Induction Class Of 2016

Before this young lady entered the halls of NBHS to begin her freshman year, she had already established her athletic abilities within the community. Not only had she earned the nicknames "Magic", "Passion" and most notably, "Amazing Grace", she had also been listed in the Encyclopedia of Women and Baseball as the first girl to play in the Greater New Bedford Pony League. It was no wonder that this freshman was asked to be on the JV volleyball team, the JV basketball team, and the VARSITY softball team as a freshman. By her sophomore year, she was on all three varsity teams.

Her strong vertical jumping ability made her a powerful player who contributed greatly to a volleyball team that was undefeated in the Big Three for 1997, 1998, and 1999, as well as a contender in the post-season tournaments. In the course of her volleyball career as an outside hitter, she was selected as a captain, named to the Big 3 All-Star Team, named the Standard-Times Volleyball Player of the Year, and placed on the Boston Globe's Volleyball All-Scholastic Team.

Her attention shifted next to her first love, basketball. As a freshman Lynsey was named starting point guard for the JV team which ended up making NBHS history with their 18-0 season. In the following years, she would transition to the varsity team before taking a brief hiatus. Her senior year she returned to the varsity team and helped the Whalers to a 13-7 record.

Perhaps Lynsey's greatest accomplishments were on the softball diamond. Not only did she make the varsity team as a freshman, but she would be deemed a four-year standout while playing first base for the remainder of her high school career. She was named team captain her senior Year.

Over the years, she earned a reputation as one of the most difficult hitters to strike out. It was a reputation she richly deserved as her strikeout stats show: fr. -1, soph-1, jr -2, and sr-1. She was a Standard-Times All-Star for all four years and Big 3 Conference All-Star for four years.

She played on two back-fo- back Big 3 Championship Teams and was named to the Boston Globe All-Scholastic Team. Lynsey also played on the Gold Medal Team in the Bay State Games and with the Bay State Cardinals Traveling Team for five years.

She went on to play NCAA Divison softball for Temple University. A four-year member of the team, Lynsey was a two-time Atlantic 10 All-Conference selection and was named twice to the A-10 All-Tournament Team. She received multiple A-10 Player-of-the-Week Honors and was twice voted to the North Carolina All-Tournament Team.

Lynsey holds two degrees from Temple University and is continuing her Doctorate in Educational Leadership with a concentration in Higher Education program at Temple. Lynsey is the daughter of Arnold and Joyce Grace and has a younger sister, Tyson.

From the moment Sam entered NBHS during his freshman year, he was destined to put his talents on display. In his first basketball game, he was pulled mid-game to join the JV team and shortly after moved up to the varsity for post-season play. Coach Rodrigues saw early in Sam the potential for a great player to emerge to one day help lead the Whalers in victories. His skill on the floor was not done with flashiness but rather demonstrated with the pride he took with his defense and the many little efforts that many times go unnoticed. By his senior year, he was averaging double figures and displaying the hard work and leadership that would earn him a position as a captain for the team. The Whalers won two Big-Three Conference titles and an appearance in the South Sectional finals.

For his efforts, Sam was named to the Big Three All-Conference team in both his junior and senior years, as well as a selection to the Standard-Times All-Scholastic Team his senior year.

Not keeping his talents just local, Sam showed he could play with the best when he was named as a First Team All-Star in the Clark-Cochran Classic in Alaska, featuring elite basketball programs from the West Coast, Canada and Australia. Additionally, the State of Massachusetts selected him to their Top 80 All-Star Team. He then rounded off his high school basketball career as a Dave Cowens Award nominee and as a member of a team of players of Cape Verdean descent from New Bedford, Brockton, and Boston organized to play against the Cape Verdean national and junior national teams in Cape Verde.

Just as he earned these honors, Sam continued this pattern as the season changed and moved to volleyball. During the 1996-1997 season Sam and the team achieved an undefeated season and a state title. Once again he was put in the role of a leader by being named as a captain for the team.

