FORT FAIRFIELD, Maine — Six new inductees will comprise the fourth class of Fort Fairfield High School’s Athletic Hall of Fame, which will be honored during a July 13 banquet at the school.
Patricia Adams (Class of 1974) played basketball, field hockey, golf and softball and was considered a modern-day pioneer in girls athletics regionally, helping her teams compete and gain recognition and respect in Aroostook County. Adams was an outstanding golfer and was the first female to compete on the boys team.
Kirk Demerchant (1994) was the catcher on the Tigers 1994 Class D state championship baseball team, a McDonald’s C-D Basketball senior all-star selection and was selected to the Eastern Maine, state, and New England all-star soccer teams in 1993. Demerchant totaled 48 goals and 11 assists during his soccer career.
Amanda Hotham (2012) led her basketball team to the school’s first state title in 2010 and set the record for most free throws made in a regional tournament for all classes. Hotham also holds the school record for boys or girls with 1,554 career points in addition to the girls standard for points scored in one game (41). She was a state free-throw shooting champion, a Miss Maine basketball semifinalist and a McDonald’s C/D Senior All-Star selection. Hotham went on to surpass 1,000 points at the University of Maine at Presque Isle.
Jon Nichols (1996) earned 12 varsity letters in soccer, basketball and baseball during his playing career. He was part of the 1994 Class D state Cchampionship baseball team, a 1,000-point scorerl and a McDonald’s C/D Senior All-Star selection in basketball and a key member of Fort’s 1995 Eastern Maine runner-up soccer team.
Dr. Stephen Nightingale (1973) earned 10 varsity letters in cross country, track and field and basketball. He was undefeated in the county and regional cross country championships as a senior and won the mile and 880 runs for the Tigers’ 1972 Aroostook County championship track team. Nightingale won the Mahaney award as athlete of the year and went on to run Division I track and cross country at West Point.
George Solomon (1967) coached varsity baseball from 1992 to 1998, with his teams compiling a 79-32 record, winning the Class D state championship in 1994 and reaching three Eastern Maine finals. Solomon also was a Little League coach for more than 20 years, a high school wrestling referee for 25 years and a soccer official for 10 years. He was also Fort Fairfield’s recreation director and coached wrestling and soccer. Solomon was a 1971 graduate of the University of Maine where he lettered in football.
Tickets now are available for the induction banquet, which will begin at 5 p.m. with a social hour, followed by the meal and ceremony beginning at 6 p.m. Tickets are $30 per person, with current Fort Fairfield student-athletes serving as waitpersons for the sit-down meal.
Tickets are available by contacting Larry Gardner at 551-5001 or from any of this year’s inductees.
