MINERVA, Ohio (Jordan Miller News) – The Class of 2022 inductees to the Minerva High School Alumni Hall of Fame will be enshrined on Saturday, June 11, in the Minerva United Methodist Church’s Wesley Hall at 6:30 p.m.
The ceremony will be the first of its kind in over two years, as prior ceremonies were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Inductees for the ceremony will include four former students, including three members of the 1959 Minerva graduating class: James F. Arrasmith; Reverend Ronald Lee; and Donald Stafford. The fourth inductee, Laurie McClellan, is a member of the Class of 1971.
Inductee biographies
Arrasmith was a graduate of Mount Union College with a bachelor’s degree in biology and a master’s degree in biochemistry. Arrasmith spent 46 years in martial arts training, including time as an instructor for hundreds of students and law enforcement officials. Arrasmith also served as President of the Minerva Public Library Board and Director of the Chamber of Commerce.
Reverend Lee graduated with honors from Mount Union College and earned a Master of Divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia. He devoted his life in service to churches, congregations, and those he counseled, coached and taught. Reverend Lee also worked as a charitable fundraiser, and his work was highlighted in an article for The Wall Street Journal.
McClellan earned a degree in radiology technology from Kent State University and was then employed as a radiology technologist at Alliance City Hospital and Westwood Urgent Care Center. In 1987, McClellan joined the Board of Directors of Consumers National Bank. In 1998, she was appointed Chairman of the Board, and the bank increased its assets from $131 million to almost $1 billion. A very active citizen in community service, McClellan supported the Minerva Area Historical Society, Minerva Area Community Charitable Trust, Habitat for Humanity, Minerva 20/20 Vision, Minerva Relay for Life, Kent State University Salem, Minerva/Alliance Red Cross, and the Minerva YMCA.
Upon graduating from Minerva, Stafford earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from Kent State University. Stafford also graduated from the U.S. Army Officer Training Program in 1965, as well as the U.S. Army Aviation Training Program in 1966. Stafford graduated from advanced helicopter training and was assigned to Vietnam as a Huey helicopter pilot. During his station in Vietnam, Stafford was involved in a serious crash that destroyed his helicopter and was later rescued in the jungle, while another time, he was shot down by Vietcong machine fire. Stafford returned home and became a flight instructor in Fort Rucker, Alabama. Stafford retired from the military in 1990 after a 25-year service, and in 2008, he received the Master Pilot Awards from the Federal Aviation Agency for 50 years of civilian flying without an accident.