During this senior year, Sam was moved from middle blocker to outside hitter. This type of change may rattle some people, but in the state final against Natick, Sam went an amazing 21-for-22 on kills and 21-for-22 on serve receives. The State Championship belonged to NBHS once again in three straight sets and earned Sam the titles of Player of the Year for both the Standard-Times and the Boston Herald. It is easily understood when looking over his credentials: 129 games, 385 kills, 2.98 kpg, 146 blocks, 1.13bpg. His stats set school records; he holds a Gold Medal from the Massachusetts Bay State Games; and as a member of two State Championship teams, he has bragging rights that in his entire volleyball career, both regular seasons and post-season, he only lost one game!

After high school, Sam attended and graduated from Wheaton College where he continued playing and assuming the leadership role of team captain and earning numerous athletic honors.

Sam now resides in New Bedford with his wife Addis and their two daughters Aden, age 7

Reed was a two-sport star at New Bedford High School, participating in Swimming and Diving as well as Track and Field for all four years of his high school experience.

With Diving, Reed worked very hard, but he was forced to learn patience since he came into a program that already boasted having a long line of champion divers. With time and his desire to improve, he worked his way into the fray. Beginning with his freshman and sophomore years, Reed worked in the shadow of two very gifted divers but used that opportunity to learn a great deal from each of them.

Going into his junior year, Reed took over the top spot having learned his lessons well. He quickly became the Big Three Champion, the South Sectional Champion in a contest hosting forty (40) competing schools, and then, placed sixth (6 th) at the State Meet. These accomplishments earned him the titles of both a League and Standard Times All-Star and a great way to wrap up his junior year.

During his senior year, Reed not only received the honor of being named a team co-captain but also rose to great heights by receiving numerous awards. He dominated the South Sectional area of the State, won the Sectionals for the second time, and finished with a very close second place at the State meet while establishing a new NBHS record for eleven (11) dives. (416.90).

He also stepped in to swim sprint freestyle in two critical relays. Finishing his senior year in grand style, Reed was again chosen as an All-Star and was ranked in the "NISCA" (National Interscholastic Swimming Coaches Association) "Top Forty" high school divers in the United States.

Reed continued his winning ways as the season changed and signaled the time for Track and Field. As a javelin thrower, Reed became a dominant force in New England during his senior year. He started the season by capturing first (1st) place at the URI Invitational with a throw of 192'7". Soon after, he won the Loucks Games in White Plains, New York with a throw of 186°4". He then went on to anchor the Class A Relay Championship javelin team. To finish the season, Reed won the State Championship in the javelin with a throw of 200'4", which at the time, was the second longest all-time throw for NBHS, and then went on to place 2nd in the New England Meet.

Again, these accomplishments earned him a selection as a League All-Star, Standard-Times All-Star, Boston Globe All-Scholastic Team Member, and Boston Herald All-Scholastic Team.

After his high school graduation, Reed went on to attend the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. He currently lives in Sarasota, Florida with his wife Diana, and their two daughters, Logan, 13, and Kylie, 10. He is also the Vice President of Operations for a large construction

Danni was a three-sport competitor, but she started her freshman year as a varsity member of a new sport at New Bedford High- Girls Soccer. She was a four-year varsity player for the team and worked in the position of goalie for her junior and senior years. This proved to be very lucky for the team since Danni was an All-Star for both of those years with the stats to support that selection. In her junior year, Danni posted 6 shutouts and only allowed 12 goals in 14 games. In her senior year, she faced 80 shots on goal, 55 on net, and posted 9 shutouts. The team recorded a 9-2-4 record that brought them into the State Tournament, although they were defeated by Plymouth North. they had a memorable game against Falmouth during the regular season to savor.

Channeling her energies next toward the basketball program. Danni played her freshman year on the JV team and the next three years on the varsity squad. During that time she used her outstanding shooting abilities and defense abilities to bring victories to her team. One such game was against Bishop Stang when she scored 16 points, had 6 steals, 15 assists, and went 4 for 4 from the free throw line in three-quarters of play. The final score was NBHS 57-41Stang. Her statistics continued to be impressive throughout her basketball career. She was one of the leading scorers averaging 8.1 points per game and she led the team defensively. She also led the team in steals and assists. Teams such as Attleboro could attest to her statistics after she put on a display by pouring in 20 points, pulling down 5 rebounds, and masterfully stealing the ball 4 times. To cap off her winning ways, she was selected as the MVP at the Whitman-Hanson Tourney.

