FHS Alumni News

On Sunday evening, June 25, 2017 the FHS Hall of Fame inducted 7 new members at their annual Banquet at the Century House in Acushnet in front of the largest crowd ever to witness these ceremonies. There were 273 attendees present to welcome the pictured inductees:  Front: William Q. "Biff" MacLean, Jr. '54, Coach Glenn Gardner representing Alison Carey '00, Jeff Twarog '66 representing his father Coach Edward Twarog, Back Row: Peter Joseph '94, Matt Gamache '78, and Matt Ponte '01. Not Pictured: Brian Pimental '82 (Lifetime Achiever). (Photo by Jim Mahaney '68).  To view the photos of the event go to:  http://fairhavenalumni.org/gal...

William Q. “Biff” MacLean, Jr. Class of 1954

            As an all-around athlete there were few, if any, better than William MacLean. Politically speaking, it’s hard to believe, any graduate of Fairhaven High School was better known than the man called “Biff.” Whether you see him as an athlete or a Lifetime Achiever, it doesn’t matter; either way, William “Biff” MacLean is a bonafide Fairhaven High School Hall of Famer. 

The 1954 graduate was an athletic icon in high school where, in the sport of football, he earned more varsity letters (5) than years he actually spent as a high school student. Biff was presented the first of 14 varsity letters as an eighth-grade member of the high school varsity football team. He lined up in the backfield and, despite a diminutive frame, ran as hard as any back in the area; for all five seasons. He earned All-Bristol County honors twice and set the tone for a brilliant senior year by running, catching a pass and throwing another for touchdowns in a 21-12 opening day victory over a visiting New Bedford Vocational team.             MacLean also played five seasons of basketball and baseball. He was a three-year letterman in basketball and gained All-Bristol County honors once after helping the Blues compile a record of 62-3 from 1950 to 1953 which was the best three-year basketball record in school history. MacLean was awarded four letters in baseball and was All-Bristol County selection twice. His other letters came in his one year with the tennis team and only season of track where he helped the 1953 team go undefeated by compiling points in the 100 and 220-yard dashes. And, just to show sports didn’t consume all of the time, MacLean served as Class President in both his sophomore and junior years, was Vice-President of the Student Council as a senior, was a member of the Sophomore Chorus, the Key Club and Allied Youth programs. 

As a political figure, MacLean served as State Representative and State Senator, played a prominent role in the creation of the Fort Phoenix State Park and the expansion of Southeastern Massachusetts Technical Institute into what became Southeastern Massachusetts University and, later, UMass Dartmouth. He represented southeastern Massachusetts in the state legislature for 32 years and worked tirelessly for his constituents and region. His list of accomplishments is long and impressive and includes numerous bills he sponsored and legislation that benefited the Town of Fairhaven and the entire South Coast.

Alison Carey Class of 2000

          Alison Carey became the first female athlete at Fairhaven High School to score 1,000 points in her basketball career. The all-time career scoring leader among girls was able to reach that milestone late in the first half of a game against Harwich. She finished the season with 1,063 total points; a record that would not be broken until 2008. Alison is one of only five female athletes to accomplish this feat at Fairhaven High School and one of only 16 total athletes that have joined the prestigious 1,000 point club at Fairhaven.

She was a two-time all-star basketball selection in her Junior and Senior year. As a Junior co-captain she helped the Blue Devils qualify for the tournament by leading the team in scoring (15.5 per game), rebounds (6.7 per game), field goal and free throw percentage and was among the team leaders in steals (3 per game) and in 3-point field goals. Alison was a 3-year starter on the basketball team. Her coach Glenn Gardner described her as “the top player overall, as far as offense and defense, that I’ve coached here”.

Alison was also a four year member of the tennis team where, as a senior in 2000, she ran her record to 11-0 in a match against Dighton-Rehoboth to help lead the lady Blue Devils to a 3-2 win over the previously undefeated Falcons. She also helped capture the first tennis win in Fairhaven’s history against an Old Rochester team that year. Carey played second singles and was named to the Standard Times All-Star team as an honorable mention selection in tennis.

