- Details
- Category: Current Issue
Five individuals were named to the Putnam High School Wall of Honor, Class of 2024. The award honors PHS graduates or those who have provided service to the school through demonstrated spirit, leadership in their chosen profession, high standards of citizenship and service to their community.
The induction ceremony to honor these individuals will be held in October.
Selection to the Wall of Honor is also a reminder to current students that a Putnam High School education can serve as a springboard to careers in various fields of one’s choice.
This is the seventh class of inductees and includes: William Perry Barber, Class of 1925; William Kelleher, Class of 1949; Roger Franklin, Class of 1956; Harold Alvord, Class of 1962 and Albert Cormier for service to the school. All except Franklin are posthumous inductees.
William Perry Barber served two terms as Putnam’s mayor in the 1940s and then compiled an outstanding political and judicial career at the State level. He served 14 years on the Connecticut Supreme Court including two years as President Pro-Tem and was State Senator for ten years.
William Kelleher was an outstanding football and track athlete while at Putnam High School before continuing his education at Brown and UConn where he continued to establish school records in track. As a coach and teacher at the high school and college level he developed a number of athletes who earned All American honors and one Olympic competitor.
Roger Franklin was a graduate of Norwich University where he was commissioned Second Lieutenant. Following active duty he was assigned to serve in various training command and staff positions before retiring as a Colonel in 1992. He served in the Connecticut Labor department for 36 years before turning his attention to local volunteer community services, including over 18,000 hours at Day Kimball Hospital.
Harold Alvord was a military veteran who served in Vietnam where he was injured when his helicopter was shot down. He retired after reaching the rank of Colonel and went on to become Director of Public Works in Norwalk. His organizational and managerial expertise brought about significant changes in the city for which he was recognized.
Albert Cormier will be the first inductee who is not a graduate of Putnam High School but was recognized for his contributions while serving as the school’s guidance counselor. In his capacity as counselor to the students, he introduced new programs and opportunities and more importantly developed a rapport with students that played a significant role in their high school development and beyond.
This will bring the total of inductees to 30 since its inception in 2017, and their plaques are prominently displayed on a “wall” in a corridor adjacent to the gymnasium
.