Cardinal O’Hara inducts 9 into Hall of Fame

TONAWANDA — Cardinal O’Hara High School will honor new inductees into the school’s Hall of Fame at a banquet and ceremony on Oct. 2, at 5:30 p.m., at Banchetti by Rizzo’s in Amherst. Candidates, selected by a committee of alumni and supporters from the school, are selected for their accomplishments during their time both at the school and in their lives following graduation.

The 2021 Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame inductees include: 

Joseph Emminger ’77, has served as Town of Tonawanda supervisor since 2015. Emminger has received numerous awards for his involvement in many committees, schools and community businesses.

Candace (Brown) Hennessy ’65, (awarded posthumously) a member of the first graduating class at Cardinal O’Hara, served as president and CEO of Curative Care Network in Milwaukee. Hennessy was published professionally and received many research awards during her lifetime.

Dr. James Higgins ’72, Captain, United States Navy flight surgeon (Ret.), became a naval pilot and mission commander in the U.S. military flying more than 350 missions. Later, he received his doctor of osteopathy degree from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and has been a physician for nearly 30 years.

Michael Weinholtz ’72, He became chairman of the board of CHG Healthcare Services that provides recruitment and staffing services for hospitals and health care facilities throughout the United States. In 2016, he was the Democratic Party nominee for governor of Utah.

Paul Haggerty ’74, worked in the U.S. Secret Service for 23 years as special agent in charge in the Presidential Protective Division of the White House complex. He was assigned to Presidents George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. He also escorted President Bush into Pope Benedict’s private study where there were only three men in the room: the pope, President Bush and Haggerty.

Kathleen Conway ’75, served as operations and policy director for more than 36 years within the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection. She worked post-9/11 within the Department of Homeland Security in the U.S. and for three years in Brussels, Belgium where she was the U.S. attaché to the World Customs Organizations. Currently, she is a member of the Cape Coral Police Department’s Police Volunteer Unit in Florida.

Stephen J. Pauly ’75, is currently director of Global Plan Engineering, Reliability and Standards for Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, where he is responsible for developing and implementing the global asset reliability strategy for all factories across the globe. At Cardinal O’Hara, he was athletic trainer for four years for all major sports teams, receiving special recognition for Outstanding Service as Head Trainer.

Mark Trabert ’77, has been an employee of Moog for 35 years, progressively advancing into management roles. In 2015, he became president of the Aircraft Division, a $1.2 billion enterprise. He is responsible for manufacturing facilities in the U.S., Europe and Asia.

Kellie (Szczepaniec) Thompson, ’04, was named director of the Kathryn M. Buder Center for American Indian Studies in 2019. She is active in the Multiple Sclerosis Society, has run two full marathons, six half marathons and two Ragnar race relays. In addition, she has made many presentations centering on indigenous rights and health issues.

Tickets for the event are $55. For tickets or more information, call 716-695-2600, Ext. 312 or email rorr@cardinalohara.com.