Coach Edward A. Twarog

            Ed Twarog coached Fairhaven High School tennis teams from 1957, replacing George cook, until the early 1970’s. Born in New Bedford, he graduated from New Bedford High School in 1934. He went on to the University of Alabama where he starred and also became a player-coach. He received his Bachelor’s Degree in Science and Business Administration at Alabama. He formerly was employed by John Hancock as an insurance agent, retiring in 1947. 

Ed was a tennis great and legend in this area, winning multiple city championships in singles and doubles in the ‘30’s and ‘40’s. Ed was called, “The backbone behind the emergence of high school tennis in the area.” After taking over as tennis coach at Fairhaven High School, he guided the Blues to several successful seasons and was unanimously voted as president of the Southeastern Massachusetts Tennis League for 7 consecutive years (1965 – 1971). His 1957 team sported the likes of future FHS Hall of Famers Barry Behn, Tom Mendell, Pete Mendell, and Ken Lanoue.

Ed Twarog died unexpectedly on February 22, 1978. He is survived by his son Jeff Twarog and his daughter Lee Richard.

Matthew Gamache Class of 1978

Matt Gamache was a standout track athlete and basketball defender for Fairhaven High School. Matt gained the most notoriety on the track and field. Matt contributed to the track team in the spring seasons of 1976 and 1978. As a sophomore jumper, he broke the sophomore long jump and triple jump records; along with the 220-meter record. That year, Matt also took first place at the Division 2 Conference Meet and helped his team win the Southeastern Massachusetts Conference Title. After recovering from an injury his junior year, he came back for the spring season his senior year to break the school long jump record with a jump of 21’6” and was on the 4X110 relay team that broke the school record.

Along with track, Matt was a dominant defender on the basketball court, playing varsity basketball for three seasons. He averaged 7 points a game, but his biggest value was as a rebounder and outside defender. His senior year, he helped the Blue Devils win the South Sectional Division II Championship and played in the Division II State Championship Game.       

Upon graduating, Matt has spent his time in Fairhaven. He is well-known for his two restaurants in Fairhaven, the Courtyard Restaurant and Jake’s Diner. He has also given his time for 14 years as a football, basketball, and track and field coach at Fairhaven High School.

Matthew Ponte Class of 2000

All-star labels were his athletic trademarks through four years of high school and few wore them with more distinction than Matt Ponte. He wore the all-star label after all three school seasons. In the fall, he was a standout end on the football team. Over the winter he shoveled clear paths to the basket as a combination center and power forward with the basketball team. And, in the spring, he mesmerized opposing batters as the baseball team’s top right-handed pitcher. A gifted all-around athlete, Ponte’s favorite sport probably was the one he happened to be playing and he played all three as well as anyone and better than most.            He made the majority of his headlines in baseball, capping his brilliant high school diamond career with a sparkling all-around effort that earned the 2001 graduate Player of the Year honors in The Standard-Times. As a pitcher he posted a won-lost record of 6-3 and boasted a microscopic ERA of 1.18 in leading the Blue Devils to a spot in the Eastern Massachusetts South Sectional Tournament. When he wasn’t pitching his way into the lead paragraph of post-game newspaper stories, he hit his way into the headlines. When Ponte didn’t pitch, he played a variety of positions including first base, third base and the outfield. The glove he wore didn’t affect the bat he swung as Matt hit a hard .451 with 23 base hits – including a homerun- and drove in 15 runs for the repeat South Coast Conference champions. His big senior year followed a solid junior season that saw Ponte help lead the Blue Devils to an overall record of 19-5, an SCC title and into the postseason tournament.

Matt limbered up for his annual busy school athletic schedule as a member of the Blue Devils’ football team and, in his junior year, he found the end zone three times to help power his team to a winning record (6-4). The following year he earned a spot on The Standard-Times Super Team. In his final basketball season, the 6’3” Ponte led Fairhaven to a regular season record of 15-5 by ranking among the South Coast Conference leaders in rebounds and led his team in scoring with an average of 18.6 points a game. He never scored fewer than 10 points in any game that season.

