FREDERICKTOWN — Fredericktown Local Schools have welcomed five new inductees into the district’s alumni hall of honor.
The hall of honor recognizes graduates, living and deceased, who, through their exemplary actions and achievements reflect positively on the Fredericktown Local Schools so that present-day students may identify with their efforts and establish goals for the future.
The honorees were:
- Jason Tharp, Class of 1994
- Emily Tharp, Class of 1997
- Rebeccah Ramey Heinrichs, Class of 2001
- Bryan Findley, Class of 1990
- Shirley Ackerman Burgett, Class of 1947
- Jason Tharp is a renowned author, illustrator, and owner of his own publishing company, Wonderville Publishing.
- Emily Tharp is the first female captain in the U.S. Coast Guard and has earned the American Society of Naval Engineers’ Perry Award. Emily is the Industrial Manager of the Coast Guard’s only shipyard in the country, which involves a $100 million business fixing ships.
- Heinrich is a U.S. House of Representatives advisor, as well as a Senior Fellow at Hudson Institute, specializing in U.S. National Defense Policy. She was instrumental in starting the Bipartisan Missile Defense Caucus.
- Findley has traveled worldwide in direct support of President Clinton to provide secure communications as well as certain bases he was assigned to. He was responsible for all secure communications in the White House. Findley received the Presidential Service Badge.
- Shirley Ackerman Burgett, Class of 1947, is the co-founder and partner of Kokosing Construction. Burgett’s also a philanthropist and was instrumental in the construction of the Hospice Building in Knox County. She was also a Charter Member National Honor Society, 1947.
Inductees gave Fredericktown advice for the future
Heinrich wasn’t able to attend the induction in person due to being in Washington D.C. but she did leave Fredericktown students with words of encouragement.
“Freddies, you’re in a great place,” Heinrich said. “Sometimes I think it can be. temptation when you’re in a small town to think that maybe you’re not getting the kind of experience or opportunities that those who are from big cities or towns are from.
“Let me tell you that you lack for nothing when it comes to your potential to learn the great material that you have before you to be in a great community of people, of parents, teachers and faculty who have committed their lives to this area, this community, this school and to you and your education.”
Heinrich also said it’s up to the students to take said information and think about their future, wherever they may be.”
Emily Tharp said education has allowed more opportunities within the Coast Guard.
“When you put the hard work in and the perseverance, you are rewarded with more opportunity,” Tharp said.
Tharp also recommended students “find a way to provide something of service and contribution” that’ll bring fulfillment into their lives.
Tharp said he found success in being weird.
Speaking directly to the students in the gymnasium, Tharp said he was in their position many years ago, trying to figure out what the world had in store for him. What advice could he leave Fredericktown students?
“Be the weird one,” Tharp said. “Because what people do when they can’t understand something is they label it.
“When they label it they try to make sense of it in their mind. Here’s the problem with that, they don’t live in your mind.
Your job, Tharp said, is to experience the world in front of you and find people to help you achieve your goals.
Tharp achieved his goal of becoming an author and illustrator by attending art school, rekindling childhood memories of reading Scholastic books thinking that his name could be on a book one day.
Though when he started publishing his books, it turned out something wasn’t right, Tharp said.
“And then you wake up to realize that the story you’re writing is actually a story of your life that other people are going to be inspired by,” Tharp said.
Tharp instead, recommends forward-thinking, rather than looking at the past.
“There’s going to be other people that are going to visit your past, let them. You’re not there anymore,” Tharp said. “You’re continuing to move forward.”