Four to be honored at Pleasant Valley Class of 2014 Induction Ceremony
The Pleasant Valley School District has announced its Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2014.
The ceremony will take place on Friday during a double header basketball game with Stroudsburg at halftime of the varsity boys basketball game, which is scheduled for a 7 p.m. start.The girls varsity basketball game with Stroudsburg is scheduled to start at 5:30 p.m.Mark E. AllisonMark Allison coached boys basketball at Pleasant Valley for 17 years, during which he was head coach for nine years. He is currently the head coach for the boys and girls tennis teams. He has been head coach for the past 19 years.In his tennis coaching career he guided both boys and girls teams to MVC championships.Allison graduated from Altoona High School in 1975. He was a four-year letter winner in basketball. In college, He was named All Area in the Skyline Athletic Conference.Allison received his associate degree in engineering from Penn State University in 1978, his bachelor's degree in Earth and space science from East Stroudsburg University, and his master's degree in education from Gratz University. He was a teacher at Pleasant Valley for 30 years and retired in 2012.He currently resides in Stroudsburg with his three children Josh, Nick, and Hayley, along with his wife of 25 years, Michelle.Dr. John Taylor BurrusWhile at Pleasant Valley Dr. Burrus was a three-year letter winner in track and field and a two-year letter winner in golf. He was named the Track and Field MVP in 1984. He was a member of the National Honor Society and also participated in band.Dr. Burrus graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in 1984. He attended Pennsylvania State University where he received his bachelor of science in horticulture in 1988. Afterward Dr. Burrus attended East Stroudsburg University, where he attained his master of science in education leadership in 1999. He received his doctorate of education in administration and leadership studies from Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2011.He currently resides in Saylorsburg.Tom KresgeTom Kresge graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in 1973 and was a two-year letter winner in basketball.Kresge was named Rotarian of the Year twice in 1991 and 1996. He received the Paul Harris Fellowship Award and was the Lions Club Citizen of the Year in 2000. Kresge also received the Perryman-Keglovitz Spirit of Basketball Award in 2008.Kresge attended East Stroudsburg University where he received his Bachelor of Science in biology. He was a summa cum laude graduate in 1977. Afterward he attended Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science, where he graduated first in his class in 1979. Kresge received his funeral director's license in 1981 and is the owner/supervisor of William H. Kresge Funeral Home in Brodheadsville.He has two children, Sara and Tom Jr., and he currently resides in Saylorsburg with his wife Laura of 29 years.D.J. MendelD.J. Mendel graduated from Pleasant Valley High School in 1984. He was a four-year letter winner in baseball and football. He also wrestled for Pleasant Valley for two years.D.J. Mendel is an actor, director, writer and filmmaker who has worked extensively with avant-garde theater makers like Richard Foreman, Karen Coonrod and Robert Cacuzza.Mendel has played roles in Hal Hartley's feature films "No Such Thing," "The Girl from Monday" and "Fay Grim." Other starring film roles include: Richard Sylvarnes' "The Cloud of Unknowing" and "H.C.E.," both debuting at the Tribeca Film Festival, and the title role in Salvatore Interlandi's critically acclaimed "Charlie." His own plays, "Tom, Dick & Harry," "Dick Done Broke," and "Museum of Unnatural Seriousness," were all presented at The Ontological-Hysteric Theater in New York and his play "Exhaust Pipes and Manifolds" was produced and presented by the Ground Floor Theater Lab.As a director, Mendel has most recently directed Cynthia Hopkins' "This Clement World," which premiered in New York and has been touring the U.S this past year.Mengel also works with singer Rosanne Cash, video designing, and directing her last two toursHe is currently a professor at NYU's Tisch School for the Arts where he teaches advanced acting at the Playwrights Horizon's Theater School.