But it was baseball that paved the way to future success for Ponte who went on to become a record-setting pitcher at Wheaton College by graduating as the school’s career-leader in innings pitched (88.2) and complete games with seven. After coaching five years at the collegiate level, Matt now resides in Fairhaven with his wife Erin and two sons Jackson and Carter; where he enjoys coaching his sons’ teams.

Lifetime Achiever Brian Pimental Class of 1982

This year’s inductee as a Lifetime Achiever is Brian Pimental ’82.  Brian is being honored in recognition of his lifelong achievements as an artist, director and screenwriter of animated films including his outstanding work in many notable Disney productions.

Brian knew from an early age that he wanted to pursue the arts as a career and was particularly drawn to the Disney characters.  His 7^th grade Art Teacher Susan Hinchliffe at Ford Junior High School in Acushnet was the one who pointed him towards the California Institute of the Arts because of that school’s direct connection to the Disney Co.  Brian now had a goal attached to his dream.

Brian graduated from Fairhaven High School in 1982, joining his parents Dennis and Kathy (Lewis) Pimental ’61 as F.H.S. alums, and then set out to the west coast to pursue his dream.  The student films that Brian created at Cal_Arts caught the attention of Disney and earned him his first professional job working on Disney’s Sport Goofy and later on Universal’s An American Tail while he was still an undergraduate student. After four years of intense study and training Brian earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts Degree in 1986, and was then hired full-time by Disney to work as an animator on Oliver and Co. and Little Mermaid.

But Brian’s real passion was for story, and after a great deal of hard work and determination he was promoted to a Story Artist position on Beauty and the Beast for which he created the “Be Our Guest” sequence as well as the “Human Again” sequence, the latter of which was featured in both the Broadway play and the extended version of the film.  He also worked as  a Story Artist on Aladdin.  Brian went on to become one of the screenwriters on A Goofy Movie and he was also the Head of Story and earned his first ASIFA Award nomination for his storyboarding on this film.  His second nomination was for the film Tarzan, for which he once again led the story team as Head of Story.

Brian’s directorial debut came on Bambi II, which went on to win the ASIFA award for best non-theatrical feature.  He conceived the original story, co-wrote much of the screenplay and created the voices for the grouchy Porcupine and a neurotic Groundhog in that film.  Most recently Brian served as the Head of Story for the third time on Dreamwork’s Monkeys of Mumbai. He is still chasing his dream that he first had back at Ford Junior High and Fairhaven High School. He is currently working independently as a director/writer of animated films, and resides in West Hollywood, California.

Peter Joseph Class of 1994

During his time at Fairhaven High School, Peter Joseph was an athlete for all seasons.  A three-season athlete at Fairhaven High School, Peter Joseph  played football, basketball, and baseball.  Peter earned a varsity letter in both his junior and senior years for each of the sports he participated while at Fairhaven.

During his senior year, Peter led the Blue Devils to an 8-2 record in football.  As the quarterback of the Blue Devils, Peter rushed for just under 1,000 yards and scored 11 touchdowns.  The highlight 36-8 win over rival Dartmouth.  For his senior season, Peter was selected as a Standard Times All-Star, an SCC All-Star and was nominated to be the team’s representative for the Otto Graham award.

Basketball was another sport Peter would excel in during his senior year.  Although the Blue Devils had an up and down season, Peter remained a constant presence throughout the year.  His scoring average of 15.9 points per game ranked him tenth in the area for scoring.  His highlight for the season was a 29 point game versus Nauset.  For the season, Peter was also recognized as both a Standard Times All-Star and an SCC All-Star.

In baseball Peter was a strong hitter, hitting .359 his senior year.  Peter was also the team’s catcher.  Peter was recognized as an honorable mention for the SCC All-Star team in his senior year.

Peter continues to call Fairhaven his home.  He lives in town with his wife and children.  Peter has volunteered his time and has coached a number of youth sports in the area.  Peter has also volunteered time to work with the Fairhaven High School football team.