Presenter David Bayers­dorfer recounted Mr. Stelma's trials as "a skinny little kid who just loved football" who fought his way up and down the field as a 150-pound lineman.
"Just to give you some comparison," Mr. Bayersdorfer said, "the smallest guys on our line now are in the range of 220 to 230 pounds. They are enormous."
Mr. Stelma alternated between tackle and guard all the way to the state championship in 1990. He excelled in baseball under Coach Mike DeMazza and finished out his high school athletic career at a three-letter athlete in football, skiing and baseball.
Mr. Stelma, who grew up in Kent, went on to West Point, serving in the Army five years in such hot spots as Bosnia, and then earned a degree in international finance from John Hopkins University. He entered banking in Bombay, India, with Citibank and later returned to Washington, D.C., as a management consultant focused on emerging markets.
He helped to start a private equity firm in 2006, opening its first international office.
In his message to his former HVRHS colleagues, he said that his time on Housy's playing fields had taught him "about showing dignity when one is down in the count, [how to] show resolve against greater odds, or simply to have a sense of humor, compassion and a host of other traits that raise our general humanity a little higher ..."
Nine other athletes were inducted into the Hall of Fame Sunday. The program demonstrated the remarkable stability of the state's Northwest Corner, as coaches who led generations of student athletes rose to honor now mature men and women who had excelled on the school's playing fields. A number of those students were members of mini sports dynasties, joining parents, brothers, sisters, sons and daughters on the roster of HVRHS' great athletes.
Ed Kir­by, a much-esteemed baseball coach who guided a select group of young men into professional baseball careers, Sunday paid tribute to one of his stellar players of yesteryear.
Tom Atkins, Class of '59, took part in football, baseball and basketball, but Mr. Kirby remembered him as an excellent outfielder and a solid pitcher who continued his athletic career well beyond his high school years.
Mr. Atkins, who now lives in Oregon, said, "Some of my proudest moments were putting on a uniform for this school."
A younger generation was honored when Francis "Champ" Perotti stepped forward to receive his award. A football and baseball player, he was captain of the baseball team and MVP in his senior year. A scholar athlete, he was ranked 13th in his graduating class and was inducted in the National Honor Society before going on to play football for Western New England College. He played for the Tri-State League for many years before undergoing open-heart surgery at age 35, an incident that moved him from the playing fields into the role of coach, guiding players in Little League, Babe Ruth and All Stars baseball teams, Canaan Youth Basketball and at North Canaan Elementary School. In 2001, he started the Steamroller football program, leading his players to an undefeated season in 2006.
Mr. Perotti, Class of '83, recalled that his father, Frank Perotti, was among the first inductees into the Hall of Fame. "He is still the strongest, toughest man I know," he said, adding that further pressure had been placed on the family's only son, by his "over-achieving sister," Candi (Perotti) Wolf, inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2005.
Introducing inductee Colleen Gregory, coach Mark Scozzafava said, "Her athletic accomplishments speak for themselves. Mr. Scozzafava, who coached her in softball, said, "She always brought her A game. She never let a teammate or an opponent outwork her. "
Ms. Gregory, Class of '92, played soccer, basketball and softball, earning 10 varsity letters. She was MVP in all three sports, recognized Berkshire League All Star, earned the Sportsmanship Award, Master of Sports, Four Varsity Letter Award, Senior Athletic Award and Athlete of the Year Award.
David Bayersdorfer, recently retired athletic director at the school, was another inductee. Mr. Bayersdorfer declared himself to be a "very lucky man," a theme he returned to frequently during his short talk.
Mr. Bayersdorfer was an assistant football coach and varsity golf coach. Despite not being very good at the game he led his team to six Berkshire League golf championships.
He coaches varsity boys basketball and even acted as coach to the cheerleading squad. While basketball coach, his team won the Berkshire League Championship, got to the state quarterfinal three times and won a total of 108 games.
Former football coach Mike Guy introduced his former player, Michael Dodge, Class of '79, a three-sport athlete and quarterback on Mr. Guy's 1978 powerhouse team. Mr. Dodge averaged 23 offensive points per game. In basketball, he was called on to battle much taller players under the basket and he was a sprinter in his freshman, sophomore and junior years.
Bob Segalla, Class of '65, specialized in baseball, basketball and cross country but was also active in gymnastics. He was chosen to the All Northwest Conference Team in two sports and was captain of his basketball and cross country teams in his senior years.
Fred Baldwin presented the award for Jacques Tompkins, Class of '56. Mr. Baldwin termed Mr. Tompkins "about the best athlete to come out of Cornwall." He earned seven varsity letters playing football, baseball and basketball, was the running back on the undefeated 1953 football team and played third base on the undefeated 1954 baseball team.
He was also co-captain of the '56 baseball team.
Steven Dodge, Class of '74, was introduced by former HVRHS principal and coach Jack Mahoney. Mr. Dodge's sports career included football, basketball and baseball. He was captain of the football team in his junior and senior years, being voted MVP both years. His efforts in basketball were no less stellar. Captain of the team in his senior year and MVP for three of his four years on the team, He was a varsity player in baseball for four years and was All State in his junior year. Again he was team captain in his junior and senior years and was MVP in his senior year.
Karen (Chinatti) Koutsoukos, was introduced by her father, former coach and Housy Hall of Famer, Roland Chinatti.
Ms. Koutsoukos participated in field hockey, basketball, softball and badminton. Her favorite sport, soccer, was not available to girls and she was instrumental in promoting the HVRHS Girls Soccer Club to a varsity sport, making it the first Connecticut program for girls.