track team to the NJSIAA State Group III Championship in 1962.. Demarest received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the New Jersey Shore Track and Field Officials in 2000.
June (Wharton) Feigenwinter, class of 1961, graduated as president of her nursing school class at age 38. She is also a published poet and mother of four.
Bette Scott, class of 1974, was the first woman in the Peace Corps to serve as a vector control specialist for the malaria program in Thailand. Scott has also served on numerous nonprofit state and county boards.
Beverly J. (Walker) Orio, class of 1975, is vice president of customer care for Barnes&Noble.com. Prior to that, Orio spent 18 years at AT&T in various technical positions. She finished up her stint at the company as director of service operations in Florida, Texas and Arizona.
Chris Ann (Freiburg) Brewer, class of 1976, has been a registered nurse for the past 24 years, specializing in neonatal intensive care. She has held staff and leadership positions at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Monmouth Medical Center in
Long Branch, and the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H.
She is also a certified clinical specialist in psychiatric/mental health nursing and is a child and adolescent advanced registered nurse practitioner in the mental health field in New Hampshire.
The 10-member Hall of Fame committee sifted through a number of applications submitted back in January before making the final selections, said committee secretary Verna Palumbo.
"They have given back to their community," she said.
The inductees also serve as role models for the students, she said.
"It lets the students know that no matter what you are, you can make something of yourself and give back in many ways," Palumbo said.
"You can have an important job and make lots of money, but you do something and give back to the community," she added. "We’ve had band conductors, doctors and lawyers, but most all have given back their time to the community to make it a better place. We try to choose a well-rounded person."
Palumbo’s ties with Zampelle go back. Way back. He was her junior high school social studies teacher in Union Beach.
"I can remember him being my teacher," she said.
Zampelle, 76, still finds time to officiate at Shore Conference football games and grade school basketball games, even though he officially retired 17 years ago.
"That keeps me going," he said.
His ties with Keyport and Union Beach run deep.
"I’ve always been comfortable here," he said. "Everything I’ve done has been involved with Keyport and Union Beach."
Each inductee will receive a plaque listing their accomplishments. The plaques will be displayed in the high school hallways.
Tickets for the induction dinner are $20 for adults and $10 for students. They can be purchased from Sandra, (732) 264-7143; Verna, (732) 739-1270; or Edna, (732) 739-0303.