EFHS will welcome latest inductees into Hall of Fame

The induction banquet will take place Saturday morning at the Georgetown Centre.

Elizabeth Forward High School will hold its 29th annual Hall of Fame events this weekend.

Today and Saturday, the school will honor five Hall of Fame alumni inductees and two Educator Recognition honorees.

The induction banquet will take place at 10:30 a.m. Saturday at the Georgetown Centre in Pleasant Hills.

Activities will begin this morning with the Hall of Fame inductees participating in the 14th annual “Sharing the Past, Inspiring the Future” program at the high school.

Each honoree will speak in two classes about their experiences at the high school and how it played a role in their future pursuits, according to a release from the EF Alumni & Friends Association.

Before Elizabeth Forward’s football game Friday against Waynesburg Central, the five Hall of Fame and two Educator Recognition honorees will be recognized on the field at 6:15 p.m.

The Hall of Fame was established in 1997 to honor alumni who have made outstanding contributions in business, education, entertainment, government services, sciences and sports or via community service. There are 155 people in the Hall now.

In 2001, the Educator Recognition Award was established to honor dedicated educators, not necessarily EFHS alumni, for their positive contributions to the EF schools and its students. To date, 47 educators have been recognized.

CHARLES BAKEWELL
Class of 1957

Charles Bakewell devoted his career to public education as a teacher and a school board member. Baseball played a meaningful role in his life, too. Bakewell earned four baseball letters at Elizabeth Forward and continued his career on the diamond at California State College, now known as PennWest California University. Later, he became a high

Charles Bakewell

school baseball coach and umpire in local sandlot leagues. Bakewell began preparing for a career in education. In January 1958, however, he put his studies on hold to serve his country in the United States military. After completing his service, he returned to college and graduated in 1962. That same year, Bakewell began his teaching career in the West Jefferson Hills School District as a secondary social studies teacher. Over the next 38 years, he dedicated himself to educating and mentoring students while also coaching baseball for nearly two decades. During his tenure at TJ High School, he founded the history club. This ultimately led to the creation of the war memorial honoring West Jefferson Hills’ graduates who gave their lives in service to the nation.

In 1974, he was elected to the Elizabeth Forward School Board, where he served the community for 32 years. Chuck was married to Patricia (Pasquinelli) Bakewell, also a 1957 EF graduate, for more than 60 years until his passing in June 2022. They raised three children, Tom, Joe and Tricia, all EF graduates. Their legacy continues through eight grandchildren, six of whom also graduated from EF.

GENE STEPKO
Class of 1970

Gene Stepko had an extensive career of 22 years in the United States Air Force with another 27 in the aviation

Gene Stepko

industry, attending the University of Pittsburgh for Science Education, where he joined the Air Force ROTC. Stepko completed Master’s Degrees in Education and Computer Science, was assigned to the Strategic Air Command and a B-52 bomber squadron and was stationed in North Carolina. With the Air Force, Stepko progressed through the

ranks as a line pilot, aircraft commander, flight commander, Chief of Flight Operations at HQ Civil Air Patrol in Montgomery, Ala., classroom instructor and commander at Squadron Office School along with Vice Dean of Research and Dean of Associate Programs. He supported Desert Storm operations, provided operational expertise in disaster relief efforts when Mount Pinatubo erupted In 1997, Stepko retired from the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant colonel, was hired for different positions and led the Project Starshine effort to have school children around the U.S. polish 900 mirrors for a satellite. Stepko became more active in his church and its mission program, helping to build an orphanage outside San Jose in Costa Rica and working 25 years with a missionary. He is now retired in Jacksonville, Fla.

BRIAN DEL SIGNORE
Class of 1974

Brian Del Signore developed an early interest in music and turned this fascination into a remarkable professional career as composer, educator and percussionist. He began piano lessons at 6 years old, drums at 11 years old and

Brian Del Signore

took part in Elizabeth Forward school concert bands. He formed a rock group with his middle school friends, and the band stayed together two years after high school. Del Signore graduated Carnegie Mellon University with a fine arts degree, has a Master’s Degree from Temple University, was a principal percussionist at the Grand Rapids Symphony, won the principal percussion audition with Houston Symphony and served as its principal percussionist from 1986 until his retirement in 2026.

Del Signore has performed with numerous other orchestras, including Pittsburgh Symphony, Philadelphia Orchestra and National Symphony in Washington, D.C. He continues to head the percussion department at Houston Christian University, and presents clinics at several master classes at music schools around the country. He is also a composer, an endorser of manufacturers of high-quality percussion instruments and resides in Houston, Texas.

