In June, we inducted six graduates into our Halls of Excellence at a ceremony held inside Trueman Memorial Fieldhouse. Dr. Frank Bossu ’67 was inducted into the Hall of Honors for his dedication, service, and support of Benedictine High School. Dr. John P. Gyekenyesi ’57 and James Shea ’94 were inducted into the Hall of Distinction for their incredible success in their chosen careers. Terry Modzelewski ’78, Cameron Wright ’10, and Jerome Baker ’15 were inducted into the Hall of Fame for their athletic achievements as students of Benedictine and, in the case of Cameron and Jerome, in college and professional sports.
Jerome Baker made his mark at Benedictine as a member and leader of the 2014 State Championship football team. He went on to become a Ohio State Buckeye and is entering his 8th season as an NFL Linebacker and will play for his hometown Cleveland Browns this fall. Jerome is always incredibly generous with his time, gives back to the community, and holds his annual football camp on Bossu Field every summer. Congratulations and welcome to the Benedictine Hall of Fame, Jerome!
Cameron Wright ’10 was an outstanding basketball player for the Bengals, finishing with 1,655 career points, three All-State Selections, and was the Ohio Division II Basketball player of the year in 2010. He, along with 2nd-Team All State Player Derek Jackson, led the Bengals to the OHSAA DII Final 4 in 2010. Cameron went on to play at the University of Pittsburgh and played internationally for two seasons after his college career. He was a four-time academic all-league honoree while in college. We are honored to welcome Cameron to the Benedictine Hall of Fame.
Dr. John P. Gyekenyesi ’57 has an incredible life story that began in Hungary, where his family fled communism, then to Austria and eventually moved to Cleveland in 1951. He became class valedictorian in 1957 and went on to have a 51 year career in science and engineering at NASA. He became well known as a leading mind in space exploration and materials science and travelled to over 30 countries as a speaker and collaborator on behalf of NASA.
Additionally, Dr. Gyekenyesi helped grow soccer as a sport in the United States and met with Jimmy Carter, and various governors and mayors to promote soccer and the Cleveland Cobras, which he was General Manager of, from 1975-81. He is inducted in both the Ohio and US Soccer Halls of Fame and has served as the president of the Ohio Soccer Association North since 1992. As a global ambassador of both science and sports, we gladly induct Dr. Gyekenyesi into the Benedictine Hall of Distinction.
James Shea ’94 is an internationally recognized poet, translator, educator, and literary editor and is the author of several poetry collections, including Star in the Eye, The Lost Novel, and Last Day of My Face, the latter of which has been selected for the Iowa Poetry Prize this year.
He is an accomplished translator of Chinese and Japanese Poetry and is a tenured associate professor and Director of the Creative Writing Program at Hong Kong Baptist University. After attending Benedictine, he received a full Ignatian Scholarship to attend Loyola University Chicago. He later was a recipient of the Fulbright U.S. Scholar Grant where he established the world’s first bilingual (Chinese-English) creative writing program. He is currently on sabbatical as a writer-in-residence at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. For his prolific accomplishments in writing and education, we are proud to induct James Shea into the Hall of Distinction.
Terry Modzelewski ’78 was a standout athlete at Benedictine and was a key member of the 1978 Baseball Team that finished as a runner-up in an extra inning State Championship game. He had the highest batting average and led the team in stolen bases his senior year and was never caught stealing. He was a defensive force in center field and is one of the most respected players in Benedictine Baseball history. We acknowledge those accomplishments and wholeheartedly welcome Terry into the Benedictine Hall of Fame!
Members of the 1978 Baseball State Runner-up team: From L-R: John Szuch, Pete Germano, Jamie Georgeson, Terry Modzelewski, Andy Smith, and John DiPaolo
Dr. Frank Bossu ’67 is well known to students at Benedictine after his arrival to teach Chemistry in 2006 but his career in chemistry before his arrival is incredibly notable all on its own. After earning the distinction of Class Valedictorian, Doc earned a full academic scholarship to the University of Notre Dame. He was a walk-on for the Fighting Irish Football Team and although he wasn’t on an athletic scholarship, his work ethic earned him three varsity letters while graduating with honors in chemistry.
He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry at Purdue University where he introduced new lab techniques that became central to the department’s research for years to come. He went on to work at Proctor & Gamble and was integral to the brands Tide with Bleach and Cascade. He then went to work on consumer insights and market research with Pepsi, Nestle, Colgate, and Pella.
He returned to Benedictine in 2006 to teach Chemistry and went on to introduce AP Chemistry and Forensic Science courses to Benedictine while serving as Science Department Chair and Head Freshman Football Coach. He was asked to become President of the School and served there until 2020. Doc has been a relentless supporter of Benedictine and is truly deserving to be a member of the Benedictine Hall of Honors.
Please join us in congratulating these Men of Benedictine on their inductions!
