Nineteenth Annual "Hall of Fame Day" Banquet
October 30, 2022Embassy Suites, Charleston WV
Six new members were inducted into the West Virginia Chapter, National Wrestling Hall of Fame on this mild afternoon at the end of October.
This year's Master of Ceremonies was once again Bill Archer (WV-HOF '07), who, as always made us laugh and told a story or two that may or may not have been disputed by some of the inductees!
It was a pleasure to meet Krista Graff from the National Wrestling Hall of Fame. I've communicated with Krista a couple of times via email, and it was nice to sit and talk with her and compare our various wrestling-related backgrouds.
Six men were inducted into the Hall of Fame this year. The large crowd in attendance was a tribute to the love, friendship, and support these men have gained over the years.
This was my third time attending the banquet (the first being in 2015), and it has all the makings of a family reunion: good food, laughs, hugs, introductions to new members of the "family", tall tales, and even a few bittersweet moments remembering those who are no longer with us.
We paid respect to three gentleman who passed since last year's banquet: Jeff Medley, a Kanawha County official who passed at much too young an age; the legendary Ron Mauck, the namesake of the OVAC Wrestling Tournament; and George Keeney, who had pretty much become a household name in West Virginia wrestling circles. Coach Archer spent a moment reflecting on George's life and how proud he was of the kids he adopted and brought every year to the banquet.
The acceptance speeches were entertaining and heartfelt. Each man expressed so much appreciation to spouses (some of whom had passed on) and families. Many family members and friends traveled quite a distance to be at the banquet to support their loved one.
The men were all very humbled and honored to be a part of such a prestigious group who'd been honored in previous years. For these men to display such humility and gratitude just shows how much they love our sport and will go to great lengths to make it special for our kids.
Congratulations to this year's Class of 2022, AND their families, friends, and supporters!
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2022 Hall of Fame inductees (L-R): Sterling P. Beane, Sr., Bill Whittington, Jr., Pat Sole, Arden Sansom, Bobby Pruett, Mark Delligatti |
| Sterling P. Beane, Sr. with family and friends (individual names coming soon) |
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Family and friends of Mark Delligatti: Seated/kneeling from L to R: Lynne Delligatti, Dean Ammons, Mark Delligatti, Lyla Ammons, Reed Ammons, Joe Naternicola Standing from L to R: Donnie Parker, Yvonne Parker, Nick Hedrick, Gina Hedrick, Justin Ammons, Maria Ammons, Hunter Delligatti, Rockie DeLorenzo, Bill Proctor, Adam Naternicola, Eric Annan, Ashley Annan, Aaron Naternicola, Vickie Hedrick, Dean Hedrick Also in attendance but not pictured: Linda Delligatti, John "Skeeter" Delligatti, Karen Delligatti, Vincent Delligatti, Kristin Delligatti, Matt Delligatti, Sam Tossone, Pam Tossone, Mark Carvillano, Tracy Carvillano, Billy Wood, Gracelyn Wood, Frank Alvaro, Anna Alvaro, Mike Stalnaker, and Chris Diserio. |
| Bobby Pruett with family and friends (individual names coming soon) |
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Family and friends of Arden Sansom: Seated from L to R: Rick Newman, Jason Sansom, Arden Sansom, Jon Edwards Standing from L to R: Eric Maynard, Lib Ciccolella, Bill Archer, Diana Archer, Lisa Metheney |
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Family and friends of Pat Sole: Seated from L to R: Eli Stewart, Dane Niday, Ruth Sole, Pat Sole, Dustin Sole Standing from L to R: Tyler George, Todd Lambiotte, Sara Lambiotte, Cody Sole, Jeff Sole, Chris Daggett, Allison Daggett, Josue Rodriguez, Adriel Rodriguez, Aidalina Rodriguez, Amia Rodriguez Also in attendance but not pictured: Terry and Loni Collins, Paul and Rose Jackson, Destiny George, Dalton and Paige George, Chris Gibbs, Dr. Gibbs, Tim and Kyle Mccartney, Gary and Tammy Porter, Chad and Charisse Porter, Larry Lyons, Bob Crawford, Bruce Niday, T. J. Lambiotte |
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Family and friends of Bill Whittington, Jr.: Seated from L to R: Kate Whittington, John Whittington, Bill Whittington, Virginia Whittington, Sharon Lynne Whittington, Nick Clevenger Standing from L to R: Chris Brindle, Steve Hite, Cayla Merica, Ben Merica, Robert Jarrett, John Cardello, Michael Cardello,Amy Cardello, Lori Hartsog, Mike Hite Also in attendance but not pictured: Bill and Amy Fultineer, Matt and Tammy Forte, Mr. and Mrs. Michael Hite, Sr., Don Dellinger and Tiffany Conner |
West Virginia State Chapter, National Wrestling Hall of Fame
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