Plum to honor 5 new distinguished alumni

Plum will honor some of its best next week as it inducts five new members among its distinguished alumni.

The inductees will be honored during a ceremony at the Oakmont Country Club on Dec. 16 before heading to the high school to meet students the next morning.

One of the alumni will be a familiar sight to students.

Rick Berrott graduated from Plum High School in 1987 before returning less than a decade later to teach television production at the school.

He has remained there ever since, navigating the enormous changes three decades of technological advances have wrought on the television industry.

But in 1999, Berrott also began a program that has become an annual district tradition — Plum’s Make-A-Wish telethon.

The livestreamed donation marathon has raised more than $1 million for children facing potentially deadly diseases since its inception, something Berrott cites among his proudest achievements.

The stream, which was canceled in 2020 because of the pandemic, will enter its 25th edition this December.

“Honestly, I never saw it coming. I’m completely humbled and honored,” he said.

Still a resident of the borough, Berrott’s wife, Jen, is a teacher at Pivik Elementary, and his children are, or will be, Plum alumni.

His youngest son, Parker, will interview him when the distinguished alumni visit the high school.

Traci Tarquinio

Traci Tarquinio found her success in the world of marketing.

A member of the class of 1991, she currently serves as chief product marketing officer of Hit Promotional Products, which is among the largest firms in the promotional products industry.

She has worked with Hit’s charitable partners, including the Make-A-Wish Foundation, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and the American Cancer Society.

Her husband and twin sons are all Plum graduates.

Raymond DeMichiei

Raymond DeMichiei, a 1972 graduate, spent more than 4o years in emergency services as a paramedic and emergency manager in the City of Pittsburgh.

DeMichiei died last year, and his daughter, Lauren, will accept his induction award.

Working at Pittsburgh’s Department of Public Safety, he managed its Emergency Operations Center. He retired in 2016 as deputy director of the EOC.

DeMichiei helped to bring millions of dollars in grants to the city, allowing for improved safety training and equipment as well as a mobile command post emergency vehicle.

Brian Kelly

A 1993 graduate, Brian Kelly has spent much of his life in the financial sector.

He’s the head of PNC Healthcare and an executive vice president at the bank after previously serving as CFO of Greensburg-based Excela Health.

Kelly sits on the board of trustees for Robert Morris University and also chairs the school’s athletics committee.

Keith LeDonne

Keith LeDonne has also prospered in the healthcare field, specializing in healthcare IT operations.

During the pandemic, LeDonne, also a 1993 graduate, aid in the reopening of a shuttered hospital as a pandemic overflow facility. The hospital provided space for repatriated covid-positive citizens to return from abroad.

He also runs LeD InK Consulting, a healthcare IT firm, and LeD InK Real Estate, a preservation and development company focused on the Fort Pitt Boulevard corridor in downtown Pittsburgh.

The five will join the more than 70 graduates already selected as distinguished alumni since 2009.

According to Margie Evans, president of the Plum High School Distinguished Alumni Committee, the inductees will visit the high school Dec. 17 to be interviewed by TV production students and see their photos revealed at the Wall of Distinction.

The inductees also will receive citations from the office of State Sen. Nick Pisciottano, Evans said.