An Alumni Hall of Fame has been formed by the Rockwood Schools Foundation in order to remember and celebrate the accomplishments of former students. The first initiates will be honored on Jan. 28. The list of inductees is below.
Out of the over 40,000 students to graduate from Rockwood since its beginning in 1912, only 13 alumni were selected to enter the Alumni Hall of Fame.
Ten of the 13 selected alumni were Lafayette graduates and only one person represented each of the other four schools.
The first reaction Associate Principal Nisha Patel had about the overwhelming representation of Lafayette on the list was pride. As she put it, “Isn’t that awesome?”
She continued, “It’s a great example of the education, the athletics and the activities we have here at Lafayette. We put so much effort and time into producing these great kids that go further into education or whatever they choose to do and be successful.”
Art History teacher Jean Peters said she knows some of the inductees personally as family friends and even had some of them in class.
“Art McCoy is my former student. After graduating from high school and college, he came back and was instrumental in implementing our program here and brought that back to his school district now,” she said.
The celebration gala for the inductees will take place at the Magic House on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. Tickets are available through Jan. 16 for $75 each.
For more information:
Debbie Fluchel: (636)207- 6800
Craig Caddigan, Underwater Explorer (Lafayette ’72)
Cristopher Cristea, Businessman and Philanthropist (Lafayette ’89)
Clifford Frazier, Former NFL Athlete and Actor (Lafayette ’72)
David Freese, MLB World Series MVP and World Series Champion (Lafayette ’01)
Larry Jensen, President of Leprino Foods (Lafayette ’67)
Matt Helbig, Co-Owner of Big River Running Company (Rockwood Summit ’98)
Ryan Howard, MLB Rookie of the Year and World Series Champion (Lafayette ’98)
Art McCoy, Ph.D., Educator and Superintendent of Ferguson-Florissant School District (Lafayette ’95)
Charlotte Miller, Lawyer and Senior Vice President at O. C. Tanner Company (Lafayette ’75)
Travis Mossotti, Published Poet (Marquette ’98)
Kelly Stables Patino, Actress (Lafayette ’96)
Brent Underwood, Ed.D., Educator and retired Superintendent of Webster Groves School District (Lafayette ’76)
Rick Viehland, Entrepreneur (Eureka ’69)
She added that she is particularly close to Brent Underwood since they graduated the same year.
Peters said, “We grew up in a similar subdivision and I feel that I know him pretty well. He went to Ellisville Baptist Church where a couple of my really close friends also went and I knew him from them in high school. He’s a phenomenal educator and comes from a family of great educators.”
The Alumni Hall of Fame recognizes the great accomplishments of former Rockwood students, and the alumni celebration gala is on Jan. 28 at 6 p.m. Tickets are on sale for $75 and will be available through Jan. 16.
