Delone Catholic Announces 2025 Hall of Honor Induction Class

Delone Catholic High School announces the selection of its Hall of Honor Class of 2025. This class, comprising five members, brings the total number of inductees to 50 in 10 induction classes. The Class of 2025 will be inducted on Friday, Feb. 7, 2025, as part of the school’s celebration of Founder’s Day. Founder’s Day 2025 celebrates the 161st birthday of the school’s founding benefactor and namesake, Charles J. Delone, Esq.

The Hall of Honor inducted its inaugural class in conjunction with the celebration of the school’s 75th Anniversary on Sept. 19, 2015. The Hall of Honor recognizes individuals who have made a significant contribution to the school through the consistent contribution of time, effort, and/or financial resources, or who have improved the school and its reputation through significant professional or community achievements.

Members of the Class of 2025 are:

John E. Gastley ’59

John E. Gastley ’59 (1940-2006) – a three-sport athlete at Delone Catholic who returned to his alma mater and became a legendary coach and educator. From 1966-1978, he was the head coach of the Squires’ varsity football team, during which time he guided Delone Catholic to three undefeated seasons in a five-year span which are still the only unbeaten and untied campaigns in program history. He was named the Pennsylvania High School Coach of the Year in 1974 and served on the Pennsylvania coaching staff for the Big 33 Football Classic. He closed his coaching career as the winningest coach in program history, and he was inducted into the South Central Chapter of the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Adams County Chapter in 2000. From 1964-1993, he contributed to a rich legacy established in the Business Department. Many of his former students and players attribute their own careers as educators, coaches, and businesspeople to his influence. Upon his passing in 2006, his players, teammates, family, and admirers worked together to create the John Gastley Scholarship Foundation, which has provided a four-year scholarship to students entering Delone Catholic who excel academically and in service to Church and community every year since 2009 – to date raising more than $260,000.

Richard J. Neiderer ’63

Richard J. “Dick” Neiderer ’63 (1945-2024) – a steady and versatile presence who spent decades wearing many hats for Delone Catholic. He was a member of the boys’ basketball and baseball teams as a student who went on to earn a degree in business administration, all of which he put to use to the benefit of Delone Catholic and its partner schools and parishes throughout his life. He was involved in various aspects of parish life at Sacred Heart. At Delone Catholic, he served on the Finance Committee for many years and was a member of the Board of Directors from 2001-2009. At various times beginning in the 1980s, he was an assistant coach and scorekeeper for the boys’ basketball and baseball programs, helping student-athletes write their own chapters in Squire athletic history, but more importantly, teaching them skills to use in their lives off the courts and fields after their playing days were over. He was still serving in these roles at the time of his sudden passing in April 2024.

Brother Dominic Smith '59

Brother Dominic Smith, FSC ’59 (1941-2023) – one of 10 siblings to attend Delone Catholic, he devoted 63 years of his life to the Brothers of Christian Schools. As a Christian Brother, he demonstrated completely a commitment to the ideal of lifelong learning championed by his alma mater. He studied the French language at prestigious colleges and universities across the country and around the world, allowing him to teach and serve as the director of libraries at Catholic high schools in Arlington, Va., Pittsburgh, Pa., and Wyndmoor, Pa., for more than 30 years. In 1997, he was appointed Director of the Library at Bethlehem University in Bethlehem, Palestine. He faithfully fulfilled this role for a decade in the face of the constant conflict between the Israeli and Palestinian people. He was directly affected by this conflict in one instance when shots were fired into the Brothers’ campus residence and another time when a missile hit the library. Following his tenure in the Holy Land, he returned to the United States, and instead of retiring, spent most of the next 16 years working for the Bethlehem University Foundation in support of the University.

Lionel J. Smith '43

Lionel J. “Liney” Smith ’43 (1925-2020) – a Delone Catholic graduate whose wife, daughter, and grandsons are also alumni of the school. He went on to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II and returned to spend much of his professional life in service to his alma mater. He joined the maintenance staff in 1964, working in full-time and part-time capacities for the next half-century. He took great pride in ensuring the campus facilities looked and functioned at their best. He was a talented craftsman who helped to establish a wood shop at the school in the 1980s, and he crafted bookshelves, podiums, and many other items used by faculty and staff in their daily work. After his retirement, he continued to be a volunteer instructor and mentor for students working in the wood shop and assisted with numerous maintenance projects.

Patty Smith '82

Patricia A. “Patty” (Baker) Smith ’82 – a graduate of Delone Catholic whose children are also alumni of the school. She has worked tirelessly for more than two decades as a member of the Delone Catholic Athletic Association, raising funds to provide on-field and on-court opportunities for Squire and Squirette student-athletes. Like many volunteers over the decades, her work began when her own children were students at the school. She continues her work now, more than a decade after her youngest son graduated. She has taken various leadership roles with the Association, including directing the fundraising efforts. She has coordinated apparel sales, dinner raffles, bingos, program advertising, and staffing of concession stands, among countless other behind-the-scenes efforts that have allowed hundreds of students to showcase their talents and represent their school.

The Hall of Honor Class of 2025 will be inducted on Friday, Feb. 7. A catered dinner and induction ceremony, open to all, will be hosted in the lobby of the Lawrence B. “Sonny” Sheppard, Jr. Memorial Gymnasium with doors opening at 6 p.m. and dinner following at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the dinner are $50 and on sale until Wednesday, Jan. 22 at 3 p.m. To purchase, please order online, call 717-637-5969, Ext. 211, or email advancement@delonecatholic.org.

The Hall of Honor nomination committee invites nominations for the Delone Catholic Hall of Honor Class of 2026. For eligibility requirements and nomination forms, please visit www.DeloneCatholic.org. Anyone without access to a computer who wishes to make a nomination may contact the Office of Advancement at 717-637-5969, Ext. 201. Any nominees who were not selected for the Class of 2025 will be considered by the committee for the Class of 2026. Nominations must be received by Sept. 1, 2025, in order to be considered for the Class of 2026. Any nominations received after that date will be considered for the Class of 2027.