Washington Township High School Inducts Six into Newly Renamed “Robert and Eileen Abbott Military Hall of Honor”
Candace Mroz, WTHS teacher and daughter of Bob and Eileen Abbott, and her family – husband Vince and children Madison, Gavin, and Hannah – pose under the banner leading into the Robert and Eileen Abbott Military Hall of Honor.
WASHINGTON TOWNSHIP – Washington Township High School inducted six new members into its Military Hall of Honor on Wednesday evening, May 31, 2023, while simultaneously renaming the Hall in memory of two community pillars who made it reality in the first place.
During a ceremony held in WTHS’s Republic Bank Performing Arts Center, former WTHS Air Force Jr. ROTC commander Lt. Col. Joseph Wolozyn officially dedicated the “Robert and Eileen Abbott Military Hall of Honor.” Bob Abbott was a proud U.S. Army veteran and Washington Township Board of Education member who was inducted as an honorary member of the Hall of Honor in 2019. Eileen Abbott, also a longtime BOE member, joined her husband as a founding trustee for the Hall of Honor at its inception in 2004. Both were huge influences on the Hall of Honor, the AFJROTC program, and military and veteran programs in Washington Township and the region.
“The Military Hall of Honor was very important to both of our parents,” said Candace Mroz, a WTHS teacher and daughter of Bob and Eileen Abbott, during a speech at Wednesday’s ceremony. “It brought together their love for those who served our country, as well as their love for the students of Washington Township. We want to thank you all for continuing this legacy for our parents.
“They would have been incredibly humbled by this, honored, and they’d probably be thinking there’s no reason to be doing this. This just the kind of people they were.”
The newest inductees into the Robert and Eileen Abbott Military Hall of Honor, as announced by current AFJROTC Commander Lt. Col. Beth Ann Lumpkin, included: Richard Diehl, U.S. Army, Class of 1967; Michael Dressner, U.S. Marine Corps, Class of 2021; Trevor Durning, U.S. Army, Class of 2009; Andrew McClave, U.S. Marine Corps, Class of 1980; Kelsey Powell, U.S. Army, Class of 2014; and Karlee Severns, U.S. Army National Guard, Class of 2015.
New Hall of Honor inductees attending the ceremony Wednesday were (left to right) Richard Diehl, Trevor Durning, Karlee Severns, and Andrew McClave. Inductees Kelsey Powell and Michael Dressner were unable to attend.
Following the announcement of the honorees, WTHS 1998 graduate Josh Piddington gave the keynote address. One of the earliest members of the AFJROTC program, Piddington helped establish the annual Air Force-only drill competition at WTHS, as well as designing the AFJROTC 932nd patch that adorns each of the WTHS cadets’ uniform. He served as wing commander during the final portion of his senior year, and he had only good things to say about what AFJROTC did for him.
“I learned so much from my time with the 932nd. It was invaluable,” said Piddington, who currently is vice president and chief information officer at Rowan College of South Jersey. “I didn’t go into the military, because I knew it wasn’t for me. But that makes me appreciate the sacrifices that the
inductees here made in taking that path. We should be incredibly proud.”
The Military Hall of Honor was established to honor WTHS graduates who chose to serve their country as members of the United States Military Services. Located in the 11/12 Building, Hall of Honor inductees are listed by year of induction and in the order in which they were added to the Hall of Honor. The plaques are positioned in numerical order when entering D-Hall from A-Hall. The Class of 2023 inductees brings the Hall’s total number of honorees to 196.
Following the ceremony in the RBPAC, attendees were escorted to the 11/12 wing to tour the Hall and for a brief reception.
Click here for a photo gallery from the ceremony.
Washington Township Superintendent of Schools Dr. Eric Hibbs gives opening remarks at the Robert and Eileen Abbott Military Hall of Honor induction ceremony, while inductees (left to right) Richard Diehl, Trevor Durning, Karlee Severns, and Andrew McClave look on.
Former WTHS Air Force Jr. ROTC Commander Lt. Col. Joseph Wolozyn dedicates the Hall of Honor in memory of Robert and Eileen Abbott. At left, looking on, are Superintendent of Schools Dr. Eric Hibbs and current AFJROTC Commander Lt. Col. Beth Ann Lumpkin.
WTHS 1998 graduate and former AFJROTC wing commander Josh Piddington gives the keynote address.
Inductee Trevor Durning and his mother, Anna Paglione, check out the display in the Military Hall of Honor.
- WTPS -
