The Lehighton Education and Athletic Foundation will honor the 2024 Graduates of Distinction at a banquet at the Lehighton American Legion, Post 314, on May 17 beginning at 6 p.m.

For ticket information, visit www.leaf-foundation.org. Tickets may be purchased and printed from the website. Tickets are also available during normal business hours at the office of Markley Insurance, 445 Coal St., Lehighton, or by calling 610-377-4382.

LEAF recognizes graduates who have achieved notable success in their careers and made outstanding contributions to society at the local, state or national level. The four graduates selected for the honor are:

Maynard Ahner II

Class of 1984

Maynard Ahner II graduated from Lehighton Area High School in 1984. He was accepted into the West Point Class of 1988 and began his education there in June 1984. He graduated as a Distinguished Graduate and Rhodes Scholar candidate, earning a bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering. He later received a master’s in business administration from Boston University in 1992.

Ahner served multiple tours in the U.S. Army, including as commander of B Company, 249th Signal Battalion at Fort Belvoir, and with the Texas Army National Guard. He then began a 25-plus-year career in the banking industry, including roles at Eagle Capital Mortgage, Mellon Bank, PNC Bank, and Bank of America.

He is currently chief technology officer and product management group leader for commercial banking at Wells Fargo. Ahner serves on the governing board of Evanta and the board of Versana Fintech. He was named a PNC Chairman’s Circle Award winner in 2004 and 2008 and was named Best Global Product Manager for Finastra in 2020.

He remains active with West Point as the Class of 1988 treasurer and class gift chair, and also supports the Salvation Army and animal rescue efforts in his community. He and his wife, Jennifer, live in Grapevine, Texas, and have four children: Amelia, Charlie, William and Jessica. Amelia and Jessica are U.S. Air Force Academy graduates currently serving in the Air Force.

Rick Merluzzi

Class of 1975

Rick Merluzzi graduated from Lehighton Area High School in 1975 and earned a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Penn State University in 1979. He later earned an MBA in international finance from Drexel University and continued executive studies at Harvard University, Columbia University and the University of Virginia’s Darden School.

Merluzzi began his business career with Mobil Oil in 1979 and later worked for FMC Corporation. In 1998, he became president of Edlon Inc. and later served as president and CEO of Pennex Aluminum, a subsidiary of Metal Exchange Corporation. Under his leadership, Pennex quadrupled in size and was rated No. 1 in customer satisfaction. He later served as president of manufacturing and then CEO of Metal Exchange Corporation. He is now executive vice chairman of MX Holdings.

Merluzzi serves on several boards, including the PA Global Business Advisors, Penn State’s Distinguished Alumni Board and the Aluminum Extruders Council. He is also chairman of Friends and Family Against Prostate Cancer.

He and his wife, Kathy, live in West Chester. Kathy is a chemical engineering graduate of Notre Dame. Their sons, Rick, Alex and Andrew, hold engineering degrees from Cornell, Lehigh and Villanova, respectively.

Thomas A. Polk

Class of 1950

Thomas A. Polk (deceased) graduated from Lehighton Area High School in 1950 and enlisted in the U.S. Navy, serving during the Korean War. He rose through the ranks and, in 1963, was commissioned as an officer. He retired in 1974 as a lieutenant commander and later earned an associate degree from Cecil Community College in 1978.

Polk’s 24-year Navy career included duty on the USS Saratoga and assignments around the world, including Panama and the Caribbean. He served as aide to the vice chief of naval operations, Adm. Claude Ricketts, and later as aide to Chief of Naval Operations Adm. David McDonald.

After his Navy career, Polk returned to Lehighton and was active in numerous community and military support programs, including the Wounded Warriors Program, Gary Sinise Foundation and Trees for Troops. He also contributed to many charities and served as Lehighton’s zoning officer. He is part of a four-generation Navy family.

He had four children, Thomas II, Tedi-Anne, Tina and Timothy, and four stepchildren. His widow, Dolores Polk, lives in Lehighton.

Dennis Yenser

Class of 1964

Dennis Yenser graduated from Lehighton Area High School in 1964, lettering in football and baseball. He went onto New Mexico State University, where he played baseball for four years and one year of football, graduating in 1968.

He was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army and trained as a helicopter pilot. He flew UH-1 Huey helicopters in combat missions during the Vietnam War from 1970 to 1971. After leaving active duty in 1972, he served in the Pennsylvania National Guard and worked for Keystone Helicopter.

Yenser became co-owner of Yenser’s Tree Farm and Sensinger’s Greenhouses, dedicating his life to the horticulture industry. He was recognized as Pennsylvania Grower of the Year in 1993 and named Lehighton’s Business Person of the Year in 2003.

A Vietnam veteran, he is a lifetime member of American Legion Post 314 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars. He helped establish the Trees for Troops program, which sends about 1,000 donated Christmas trees each year to service members around the world.

He also volunteers extensively at St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church and serves on its cemetery committee. He and his wife, Jane, live in Lehighton and have three children: Amanda, Laura and Jon.