The East Greenwich Athletic Hall of Fame will honor local residents with special awards at their annual banquet on May 5.

Those being bestowed with the honors are Kerri Withrow Valentine, who will receive the Special Recognition Award, and Fred "BeBe" MacDonald and Bruce Roberts will be presented with Golden Avenger Awards.

The Special Recognition Award goes to an individual who has given of themselves selflessly in supports of athletics in the Town of East Greenwich and whose efforts are integral in perpetuating the town's athletic tradition.

The Golden Avenger Awards are given to individual, who grew up in the town, had success in athletics and have given back to the EG community throughout their lives, and, whose efforts have laid the groundwork for the town's athletic tradition.

Valentine was a four-year field hockey standout at EGHS and captained the team her senior year. She returned the next year as an assistant coach and was part of the program, which won four state and seven division titles. In 2004 she became EGYFH president, taking a program that has grown and grown under her direction. The EGYFH runs spring clinics, leagues and summer camps. It sponsors a high school summer league and a fall program. In 2017 Valentine was nominated for the NFHCA Junior Hockey Award.

Fred "BeBe" MacDonald graduated from East Greenwich High School in 1950. As an Avenger he played four years of baseball, four years of football, managed the basketball team and also was on the wrestling club.He served in the Korean War and, while in the service, also played baseball for his base team.

A lifelong quahogger, MacDonald is still bullraking at the age of 86. He managed the Shell Fishermen's Co-Op, Eastern Seafood, started Independent Fishermen's Co-Op and built 10 condos on his property off Forge Road. To give back to his community "BeBe" started a scholarship program for the children of quahoggers.

Bruce Roberts played for East Greenwich High School in the 1960s. He jokes that he had an intimate relationship with future RI Governor Don Carcieri, as Bruce was the center and Carcieri the quarterback. Bruce also played for the excellent EG Townie teams of the early to mid-’60s. Those teams won both the Rhode Island Semi-Pro Championship with an unbeaten season, and the next year took the Southeastern Massachusetts title with a 9-1 record.

After serving in the U.S. Marine Corps, Bruce coached lacrosse at schools out of state before moving back to East Greenwich and joining the Lax staff at East Greenwich High School, where he has been a valuable contributor to the success that Avenger teams have had on the lacrosse pitch.

These three along, with the 2018 Hall of Fame Class, will be honored on Saturday, May 5 at 2 p.m. at the Quonset “O” Club, 200 Lt. James Brown Road, North Kingstown. Tickets are $25. Contact Jeff Santos by April 14 at santoseg@verizon.net or at 884-3513. Seating is limited.

The Class of 2018 for the Hall of Fame is Bob Corr '76; Allen Pritchard '78; Chris DellaGrotta '83; Mike Kamin '91; Steve DiIuro '92; and Kristen Manson '95. An announcement will be made soon as to the two EGHS Avenger senior athletes, who will be awarded the Anthony "Tar" Ucci Award and scholarship.

 For further information and detail contact Guy Asadorian at 884-4143 or guyasa821@gmail.com.