Pennsbury High School has had its fair share of famous graduates, and four of them visited the Falls Township school on Thursday, Oct. 13 to be the first group inducted into the PHS Hall of Fame.
Attending the induction ceremony and giving brief speeches were National Football League executive and former NFL star player Troy Vincent, actor Richard Kind, national television news correspondent Robert Costa and medical professor and former NASA official Mark Shelhamer. Also inducted was national TV news correspondent Hallie Jackson, who was unable to attend the ceremony because of a professional commitment but spoke to the audience via a video hookup.
“These men and women once walked the same halls as you, and I’m elated they are here today to be inducted into our Hall of Fame,” PHS Principal Reggie Meadows told the students attending the ceremony.
Vincent, a 1988 graduate, was a star defensive back for the Eagles and other NFL teams before moving into the league’s executive ranks. He is now the NFL executive vice president of football operations.
He recalled how he wasn’t even going to go out for the football team until some coaches convinced him while he was shooting baskets in the PHS gym.
“I’m a product of people who saw in me something I didn’t see in myself,” Vincent said. “I came out and it changed my life. I’m a father of five, grandfather of six and a proud Falcon. Pennsbury is a special place made up of special people.”
Kind, a member of Pennsbury’s Class of 1974, starred in the television sitcoms “Mad About You” and “Sin City” and has also appeared in “Two and a Half Men” and “The Goldbergs.” His movie credits include “Argo” and “The Producers.” He was nominated for a Tony Award for Best Featured Actor in a Play in the Broadway production of “The Big Knife.”
“I had a great time at this school,” said Kind. “The rest of your life will be learning, and this is one place where you learn how to learn. Life is terrific, and you’re very lucky you get to spend part of your life at this place. I am who I am because of Pennsbury High School.”
A 2004 graduate, Costa is the chief election and campaign correspondent for CBS News. Among many other achievements, he also co-wrote the book “Peril” along with legendary journalist Bob Woodward.
Costa told the story of how he was able to get Maroon 5 and John Mayer to play at Pennsbury Senior Proms when he was attending the high school.
“Pennsbury is a place that has deeply shaped my life,” Costa said. “It’s a special place because it forges people in a very unique way.”
Jackson, senior Washington correspondent for NBC News and member of Pennsbury’s Class of 2002, urged students to get the most out of their high school years no matter what group they fit into, or if they didn’t fit into any group at all.
“I had some fails in high school but also took some big swings,” she said. “I did learn it was fine to be weird, fine to be independent. I used to spend Saturday nights reading at the Barnes & Noble near the Oxford Valley Mall. For those of you who are widely popular and fit comfortably into lots of things, that’s great and keep it up. For those of you who don’t, I’ve learned that being kind of a nerd is actually kind of cool.”
Shelhamer, a 1977 graduate, is best known for his pioneering work on a multidisciplinary approach to human spaceflight. Now a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Shelhamer said the job consists mostly of researching what happens when you send people into space.
Pennsbury was an enriching place, he noted.
“It prepared me dramatically for college,” Shelhamer said.
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