Harwood Union Hall of Fame Committee announces 2023 honorees
June 8, 2023 | By Waterbury Roundabout The Harwood Union Hall of Fame Committee this week announced seven nominees to be inducted in September into the 11th Harwood Hall of Fame class.
The honorees are: Lisa Atwood, Mitchell Casey, Dwight W. Fiske, Amy (Geoghegan) Frostman, Corliss “Corky” Griffith, Taggert B. Haslam and David C. Morse.
The Hall of Fame Committee each year chooses individuals or groups who represent the best that Harwood, Waitsfield and Waterbury High Schools and their respective communities have to offer, the committee explains in its announcement. “This group of inductees has left their mark on their respective high schools and through their actions and accomplishments during high school and beyond,” the group said.
A ceremony will be held on Sept. 30, according to the announcement.
Lisa Atwood
Lisa Atwood was a member of the Leicester High School class of 1975 and went on to have a 33-year career in the Harwood district as a teacher, coach and administrator. In high school, she played field hockey, basketball and softball and has been inducted into the Leicester High School Hall of Fame.
Atwood earned degrees in Sports Medicine and Physical Education. She worked at Norwich University as a teacher, athletic trainer, basketball and softball coach, and assistant athletic director.
Atwood joined the Harwood district in 1987 as a health and physical education teacher and went on to hold positions including field hockey and basketball coach, co-principal, and eventually principal at Harwood Middle and High School. “Lisa’s ability to work with students, faculty and parents brought further steps up the administrative ladder,” the Hall of Fame Committee noted.
Atwood retired in 2020.
Mitchell Casey
Mitchell Casey was a member of the Harwood Union Class of 1971 and a longtime baseball coach. Casey played soccer, basketball and baseball while at Harwood and still holds two Harwood baseball records: the single-season stolen base record (22) with his son, Martin, and the single-season batting average record of .518 in 1971.
Casey served in the U.S. Navy, received a degree from Vermont Technical College, and worked at Digital Equipment and Green Mountain Coffee Roasters. Casey coached youth baseball for nearly 20 years in the community and served Harwood as a baseball coach for 22 years. While head coach for Harwood, his teams racked up a record number of wins – 173, to 109 losses. “His teams were known for outstanding baseball skills and knowledge but also for outstanding behavior and sportsmanship,” the Hall of Fame Committee said in his nomination.
Dwight W. Fiske
Dwight W. Fiske was a member of the Waterbury High School class of 1959 and has had a career working as a physical education teacher, department head, coach, and athletic director at numerous schools. In high school, he played soccer, basketball and baseball and took part in student government, band and chorus. He earned a Certificate of Advanced Study in physical education at Springfield College and went on to work at and established physical education programs at Bradford Academy, Randolph Union High School and Vermont Technical College. Fiske was instrumental in developing gymnastic teams at Randolph Union and he served as president of the Vermont Gymnastics Coaches Association in the early 1970s. He helped launch the Vermont Soccer Coaches Association and the annual Twin State soccer games. Fiske participated in the early 1970s on a committee to add physical education to the Vermont state school curriculum. He was named to the Vermont Principals Association Hall of Fame in 2021. Fiske has served as co-chair of the Harwood Union Hall of Fame since its inception.
Amy (Geoghegan) Frostman
Amy (Geoghegan) Frostman was a member of the Harwood Class of 1995, vocal soloist and elementary music teacher. At Harwood, she participated in chorus for four years as well as regional and state music festivals multiple years. She performed in vocal singing groups in and outside of school and had roles in six school musicals including “Into the Woods,” “Peter Pan,” and “West Side Story.”
Frostman earned her bachelor’s degree in music at the University of Cincinnati Conservatory of Music and she has worked in the South Burlington School District as an elementary music teacher since 1999.
In 2013, she was named Vermont’s Outstanding Teacher of the Year. Outside of her teaching, she has participated in multiple Vermont choruses and ensembles including the Mozart Festival Chorus, the Hinesburg Artist Series, Counterpoint and with the Vermont Symphony Orchestra’s Pops Orchestra.
Corliss “Corky” Griffith
Corliss “Corky” Griffith was a member of the Montpelier Class of 1955 and held the position of Head Custodian at Harwood for 34 years.
One of 10 children, Griffith grew up on a farm in Middlesex and played high school varsity football for two years. From 1955 to 1965, he was employed as night custodian at Montpelier High School until he was hired by Harwood Union’s first Principal Don Jamieson to be the new high school’s first custodian. “He watched the school being built,” the Hall of Fame Committee said.
In his role, he oversaw a multitude of facility projects including the expansion to add the middle school wing. “His crew was renowned for the spotless facility that it maintained,” the committee noted.
Harwood’s Griffith Gymnasium was named in his honor.
Griffith, who retired in 1999, is also a self-taught artist known for his sketches and paintings. “His concern for student and community activities combined with his outstanding personality made it so easy to work with him,” the committee said in its nomination.
Taggert Haslam
Taggert Haslam was a member of the Harwood Union Class of 1984 and both a four-year track and field athlete and later a track and field coach. In 1983 Haslam was the Vermont state champion in shot put, discus, and javelin and earned All-American Track and Field honors.
Haslam continued after graduation as a coach, moving up to head Track and Field Coach where his teams won five state titles. “He may be the only Harwood athlete to win individual state titles and state titles as both an assistant coach and head coach,” the Hall of Fame Committee noted.
Haslam worked in the Harwood Union library and as technology coordinator for the school. “His core beliefs were that everyone deserved a chance and to always give your best effort. While deemed a fierce competitor, he was just a fantastic man and role model for students and colleagues,” the committee noted.
Held in high regard by students, fellow coaches and the community, Haslam passed away unexpectedly at age 54 in 2021.
David C. Morse
David C. Morse was a member of the Harwood class of 1971 and worked as a physical education teacher and coach. In high school, Morse played soccer, basketball, and baseball. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Physical Education at Lyndon State College where he also played soccer, baseball and club ice hockey. Morse worked at IBM from 1977 to 1982 before moving into teaching physical education at Fayston Elementary and Rumney School in Middlesex, 1988-2010. He was named the Washington Central Supervisory Union Teacher of the Year in 1990.
Morse was instrumental in starting the Harwood Youth Hockey Association in 1975 and in making ice hockey a school sport at Harwood in 1982. Morse coached ice hockey for 19 years between 1991 and 2018. His teams made multiple state championship appearances winning a Division II championship in 2005. Morse was named Coach of the Year five times in Division II and once for Division I. Morse also coached Harwood Golf with the girls team winning state championships in 1996 and 1997.
Morse retired from coaching in 2018. He also was a founding member of the Harwood Union Hall of Fame Committee.
Additional historical information on the Harwood Hall of Fame through 2019 is online on the Harwood.org website under the Co-Curricular Activities tab.