PRESQUE ISLE, Maine — The inaugural class of the Presque Isle High School Hall of Fame features 10 well-known and respected former Wildcat athletes. The group will be enshrined in the school’s athletic hall of fame in January 2011.
The honorees are Harold “Hal” Cheney, Kim Condon, Malcom Dempsey, Robert “Bob” Duprey, Bill Hanscom, Wayne Hartford, Hubert S. Shaw, Byron “Barney” Smith, Ron Staples and Ralph Sweetser.
Cheney, Hanscom, Shaw, Staples and Sweetser will be inducted posthumously.
“We wanted the first group of athletes to be elite,” said Jim Carter, organizer of the hall of fame. “The last thing we want is for this to get watered down with mediocrity. It’s very important to select the very best of PIHS.”
Carter said he anticipates even more names to be brought forth next year for the second round of selections as numerous individuals have expressed an interest in nominating an athlete. Those nominated one year, but not selected, may be considered the following year.
An 11-person committee comprised of PIHS faculty and administrators and two students selected the 10 honorees from a list of about 20 nominees.
An alphabetical review of the honorees is as follows:
Cheney (Class of 1933) was a stellar baseball player who began his high school career at Easton before transferring to PIHS his junior year. He played both baseball and basketball from 1932-33 and was selected as the All-Aroostook pitcher in 1933. Cheney pitched for the Presque Isle Indians semi-pro baseball team from 1931-37, where he dominated the Aroostook League. He was named an all-star each season and was league MVP in 1934. Cheney was named to the all-star team that was chosen to play against the Boston Red Sox and Boston Braves in 1935. He was offered a tryout with the Red Sox in 1937 and was placed under contract. Cheney was sent to the Ohio State League and played five seasons in the Red Sox organization. In 2001, he was inducted into the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
Condon (Class of 1997) had one of the most memorable careers for a Wildcat girls basketball player. A 1,000-point scorer at PIHS, her accolades are plentiful. She was the Eastern Maine tourney honorable mention in 1995; All Tourney player in 1996 and 1997; Eastern Maine tourney MVP in 1997; Big East honorable mention in 1994; named to the Big East conference in 1995, 1996 and 1997; was named 1997 Miss Maine Basketball; Big East Conference Player of the Year; named USA Today Maine Player of the Year and was the Maine Gatorade Player of the Year all for 1997. She set a Class A girls tourney record with 41 points in a single game with her performance in the state championship in 1997. She also had a successful career at Colby College, scoring 1,000 points at the school, helping the Mules to the 2001 ECAC New England championship.
Dempsey (Class of 1941) was an elite cross-country and track and field athlete at PIHS. He helped lead the team to a state title in 1940 and 1941. He was the top overall runner in the 1941 state meet and finished fourth in the New England meet, but would have placed higher if not for a wrong turn in the final half-mile. Dempsey also played basketball for the Wildcats.
Duprey (Class of 1961) was a two-time All-Maine basketball player at Presque Isle and was instrumental in helping a beleaguered PIHS athletic program become one of prominence. Duprey excelled in baseball and basketball at PIHS. In the 1959-60 season, he was a first team All Aroostook and second team All Eastern Maine Tourney and third team All State in basketball. In 1960-61, he was second team All-Aroostook, first team All Eastern Maine and third team All State. He played Legion baseball for three years, winning three division titles and advancing to states. Duprey attended Husson College, where he captained the basketball team from 1963-65. He was an NCC All Conference player from 1963-64 and was the second leading collegiate free throw shooter in the country (combining NCAA/NAIA) at 91.6 percent. He scored 1,070 points at Husson and was inducted in the to school’s Hall of Fame in 1989. He also played semi-pro basketball for the Presque Isle Hummingbirds.
