SAYRE REUNION 2003
The Annual Fall Reunion was held on October 4, 2003, with a large gathering of over 130 alumni, former parents and friends, and faculty. The classes that were highlighted at this year’s fall event were the Class of 1973 (30th), the classes of 1982, 1983, and 1984 (20th), and the classes of 1997, 1998, and 1999 (5th). The Headmaster’s Social was held in the "Commons" of the Headley-De Waal building (now the Middle School, formally the old Upper School) affording everyone the opportunity to witness the dramatic changes that have occurred in that building. Headmaster, Clayton Chambliss, Director of Development, Ed Hastie, and Director of Alumni Affairs, Tom Grunwald, provided tours of the excitingly new and enlarged Upper School building located one block north of the main campus. Following the social, the classes assembled in "the Buttery" for a dinner of Frogmore Stew (a low-country boil of shrimp, red potatoes, corn on the cob, and sausage), fried chicken, and pasta. The primary feature of the evening was honoring the State Championship girl’s tennis teams of 1983 and 1984, and two individual athletes, Hallison Putnam '98 and Bradley Nahra ’98. The championship tennis teams, Ms. Putnam, and Mr. Nahra were added to the Sayre Athletic Hall of Fame located in the C.V. Whitney Gymnasium where their portraits will be hung as a permanent reminder of their many contributions to the school.

The Classes of the early 1980s fondly remembered the highly talented girl’s tennis teams coached by Tom Isaacs as the only Sayre sports teams to have won a state championship. The teams of 1983 and 1984 laid the foundation for the success that the sport has enjoyed at Sayre up to the present day. The two groups of players are the first teams to be honored by inclusion in the Hall of Fame and were composed of Wendy Anderson ’88, Beckwith Archer ’84, Kelly Madauss ’89, Christina Minor ’87, Ellen Morgan ’85, Hillary Hobbs ’87, Holly Parrish ’85, Virginia Peppiatt ’87, Frances Roberts ’ 87, Winfrey Robertson ’86, Carol Saunier ’85, Susan Sloan ’89, Anne Storey "84, Louise Ward ’83, and Whitney Wiggins ‘87. Joining the assembled classes at the Reunion and recognized for their contributions to the two teams were Ellen Morgan-Pelfry ’85, Virginia Peppiatt ’87, Hillary Hobbs Nielson ’87, Whitney Wiggins Pannell ’87, and Wendy Anderson ’88.

The two individuals honored, Hallison Putnam ’98 and Bradley Nahra ’98, were outstanding athletes throughout the 1990s, leading their respective teams to great success in basketball, soccer, baseball, golf, and track. They were also both "lifers" meaning that they attended the school for thirteen years. Hallison was a two-time recipient of the Tommy Bell Award (given annually to Lexington’s student-athlete of the year) and winner of the Abby Sayre Cup. In her seven seasons of Spartan soccer, she was named five times to the All-State and All-City teams, included in the First Team All-Southern Region, and still holds the Kentucky state high school soccer scoring record of 127 goals. In four years of Spartan basketball, she broke the 1000-point scoring mark, was twice named to both the All-City and All-District teams, and won numerous team awards. In four years of track competition, Hallison was first in the region in the 300-meter hurdles and the discus. During her career, she also participated in the long jump, high jump, and the 4x100 meter relay team. Hallison graduated from Amherst College in 2002, with honors, having continued to participate in athletics at the college level.

Bradley Nahra ’98, was also an outstanding Sayre athlete having earned varsity honors in basketball, baseball, and golf. Bradley is the leading scorer in Sayre basketball history having scored 1667 points and pulling down 639 rebounds during his four-year career with the Spartans. He received the team’s John A. Palumbo, Most Valuable Player Award, three years in a row, and led his team to the first ever Class A, 11th Regional championship. He was named to the All-City team during his junior and senior seasons after leading the city in scoring for both years, and was named to the All-State Team by the Courier-Journal in 1997-98. During his four-year career at Sayre, Bradley averaged an unprecedented 22.6 points a game. Bradley graduated from Arizona State University in 2002 where he was a "walk-on" basketball player for the Sun Devils. Following a very successful freshman season, he was awarded a full athletic scholarship. He became the team captain and was the two-time winner of the Ned Wulk Award given to the player who "most exemplifies leadership and dedication to the basketball program at Arizona State."

In a presentation to the assembled Upper School student body following the Reunion, Mr. Tom Grunwald summarized the achievements of those who had been honored and commented that all the recognized athletes had four characteristics in common: all of the inductees were competitive and a "class act" when they walked on the court or playing field. In victory, they were generous to their opponents, and in defeat, determined to improve their personal performance. Secondly, as athletes, they were magnanimous people who were the first to give credit to the contributions of their teammates. As players, they were never above being coached and were always willing to help younger athletes develop their talents. Thirdly, all of the individuals honored at the Reunion had a high degree of persistence working hard daily to improve their athletic skills. They also recognized the importance of their academic work as a necessary part of their school preparation. Lastly, all of the athletes were always proud to represent Sayre School in their endeavors including that of demonstrating good sportsmanship.

The primary purpose of the Athletic Hall of Fame is to remind the current Sayre student body on a daily basis that the school has had a number of highly successful athletes who, in their time, struggled with the same concerns as students have today. The virtues of hard, disciplined, and persistent work coupled with a good Spartan spirit are worthy values for all of our students and a life long recipe for success.
 

 
       


 		  


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