Class of '83 Hall of Fame Inductees

Roger S. Eleftherakis '83
Athlete

Roger graduated second in a class of 273 in 1983 and amassed a record of stellar achievements in both academics and sports, earning numerous awards for his remarkable ability. He was on the High Honor Roll for four years, was president of the National Honor Society and the Eastern Massachusetts National Honor Society, was in the initial class of the Tech Prep program, was a member of the Student Advisory Council to the State Board of Education in 1982 and 1983, and was a Vernon Page Award recipient. He earned a William E. Maloney Scholarship from Lexington Rotary, and the Andrew V. Papas Memorial Award for leadership, character and sportsmanship. Roger also was awarded a certificate from Minuteman for Outstanding Achievement in Mathematics and a VICA (Vocational Industrial Clubs of America) Gold Medal for Extemporaneous Speaking. While still in high school, Roger worked for MIT’s Lincoln Labs in Lexington. He also taught Adult Education classes in computer science at Minuteman.

His milestones in athletics were equally impressive. Roger earned 11 varsity letters in four sports and was Captain of the football, basketball and track teams. He was a 1981 member of the All-Star football team, a member of the All-State Vocational Basketball squad in 1982 and 1983, and the varsity swim team’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) in 1981 and 1982. Roger was on the Football CAC (Commonwealth Athletic Conference) All-Star Team in 1981 and the All-State Vocational Basketball Squad in 1983. Roger received a scholarship to Dartmouth College and was to begin his education there in the fall of 1983, but he was diagnosed with leukemia that summer and passed away on October 28. Sadly, he did not have a chance to show Dartmouth or the world what other great things he could achieve.

Laura Ryan '83
Athlete

Laura graduated from Minuteman in 1983 with a major in Health. She was member of the National Honor Society and was in the initial class of the Tech Prep program, even while majoring in health. She was a member of the Vocational Industrial Clubs of America Health, and a Massachusetts V.I.C.A. Gold Medal winner and Fourth place Honorable Mention winner at the national competition in Health in Louisville Kentucky in 1983.

Laura earned 12 Varsity Letters playing Field Hockey, Basketball, and Softball for Minuteman. She received a Coach’s Award for Sportsmanship, Dedication, and Athleticism her sophomore and junior years, and MVP Award her senior year in Field Hockey. She was Captain of the Field Hockey team her junior year and Co-Captain her senior year. She was also a Commonwealth Conference All-star her senior year. She received a Coach’s Award her junior and senior years and an MVP her senior year in Basketball. She was Co-Captain and a Commonwealth Conference All-Star her senior year. She received a Coach’s Award her junior year and a MVP her senior year in Softball. She was a Commonwealth Conference All-Star her junior and senior years and Captain of the team her senior year. Laura earned the Female Athlete of the Year Award in 1983 and was voted Most Athletic Female of her senior class.

Laura received her Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing in 1990 from Fitchburg State College. For the past 22 years Laura has been an Oncology Nurse and presently works in the Chemotherapy Infusion Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Joe Mitchell ’83 – Distinguished Alumnus

Joe Mitchell of Westfield is a 1983 alum who earned High Honor Roll 1979-1983. Mitchell was editor of the school newspaper in 1982. He was captain track senior year-broke school record in the 2-mile as well as the captain soccer team senior year. He served the school as treasurer National Honor Society senior year and as the student representative to the district school committee. Mitchell was voted Most Likely to Succeed 1983 and was the valedictorian of the class of 1983. Mitchell attended Worcester Polytechnic Institute and studied electrical engineering and graduated with honors in June 1987. He served in the United States Air Force and graduated top in his class. He served on the first aerial mission into Iraq during Desert Storm and earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. Mitchell is the chairman of the Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport Commission and Westfield’s Veterans’ Services Officer.

Dana Ham '83
Distinguished Alumnus

Dana Ham’s career path certainly has been unpredictable, but one constant has been the success he has achieved in every position he has held. He studied welding at Minuteman and worked in that field for five years, then took the civil service exam and was hired by the Lexington Police Department in 1988. Mr. Ham was the first school resource officer in Lexington and he also was on the detective bureau investigating juvenile crime. Mr. Ham subsequently pursued a different interest by becoming Director of Facilities for the Lexington Public Schools for two years. In 2005, he was named Director of Facilities for the Cambridge Public Schools, with responsibilities that included 13 buildings with a total of 1 6 million square feet and nearly 100 employees.

When another superb opportunity beckoned in the fall of 2015, Mr. Ham accepted it. He is now Director of Facilities for Wynn Resorts International, and will be part of a team overseeing the first resort casino in Massachusetts being built in Everett literally “as it’s coming out of the ground.” It is scheduled to encompass over 3 million square feet on over 30 acres. Mr. Ham said that “Wynn will ultimately be cleaning up a contaminated site in Everett as well as a portion of the Mystic River.”

Mr. Ham’s involvement with Minuteman has continued in recent years. He has been associated with the Minuteman School Building Committee, and on a more personal note, his son graduated from Minuteman in 2014. “I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it wasn’t for Minuteman,” Mr. Ham said. “I took what I learned there and turned it into a lifelong career. It really was my foundation.” 

Kenneth Lanzilli '83
Distinguished Alumnus

Ken Lanzilli studied plumbing at Minuteman with the goal of becoming an entrepreneur.  Although his career path diverged somewhat from that long-ago objective, he has had notable professional success by using the training he received in high school as a springboard to many significant achievements. 

A Medford native, Mr. Lanzilli attended Medford High School for ninth- and tenth-grade. At that point, he recalls his father saying, “Ken, let’s get a trade going for you,” so he subsequently transferred to Minuteman for grades eleven and twelve.  “It was quite the culture shock,” Mr. Lanzilli said with a chuckle. ‘There were only four of us from Medford at Minuteman.  It was fun, though. It was a social learning experience. In a month, it was my school.”

After his graduation in 1983, Mr. Lanzilli continued his education in the plumbing field, was employed in Florida for a while, then returned to Boston. He diversified himself, working at his family’s convenience store / gas station, doing plumbing part-time, investing in real estate and getting into the construction business. 

Mr. Lanzilli started filling in for the Medford plumbing inspector and was eventually asked to remain in that position on a permanent basis. Today, he is the building inspector for Medford and holds a number of licenses in the building trades.  A gregarious, outgoing individual, Mr. Lanzilli says he particularly enjoys interacting with the wide variety of people he meets on the job when he is out and about in the community.  

He excelled in sports at Minuteman, specifically football and wrestling. Praising the strength and speed of the 1981-82 football team for which he played running back and defensive back, Mr. Lanzilli remembers that the squad compiled a stellar season record and just missed going to the Super Bowl.  The wrestling team did well, too.  “We surprised a lot of people,” he said proudly. “Our chemistry made it work.”

To this day, Mr. Lanzilli credits the solid beginning he had at Minuteman for his present success. “Minuteman kept me focused.  It got me started on the journey to where I am now.”

Andy Rodenhiser ’83 – Distinguished Alumnus

Andy Rodenhiser is president and CEO of Rodenhiser Home Services, a multi-million dollar residential plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning company. Rodenhiser has won numerous industry, charitable, and civic awards. He has served on several municipal committees in the town of Medway. He is particularly interested in helping veterans transition from military to civilian life, and often provides them jobs during this process. Rodenhiser is a vocal proponent of expanding opportunities for career technical education.