DeVilbiss High School panel adds 7 alumni to hall of fame

Grads excelled in athletics, community involvement

Mary-Ella Holst is one of seven inductees for the DeVilbiss Hall of Fame. She graduated from the now-closed school in 1952 and says she has always maintained her ties.

Mary-Ella Holst has lived in New York since 1960, but she said she has always retained her ties to the former DeVilbiss High School, where she graduated in 1952, and Toledo.

"I have very positive feelings about my years at DeVilbiss," she recalled by telephone from her home on Manhattan's Upper East Side. "I was on the newspaper, the Prism, and we took trips to New York City for the national high school press conference at Columbia University."

On. Oct. 28, Ms. Holst, 77, plans to be back in Toledo with her husband, two daughters, and sons-in-law for what she regards as a big event in her life: her induction into the DeVilbiss High School Hall of Fame.

She and six others will be inducted at an Oct. 28 dinner at the Inverness Club. A social hour with cash bar begins at 5:30 p.m. and a sit-down dinner an hour later. Reservation forms can be obtained by e-mailing halloffame@devilbissalumni.org and using DHS Banquet on the subject line. Information also is available at devilbissalumni.org.

Ms. Holst was born in Detroit and came to Toledo in 1948 to live with a grandmother. After DeVilbiss, she graduated from the University of Toledo with a double major in English and history.

The DeVilbiss Alumni and Hall of Fame Committee inducts alumni and staff members from three areas: outstanding athlete while attending the high school, distinguished achievement in career and/or community, and outstanding school service.

Ms. Holst's induction is in the second category. She has served on the board of the University of Toledo Alumni Association and founded the New York City chapter of that group, hosting the first fund-raiser there and reconnecting some generous donors to the university. As a member of the alumni association board, she prided herself on never missing a meeting, even though she lived in New York.

She began her association with the Booker T. Washington Learning Center in Harlem in 1987 when she became a tutor there. She remains on the center's development committee. She also has a long association with the Unitarian Universalist Service Committee, a human rights group, where she raised $250,000 during a fund-raising campaign.

She worked for the New York State Employment Service and was director of religious education at Unitarian Church of All Souls in New York.

The other inductees are:

Walter Churchill, Jr., class of 1947, who ran track and cross country at DeVilbiss and went on to sponsor the Walt Churchill Half-Marathon. A Marine Corps veteran of the Korean War, he grew up living and learning the family grocery business.

Judith Daso Herb, class of 1957, has taught in three school systems and been involved in her family's business for more than 20 years. Her board memberships have included the UT Alumni Association, the Shedd Aquarium, the Art Institute of Chicago, and the Museum of Art in Naples, Fla.

Jeffrey A. Kuhman, class of 1964, was a standout athlete in football, wrestling, and track at DeVilbiss. He won an athletic scholarship to the University of Vermont and was drafted by the Denver Broncos.

Terry Crosby, class of 1975, was a top football and basketball player at DeVilbiss, making the All City team in both sports as a sophomore. He was the first junior to be named All Ohio in basketball in the history of Ohio athletics. After playing basketball at the University of Tennessee, he played for the Kansas City Kings and then moved to Europe for 17 years to play professionally. The 1986 Guinness Book of World Records named him as scoring the most points (73) in a British Premiership basketball game.

Dean Monske, class of 1982, was a star runner who holds 11 city championships and two state championships. He was All American twice and was a four year honors student. He is president and CEO of the Regional growth Partnership.

Sheronda Boyd, class of 1978, lettered in volleyball, basketball, and track and was an honors student for four years. Her volleyball teams won three City League, two sectional, and two district championships. Her basketball jersey was retired in recognition of her court prowess.