All profiles appear as written at the time of induction.
Walter Basiul was a four-year standout on Clark's basketball team and captained the squad hsi junior and senior years. He also participated one year each in the soccer and crew programs. basiul impacted the basketball team immediately upon his arrival at Clark in 1942. As a starting forward, the rookie led Clark in total points and was the second leading scorer in the city. In a career interrupted by the war, Basiul left Clark after his first season and rejoined the team in the middle of the 1945-46 season. In the team's remaining games that year Basiul averaged 18 points per game which was the highest average among the Worcester's college players. In his junior season, he led Clark to a 10-6 record and again topped the team in scoring. As a senior Basiul was forced to the bench after only five games with a season-ending knee injury.
Following graduation Basiul pursued a career in the retail business, starting as a buyer and department manager at Filene's. He managed several stores including the O.K. Outlet, The Mart, and Stuart's ans subsequently became co-owner of the Value Center in Worcester. Basiul earned a master's degree in education from Clark in 1951. Currently he is self-employed as a rental agent. Walter and his wife Dora, who passed awau in 1996, have one son, Edward.
Presenter: Matt Stepanski '42
Kevin D. Cherry started all four years at point guard for Clark’s basketball team and served as a team tri-captain his junior and senior years. He directed a potent offense that led Clark to a four-year 82-22 record (.788 winning percentage), four consecutive post-season NCAA bids (including the first ever for the men’s basketball program), and two New England Regional Championships. As a rookie, he was a prolific scorer averaging 15 points per game along with four assists and four steals. At the beginning of his sophomore season, Coach Wally Halas changed Cherry’s role, asking him to score less and increase his play-making. Cherry responded by nearly doubling his assist per game average while still contributing 10 points per game. In his final two seasons he led New England in assists and topped the region in steals in his senior year.
Cherry garnered numerous honors throughout his career, culminating in his senior year with selections to the ECAC Division III All-Star Team, the New England Basketball Coaches Association (NEBCA) First Team, and the United Press International (UPI) All-New England Division III First Team. He was also the NCAA Regional Most Valuable Player and a finalist for the Cousy Award, which honors New England’s best basketball player under six feet. In his four seasons, Cherry scored 1,113 points and dished out 630 assists. He was presented for induction by Kevin Clark ’81, a former teammate and Hall of Fame member.
Following graduation, Cherry stayed on as Clark's assistant basketball coach for the 1981- 82 season. Recently he has worked as the budget director for the Boston Public Schools and is currently working for the FleetBoston Financial as as financial manager in the Corporate Facilities Group. Among his various community activities, Cherry is the president of the Board of Directors at the South End Community Health Center and also serves as treasurer for the Fenway High School Board of Directors. His daughter Sheriece entered George Washington University in the fall of 2000.
Presenter: Kevin Clark '81 (Hall of Fame Member (1995)
Betty Jean Jaskoviak, a four-year member of the swim team had numerous achievements throughout her distinguished career. The two-year team captain qualified for the National Swimming and Diving Championships four straight years in 14 individual events and 16 relays. In her freshman year, she recorded 14th place finishes in the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events at the 1980 National Championships, and two years later placed sixth in the 100-yard backstroke. Jaskoviak earned All-Americahonors in the 100-yard backstroke as a sophomore.
Competing against Division I and II institutions at the New England Swimming and Diving Championships in her first three years, Jaskoviak consistently finished as one of the top seven swimmers in New England in her events, including a third-place finish in the 100-yard backstroke in 1982. In her senior season, when Clark matched up with Division II and III schools, Jaskoviak placed second in both the 100- and 200-yard backstroke events. The versatile swimmer graduated with 11 Clark records in the backstroke, freestyle, individual medley, and relay events.
Jaskoviak served on Clark’s Hall of Fame committee for six years and chaired the event the past two years. She is currently is employed as an Information Technology Project Leader for the Candle Corporation. She and her husband Kent Jaskoviak '82 have three boys, Tory, Cole, and Tyler.
Presenting Jaskoviak for induction was her husband Kent Jaskoviak ’82
Dr. F. Eugene Melder, a professor of economics, was Clark’s first crew coach. He launched the crew program in 1941 and directed the team for 13 years. Melder honed his own rowing skills as an oarsman at the University of Washington, whose rowing team was renowned as one of the nation’s finest . Melder introduced crew, not only to Clark, but also to Worcester, as Clark developed the first intercollegiate crew program in the city. Melder infused his team members with enthusiasm, desire, and motivation in addition to teaching novice rowers the technical aspects of the sport. His innovative spirit led him to design and build an indoor rowing tank so athletes could train during the winter months.
In 1960 the university’s first new eight-oared shell was christened the "Doc Melder" in honor of Clark’s father of rowing. Although Melder handed over the reins of the program in 1961, he remained actively involved with its major development activities especially fundraising, until his death in a tragic plane crash in December 1968. He was survived by his wife, Eleanor Morrill Melder, who died in 1993. His children include Dr. Keith eugene Melder, Susan Melder Lenoe, and Prisccilla Rice. There are five grandchildren and two great-grandchildren in the family.
Presenter: Dr. Ike N. Resnick '58
Accepting for Melder was his son Dr. Keith Eugene Melder