Four New Honorees Inducted Into LBHS Wall of Fame

 This story was written by Rosemary Leonetti.

This year’s four inductees to the Long Beach High School Wall of Fame – Howard Apple, Barbara Bernstein, Richard “Ricky” Evrard and Ronald Stonitsch – had varied high school experiences and pursued diverse careers after they graduated. But as all four made their acceptance speeches at the Sept. 29 ceremony, a common thread appeared.      

They all attributed their success to a community that supported them and a group of caring teachers who taught them valuable lessons that stayed with them throughout their lives.      

A graduate of the Class of 1963, Apple went on to enjoy an illustrious 27-year career with the FBI. He was honored with the FBI Director’s Award of Excellence, the Assistant Attorney General’s Award for his outstanding work on Indian reservations and the International Association of Auto Theft Investigators Award of Merit. After retiring from the FBI, Apple began a company to fight Medicare fraud, saving the Medicare Trust Fund more than $2 billion.      

“Growing up in Long Beach is like having your own version of the show ‘Cheers’,” said Apple. “Everyone knows your name. It’s a place you can come home to. Everybody take care of one another.”      

Bernstein graduated from Long Beach High School in 1966, where she was best known for her involvement in the theater program. During her professional career, she managed programs in the field of low-income housing, job training, at-risk youth services and criminal justice.      

For the past 23 years she has served as the executive director of a nonprofit agency that has served over one million people in need of critical health, housing and human service assistance. In recognition of her distinguished record of community service, she was inducted into the Alameda County Women’s Hall of Fame.      

“Long Beach High School gave me my educational foundation,” said Bernstein. “I learned that I didn’t have to be the best, I just had to be my best. And I learned that in doing so, my enthusiasm could encourage others to be their best.”      

A graduate of the Class of 1974, Evrard excelled in athletics, playing on the football, basketball, baseball and lacrosse teams. He was offered a full scholarship to play football at Rice University. Upon graduation, he became a national director of the NCAA Volunteers for Youth program.

  He went on to complete a law degree in 1983, after which he worked for the NCAA as an enforcement representative and director of legislative services. In 1992 he joined a leading law firm specializing in the field of NCAA rules, ethics and sports law.      

“The lessons I learned on the playing fields of Long Beach stayed with me my whole life,” said Evrard. “Work together as a team and you will achieve success.” He thanked the teachers who believed in him and the coaches like Tony Piazza who changed his life.      

Stonitsch, who graduated in 1967, was one of the most accomplished track and field and cross-country athletes in Long Beach High School history, finishing in fifth place in the 1966 cross-country state championships, setting a county record in the mile and becoming a Long Island Champion in the two-mile and a state champion in the mile.      

He went on to become a three-time NCAA National Champion in cross-country and track and MVP of the 1971 Penn Relays. He worked for 33 years for the New York Department of Labor, where he helped advise businesses and promoted programs to benefit jobseekers. He also served for 33 years as a cross-country and track coach at Vassar College.      

Stonitsch gave special thanks to his coach Irv Gold, saying, “If it wasn’t for Irv Gold, I wouldn’t have gone to college.”      

Summing up the sentiments of the day, Board of Education Trustee Dr. Dennis Ryan said, “Your achievements serve as big footprints left for our students to follow on their own pursuit of excellence.”      

A time-honored homecoming tradition that began in 1996, the Wall of Fame is presented each year by the Long Beach Booster Club in cooperation with Long Beach Public Schools to serve as an inspiration to the youth of Long Beach.       The Wall of Fame was conceived to honor present and former members of the Long Beach community who have made substantial contributions either locally or to the world at large, including contributors in the area of athletics.      

“This wall is a testament to the Barrier Island,” said Board President Roy Lester. “This says something about this community that so many accomplished people came out of it.”