As with basketball. Danni spent her freshman year on the Softball JV team before moving to the varsity level for the next three years. She was a 2nd baseman who earned All-Star status along with being selected as a captain. One of the highlights in her softball career was being a member of the State Division 1 Championship Softball Team and another was when she hit a three-run homer against Barnstable. This type of play helps to showcase the final numbers she attained in her senior year: batting 412 with 2 doubles, 3 triples, and 11 runs battered in.

After graduating from New Bedford High School, Danni went on to the University of Bridgeport where she received a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dental Hygiene. She is currently a dental hygienist in a private practice in New York.

In addition, Danni is a Clinical Instructor at New York University College of Dentistry's Dental Hygiene Program and an instructor at New York City College of Technology's Dental Assisting Program.

She is the Founder and Director of ACI-Resuscitation and Founder and Director of Creative

Dental Connections.

Aaron experienced success both on the basketball court and on the track for his four years at

New Bedford High School. He also served as a captain for both teams.

During his time with the basketball team, Aaron's skills as a player earned him numerous awards both locally and statewide. His love for basketball may have come from his wanting to own the Celtics one day. It certainly propelled him to achieve some impressive awards for himself. He was selected as a Standard-Times All-Star, along with numerous selections as the "Perfection Player of the Week". He then became a recipient of the title of Southeastern Mass Conference Basketball All-Star.

After the Brockton Christmas Tournament where he scored 26 points against Brockton, he was selected to the All-Tournament Team. This was followed by State titles for the Massachusetts Basketball Coaches Association All-State Academic Team and the Massachusetts Top 90 All-Star Basketball Team. This success followed him into his next challenges as with his previous sport, Aaron once again held the role of a captain and showed leadership and skills leading to a list of accomplishments equal to those he achieved in basketball. He was selected as a Standard-Times All-Star, and once again, a Southeastern Massachusetts All-Star. In addition, he was also a Class A Triple Jump Champion with a best of 46'3.5" in the SMC Class A Championships. He then placed 2nd in the State Championships and

4th in the New England Championships. In the 300 Meter Intermediate Hurdles, he had a best of

40.4 which placed him 2nd in the Class A SMC Championships.

At the conclusion of his senior year all his hard work and commitment to the sports he loved were rewarded by his being declared the New Bedford High School Athlete of the Year.

Graduating 4th in a class of over 700, Aaron headed to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute to major in biomedical engineering. While at RPI he continued his success with basketball by setting several school records including taking a team as captain to the Williams College Invitational which they won and set the school's best record since 1945. His hard work was recognized when be was inducted into the RPI Hall of Fame in 2001.

He is currently the Director of Operations and Global Transportation at Boston Scientific and resides in W. Bridgewater, MA with his wife Fran, and their two daughters, Emma and Abigail.

Pam was a member of three sports teams at New Bedford High, giving all teams four years of her time and skills. While she enjoyed her time with the swim team, her real talents rose to their greatest heights with basketball in the winter and softball in the spring.

Pam was the "sparkplug" for the Whaler basketball team over many formidable opponents and she kept the team going with the more difficult teams. In her junior year as a starting point guard, she was the 2nd leading scorer on the team. However, by her senior year, this captain and point guard was the leading scorer with impressive stats that included 330 points, 16.5 points per game, and 7 games with 20 plus points, despite being boxed out and played with man-to-man coverage by many teams. In her final four games after scoring 30 points against Bishop Feehan, 25 points against Durfee, and 27 points against Somerset, she had perhaps her best and most satisfying game in the first game of the postseason against North Quincy, ranked 6th in the state Division I. In true "Hollywood" style, Pam tied the game with 4 seconds left in regulation time and followed that up by scoring the winning free throw in overtime to seal the game Pam had displayed some of these same strong skills early in the season during the Madison Park Tournament and was named to the Madison Park All-Tourney Team. To honor her later accomplishments, she was named a Standard-Times All-Star and to the Southeastern MA Conference Division I First Team All-Star.

