2 deceased vets among 6 selected for Penn-Trafford Hall of Fame

Two men who served in the military and died from possible chemical exposure while on duty are among the six inductees this year into the Penn-Trafford High School Alumni Hall of Fame.

Veterans Thomas Hickey and Dustin Ionadi join Andrew Ferri, Lance Laspina, Christopher Burnside and Nicholas Braun as the latest inductees, according to the alumni hall of fame committee.

Hickey, who graduated in 1973, was a lieutenant commander of the Navy’s SEAL Team 3 — a special operations unit of the U.S. Navy. That unit fought Iraqi insurgents in the eight month Battle of Ramadi in Iraq in 2006. The commendation states that Hickey was involved in top secret operations throughout the world. He died in May 2011 from chemical exposure, according to the commendation.

Additional details about Hickey’s service were not available from the National National Navy Underwater Demolition Team-SEAL Museum in Fort Pierce, Fla.

Ionadi, who graduated in 2003, enlisted in the Air Force in 2006 and was sent to Iraq, where he was exposed to fumes and soot from burn pits at an Air Force base, according to his family. He also served as part of the security detail for Gen. William Caldwell, who was commanding general for NATO’s mission in Afghanistan.

He was diagnosed with a rare form of brain cancer in March 2017. He died in May 2018 at age 33 and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.

“It touched our hearts that they (Penn-Trafford) are doing this. We thank Penn-Trafford for honoring him,” said his mother, Susan Ionadi.

Ferri, a member of the class of 2001, is manager of The Lamplighter Restaurant, the popular family-owned eatery along Route 22 in Salem.

He has theater experience, serving as a milliner and participated in Westmoreland County’s charity event, “Dancing with the Stars.” Ferri said he is honored to be have been selected for the hall of fame.

Laspina, who graduated in 1988, is recognized for artistic success. He has his own illustration business in Los Angeles and has created storyboards for Hollywood movies, including “The Nutty Professor” and Marvel films. Laspina also makes documentaries and has appeared on an international house hunter show.

He recalled how he would use a video camera — a rather new technology at the time — to do school projects and was supported by his teachers.

“It kind of gave me the bug” to attend the University of Southern California, where he earned a degree in film production.

Burnside, of North Huntingdon, and Braun, of Level Green, both 2003 graduates, created the Chip In For Children’s Charity Golf Outing, which features golfing at the Madison Club to raise money for the UPMC Children’s Hospital Foundation. Through the golf outing and foundation, founded in 2017, they have donated more than $60,000.

“Each year we work with the hospital to pick a different fund to donate to based on the needs of the hospital and the needs of the families who have children receiving care at their amazing facility,” Braun said.

Braun said their wives, Nicole Braun and Cara Burnside, who helped to create the outing, often lead initiatives such as the website design and coordinate events on the day of the golf outing.

Those selected to be inducted into the P-T alumni hall of fame are people who have demonstrated significant professional success or contributed greatly to society, said Virginia McCracken Stump of North Huntingdon, secretary of the hall of fame committee. The nominees come from different graduating classes, but typically those selected have been out of high school for at least 20 years.

“The purpose is to create great role models for current students,” Stump said.

The names of the inductees will be placed on a plaque at the high school, Stump said.

The induction ceremony, which is open to the public, will be held at noon Oct. 7 at the Crystal Ballroom at The Lamplighter Restaurant in Salem. Information on obtaining tickets or making a donation is available from Jorglynn Holden at jorglynn@hotmail.com.