Marian Catholic High School has announced that two distinguished Marian families will be inducted into the Class of 2026 Hall of Fame.

The ceremony will be held May 2 in the John P. Malarkey ’51 Gymnasium at Marian in Hometown. The celebration begins at 5:30 p.m. with a cocktail reception, followed by a catered dinner and induction ceremony at 6:45 p.m. More than 2,500 invitations have been sent.

The families being inducted are the John “Jack” and Anne Cannon family, and the Joseph and Mary Dvorak family.

Cannon family

The late Jack and Anne Cannon devoted more than 40 years of service to Marian. Jack was one of the founders of the Men of Marian and served as its president. He also served on the Marian Advisory Board during the 1990s and early 2000s.

Together, Jack and Anne were active in Men of Marian fundraisers and supported Marian activities while their children and grandchildren attended the school.

Jack graduated from Saint Ann’s High School in 1946, and Anne (Mulderick) Cannon graduated in 1950.

They are the parents of Marian graduates Loretta Davis Cannon ’74, Deacon Joe Cannon ’75 and Catherine Cannon Watkins ’76; grandparents of Neal ’95, Joanne ’97, Bridget ’04, Kelly ’05 and John ’06; and great-grandparents of Madeline ’27.

Jack worked at the Lansford Post Office from age 16 until retirement and served as a lector and among the first eucharistic ministers at St. Ann Parish in Lansford. Anne volunteered alongside her husband and was employed under Title I in the Panther Valley School District as a reading aide.

Loretta Cannon Davis worked as an administrative assistant in Marian’s main office from March 1991 to July 2019 and serves as a eucharistic minister at St. Joseph of the Panther Valley.

Deacon Joe Cannon was among Marian’s first student athletic trainers. He is a member of the American Hose Company in Lansford, served as past fire chief, and was ordained a permanent deacon in 2015. He serves at St. Joseph of the Panther Valley.

Catherine Cannon Watkins began her career as a part-time activities assistant at Miners Memorial Hospital in Coaldale and later became an activity coordinator.

She relocated to Virginia Beach, Virginia, and currently serves as an activity coordinator at an Alzheimer’s care facility.

The Cannon family supported Marian through years of volunteering, from working football games at Lansford Stadium to assisting with weekly bingos and Men of Marian picnics.

Dvorak family

The Dvorak family is tied for the record for the most children to attend and graduate from Marian, with nine in total. Joseph and Mary Dvorak of McAdoo made Catholic education a priority for their children, emphasizing work ethic, moral character and faith.

Their Marian graduates include Joseph Dvorak ’73, Linda Dvorak ’74, John Dvorak ’77, Mary Dvorak Garzio ’78, Jeffrey Dvorak ’81, Jerome Dvorak ’82, Jene Dvorak ’84, Jude Dvorak ’86 and Catherine Dvorak Steffek ’91.

“Joe and I knew it would be a sacrifice to send everyone to Marian, but one that was worth it,” Mary, 95, said. “Reflecting on the accomplishments of our children and grandchildren, we know the education they received at Marian was an integral part of their success.”

Joseph, a U.S. Marine Corps World War II veteran and founder of JD Trucking, died in 1997. Mary continues to support Marian.

The family’s accomplishments span education, entrepreneurship, the arts, skilled trades, banking, engineering, environmental science and nonprofit leadership.

Joseph Dvorak has dedicated his career to education at Holy Cross High School in Delran, New Jersey, where he teaches theology and art and serves as arts department chairman.

John Dvorak worked alongside his father to build JD Trucking and has led the business for more than 40 years. Mary Garzio devoted more than 40 years to cosmetology as a small-business owner and recently retired from Empire Education Group.

Jeffrey Dvorak worked as a professional plumber before joining JD Trucking as lead mechanic.

Jerome Dvorak, who holds degrees in management and finance from Juniata College, now serves as executive director of the Bloomsburg University Foundation. He also supports Marian as a board member and president of the Blue and Gold Club.

Jene Dvorak, a mechanical engineering graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, serves as senior project engineer for GAF Materials Corporation.

Jude Dvorak, a Kutztown University graduate, has worked more than 40 years in visual storytelling through his firm, hey jude design.

Catherine Steffek is a leader in higher education program development and holds degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and Duquesne University.

The Dvorak legacy continues through their grandchildren, including Nina (Garzio) Thompson, Amanda Garzio-Hadzick and Julia Dvorak, the most recent Marian alumna.

Additional honors

The Hall of Fame was established in 2023 to recognize alumni from Marian High School, Saint Ann’s High School, Saint Jerome’s High School, Saint Mary’s High School and Mauch Chunk Catholic High.

The 2026 recipients of the Distinguished Alumnus Award are John P. Lavelle Jr., Esq. ’81, of Bryn Mawr, and Sophie A. Kozuch Cuthbertson, Esq. ’91, of McLean, Virginia.

Limited tickets for the celebration are still available by contacting Erin Marek, director of advancement, at 570-467-3335 or emarek@mariancatholichs.org.

Proceeds will benefit the school’s Scholarship Fund. More information is available at www.mariancatholichs.org.