In the spring, Pam's talents turned to softball for four years. Her freshman year she spent on the JV team, but for the next three years, Pam was a varsity player as the starting shortstop and a captain. She received the Captain Award for Athlete-of- the-Month in April of her senior year.

Her skills on the softball field also led to her selection as a Standard-Times All-Star and then led to her selection to the Southeastern MA All-Star First Team and the Boston Globe All-Star. 

After her graduation, Pam entered Springfield College where she continued playing basketball for two years until a career ending knee injury. After being red-shirted her sophomore year due to the knee injury, Pam went on to play softball for three years where she received numerous awards, and most notably, the prestigious Maureen Curry Rege Award as most courageous female athlete for returning from knee injury to lead the team.

Pam and her husband Jim Kelly are parents to five sons (ranging in age from 11 to 19) and one daughter (8). She is a physical education teacher at Normandin Middle School and is an active runner, athlete, and coach.

Brendan, playing four years of both hockey and baseball, and two years of football, was a strong three sport athlete at New Bedford High. Although he spent only two seasons with the football program with the emphasis on his senior year, he managed to rack up some impressive numbers and awards, including attaining 150 yards rushing in a game against Barnstable where he also kicked the game-winning field goal in the last minute. That type of play and display of talent continued throughout the season and earned him the Paul Walsh award for MVP-offense, the Wayne Souza Memorial Award (High Academic Average) and the Gridiron Club Award. In addition, he was selected by both the Standard Times and the Boston Herald as Player-of- the- Year

Heading into the winter season, Brendan switched gears to ice hockey and became known as an outstanding goalie who kept the spectators' heads whirling trying to follow the quickness and alertness of his moves. Perhaps one of the greatest highlights for Brendan was a game that showed him rising to the very top by achieving 59 saves in a history-making single game against Falmouth H.S. This amazing accomplishment for Brendan and his teammates came unexpectedly for many hockey fans. The powerhouse at the time with a long history of being unbeatable was Falmouth H.S. The 1983-84 hockey season was not penciled in to be any different. The Whalers, however, thought differently and got one of its biggest thrills with an upset victory over Falmouth by a 3-2 score. These types of events led to many rewards for Brendan including selections as the MVP for 1983-1984, Greater New Bedford All-Stars and Standard Times All-Scholastic All-Stars. In addition, both the Boston Herald and the Boston Globe selected Brendan for Player-of-the-Week Honors as well.

Brendan completed his senior year as a member and captain of the Whaler baseball team.

While on the team he again proved valuable by going five for five in a single game with a 2-out game-tying single in the last inning to force the game into extra innings in a win against Bishop Stang. His natural athletic abilities came shining through, yet again, in another sport. This type of drive earned him a spot on the Standard Times Baseball All-Stars. 

Throughout his athletic career he achieved many milestones; therefore, it was very fitting at the conclusion of his senior year, Brendan was selected as NBHS Athlete of the Year and as the recipient of the very selective James P. Murphy Award for Athletics, Scholarship and Brendan now resides in New York. 

The Gomes Family has long been known throughout the years for its connection to superior athletes and for gathering fans in and out of the city, and even among their athletic opponents.

"Jake" was no exception to that family tradition of rising to the top as a player.

Jake gave basketball everything he had and played the game with determination, intensity, skill, and heart. He was strong on both offense and defense. His moves were quick and adaptable to outmaneuver his opponent. To quote a former ST writer, "Jake threw up some layups that came out of nowhere. On one occasion he left the floor on the left of the basket with all intentions of shooting on that side. A defensive arm loomed above his head, however, and deftly he reached out and threw it up from the right side for a 3-point play."

Jake received a Standard-Times Player-of the-Week nod for a game against Fitchburg, where with brilliant all-around play; he hit 10 of 22 shots from the floor, 8 of 8 foul shots, and pulled down a game-high of 14 rebounds, almost as many as Fitchburg got as a team |17). He went on to receive another nod as a s- Player-of-the-Week for his outstanding play in the lech Tourney in a victory over Boston Trade, 77-58, in which Jake scored 33 points and put on the best individual performance in the opening rounds as noted by the writers.

