2014 Hall of Fame

There was never any doubt that Steve Bowden would make lifelong use of his considerable artistic aptitude. “As a kid,” he recalled, “I just drew and drew and drew and painted. I was blessed to have good artistic talent. It was always art [that intrigued me].” Today, Steve is Director of IT at the Boston Herald, where he started working in 1987 as a staff illustrator. At Minuteman, where he studied commercial art and graduated in 1980, his goal was to cultivate his skills so he could land a solid job after high school. Steve got a jump-start on his career in his senior year by getting a co-op (cooperative job placement) position at Orchard House Publishers in Concord. By 1986, he had a bachelor’s degree in graphic design from the Massachusetts College of Art under his belt as well. Steve, who lived in Lincoln when he attended Minuteman and now resides in South Boston, uses his creativity in his spare time by making elaborate cakes for friends and family. His piece de resistance thus far is a four-foot-tall replica of the Star Wars character R2D2

Ed Cotton’s name will be familiar to viewers of the popular cooking competition cable TV show “Top Chef.” Cotton was the runner-up on Season 7, narrowly missing the chance to claim the $125,000 first prize. “I felt it was very rewarding to make it that far,” he said philosophically. “The amazing thing was to be recognized on TV.” At Minuteman, Ed studied Culinary Arts, graduating in 1996.

A Waltham native now based in New York, Ed attended the venerable Culinary Institute of America before working for some of the most illustrious chefs in the nation. While still at Minuteman, Ed worked under Chef Todd English at Olives in Charlestown honing his knife and pastry-making skills, then helping English open another eatery, Figs in Wellesley. Ed proved himself so able that he was asked to open yet another Olives at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, where he was sous chef. Ed next spent several years working with Chef Barbara Lynch at the restaurant No. 9 Park in Boston’s Beacon Hill as executive sous chef. Beginning in 2003 and continuing for the following five years, Ed worked under Chef Daniel Boulud in New York at db Bistro Moderne and Restaurant Daniel. He appeared on TV for six seasons on the Food Network as Chef Cat Cora’s sous chef on “Iron Chef America.” Ed Cotton’s other positions included being executive chef at Plein Sud at the Smyth Hotel in New York; chef de cuisine at BLT Market at the Ritz-Carlton New York, Central Park under Chef Laurent Tourondel; running David Burke’s Fishtail and David Burke’s Townhouse, both in New York; and currently being executive chef at Sotto 13 in the West Village. As for his Minuteman education, Ed says, “I was always supported by the faculty. I’ve always said great things about the programs at the school.”

A Swampscott resident who served on the Minuteman faculty from March 1990 until his retirement in July 2012, Kevin Kilfoyle was Cluster Chair of Business and Information Technology. In addition to his responsibilities to the students and staff at Minuteman as teacher, senior teacher, cluster chair, mentor of new staff, Minuteman Faculty Association negotiation team, Kevin also served as DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America --- an association of marketing students) advisor as well as on the Massachusetts DECA State Board of Directors for over ten years. Kevin was actively involved in the Massachusetts School Bank Association and was vice-chair of the Massachusetts Retail Institute through the Retailers Association of Massachusetts.

Ask Mr. Kilfoyle what his proudest achievement was at Minuteman and he will tell you that it was seeing his students operate the school store and Cambridge Savings Bank branch at Minuteman with so much professionalism. “People came up to me and said [we had] the best high school store in the state,” he noted. When he retired, his former students, some of whom graduated 20 years earlier, gave him a surprise party at Prince’s House of Pizza in Saugus. “It warmed my heart,” Kilfoyle recalled. “It’s good to know you made a difference.”

Shawn Limerick graduated from Minuteman in 1986. A gifted and accomplished multi-sport athlete, he found competition exhilarating, and earned All-Scholastic recognition from the Boston Globe and the Boston Herald in football. Shawn also participated in wrestling and track.

He attended Worcester State College, majoring in accounting and graduating in 1991. Formerly a resident of Lexington, Shawn now lives in Chelmsford with his wife of 14 years and their children. He is a Certified Financial Planner with Bay Financial Associates, LLC, in Waltham, where he has worked since 1992. Speaking of Minuteman, Shawn says, “I thought it was a great experience.”

Shawn enjoyed being at the school with his peers from a variety of towns and backgrounds; he felt that it helped him to keep an open mind, to be a good listener, and to understand people better, all of which are essential in his career.

Kathy studied computer programming and participated in several sports including varsity field hockey, varsity swimming, varsity basketball, and varsity track and field. She also was statistician of the football team and manager of the wrestling team. Kathy founded a Facebook group for Minuteman “Old Timers” that now has over 800 friends and subscribers who enjoy having impromptu gatherings and sharing information. She has been the Associate Director for the Performing Arts Office at Suffolk University in Boston for the past 11 years. Kathy has been instrumental in the establishment of the Minuteman Hall of Fame.

Words like beloved and legendary certainly describe the late Norman Myerow (1938-2010), master teacher of baked goods and pastry at Minuteman.

According to his wife, Carolyn, Norm’s passionate love of baking began at his family’s bakery in Malden, and for 34 years he kindled that same heartfelt affinity for preparing fine culinary creations in his students. In 1985, Mr. Myerow was awarded Outstanding Vocational Teacher of the Year by the Epicurean Club of Boston.

He was also an active member of the American Culinary Foundation, the Epicurean Club, Les Amis d’Escoffier Society, the Honorable Order of the Golden Toque, The Bread Bakers Guild of America, Massachusetts Teachers Association, and SkillsUSA. Norm was also a Past President of the Massachusetts Chef de Cuisine. Mr. Myerow was a Certified Executive Pastry Chef, Certified Culinary Educator, and a member of the American Academy of Chefs (Norm is in their Hall of Fame). Perhaps one of Norm’s most enduring legacies is the fact that his students earned 16 medals at the rigorous national competitions held annually by SkillsUSA, an organization for vocational students.

“He loved working with kids, loved Minuteman, and loved teaching,”

Mrs. Myerow said.