The third annual class of the Harwood Hall of Fame was announced by Dwight Fiske and Mitch Casey, co-chairpersons of the Harwood Union Hall of Fame Committee.
“The goal of the Hall of Fame committee each year is to elect individuals or groups who represent the best that Harwood, Waitsfield and Waterbury High Schools and their respective communities have to offer. Our inaugural class set the benchmark for all other classes to follow and we are excited to announce the Harwood Hall of Fame Class of 2012 honorees,” Fiske said.
“This group of inductees has left their mark on their respective high schools and through their actions and accomplishments during high school and beyond,” Casey added.
The inductees in the third annual class (2012) are Dascomb Rowe, principal at Waterbury HS; Brian Harwood, 1956 (Waterbury HS); Coby Heise, 1993; Merrie-Beth (Maynard) Cleary, 2002; Fred LaRock, varsity softball coach; and the 1976 Varsity Field Hockey team.
DASCOMB P. ROWE
Waterbury High School principal, basketball coach, baseball coach, track and field coach Dac Rowe began his teaching career in Orleans, Vermont, but soon came to Waterbury High School, serving as principal for 33 years. At times he was the high school’s only math teacher and served as the basketball, baseball and track and field coach as well. After retirement, he stayed on as a math teacher; his last year as a teacher took place during Harwood Union High School’s first year in operation.
The Waterbury High School Alumni Association established a scholarship in his name, and the Waterbury Town Recreation Fields are named in his honor. Rowe was a member of the Harry Cutting American Legion Post 59 of Waterbury and served as post commander. He was a charter member of the Waterbury Rotary Club. Rowe passed away on December 30, 1995.
BRIAN HARWOOD, WATERBURY HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1956
Broadcaster and community leader, Brian Harwood is a 1956 graduate of Waterbury High School. He served as class president his sophomore, junior and senior years, as well as president of the student council as both a junior and a senior. Harwood began his broadcasting career even prior to his graduation from UVM in 1960. He has worked at WDEV, WCVT, WJOY, WVNY, WCAX, and founded WRFB FM in Stowe in 1976. He has served his community in a variety of ways. He served as a member of the UVM College of Nursing Advisory Board, as chair of the Northfield Savings Bank, chair of Vermont Public Television, chair of the Vermont Symphony Orchestra, and president of the Vermont Association of Broadcasters. He received the University of Vermont’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007. He has served in the Vermont National Guard and was on the original Harwood Union School Board, serving from 1963 to 1969.
COBY HEISE, CLASS OF 1993
A soccer, hockey and baseball player, Heise is hailed as the embodiment of a student athlete. He was on the honor, high-honor or highest-honor roll every grading period throughout his four-year high school career, a career that saw him earn All-League or All-State honors in baseball, soccer and ice hockey. The Harwood committee found these achievements all the more notable as Heise has battled serious health issues his entire life. He was named the International Diabetic Association’s Outstanding Diabetic Athlete in the fall of 1992 and was honored at a year-end international conference.
In his senior year, he was selected to play in the Rotary Senior All Star Hockey game, as well as the Twin State Baseball Classic All Star game. Heise went on to be a four-year letter winner for the University of Vermont’s baseball team, graduating in 1997. He played one year of professional baseball for the Wichita (KS) Wranglers and is now the owner and lead designer for a web/graphic design business.
MERRIE-BETH (MAYNARD) CLEARY, CLASS OF 2002
Cleary was an outstanding athlete who lettered in multiple years and was captain of her basketball and tennis teams, but it was as a field hockey player that she truly found her calling and excelled. A four-year letter winner in field hockey, she was captain in both her junior and senior years. She was a Capital Division 1st Team selection in each of her four years in high school, was named the Times Argus field hockey player of the year and was named to the Burlington Free Press All State Field Hockey Team as both a junior and a senior. Being selected to the Junior Olympic U.S. Field Hockey Northeast Regional Team, she competed in the National Tournament in 1999, 2000 and 2001. She was named Harwood’s Outstanding Female Athlete and was selected to the Twin State Field Hockey Team following her senior year. She took her field hockey prowess to the University of Vermont, where the awards and accomplishments continued: She was named to the America East All Conference Team in her junior and senior years, was on the America East All Academic squad for four years, was named UVM’s Woman Athlete of the Year in 2006, and was MVP of her field hockey team in both her junior and senior years.
THE 1976 VARSITY FIELD HOCKEY TEAM
Harwood’s first girls state championship team was coached by Jeanne Modern (O’Brien) and Lyndy Wells. The 1976-77 varsity field hockey team won Harwood’s first girls’ state championship, the Class I VPA Championship. The team was captained by Pamela Barnard, Laura (Callan) Fortmeyer, Linda Chadwick, Lisa (Cota) Arnt, Anna Ferguson and Bonnie (Lewis) Kerin.
FRED LAROCK
A lifelong Waterbury area resident, LaRock has been coaching softball in the community for many years. As Harwood’s varsity softball coach, he has led the Highlanders to the VPA Division 2 semi-finals and championship games on eight separate occasions. He has organized and coached summer ASA softball programs for younger players, creating a feeder program for his varsity squad. A great teacher of the game, his players maintain their association with him and the program they played so hard for. His players have gone on to excel at colleges and universities around the country. He has led his high school varsity team to the most wins of any softball coach at Harwood.
The annual Hall of Fame induction and dinner is the highlight of The Legends of Harwood Weekend, June 2 and 3. The weekend features silent auctions, a golf tournament, and alumni games and all events are open to the public. The dinner has been very well attended and tickets will go on sale in mid-May. For more information about the Hall of Fame and to access nomination forms, log on to Harwood Union’s website at www.harwood.org or contact Dwight Fiske at
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