For his third selection as ST Player-ol- the-Week honors, Jake was cited for his gameplay against two teams: NB Voke: he scored 31 points and had 6 rebounds in an NBHS win of 66-43 and in a win over Attleboro 85-74 where he scored 27 points and another 16 rebounds.

Jake entertained the crowds with his all-around play, jump shots, driving layups, and aggressive rebounds, but he's also noted for a special game on December 21, 1963, played at the County Street gym in a win against Attleboro when Don Harrington of the ST wrote "...and Gomes stole the ball, and drove in for a "stuff" shot for 85-74 at the buzzer, as the crowd roared its approval." As a result, he is credited with making the first "dunk" in a high school game.

He was voted into the ST All-Scholastic All-Stars in both his junior year: 17 ppg and senior year: 20 ppg and selected to the Taunton Daily Gazette All-Bristol County All-Star First Team for both years, one of only three members to repeat with that distinction. In his junior year he held the #6 position-Class A- All Bristol County Scorers with (B131-P76 = 338 points); and in his senior year the #4 position with (B133-F94 = 360). These stats and type of play caused one of the opposing coaches to state, "I remember preparing for our games with New Bedford. But actually, you were preparing for Gomes."

Not only did Jake lead as captain of the basketball team, but he also was captain of JROTC Company C and won for the best company of the year.

Jake passed in 2008 and is survived by his wife Roberta, three daughters: Shaynne, Tracy, and Stefanie, and his pride and joy - 10 grandchildren.

"Al" Camacho was a name well-known to anyone who knew sports at New Bedford High School in the early forties (40s) for good reason. He was a three-sport stand-out in football, The Class of June '44 had many reasons to be proud of Al Camacho. However, the NBHS vs. Durfee football game in October of '43 in which he scored the lone touchdown became their greatest memory of the season. After an interception by his teammate and a pass to quarterback Alwyn Griffith, time for NBHS was running out. Griffith, realizing the umpire was ready to raise the horn to denote the end of the half, fired the ball and Camacho weaved in and out of the Durfee defense into the end zone to snare the ball in spite of efforts by the opposition to bat the ball down and in spite of its being a low, hard-to-handle bullet shot and in spite of time running out as the ball was in the air. Close to seven thousand (7000) people witnessed the dramatics which held on to bring a victory to NBHS at the conclusion of the game by 6-0. This type of determination and the skill to be a two-way starter [defensive end and receiving end earned him the status of Standard Times All-Star and All Bristol County's Interscholastic First Team honors.

Starting the basketball season did not look too good for Co-captain Al Camacho and his teammates, losing their first three games and being considered as "no threat" to teams or as a winner of any championships. They proved that not to be true, and this same team turned things around by amassing a record of fifteen wins and five losses. Then, with the help of Camacho, described as fast and crafty and consistently good, the team defeated their rival Attleboro to gain an invitation to the M.I.T. classic which was held at the Boston Garden for the first time. They weren't expected to be able to compete with Boston area teams; however, they beat Haverhill in the first game and in the semi-finals lost 1o Waltham in overtime in what Boston sports writers called "the best game of the Tournament." Camacho was selected for honorable mention to the All-Tech Team and described as having a scoring ability of the best quality and having dribbling, ball-handling, and backboard play that was outstanding. This was high praise for a local player also named to the Standard-Times All-Star Team and the All-Bristol County Team.

Seasons changed, but the athletic abilities of Al Camacho continued from one season to the next.

Once again, but this time for his baseball skills, he received honors including selection to the Standard-Times All-Star Team and to the First Team for the All-Southern Bristol County Team.

Strong as a gold glove third baseman, he was described for his selection to these teams as

"The third base crown wearer is the All-County hot corner guardian, Al Camacho. The fast-covering youngster, who made a carload of unbelievable stops and as many brilliant throws to first, piled up 21 putouts and 34 assists against three errors. He finished well ahead of the rest of the hotbox contenders with a percentage of 948," [Standard Times) and fifteen grandchildren.

Al Camacho passed in 1995, leaving behind his wife Doris, his six children and their spouses