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10/20/2018 12:00 AMThe 32nd annual East Haven High School (EHHS) Alumni Association Hall of Fame awards ceremony will take place on Sunday, Nov. 18 at Seasons in East Haven. This year’s inductees are David Bachinski (Class of 1997), Natalie Crosby (‘07), Vincent DeNuzzo (‘96), Jennifer Lucatino McCabe (‘04), William Parker, Jr. (‘77), William Paulson (‘04), and Tim Whelan (‘72). Tickets cost $50 and may be obtained by sending a check payable to the EHHS Alumni Association at 247 Bayard Ave., North Haven CT, 06473. No tickets will be sold at the door.
David Bachinski (Class of ‘97)
David Bachinski played varsity hockey for four years at EHHS. During his freshman year, when the Easties were the Housatonic League champions, Bachinski recorded 41 points. During his sophomore year, he scored 54 points as the Yellowjackets once again topped the Housatonic League and then advanced to the state championship game. That same year, Bachinski was named to the All-Area Team and was an Honorable Mention for the All-State Team. As a junior, he recorded 71 points and was named to the All-State Team. Bachinski and the Yellowjackets won another SCC championship and once again reached the state title game that season. As a senior, Bachinski scored 83 points to help the Easties win the SCC crown and make it back to the state championship game. That year, he was named All-Area, All-SCC, and to the All-State First Team. Bachinski finished his EHHS hockey career with 249 points, which is the second most in school history behind teammate Bobby Coyle’s 252 points. Bachinski also holds the school record for assists with 147.
In 1998, Bachinski graduated from the Berkshire Preparatory School in Sheffield, Massachusetts, where he played for the ice hockey team. For the last 15 years, Bachinski has worked for Stop & Shop’s corporate offices, where he is currently an assistant manager of operations.
Natalie Crosby (Class of ‘97)
Natalie Crosby was a notable star on the volleyball court and the softball diamond for the Easties. As a freshman, she was a varsity starter for the East Haven volleyball squad. In her sophomore, junior, and senior years, Crosby was named All-Area and also made the All-SCC Oronoque Team. In her junior and senior seasons, she was named to the Connecticut High School Coaches’ Association All-State Team and played in the Senior All-State Game. Crosby finished with more than 900 kills and 500 digs for her high-school volleyball career.
In softball, Crosby was a varsity starter as both a freshman and a sophomore. She then made the All-Oronoque Team in her junior and senior years. In her senior season, Crosby batted .467 and had 18 RBI, six doubles, three triples and two homers en route to making All-State. Crosby finished with a career batting average of .375 and had 85 hits.
Crosby later attended Western Connecticut State University (WCSU), where she played volleyball. As a freshman, she was named to the All-Conference First Team and was the Little East Conference Rookie of the Year. Crosby was an All-Conference Second Team selection from 2008 to 2010. As a senior, she captained WCSU and was named to the All-New England Team. She totaled 1,138 kills with 161 aces and 924 digs for her collegiate career.
After college, Crosby was the JV volleyball head coach at John Jay High School in Cross River, New York, leading the team to a 14-1 record. The following year, she was named an assistant coach for the freshman volleyball team at Westhill High School in Stamford and also guided that team to a record of 14-1. Crosby is currently employed by the New Haven Police Department.
Vincent DeNuzzo (Class of ‘96)
During his high-school years, Vincent DeNuzzo served as the president of the Faculty-Student Senate at EHHS. He also was a four-year member of the Yellowjackets’ boys’ basketball team, captaining the squad in his senior year, during which he averaged 13.9 points per game. DeNuzzo held the school record for 3-pointers in a season with 44 until 2004.
DeNuzzo went on to attend Southern Connecticut State University (SCSU), where he earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees, as well as a six-year degree in educational leadership and policy study. In 1998, he was inducted into SCSU’s chapter of Phi Alpha Theta in the National History Honor Society. DeNuzzo began his teaching career as a social studies teacher at EHHS, later becoming the instructional leader of that department. He was named the school’s principal in 2012. DeNuzzo served on the Area Cooperative Educational Services Social Studies Council from 2007 through 2012.
Throughout his career in education, DeNuzzo stayed involved in sports. He was an assistant boys’ basketball coach, as well as the head coach of cross country, girls’ tennis, and girls’ basketball at EHHS. DeNuzzo led the girls’ basketball squad to the SCC Oronoque Division championship in the 2006-’07 season and was named the All-Area Coach of the Year.