Hanscom was a longtime baseball and basketball coach for PIHS, guiding the Wildcat boys basketball squad for 26 years and a 369-188 record. He coached Presque Isle to the state championship in 1932 and also collected two Eastern Maine crowns; three Eastern Maine runner-up trophies; 16 Eastern Maine tourney appearances; and 13 Aroostook League championships. In baseball, Hanscom tallied a 236-148 record, collecting Aroostook League titles in 1932, 1938, 1946, 1948, 1949, 1951, 1952 and 1953. His squads won the Eastern Maine championship in 1951 and were runners-up in 1953 and 1954. He also coached football in the Aroostook Football League, collecting a championship in 1930 and co-champion titles in 1931 and 1932.
Hartford (Class of 1961) was a four-year varsity letter recipient in both baseball and basketball at PIHS. In basketball, he was named to the All State second team and Eastern Maine first team in 1960; and was an All State and Eastern Maine first team honoree, as well as the Aroostook County MVP in 1961. In baseball, Hartford averaged 13 strikeouts per game in his senior year and had a 2.21 career earned run average. He finished with a 19-2 record on the mound for the Wildcats and was widely considered one of the best pitchers in the state. In college, Hartford played basketball and baseball at Husson. He was inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame and still holds numerous pitching records there. He played semi-pro baseball for the Houlton Collegians and was named a Maine-New Brunswick all star.
Shaw (Class of 1932) lettered in baseball, football and track for the Wildcats. A four-year varsity baseball player, the standout second baseman led his team to the Aroostook League Championship as the top offensive and defensive player. He went on to play baseball at Bowdoin College and was captain of the team his senior year. Shaw was selected to the U.S. Olympic baseball team in 1936 as the starting first baseman and is credited with the first home run in Olympic play. Shaw also played four years of semi-pro baseball for the Presque Isle Indians and three years in the Northern League (New York and Vermont). He was selected as the Maine all star to play against the Red Sox in Bangor and the Boston Braves in Houlton. Shaw is also a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
Smith (Class of 1965) collected 13 varsity letters at PIHS for basketball, baseball and track. A 1,000-point scorer, he was named All-State Honorable Mention in 1964 and All-State Second Team in 1965 for basketball. He averaged 24 points his senior year and 29.5 points during the Eastern Maine tournament for which he was named tournament MVP. In baseball, he was a four-year starter and hit over .400 for three seasons. In track, he won the County titles in the 100 meter, 220 and shares the record for the 100 meter. At Duke University, Smith was a walk-on for the basketball team and also played two years on the baseball team as the Blue Devils’ starting second baseman. The St. Louis Cardinals scouted him.
Staples (Class of 1954) was a stellar baseball player for the Wildcats, helping the team to a 54-12 record in his four-year career. As a sophomore, Staples hit 10 home runs in 16 games and finished with a .369 average with 38 RBI. The Wildcats advanced to the Eastern Maine finals twice and the state championship once with Staples. In track, he won the discus at the 1954 state meet and was third in the javelin. Staples played semi-pro baseball in the Maine-New Brunswick League and was selected as the league’s all-star catcher. He played two years for the Colby Mules baseball team and was signed by the Boston Red Sox, where he played five years in their system. He is also a member of the Maine Baseball Hall of Fame.
Sweetser (Class of 1932) played basketball and track at PIHS and received three varsity letters in each sport. He led the 1931 and 1932 basketball teams to the Eastern Maine championship game, and the state title in 1932. The Wildcats’ leading scorer in the 1931 tournament, Sweetser was named second team All Tourney. He was named to the All Aroostook team for three consecutive years (1930-32) and was considered one of the finest “big men” in Eastern Maine. In track, Sweetser placed first in the shot put and second in the discus at the Aroostook County meet. He set a state record for the shot put in 1931 and also won the discus, was third in the broad jump and tied for fourth in the high jump. At the 1932 County meet, Sweetser was first in the hammer throw, discus and shot put and tied for first in the broad jump and second in javelin. He has held the County record in the shot put for 78 years.
