There was no committee for choosing distinguished Washington High School graduates until the Washington High School Distinguished Citizens Committee was formed in 1986. The committee eventually decided the criteria for selection. One requirement was graduation from Washington High School (W.H.S.). The first class of honorees was presented in 1988. The following persons have been honored:
Craig Keener (1978) - Education, Author
George T. Maier (1978) - Govenment, Law, Community
Rick Spielman (1982) - Athletics, Business, Broadcasting
Kevin Miller (1995) - Media & Entertainment
Frank Laureano Corral (1953) - Business, Community
Marva L. (Bell) Dodson (1962) - Civic Engagement and Service, Historian
Charles "Chip" Paquelet (1983) - Business, Finance, Community
Shawn G. Turskey (1984) - National Security Agency Senior Executive, US Cyber Command Executive Director
Mary Frances (Nemeth) Strukel* (1954) - Community Service, Organizations, Education
Richard Reichel (1948) - Law and Government
*awarded posthumously
Donald W. Sheffler* (1946) - Commercial Illustrator
Mike Hershberger* (1957) - Professional Athlete
*awarded posthumously
Dennis Franklin (1971) - Professional Athletics, Business
Edward W. Grier (1951) - Professor, Author
Jeff Timmons (1991) - Entertainer, Business
Rodney G. Klein* (1953) - Educator, Community Service
*awarded posthumously
Tommy Hannon (1973) - Professional Athletics, Business
Harry Forgan, Ph.D. (1960) - Professor, Author
Edgar Brockford Herring, Jr. (1965) - Educator, Community Service
Harold G. Weatherbee (1953) - Entrepreurship, Business, Community
Joe Sparma* (1960) - Professional Athletics, Business
Michael R. Lauber (1976) - Business, Community Leader
Robert S. Catlin (1982) - Mortgage Financing, Entrepreneur, Business
*awarded posthumously
Susan R. Gessner (1947) - Business, Community Leader
Pamela Bordner Gable (1968) - Government, Educator
Leroy H. Schumacher (1947) - Construction, Development, Business
R.R. Denny Clunk (1947) - Attorney, Judge, Community Leader
John L. Muhlbach, Jr. (1965) - Community/Athletics
William B. "Billy" Luke (1971) - Military/Athletics
George Scott Crawford, III (1982) - Military
Alexander Paris (1952) - Education
Theodore Stults (1955) - Military/Business
Robert Vogel (1959) - Athletics/Business/Ministry
David A. Doll (1945) - Architect/Naval Aviator
Renee Wallace Baker (1991) - Warden - Ely State Prison, Nevada
Margy Vogt (1967) - Local Historian/Community Volunteer
Homer C. Floyd (1955) - Athletics/Civil Rights
Lori E. Lightfoot (1980) - Law
Walter Charles Richardson* (1959) - Music
Niall W. Slater (1972) - Education
*awarded posthumously
Jim Johnson* (1948) - Marketing/Sales
Leo J. Grosswiller (1950) - Engineering
Charles Brown (1962) - Athletics/Human Services
David McAfee (1981) - Music
*awarded posthumously
Gerald Graybill (1942) - Government Service/FBI
Graydon Eckard (1964) - Construction/Military Service
Bobby Grizzard (1978) - Law Enforcement
Kurt Bodiford (1983) - US Military/Logistics/Analyst
James Houston (1956) - Football/Financial Planning
Dave Koffel (1953) - Auto Racing/Business
Edward Molinski (1936) - Physician/General Practitioner
Robert W. Grier (1952) - Athletics/Civil Rights
Marsha E. Mitchal Malone (1968) - Computer Analyst/Government
Timothy A. Knight (1982) - Military/Business
James Ripple (1945) - Engineering
Tom McCloud (1962) - Cancer Research
Lamont Hill (posthumously) (1964) - Military
Richard Fink (1973) - Music/Theatre/Opera
Larry Harper (1971) - Athletics/Business
Helen Cindia Swartz (1938) - Lifetime achievement in scholarship, education, and community service
Ernest W. Maglischo (1956) - Athletics/Education
Donna Rae Richardson (1963) - Nursing/Administration
Jill Colucci (1967) - Entertainment
Alex Wood, Jr. (1973) - Athletics/Education
Richard Myers (1955) - Cinematography/Education
William J. Breed (1946) - Geology
Steve Luke (1971) - Athletics/Business
Charles McDew (1957) - Civil Rights/Education
Frances Hardman Goodwin (1948) - Judicial
Dr. Robert L. Hewitt (1965) - Social Work
Myron Weinstein (1941) - Electrical Engineer
Dr. Milton S. Feather (1954) - Biochemistry
Dr. Phyllis Furlow Holmes (1963) - Psychology