WILLIE DODARO
Class of 1976

Willie Dodaro has a distinguished career that includes 46 years of teaching and a mirrored time of coaching,

Willie Dodaro

spanning high school, middle school and 30 years as a head coach. Excelling as an Elizabeth Forward football, basketball and track participant, he was recognized as a senior athlete. He received a full scholarship to play Division 1 football at Indiana State University, where he got three varsity letters. He was a teacher at Nova High School in Davie, Fla., for 15 years, where he was a teacher, head track coach, head basketball coach and football coach. He also coached/taught for Olympic Heights Community High School in Boca Raton, West Boca Raton High School, Monarch High School in Florida, North Murray High School in Georgia and more, winning championships for several schools. He won Palm Beach Athletic Conference Coach of the Year three times, and was selected as a National Football All-Star Game Head Coach.

Dodaro coached several NFL players over the years. West Boca Raton High School honored him by naming a facility after him, the Willie Dodaro Field House. Beyond the stadium lights and for over two decades in Boca Raton, he was a pillar of his local Catholic parish, and has served as a deacon at his congregation in Georgia.

RISA CANDELORE
Class of 1984

Risa Candelore has dedicated her entire nursing career to Allegheny Health Network’s Forbes Hospital, where she started as a medical, surgical nurse in 1988 and became a hospital off-shift supervisor before she found her true

Risa Candelore

passion in oncology nursing in 1999. Since 2014, she has been employed as the outpatient oncology nurse navigator. Earning a nursing diploma from Mercy Hospital School of Nursing in 1988, she continued her education at Carlow College, where she received a BSN in 1998. She holds Oncology Certified Nurse, Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse certification, and has received the Cameos of Caring Award and the Spirit of Excellence Award.

Beyond the bedside, Candelore is passionate about serving her community. She has volunteered with the American Cancer Society’s Relay for Life, served at the American Cancer Society and is a committee member for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Pittsburgh. She was recognized as the 2024 St. Jude Volunteer Fundraiser of the Year.

DEVIN GODA
Class of 2007

Devin Goda was an Elizabeth Forward wide receiver and has forged a productive career in television and modeling after a hamstring injury forced him to give up his professional football aspirations. His athletic and academic

Devin Goda

achievements in high school earned him a scholarship to Slippery Rock, where he claimed the Pennsylvania State Athlete Conference Scholar-Athlete award as a freshman. He singed sign with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent after graduation, but was released shortly after. He then pursued a career in modeling, landing campaigns with brands like Nike, Under Armour and more. In 2018, Goda joined the cast of the CBS game show, “The Price Is Right,” and has had the opportunity to appear on several other shows such as “Entertainment Tonight,” “The Drew Barrymore Show” and more.

Goda remains passionate about faith, fitness and inspiring others. He is a big part of St. Mary’s Byzantine Catholic Church in New York City, where he serves and helps out with church functions. On social media, he shares training tips, wellness motivation and behind-the-scenes glimpses into his life in the entertainment and fashion industries.

Educators

The EFAFA began honoring dedicated educators, not necessarily alumni, 25 years ago for their positive contributions to the Elizabeth Forward schools and its students.

Tara Zetler Gluscic

Elementary teacher Tara Zetler Gluscic began her career 40 years ago at McKeesport Central Catholic School. She continued teaching every grade from kindergarten through seventh at MCC until 2000, and she was a cheer coach for 30 years. She then taught at Greenock Elementary School at Elizabeth Forward until her retirement in 2026.

Serving Elizabeth Forward for 23 years, Larissa Leuenberger began her teaching career at Elizabeth Elementary as a special education teacher. She then continued to serve 12 years at Mount Vernon Elementary teaching third grade, starting several student initiatives, and now teaches at Elizabeth Forward High School as a special education teacher.

Larissa Leuenberger

EF Outstanding Young Alumni Awardee

Created in 2021, the award is to recognize the outstanding achievements of individuals who have distinguished themselves post high school through professional accomplishments and who have demonstrated the qualities of integrity and character early in their careers. The recipient must have graduated less than 15 years ago.

Kayla Farrell graduated in 2012, and throughout her career, she has worked with individuals with intellectual and

Kayla Farrell

developmental disabilities and their families, helping them navigate educational systems, community resources, healthcare needs and Florida’s Medicaid Waiver program.

In her role as a waiver support coordinator, she advocates for services that promote independence, dignity, safety and quality of life. She works closely with families, providers, educators and community partners to ensure that the individuals she serves have opportunities to live meaningful and fulfilling lives.