BY LEANNE WILSON
Staff Writer

Baldwin’s most distinguished alumni will now forever have a place of recognition in more than just the hearts of the community.

The Distinguished Highlander Hall of Fame will be inaugurated at Baldwin High School this spring.  Nominations were to be accepted until Jan. 15.  A gala will be held on May 2 at the South Hills Country Club to recognize the distinguished alumni.

Supt. Dr. Randal Lutz wants to recognize “good, honest, ethical people who have gone above and beyond the norm to make Baldwin-Whitehall a better place,”

Lutz had the idea for a Hall of Fame after continuously experiencing the positive aura that surrounds Baldwin-Whitehall students.

“Around the community you hear so much positive feedback about people who went to Baldwin,” Lutz said.

The athletic hall of fame has existed in Baldwin for many years, and Lutz decided other distinguished accomplishments also needed to be recognized.

“How do we build a process that could become a legacy?” Lutz asked.

There will ideally be about 10 people in the inaugural class for the spring, although no minimum or maximum has been set.  New inductees will be accepted every other year, on a rotation with the Athletic Hall of Fame.

An advocate of this new hall of fame is the Baldwin-Whitehall Education Foundation.  President Anthony Graham hopes for many more Baldwin graduates to be recognized.

Some nominees include, but are not limited to, Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch and Pitt Panthers football coach Dave Wannstedt.  There have also been unexpected nominees already, and Graham is positive there are many more impressive former Highlanders out there.

“I have a feeling that more of these people will come forward,” he said.

There is no minimum age on the application for alumni to be considered, but “the nature of some of the questions could take time for alumni or graduates to accomplish this,” Lutz said.  Even graduates of this past year, 2014, could be accepted into the hall of fame if they have “done something outstanding their first year out,” he said.

The new hall of fame will potentially be placed in the hallway between the two gyms, near the Athletic Hall of Fame.

Lutz wants the chosen alumni to come back and share their experiences with the students to connect their accomplishments to the school.

“Students will hopefully feel a sense of pride and accomplishment.  It can be hard for students to take away a bigger picture,” Lutz said.

“Connections you make in high school open up a spark to pursue a passion later on in life,” Lutz said.