Xenia Community Schools Foundation Announces Hall of Honor Class of 2021
Congratulations are in order for the Xenia Community Schools Hall of Honor Class of 2021! Four new members will be honored this year. The Twenty-third Annual Hall of Honor Induction Ceremony and Dinner is scheduled for Saturday, April 24, 2021, at 6:30 PM at Tecumseh Elementary School. The dinner will be preceded by the Seventh Annual Silent Auction for Grants beginning at 5:30 PM. Tickets are $35.00 each and will be available at the Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce, as of March 12th. The Chamber is located at 334 W. Market Street. Call: (937) 372-3591 for more information.
The Xenia Community Schools Foundation invites the community to celebrate the accomplishments of the 2021 Hall of Honor inductees:
Blair Montgomery Davis (Businesswoman, Community Leader and Volunteer, Role Model) a 2002 graduate of Xenia High School, was born and raised in Xenia. She graduated from Bowling Greene State University with a BS degree in Business Administration. Blair worked for Cincinnati Insurance until she joined the family insurance business, Montgomery Insurance and Investments, in 2009, and became an integral part of this three-generation local business. Following the family ethic of service to the community, she has offered her time and talent to activities such as First Fridays, “Xenia Lives” Downtown Music Festival and the Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce as a Board member, Business After Hours Chair and Annual Banquet Committee volunteer.
She is well respected by her peers in local business and received the Xenia Area Chamber of Commerce SL Stephen Award in 2016, recognizing her as a person who worked unselfishly through voluntary service to promote the Chamber and community. She has also been awarded the Keystone Insurers Group Thoroughbred Sales Award in recognition of her top sales performance for a young insurance professional.
Blair is passionate about the community of Xenia, including the schools, and gives selflessly of her time, hard work and talent to events that achieve success through her leadership skills. She will serve as a role model for future generations of Xenia students and community members.
Dr. Elizabeth A. Delaney (Hensley) (Renowned Oncology Nurse, Educator, Role Model) is a 1984 Xenia High School graduate who attended Wright State University where she received her BS in Nursing. She has earned two additional master’s Degrees from Wright State and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from Ohio State University. She has been a leader in Oncology Nursing, earned a variety of honors, has been published extensively and is well known for her work in palliative care.
Dr. Delaney joined the staff of Cedarville University in the mid-2010’s, and has been instrumental in the development of their nursing program at the undergraduate and graduate levels. She has also become a voice and recognized advocate for families impacted by substance abuse disorder. She has relied on personal family life experiences to impact the lives of countless individuals locally, state-wide and across the nation.
Dr. Delaney has been named to Ohio Attorney General David Yost’s Substance Use Prevention Task Force and has assisted in developing and implementing “The Good Life” prevention program currently in use at Xenia High School. She is also one of the founders of the 4CancerWellness organization which promises to change the care and support needed for patients and their families. She is a model of dedication and hard work in her chosen profession.
Jean Reid Dungy Shoates (Groundbreaking Mathematician, Role Model) graduated from Xenia East High School in 1949 and attended Central State University majoring in mathematics. In 1952, she became a mathematician and statistician at Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Mrs. Shoates held a classified position with the Foreign Technology Division, currently known as the National Air and Space Intelligence Center (NASIC), was in a classified position and was the first woman and the first African American to hold a supervisory position as of 1966.
Serving as the supervisor of Mathematics Scientific Programs, Mrs. Shoates designed programs to enable engineers to assist foreign aircraft performance, and she assisted space personnel to display foreign missile performance and satellite orbits.
In 2019, Jean Shoates was the keynote speaker for the Black History Month Commencement Program at NASIC and was described as the “Hidden Figure” of NASIC.
As an outstanding citizen and role model, Mrs. Shoates is a member of the Zion Baptist Church and has served her church in many volunteer roles. She is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. Since 1966, she has served Greene Memorial Hospital in a variety of volunteer positions. She has also served as area captain for the American Cancer Society and is a 35-year member of the Wilberforce Chapter of the Moles. Mrs. Shoates has received recognition from the Wilberforce Chapter of the Moles for her achievements and service.
Michael Thomas “Mike” Ungard (Sports Reporter, Veteran, Role Model), a 1953 graduate of Xenia High School attended the University of Cincinnati and served in the United States Army. He served the Xenia community throughout his life as a teacher, coach, umpire and sports reporter. His career spanned nearly 40 years during which he also served as editor of the Xenia Daily Gazette and the Beavercreek News. Mr. Ungard shared a Pulitzer Prize for his coverage of the 1974 Xenia tornado.
His lifelong passion was sports, and he was inducted into the Xenia Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Beavercreek Athletic Hall of Fame in 2002. Often referred to as “The Nude Knob”, he was a fixture at local high school sporting events and provided extensive coverage of athletic events including, a game preview, information about players on each team and the strengths and weaknesses of each team, in addition to extensive coverage of the game itself and post-game interviews. He had an incredible memory for detail, unique writing style and “nose for the news”.
Mike Ungard was highly respected for his support of youth athletes and his incredible base of knowledge. Mike, himself, had a successful high school athletic career as a golfer, football player and track and field participant, winning a Miami League shotput title as a junior. He was a role model of hard work and dedication on behalf of area youth. Mike Ungard is being inducted into the Hall of Honor posthumously, having passed away on November 25, 2020.
The Xenia Community Schools Foundation is dedicated to enriching the academic pursuits of all students, faculty and staff within the Xenia Community Schools. The Foundation has provided grants for classroom enrichment programs and scholarships from donations and investment income of the Foundation for more than thirty years.
