LaBrae schools announces new class of Hall of Fame inductees

New display fashioned to honor members

LEAVITTSBURG -- A new display area is set up at LaBrae schools to recognize the various achievements and accomplishments of the graduates who have been, or will be, inducted into a hall of fame.

Superintendent Anthony Calderone said the display at the high school includes a large wall with the district Viking mascot and reads: "Tradition of Excellence: LaBrae Hall of Fame"

The display adjacent to the high school gym is a combination of an interactive digital display and a wall display listing classes dating back to the original 2009 induction.

Calderone said the interactive multimedia content will sync to the LaBrae schools' website.

"The reconfigured hall of fame, and the new inductees, were originally to be a component of LaBrae's 50th anniversary celebration this school year. However, due to the global pandemic, and keeping with the physical distancing guidelines, LaBrae was unable to honor the inductees in person this winter, but plans for an induction ceremony are being considered for next year," Calderone said.

Calderone said since 2009, LaBrae's Hall of Fame was designated solely for distinguished alumni. The LaBrae Alumni Hall of Fame is now under the direction of LaBrae Local Schools and has been expanded to included inductees who were exemplary student-athletes or significant community contributors, as well as distinguished alumni, Calderone said.

He said 2020 marks the first year for this combined hall of fame. Nine new inductees are being added:

• Lisa Aldridge, a 1980 LaBrae graduate, earned eight varsity letters in basketball and softball. She is the career leading scorer for the Lady Vikings and holds several other basketball records. Lisa was selected as the Trumbull County Player of the Year during her junior and senior seasons, and earned All-Ohio honors for her success during her senior year. Aldridge is also a 2013 inductee into the Trumbull County Sports Hall of Fame.

• James Brewster, a 1959 Braceville High School graduate, earned 12 varsity letters during his high school career. Brewster excelled in basketball, baseball and track and field. Brewster scored 1,538 points on the hardwood, and he was an integral member of Braceville's four straight TIA Track and Field Championship teams and the 1957 Ohio state championship team. Brewster was a pitcher for the Braceville baseball team and helped lead them to two TIA championships.

• Denny Frederick, a 1972 graduate of LaBrae High School, has served his community as an educator, a coach and a volunteer. In addition to being an accomplished student-athlete at LaBrae, Frederick's dedication through the years has served LaBrae youth through the LaBrae Athletic Club, community fundraisers and community projects. Frederick served as a varsity basketball coach for LaBrae, where he guided the Vikings of 1987 to the most successful girls' season in school history. Frederick was inducted into the Warren Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.

• Gary Glaze, a 1955 Leavittsburg High School graduate, pursued a music degree and earned his master's degree in music from the University of Michigan. He embarked on a professional operatic singing career as a tenor. He has had a successful singing career that included performing for the New York City Opera, and performing at the Lincoln Center and the Kennedy Center for the Arts in Washington, D.C. Glaze also served as a vocal instructor at multiple colleges and universities, ending his teaching career as a professor of vocal instruction at the University of Southern California.

• Al Lopez, a posthumous inductee, was a longtime Braceville resident who served as a teacher, coach and school administrator. Lopez served as a principal at Braceville and LaBrae before serving as the district superintendent for 12 years until his retirement in 1987. Lopez was an active leader in the Ohio High School Athletic Association, with more than 50 years of service. In 2013, Lopez was honored as an inductee in the Trumbull County Sports Hall of Fame.

• Todd Rowe, a 1988 LaBrae High School graduate, earned nine varsity letters in golf, basketball and baseball. Rowe was a 1,000-point scorer for LaBrae and earned Trumbull County Player of the Year honors his senior season. Rowe excelled at the collegiate level as a two-time All-American for Malone University and holds 13 individual scoring records, including points scored in a career. Rowe parlayed his basketball success into a successful professional basketball career in Southeast Asia from 1994 to 2001.

• Larry Seafert, a 1965 Braceville High School graduate, was a prolific scorer as a high school player earning many post-season honors, including All-Ohio. Seafert earned a full ride basketball scholarship to West Virginia University. In addition to playing basketball at WVU, Seafert also played baseball, earning two varsity letters as a Mountaineer. Seafert became an educator who instructed and coached at Brookfield schools before returning to teach and coach at LaBrae. Teams under Seafert won many championships and helped him compile a coaching record of 224-112. Seafert was honored as the Trumbull County Coach of the Year five times and in 2013, was honored with induction into the Trumbull County Sports Hall of Fame.

• Ralph Stringer, a 1973 graduate of LaBrae High School, was a three-sport star during his high school career, garnering local and state honors in football, track and field, and basketball on his way to earning eight varsity letters. Stringer went to North Carolina State on a football scholarship where he played for Lou Holtz. He was a first team All-ACC selection and an All-American in his senior season. Stringer was a marketing agent, a career that he still excels at today, representing many notable clients, of which Dan Marino, Jason Taylor, Moses Malone and Dwight Stephenson are included.

• Walter Toles, a 1958 Braceville High School graduate, was a stellar athlete, earning eight varsity letters in baseball, basketball and track. Toles was the premier sprinter in Trumbull County during his high school days. In his junior year at the Ohio State High School Championships, he won both the 220-and 440-yard dash, and he finished second in the 100- yard dash. Toles also placed fourth in the long jump and was selected most valuable player of the Ohio Track and Field Championships. He became the first track athlete to win three state championships in one year since Ohio State University star Jesse Owens did it in 1933.