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Five to join
PHS Wall
of Honor
The Putnam High School Wall of Honor Committee has released the names of the five individuals who will make up the class of 2023.
Established in 2016, the “Wall” honors PHS graduates or those who provided service to the school through career achievements, leadership positions, high standards of citizenship and contributions to their community.
This sixth class of inductees includes: Abbie Keith, Class of 1903; William St.Onge Sr., Class of 1932; Peter Leasca, mid-1940s; Donald St.Onge, Class of 1971; and, Kevin Rice, Class of 1988. Keith, St. W. Onge and Leasca are posthumous recipients.
Keith, the valedictorian of her class, is probably best remembered for her 42 years of teaching at Putnam High and becoming the first Dean of Women. However, she was a recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Key upon her graduation from Woman’s College of Brown, now known as Pembroke College. A driving force in the establishment of Putnam Public Library, she also chaired its recovery efforts after the Flood of 1955. Her overall service to the Putnam community brought town-wide recognition in 1964.
William St. Onge practiced law in Putnam for 22 years. He began his political career in 1941 when he was elected to represent Putnam in the State Legislature, returning to that position after serving in the Army Air Corp. In 1961 he was elected as Putnam’s 22nd. mayor, before becoming the first Putnam resident to serve as Congressman from the 2nd District of Connecticut from 1963 until 1970. He served as Director of Putnam Redevelopment following the Flood of 1955.
Leasca’s Putnam High years were disrupted by WWII when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy. Upon his return to Putnam, he finished high school and graduated from Bryant University in 1949, His career path started in Worcester as an engineer before he transitioned into a stockbroker in 1966 and eventually became president and founder of the Worcester Stockbrokers Association. Upon his death in 2017, the City of Worcester ordered flags to be flown at half-staff to honor the man for his community contributions.
Donald St. Onge is being recognized as a health care provider along with his numerous contributions to organizations and committees in the Putnam community and surrounding area. A nursing career, which started in 1978, led to several administrative positions in numerous local hospitals culminating as vice president of Day Kimball Healthcare. His community involvement includes past president of QVCC Foundation and a two-year term as mayor of Putnam.
Rice refers to himself as a self-styled art therapist who provides breaks for children with a variety of illnesses and conditions. He is the Regional Manager of the Hospital Outreach Program in Boston where he leads a team of professionals and clinics throughout New England. Rice is also manager and artist in Residence for Paul Newman’s Hole in the Wall Gang Camp. In 2011 he was presented the One Hundred Award from Mass General Hospital for outstanding service to the cancer community.
This class will bring the total number of honored individuals to 30. While annual choices have been difficult and tough decisions have had to be made, the Committee feels that those honored to date have all proven themselves in their respective fields and their communities. It also provides a reminder for present students that a quality education at Putnam High School can be a positive springboard to an outstanding career.
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