South Bend Hall of Fame celebrates nine new inductees
SOUTH BEND, Ind., --- The South Bend Alumni Association formally inducted nine new people into the South Bend Hall of Fame Tuesday night.
The 35th annual banquet was held at the Century Center in South Bend where nine new names and their legacy’s will now forever live on in the South Bend Community Hall of Fame.
“I hereby formally induct you as members of the South Bend Community Hall of Fame class of 2022," said the chairman of the South Bend Alumni Association.
A room full of applause erupted for the nine members formally inducted into the 2022 class of the South Bend Community Hall of Fame.
“It’s been such a privilege to be a part of this community and to be here with all of you tonight, such extraordinary people, I’ve been so blessed to have all of you accept me” said 2022 inductee Joseph Donnelly, the U.S. Ambassador to the Holy See.
Community trailblazers like the 12th U.S. Ambassador Joseph Donnelly and former Notre Dame Women’s Basketball Coach Muffet McGraw who led her team to two national championships were among those inducted.
“We’ve done so many things and it’s all been together. Also thank you members of the committee for giving me this award,” said Muffet McGraw in a video message because she was unable to attend the ceremony in-person.
“She has taken a startup basketball program and make it a national powerhouse and she has done that by advocating for women,” added Rev. John Jenkins, the President of the University of Notre Dame who gave the invocation at this year's ceremony.
The 35th annual ceremony also recognized the Washington High School Girls Basketball team who snatched the state title back in February.
As hundreds celebrated the nine new inductees and honorees as well as those from years past, the ceremony also hoped to aspire the generations to come.
“We can invite our South Bend Community Schools, our high schools to come and join us,” said Kris Arizmendi Choinacky, the Executive Director of the South Bend Alumni Association. “To find the inspiration of our inductees as well as our honorees and understand that’s the mission of the South Bend Alumni to make them civic minded individuals to become that.”
The Alumni Association said the inductees were carefully selected by the committee.
Check out the full list of inductees and honorees below.