DeNuzzo has been a certified varsity basketball official since 2008 and has served on the Sal Tinari Biddy Basketball League board of directors since 1997. He also served as director of the East Haven Yellowjacket Basketball Camp from 2003 to 2008.
Jennifer Lucatino McCabe (Class of ‘04)
Jennifer Lucatino McCabe distinguished herself in soccer, indoor track, and outdoor track at EHHS. She lettered for four years on the soccer team, serving as co-captain in her senior year, and was named All-SCC Hammonasset in 2002 and 2003. Lucatino McCabe also lettered all four years in track, where her events were the 55, the 100, the 300 hurdles, the long jump, and the triple jump. She was also a captain in track during her senior year.
Lucatino McCabe set several school records at EHHS. In soccer, she set records for the most goals in a season (11), the most assists in a season (9), the most career goals (25), and the most career points (59). In indoor track, she set records for the 55 (8.9 seconds) and the long jump (15 feet-6.5 inches). She received the 2003-’04 CIAC Scholar-Athlete Award and was presented with the John “Whitey” Puriek Award as an Outstanding Female Soccer Player in 2004.
Lucatino McCabe attended the University of Connecticut’s School of Engineering, from which she graduated with a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in 2008. She then worked as a system’s engineer at United Technologies for three years, during which time she also earned a master’s in business administration from the University of Connecticut. In 2011, Lucatino McCabe joined Medtronic, a medical device company in North Haven, where she currently works as a research and development engineer.
Lucatino McCabe volunteers in local public schools, where she mentors young students in a Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics program. She also is an active volunteer with the Hole in the Wall Gang Camp and Habitat for Humanity. Lucatino McCabe and her husband, Matthew McCabe, have been married since 2015 and have a son, Chase.
William Parker, Jr. (Class of ‘77)
William “Bill” Parker, Jr., was a three-sport athlete for the Yellowjackets. As a football player, he was named to the All-Housatonic Team and was recognized by the New Haven Gridiron Club as the most outstanding high-school player in the Greater New Haven area. Additionally, the Yale Club named Parker as the Most Valuable Player in the area. Parker also competed in basketball and track during his high-school career.
Parker also excelled academically. He was named a State of Connecticut Scholar and a Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, receiving both the Harvard Book Award and the Daughter of the American Revolution Award. Parker graduated from Yale University with a bachelor’s degree in administrative science. Since the early 1990s, Parker has worked in telecommunications. He is the founder and co-owner of Tricom Systems, Inc., a technology company.
William Paulson (Class of ‘04)
William “Bill” Paulson played football, baseball, and basketball for the Yellowjackets, before attending the University of Connecticut on a baseball scholarship. In football, Paulson was a four-year starter who served as quarterback, running back, wide receiver, defensive back, punter, and kicker for East Haven. Paulson, who scored 242 career all-purpose points, was named to the Levi Jackson Gridiron Team, earned two selections to the All-SCC Hammonasset Division Team, and was also named to the All-State Class M Team.
Paulson also was a four-year starter on the East Haven baseball team, for which he pitched and played the outfield. He was named to the All-SCC Hammonasset Team and the New Haven Register’s All-Time All-Area Team. In 2002, Paulson and the Yellowjackets won their division title and were the runner-up for the state championship. Paulson was also a two-year starter for the East Haven’s boys’ basketball squad.
Paulson has worked as an electrician, an architectural drafter, and a private security contractor. He served honorably in the United States Marine Corps for five years, including an eight-month combat tour as a squad leader in Afghanistan. He received several distinguished awards during his military service, including the Navy Unit Commendation Medal and the Navy Achievement Medal. Paulson continues to serve his country and his community by volunteering his time with fellow veterans.
Tim Whelan (Class of ‘72)
Tim Whelan competed for the EHHS football team, after which he attended Roger Williams College in Rhode Island, earning a bachelor’s degree in urban and environmental planning in 1977. Since 2000, he has served as a counselor with First Tee Delaware, which is part of an international organization that introduces young people to golf.
Whelan retired as vice president of Sunrise Senior Living, a 300-property senior living business in McClean, Virginia, where he worked for nearly seven years. At Sunrise, Whelan managed senior dining and nutrition service programs for 30,000 residents, establishing improved systems for purchasing, automated recipe and menu development, production planning, and training. This capped Whelan’s distinguished career in the food-service hospitality industry that included 22 years with the Caterair International/Marriott Corporation, which provides in-flight meals for passengers on large commuter aircrafts and several multiunit retail organizations.