Ireton Inducts six new members into the Athletic Hall of Fame

Paul Gartlan ’77, Swim Coach Harry Sober, Deborah and Sean Sheppard (sister and brother of Mike Sheppard ’78), Sam Imhof ’81, Kerry Jozefczyk Lim ’98, and Joey Kestermann ’99 join the Bishop Ireton Hall of Fame. Inducted during Homecoming 2011, these exemplary athletes represent the best of Bishop Ireton!

The Fourth Annual Athletic Hall of Fame, held at the Carlyle Club in Alexandria, was well attended and enjoyed by all. Starting with prayer, Fr. Al Smith, OSFS, asked everyone to raise their heads to pay tribute to God and to the athletes in the room.

Fr. Al then introduced the first inductee, Ireton swim Coach Harry Sober, who served at Ireton from 1971-1980. He and Harry both spoke about the number of NCAA athletes that came from the swim team. More than great athletes, though, they emphasized the camaraderie and esprit de corps that the team produced. Paul Gartlan ‘77 and his brother, Pete Gartlan, spoke about their family and their commitment at Bishop Ireton, starting with their grandmother who graduated from St. Mary’s Academy in 1913 and the youngest who will be graduating in 2012. Paul played basketball at Ireton, at Randolph Macon College and professionally in Santiago, Chile.

While Michael Sheppard ‘78 died in 2009, his sister Debra Page and brother Shawn spoke on his behalf. Michael played football, basketball, and tennis for BI. They both indicated that their family were long time Alexandria public school attendees and couldn’t understand why Michael didn’t want to be a Titan (the mascot of TC Williams.) They were both impressed with the education and support given to Michael in his years at Ireton and beyond and gave a heart-felt tribute to Michael and to Bishop Ireton. Sam Imhof ‘ 81 ran track for BI and still holds the 2 mile record for the school. Sam spoke about all the opportunities he was awarded at BI and how the authority and responsibility of being the captain of his team help him today.

KerryJozefczyk Lim ‘ 98, the only female to be inducted this year, played soccer and basketball at Ireton. She acknowledged the great sacrifices her family made to allow her to play sports all through high school. Joey Kestermann ’99 was grateful for his family and for the opportunities that were presented to him at Ireton from academics and sports. Joey played football, basketball, and lacrosse and continues to play lacrosse today.

The Athletic Hall of Fame Display in Godley Gymnasium features hundreds of photos of Ireton teams of the past. The display is evidence of Ireton’s rich sports history.