The 25th Annual Carbon County Hall of Fame induction ceremonies and banquet will be held Sunday, May 27, at the Franklin Township Fire Company social hall.

The doors will open at 1 p.m., with the dinner to start at 1:45 p.m., followed by individual inductions of 25 who attained athletic accomplishments.

This year’s inductees are:

Coaldale – Ted Bortnick, John Horoschak, Mike Paslawsky and Jack Sweeney.

Jim Thorpe – Clinton Getz and Danny McGinley.

Lansford – Gary Karnish, Emmett McCall and James Steber.

Lehighton – Corey Schaeffer, Matthew Schaeffer and Larry Stern.

Nesquehoning – Jimmy Mikovich, Jim Paluck and Gene Snisky.

Palmerton - Billy Cyr, Barbara (Jones) Larvey and Wendy (George) Nalesnik.

Summit Hill – Rodney Lechleitner, Tony Maholick and Tom Miller.

Tamaqua – Erika (Barron) Davis, Adam Knoblauch, Joseph Romano and Tom Rottet.

Banquet tickets can be purchased from the following Hall of Fame committee members: Danny McGinley (570-325-3550), Emmett McCall (570-645-2093), Vince Spisak (570-645-4542), Art George (610-826-2830), Jake Boyer (610-751-6634), Trevor Lawrence (570-645-4722), Bill Gardiner (570-669-6564), Bob Gelatko (570-645-8652), Evan Evans (570-645-7716), Tom Bonner (570-386-2516), Herb Welsh (570-760-1744). Tickets are $35 for adults. For children under 12, the cost is $15.

The following will be inducted representing Lehighton:

Corey A. Schaeffer

Corey A. Schaeffer earned 10 varsity and two junior varsity letters at Lehighton Area High School before graduating in 1991 when he was selected the Top Senior Athlete in the school.

As a four-year member of the Indians’ golf team (1987-90), he was a member of the Centennial League Championship teams of 1987 and 1988 and the loop’s 1987 League Meet title team.

In 1989, when he was the golf team’s MVP, Corey finished third in the first flight of the Centennial League meet. The following year, 1990, the Indians qualified for and participated in the District 11 AAA Golf Tournament. During his career on the links, he set the record in match play with 27 career wins and 81-1/2 points, finishing with a record of 27-8-4.

Corey was the starting point guard for the 1987-88 Indians’ JV team, averaging 15 points per game, followed by a three-year stint as the point guard on the varsity squad, 1988-91. He was a team tri-captain in his senior season, when he was selected to play in the LARC All Star Classic when the Centennial League stars played the East Penn League’s best. For two years (89-90 and 90-91), he attained Centennial League Honorable Mention laurels, and finished his cage career with 649 points (9.5 ppg), 161 steals and a school record 353 assists.

On the diamond, Corey started at second base and pitched for the 88 LHS junior varsity team, after which time he became a three-year starter at those positions on the varsity squads of 89-90-91. Three times, he was named First Team Centennial League Second Baseman (89-91), and was also selected to play in the Interscholastic High School All Star Baseball Tourney between the Centennial Leaguers and the East Penn all stars.

He finished his career with a .349 batting average, compiling 58 hits, 17 stolen bases and 35 RBI. On the field, he had a lofty .951 fielding percentage, and a pitching record of 3-2, with a 3.00 ERA and 30Ks in 51-2/3 innings.

An accomplished skier, Corey was a member of the Jack Frost Ski Racing Team from 1983-87, and was invited to participate in the 1987 Junior III PA Slalom and Giant Slalom Championship Derby, which determined which racers made the PA State Racing Team.

Corey moved on to Monmouth College, West Long Branch, N.J., where he played center field for the Division 1 squad from 1991-93, finishing his career with a .323 batting average.

Outside high school and college play, he played second base and pitched for the Lehighton American Legion Team in the Lehigh Valley Legion Baseball League from 1989-91, followed by a stint from 1992-93 when he played second base and center field for the Limeport Bulls in the former Tri-County Baseball League. From 2000-2003, he played second base and shortstop for the Lehighton Diamondbacks in the Lehigh Valley Senior Baseball League, including when the team went 20-2 in 2002, winning the league championship.

Corey served as an assistant baseball coach for the LHS junior varsity team in 2000 and was a coach in the Franklin Township Little League from 2010-2015, during which time he was head coach of the 10, 11 and 12-year-old township All Stars (2013-2015).

He currently participates in the Wednesday Night Golf League at the Mahoning Valley Country Club and bowls on Monday nights in the Monday Night Men’s and Women’s League at Cypress Lanes, Lehighton.

Corey and his wife, Rebecca (Gilbert) Schaeffer, also an LHS graduate, have four children, Riley, Jackson, Grant and Rowan. They reside in Lehighton, where they have owned and operated the Schaeffer Funeral Home for the past 18 years.

Matthew Schaeffer

Matthew Schaeffer earned nine varsity letters in three sports at Lehighton Area High School before his graduation in 1987.

