MMI Preparatory School held its 11th annual Wall of Fame dinner on Saturday, September 17, welcoming four new members to its Wall of Fame.
Established in 2006, the MMI Wall of Fame honors alumni in addition to past faculty, staff, and board members who have distinguished themselves in the areas of athletics, business, sciences, education, government, public service, the arts, or humanities. Wall of Fame inductees are selected in the following categories: Athletic Achievement, Community Service, Service to MMI, and Professional Achievement.
During this year’s dinner and awards ceremony, the following inductees joined the Wall of Fame: John E. Hollis ’64 (Athletic Achievement), Lewis J. Matuella ’77 (Athletic Achievement), the late Dr. Thomas J. Conahan ’26 (Community Service), and Llewellyn F. Dryfoos, III ’82 (Community Service).
John E. Hollis ’64 was a two-sport athlete during his four years at MMI and was selected to the Fifth Team All-State in basketball in 1964.
He ranks seventh all-time in scoring at MMI with 1,311 total points, including four points in MMI’s memorable 7-5 win over West Hazleton. He ended his senior baseball season with Best ERA, Best Pitcher, and Team MVP accolades.
Mr. Hollis attended Bloomsburg University, where he competed on both the basketball and baseball teams.
He was previously inducted into the Wall of Fame in 2010 as part of the 1964 basketball team.
Lewis J. Matuella ’77 was an award-winning, three-sport athlete during his playing days at MMI. He lettered all four years in basketball and baseball and two years in golf. He was MMI team MVP in basketball and baseball twice, was named to the Hughie McGeehan League All-Star baseball team in 1975 and 1977, and was selected to the WAZL Coaches All-Star Basketball team in 1977.
Mr. Matuella ranks 14th all-time in scoring in basketball with 1,002 points. He averaged 26.2 points per game in his senior season and was ranked as the third-leading scorer in the Hazleton area with 576 points. He scored 30+ points in six basketball games during his senior season, including a high of 36 against Tamaqua.
He batted over .400 his senior baseball season while pitching and playing shortstop. Lewis also played as the starting first baseman on back-to-back Pennsylvania State Championship teams in the Hazleton Little League in 1971 and the Freeland Babe Ruth League in 1972.
In addition to his accomplished medical career, Dr. Thomas J. Conahan ’26 was a dedicated supporter of many local, regional, and national organizations, including serving on the MMI Board of Directors from 1955-81 and assuming the role of secretary from 1969-81.
Dr. Conahan was president of Luzerne County Medical Society and VP of the PA Radiological Society. He served as president of the Heart Fund and head of the physician’s branch of two United Way Fund drives and organized the physicians’ group for CAN DO fundraising efforts.
He was a member of the American Cancer Society Board of Directors, Catholic Social Services Board of Directors, Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors, and Peoples First National Bank Board of Directors, where he served as secretary.
He attended Lehigh University on a scholarship and earned his M.D. at Jefferson Medical College in 1934.
He completed certification in radiology and established a practice in Hazleton. He served as head of radiology at Hazleton State General Hospital and St. Joseph’s Hospital for his entire career, including two stints as Chief of the Medical Staff.
Dr. Conahan’s father attended MMI when it was a night school and he was a mine foreman. Dr. Conahan’s brother, John ’22, and sons, Tim ’59 and Jim ’68, are also MMI graduates.
Llewellyn F. Dryfoos, III ’82 has served the residents of Greater Hazleton for decades through his professional role as President of Dryfoos Insurance Group since 1991 and his involvement with a variety nonprofit and community organizations.
Mr. Dryfoos was a member of the MMI Board of Directors from 1995-2004, from 2005-2013 and again beginning in 2016. He served two terms as chairman, two terms as vice chairman, and one term as secretary. He was a member of the Greater Hazleton Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors from 2008-2014 and held the role of Chairman of the Board from 2010-2012.
He has served as a member of the CAN DO Board of Directors since 2005 and was Chairman of the Board from 2012-2015. He’s been involved with the Boy Scouts of America since 2007 and currently serves as Minsi Trails Commissioner. He was a member of the Greater Hazleton United Way Board of Directors from 1995-2004 and served as Chairman of the Board from 2002-2004.
Mr. Dryfoos is secretary of the Sophia G. Coxe Charitable Trust Fund, Inc. Board of Directors and president of the congregation of Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church. He also served five years on the Conyngham Borough Council.
A West Point graduate, he served five years in the military and was awarded the Bronze Star in 1991. He served as an Air Defense Artillery officer in the U.S. and overseas, including as a PATRIOT Fire Control Officer during the Persian Gulf War.
Additionally, Mr. Dryfoos has served as a member of: Leadership Hazleton Board of Directors, Hazleton Chapter of the American Red Cross Board of Directors, Board of Trustees of The LWS Foundation, U.S. Military Academy Review Board, Federal Judicial Nominating Commission of the Middle District of PA, Board of Directors of Great Valley Technology Alliance, Assistant Coach in the Valley West Little League, and Mountain View Cemetery Association Board of Directors.
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