WILMINGTON — Salesianum School will induct five graduates into its Alumni Hall of Fame at a ceremony tonight at the school. This ninth class of inductees includes:
J Clyde Taggart, Class of 1925
J. Clyde Taggart is being recognized for service to Salesianum and the community. According to the school, he is recognized as one of the “founding fathers” of the alumni association and its programs. At Salesianum, Taggart was captain of the 1925 baseball team. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, Taggart was an accountant in Wilmington. He and his wife, Mildred, had one son, Joseph, a 1961 graduate.
Father Richard R. DeLillio, OSFS, Class of 1956
Father DeLillio, a Wilmington native, is being inducted in the science and religion category. He entered the Oblates of St. Francis de Sales upon his graduation from Salesianum and was ordained to the priesthood in 1966. Currently, he is a member of the formation team at the Oblates’ DeSales Hall in Washington, D.C., and a part-time instructor of homiletics at Catholic University of America. He also has served as president of Nativity Prep, development director for his congregation, parish priest, religious superior of the Salesianum Oblate community, teacher and director of vocations.
Harry W. Alexander, Class of 1963
Harry W. Alexander had an accomplished football career at Salesianum under coach Dim Montero. He started on both sides of the ball all four years on campus, at that time only the second player in school history to do so. (Montero was the other.) He was a three-time all-state selection, a high school all-American in 1962 and co-captain of the 1963 Delaware High School All-Star Game. He would go on to play at Notre Dame and was a member of the 1966 national championship team. Alexander also played baseball, basketball and track at Salesianum.
John S. “Jack” Ireland, Class of 1965
Jack Ireland, who is going into the Hall of Fame in the arts, education and entertainment category, retired earlier this year after covering sports for The News Journal for nearly 36 years. Ireland spent 10 years at the Dover bureau, covering high school and Wesley College sports, as well as some Delaware State University football and basketball, and NASCAR. After moving to the Wilmington office, he added horse racing and the Wilmington Blue Rocks. Later in his career, he wrote features for the Crossroads section of the paper. A graduate of St. Edward’s University in Austin, Texas, he started his newspaper career at the Seaford Leader.
Hugh T. Broomall, Class of 1966
The honoree for business, labor and the military is Brig. Gen. Hugh T. Broomall, currently a special assistant to the director of the Air National Guard. He is responsible for strategy development, state and federal liaison, inter-agency coordination, and special studies. Before being commissioned in 1974, Gen. Broomall served as an enlisted member of the Delaware Air National Guard. He has commanded the 166th Support Group of the Delaware Air National Guard, and in 1997 he served as a member of the Congressional Fellowship Program.