John Little (1975) - Computer Science
Robert McDade (1938) - Education
F. Joseph Scharon (1941) - Manufacturing
Evelyn Provitt (1948) - Nurse
William Humes (1947) - Manufacturing
John F. Burton (1953) - Education
Francis Cicchinelli, Jr. (1969) - Government
Jack B. Wright (1961) - Education/Theatre
R. Kenneth Horst (1953) - Education
Richard McFarland (1947) - Aviation
Mark Mendelson (1967) - Business
William Morrow (1949) - Business
Thomas F. Barthelemy (1952) - Military national security
James M. Lawson, Jr. (1946) - Minister/civil rights
Thelma Tournay Slater (1938) - Education
Robert A. Johnson (1952) - Military/music
Dr. Max J. Lerner (1939) - Education
Alvin L. Miller (1945) - Inventor/industry
Norman J. Putman (1942) - Law
James P. McCann (1948) - Business
Betty Chandler Jackson (1935) - Nurse
Ralph F. Shilling (1952) - Economics
John E. McVay (1949) - Sports
Peter Boron (1946) - Business
Donald C. Kipfer (1941) - Military
Grace Hofsteter (1943) - Medicine
David D. Dowd (1947) - Law
Willie F. Longshore (1952) - Art/educator
Don E. James (1050) - Sports
Howard Johnson (1958) - Musician
Harry A. Stuhldreher (1920) - Sports, business
Gordon B. Williams (1933) - Military
Paul David (1940) - Business
Saundra Mitchal (1967) - Business
James M. Young (1947) - Physician
Robert Arter (1946) - Lt. General, US Army
James E. Littlefield (1950) - Marketing and Economics
Mark Scufalos (1948) - Business
Harold Glenn Epperson (1941) - Medal of Honor winner
Dr. Wade O. Brinker (1930) - Veterinarian, teacher
David Canary (1956) - Actor
Hershel B. Sarbin (1942) - Publications
Donald Berens (1942) - Business
Janice Ruetz DeGaetano (1951) - Vocal Music
Ernest Russell (1951) - Government Administration
Gary Strobel (1956) - Botanist, biology
Paul E. Brown (1926) - Sports
Ruth Hofsteter (1935) - Humanitarian
Maurice C. Padden (1948) - Major General, USAF
Robert R. Scott (1933) - Medal of Honor winner
William J. Jorden (1940) - Diplomat
Melvin Milligan (1940) - Business Law
Jack E. Oliver (1941) - Scientist
Notable Ex-students of the Massillon Public Schools
In A Century of Education Mary Jane Richeimer selected "Notable Ex-students of the Massillon Public Schools." Names were submitted by Massillonians. Those selected need only to have attended Massillon public schools, not necessarily graduated. Miss Richeimer described the selectees as "those who have achieved such prominence that there can be no doubt about their inclusion."
| Name | Field |
|---|---|
| Robert H. Bahney | Engineer |
| Rose Bampton | Soprano of the Metropolitan Opera Association |
| Earl Blackburn | Athlete (baseball and football) |
| Walter Brahm | State Librarian of Ohio |
| Paul Brown | Coach and General Manager, professional football |
| Victoria Woodhull | First Woman Candidate for U.S. President |
| Frank B. Cleaver | Writer and Scenario Editor, Paramount Pictures |
| Roy C. Darlington | Assoc. Professor, Pharmacy, Howard University |
| William Edwards | Line Coach, Cleveland Browns |
| Harold Epperson | Congressional Medal of Honor winner |
| John Warren Erb | Music Director at NYU and Lafayette College |
| T .J. Ess | Director/editor of The Iron and Steel Engineer |
| Carolyn M. Everhard | Woman suffragist |
| William M. Folger | Rear Admiral U.S. Navy |
| Robert Fothergill | Athlete (baseball) |
| Dorothy Gish | Star of Stage and Screen |
| Lillian Gish | Star of Stage and Screen |
| June G. Groff | Textile designer |
| William B. Hazen | Major General, U.S. Army |
| Thomas Henrich | Athlete (baseball) |
| Gordon Hess | District Manager, Republic Steel Corporation |
| Cornelia K. Hood | One of the first U.S. women lawyers |
| Russell T. Limbach | Artist |
| Alice McAllister | Army nurse |
| Victor H. Morgan | Journalist |
| Dr. David E. Reese | President, Ohio Football Officials' Association |
| Thomas E. Roderick | Brigadier General of the Army |
| Hershel B. Sarbin | Scholar |
| Robert R. Scott | Congressional Medal of Honor winner |
| Robert Peet Skinner | Diplomat |
| Harold W. Smith | Scholar |
| Arthur L. Stahl | Scientist |
| Harry Stuhldreher | Athletic Director/Coach, University of Wisconsin |
| Lee Willenborg | Author and illustrator |
| Lewis Edwin York, Jr. | Artist |