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TOP STORY OF THE DAY: Hall of Knights Inductees
After a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19, Northview High School brought back its Hall of Knights ceremonial weekend on Friday and Saturday with Tom Beachkofsky, Chad McCollough, Brady Shoemaker, Ernie Simpson (posthumously) and Larry Stuckey making up the Class of 2022.
On Friday, each of the inductees spoke to the Northview student body and then broke into smaller groups where they held question and answer sessions. Later that night, the inductees were honored in front of the homecoming football crowd in between the first and second quarters.
On Saturday, dozens of members traveling near and far took in the final night of festivities inside the North Clay Middle School auditeria where the five inductees were introduced by Hall of Knights committee president Craig Trout. They each then gave a speech before Hall of Knights committee vice president Scott Buell presented them with a plaque.
Both Trout and Buell spoke glowingly about the Class of 2022 and all that they’ve done to shape the younger generations and make the community a better place with their involvement in it over the years.
“Tonight, is a special tonight with a wonderful group of new inductees. Not having this event the last two years has left us all with a time to reflect. So, to see this event take place again this year, has showed us again the importance of the Hall of Knights. Not just for the inductees, but for their families, our community and especially our students in our school,” said Trout. “We need to thank some people tonight. First, is Scott Buell. It may say president by my name, but Scott does so much work on this project. This event would not be possible without him. Second is the committee. Choosing these candidates is difficult. We get a list of people every year and our committee does a great job of sorting through and helping create a great class of people.”
“What an incredible two days we’ve had with all of our Hall of Knight inductees. They’ve all demonstrated a commitment, dedication and passion to their professional careers as well as this community and Northview High School. Some have traveled many miles to Brazil to be with us. What a wonderful sign of gratitude they’ve shown and sacrificed their time to come home,” said Buell. “All of these individuals are tremendous examples to our students of what can be accomplished with hard work and good decision.”
Below is a short profile provided by Northview about each of the five inductees:
Tom Beachkofsky
Dr. Tom Beachkofsky was a 2000 graduate of Northview, receiving varsity letters in football, wrestling, baseball and track and field. Beachkofsky attended the United States Air Force Academy where he wrestled for four years while majoring in biology. Today, he is a Lt. Col, board certified dermatologist and assistant professor of dermatology at his medical school. Beachkofsky has published more than 30 articles and textbook chapters and presented his research across the globe. Beachkofsky’s most notable honor was receiving the 2020 ‘Hero of Military Medicine’ for his work with wounded warriors.
Chad McCollough
Chad McCollough was a 1992 graduate, ranking third in his class. McCollough received varsity letters in cross country, basketball and track and field. He excelled in track at Franklin College and has been inducted into their Hall of Fame. McCollough created an endowment scholarship to help internship students receive financial support at Franklin. McCollough also created the Memorial Day Mile that ranks as the top 10-mile race in the United States in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice for freedom. Today, McCollough is the senior vice president with UBS-Wealth Management as a certified financial planner.
Brady Shoemaker
Brady Shoemaker was a 2005 graduate and a two-sport All-State athlete in football and baseball. In football, Shoemaker led the state in interceptions with 10. And in baseball, he was the IHSAA Offensive Player of the Year, hitting 13 home runs and batting .538 during his senior season. Shoemaker played college baseball at Olney Central and Indiana State University. Shoemaker was drafted in the 19th round in the 2009 MLB Draft by the Chicago White Sox. He played 11 years professionally, reaching Triple-A with two different organizations. During his professional career, Shoemaker won the minor league home run derby and was named an All-Star multiple times.
Ernie Simpson
Ernie Simpson passed away in February of 2021 at the age of 42. He was a longtime educator and football coach. Simpson came to Clay Community Schools from South Vermillion, serving as principal at Northview. He created a culture that is still strong today, as well as the new Knight head logo. Later, he moved to central office as human resource director. During that time, Simpson moved back to the football field as a volunteer coach at Northview.
Larry Stuckey
Larry Stuckey served as an officer in the Marine Corps, 2nd Marine Division in active duty from 1962-1965. Stuckey taught and coached for 37 years at Brazil and Northview, including boys and girls cross country, boys and girls track and field and wrestling. His teams won numerous championships with his highest accomplishments coming as a state championship coach in the high jump in 1994 and 1995, as well as an indoor national championship in 1995. Coach Stuckey retired in 2002.