He was a four-year letterwinner on the golf course, where he helped the Indians win three Centennial League Championships. Matt had 24 dual meet wins during that time.

On the baseball diamond, he was a two-year letterman, playing second base. He was named to the First Team Centennial League in 1987, when he hit .400 and was known for his defensive abilities, having committed only one error that campaign.

He is perhaps best remembered for his performance on the basketball floor, especially back in 1987 when the Times News headline read “Schaeffer puts Lehighton in District 11 AAA final with 24 points in district final against Central Catholic.” Of course, Indian fans also remember that it was Matt’s key steal in the closing seconds of that game that enabled LHS to stun the East Penn Conference powerhouse Vikings.

A three-year letterman on the court, Matt was named to the First Team All Centennial League as a point guard in both his junior and senior seasons. During that span, in addition to winning the District 11 AAA title in ’87, the Indians won two Centennial League titles and recorded a log of 49-7.

He led the team in assists, averaged 12-13 points per game and scored 800 career points, having been named to the First Team in the Northampton Christmas Tournament LARC Classic.

Also in ’87, he was Lehighton’s Scholar Athlete.

Matt went on to play two years (88-90) of varsity baseball at Muhlenberg College. Later, he was an assistant baseball coach at his high school alma mater from 1997-2000.

He earned a Bachelor of Science degree in English from Muhlenberg and a master’s degree from East Stroudsburg University. He has been teaching first grade at the Shull-David Elementary School in the Lehighton Area School District for the past 23 years, and is a Ski Club adviser in the district.

He and his wife Cheryl are the parents of three sons.

Larry Stern

Larry Stern was a well-rounded athlete, excelling in multiple sports. His career at Lehighton Area High School culminated in a total of seven varsity letters in football, wrestling and track and field.

Larry’s football accolades include a 1980 All-State Second Team selection and Centennial League First Team selection, in a year in which the Indians claimed the league title.

His wrestling honors are numerous and, for the 1980 season, include: Centennial League fourth place, District XI second place, Southeast Regional second place, and PIAA AA Tournament qualification.

The year 1981 was a huge wrestling year for Stern. He was champion of the Centennial League, District 11 and Southeast Regionals, and attained a fourth-place spot in the PIAA AA Tournament.

Larry completed his high school wrestling career with an impressive 48-11 record. Some of the highlights of that record occurred in the ’81 season and included 18 pins, including 12 in a row, pinned through Centennial League, District 11, Southeast Regional and first round of PIAA Tournament. It is worth noting he also found time to strengthen his vocal chords along with his muscles, as he was also a member of chorus while at LAHS.

His high school alma mater recognized Larry for his elite success during his high school days by honoring him with the 1981 Senior Class Athlete Award. The Indians honored his career once again by inducting him into the Lehighton Area High School Wrestling Hall of Fame.

Stern’s hard work bred more success throughout his college career. At Lycoming College, in the ’82 and ’83 seasons, he earned his spot in the top three of the MAC. In ’83, he was a Division III national qualifier, and, in 1984, Stern was named MAC champion and Division III National 6th - All American.

The ’85 season brought more of the same: a MAC championship and Division III National 7th - All American Award. Larry completed his college wrestling career with a record of 60-24-1 and was honored by his teammates and coaches with the 1985 Lycoming College Andy Bergson Award and 1985 Lycoming College Tomahawk Award for Senior Male Athlete.

Upon the conclusion of his time at Lycoming, Stern had earned eight varsity letters (football and wrestling) and three team MAC championships (two in wrestling and one in football).

In 1995, Lycoming College revisited Stern’s career and put his efforts and success in the spotlight again with an induction into the Warriors’ Sports Hall of Fame.

Stern has been a resident of the Lehighton community since his parents returned to the area in 1964. All of Larry’s family members graduated from Lehighton Area, including his parents in 1951 and 1955, his wife, Anita, in 1981, as well as his children who graduated in 2007, 2010 and 2014.

Larry received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985 from Lycoming College, where he majored in computer science, and has been employed in the information technology industry for the past 31 years, the past 10 having a focus on human resources processes and procedures.

He and his family enjoy being involved with the community. Larry has served nine years and is a current member of the Lehighton Area School District Board of Education, including four years as the board’s vice president. He has also served as Lehighton’s representative on the board of trustees of the Lehigh Carbon Community College for 10 years and currently serves on the Lehighton Sewer Authority as its treasurer. Stern has served the community in many other aspects, coaching baseball for Franklin Little League, coaching wrestling, football and track for the Lehighton Athletic Booster Club, serving on several sport clubs as an officer, and being an instructor for a confirmation class at Zion United Church of Christ, Lehighton.

Larry and Anita, his wife of 31 years, reside in the Borough of Lehighton. In addition to their dedication to family, career and community, they can be found enjoying the beauty of the outdoors in many capacities. They enjoy running, river sports, hiking, snow shoeing, and spending time in their beautiful gardens.