MHS Golden Tornado Club announces selectees for 36th Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony

Banquet is scheduled for Saturday, November 22, at Malden Moose Hall

  The following info was provided by the Golden Tornado Hall of Fame.

The long, rich history of Malden High School sports teams will once again be on display in November when the Golden Tornado Club hosts its 36th Annual Hall of Fame Banquet and Induction Ceremony on Saturday, November 22.

Malden High has long been regarded as one of the region’s most successful high school athletics programs since its inception in the early 1900s, with many state and Eastern Mass. champions in football and many other sports, as well as prominent professional and collegiate athletes through the years. Malden High School has produced:

—An NFL Super Bowl Champion (Breno Giacomini, Class of 2004, Seattle Seahawks, 2014 Super Bowl Champs) and two other NFLers

—A World Series pitcher (Kevin McGlinchy, Class of 1995, Atlanta Braves, 1999 NL pennant winner, World Series vs. NYY) and 12 other MLB baseball draftees since 1985 and pros in other sports

—Hundreds of college scholarship and other collegiate players in virtually every sport offered at every level of collegiate competition

The proud “Wearers of the Blue and Gold” and their friends, family members and supporters will gather at the Malden Moose Hall (562 Broadway, Malden) to usher in the newest class of Hall of Fame inductees. A social reception will begin at 6:00 p.m., and a full-course dinner will be served at 7 p.m. sharp. The induction ceremony will be held immediately after dinner.

Honored on November 22 will be 13 individuals, including six former standout Tornado student-athletes; a former coach; two Distinguished Service Award selectees; and two present Malden High School coaches, as Peter Donoghue Sr. Golden Eagle Award winners. The two MHS coaches were the subjects of winning essays written by Malden High student-athletes, with the athletes receiving $1,000 scholarships provided by the Donoghue Family in honor of the late Peter Donoghue Sr.

Members of the newest Malden High Golden Tornado Hall of Fame are:

—Ronald Fales, Class of 1965, an outstanding three-sport athlete; excelled at Football and Hockey and member of the 1964 Greater Boston League Championship Baseball Team

—Robert O’Keefe Jr., Class of 1972, a standout Football two-way lineman; achieved All-Scholastic status in that sport and was also a leading contributor to the Tornado Boys Swim Team in the winter seasons

—Steven DeBenedictis, Class of 1986, a three-sport standout for some of the best Tornado teams of the 1980s; in Football as a defensive back and slot receiver, in Hockey known as the best goaltender in the GBL and in Eastern Mass., and in Baseball as a league All-Star infielder and leadoff hitter

—Julann (Lopresti) Casaletto, Class of 1990, a multi-sport standout of the late 1980s and early 1990s who was best known as one of the top Softball players in the league and area

—Witche Exilhomme, Class of 2012, a three-sport standout and team captain in Football, Basketball and Outdoor Track; an All-Star in Football and Track who still holds the school record in javelin throw. He is now the fifth-year MHS football head coach.

—Coach Kevin Carpenito, 17-year Varsity Baseball Head Coach (2000-2016) who led Malden High School to over 150 wins and 10 MIAA Division 1 State Baseball Tournament berths. Several of his former players achieved success after high school at the college level, and one was a professional player.

—The 2025 Distinguished Service Award this year is presented to two recipients, Katie Bowdridge (Class of 1993) and James “Jim” Valente, both of whom have supported and helped teams and players at Malden High attain goals and achieve more in many ways. Katie Bowdridge for many years has served on the Golden Tornado Club Board, the past five years as Treasurer, and she also supervises Senior Night honors for all the MHS Senior student-athletes along with MHS Secretary Jeanne Marquardo.

Valente is advisor to the student yearbook, “Maldonian,” and he has spent decades promoting student-athletes, teams and coaches through his personal photography, videos and other means. He also has served as a mentor and has provided valuable advice to many MHS students through his over 30 years as an educator.

— The Golden Eagle Award goes to an MHS coach who has been inspirational to a player. This year’s recipients are Coed Gymnastic Coach Katie Bowdridge (from 2024, Isabella Oliveira). Malden High Football Head Coach Witche Exilhomme (2025, James Hyppolite) and Girls Volleyball Coach Dan Jurkowski (2025, Abigail Lee).

Golden Tornado players can submit essays on this topic, and a winner is selected by a committee and is awarded the $1,000 Peter Donoghue Scholarship, which was named in honor of the late Hall of Famer Peter Donoghue, who served as an inspiration to many before his passing.

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This year is the 72nd Anniversary of the founding of the Golden Tornado Club

This year, 2025, represents the 72nd Anniversary of the founding of the Golden Tornado Club, which was established in 1953 as the booster club for Malden High School and all its sports teams. Roy Finn, for whom the Malden High School gymnasium is named, is regarded as the chief founder of the Golden Tornado Club, along with others, such as then football coach Eddie Melanson.

The very first Malden High School Golden Tornado Athletic Hall of Fame banquet and induction ceremony was held in 1986 at the Malden Moose Hall with 21 charter inductees. Since then the Hall of Fame banquet was held annually from 1986 through 2017, when it was voted by the Golden Tornado Club Board of Directors to hold the event biennially (every two years). The last Hall of Fame banquet was held in 2023, and after tonight’s induction, the next event will be held on November 21, 2027.

Over the past 20 years, in addition to its Hall of Fame hosting, the Golden Tornado Club has been intricately involved in the awarding of scholarships to deserving student-athletes on an annual basis. Since the late 1990s, under the leadership of former Golden Tornado Club President Domenic Fermano, himself a Hall of Famer, the Club has awarded over $350,000 in scholarships to deserving student-athletes — unmatched by any sports booster organization or alumni group in Eastern Mass.

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Nearly 300 former Malden High greats now enshrined in the Golden Hall of Fame

Since 1986, nearly 300 former Malden High Golden Tornado athletes have been inducted into the Hall of Fame. The earliest athlete inducted is the late David Morey, Class of 1909, a football and baseball standout. The youngest and most recent inductee will be 2025 honoree former three-sport Malden High standout Witche Exilhomme, Class of 2009. There have also been 12 teams inducted into the Golden Tornado Hall of Fame.