The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® will honor six individuals who have had a lasting impact on sports across our region.  The inaugural class includes the following: 

Russ Potts
Russ Potts created the Apple Blossom Festival Sports Breakfast along with Dick Kern in 1965. Former Heavyweight Champion Jack Dempsey was the very first sports celebrity to attend the Sports Breakfast.

Potts is a member of 6 Hall of Fames: National College Sports Marketing Hall of Fame, Virginia Sports Hall of Fame, Handley High School Judges Athletic Association Hall of Fame, Potomac State College Hall of Fame, Shenandoah University Hall of Fame and the University of Maryland Phi Delta Theta Fraternity Hall of Fame

Russ is a former Executive Director of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival®, serving from 1969 to 1970.  During his tenure he moved the Grand Feature Parade from Friday to Saturday attracting 86 bands in 1969 & 92 bands in 1970.

Potts was elected eight times to the Virginia State Senate from 1992-2008. He served as Chairman of the Senate’s Education & Health Committee.

Russ was the first Sports Marketing Director in the history of college athletics at the University of Maryland.  He was also the Director of Athletics at SMU. During his tenure, both universities set all time average attendance increase records-the only time in NCAA history.

Potts served as Vice President of Marketing for the Chicago White Sox.

Russ Potts headed up the capital campaign for the Handley High School renovation and creation of the Emil & Grace Shihadeh Innovation Center. Russ helped the school raise over $22M for both projects.

Over his career, Russ has staged, promoted, or organized over 1,000 athletic events.  He created the first Women’s College Basketball game on national television - Immaculata vs. Maryland in 1976, created the first Men’s College Basketball primetime television package, and organized the famous Georgetown vs. Virginia game featuring the battle of the 7 footers – Patrick Ewing vs Ralph Sampson which was televised on national TV.

Dick Kern
Dick Kern and Russ Potts were the Co-Chairmen of the very first Sports Breakfast featuring Jack Dempsey in 1965.

Dick passed away on October 1, 2020 at 100 years old and is represented by his grandson, Trey, Owner / Operator of Kern Motor Company. Both Trey and Dick’s son Rick were outstanding athletes at Handley. All three are members of the Judges Athletic Association Hall of Fame.

Kern was one of the founders of the Judges Athletic Association – one of the nation’s most successful high school booster associations. Dick is a past President of the JAA.

Dick was an outstanding athlete having starred at Handley High School as a quarterback in the single wing offense and later at Virginia Tech as the starting defensive halfback and linebacker.

Kern won the Williams Award as the outstanding senior football player in 1941 and was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles. He was unable to pursue an NFL career because of serving in World War II.

Dick was a highly decorated war hero in the U.S. Army during WWII and one of the youngest company commanders in the nation with over 300 men under his command.

Dick created Kern Motor Company, the longest standing automotive agency in Winchester / Frederick County.

Kern served with distinction as Vice Mayor, Chairman of the City Finance Committee, and Councilman-serving for over 20 years.

Dick Kern will always be known as an outstanding community leader and philanthropist.

Walter Barr
Walter Barr’s coaching career bridged five decades.  Barr was a two-sport athlete at Shepherd University where he played football and baseball.  He graduated from Shepherd College in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science and received his master’s degree from James Madison University in 1970.

Walter’s teaching experience spanned from 1962 to 1998.  He taught at James Wood High School, Loudoun County High School, Broad Run High School, Sherando High School, and Lord Fairfax Community College.

Barr began his coaching career at James Wood High School where he was an assistant football coach and head track coach from 1962 to 1967.  In 1967, Coach Barr became the head football coach at James Wood and coached until 1971 where he went on to be the head football coach at Shepherd University until 1986.  In 1994, Barr became the first head coach of Sherando High School.  In 1999, Barr was asked to conduct a football program feasibility study for Shenandoah University which later turned into a head football coaching position with the University.  Coach Barr returned to James Wood High School in 2005 and turned around a program that had not had a winning record in 26 years.  Coach Barr concluded his coaching career with 210 wins, 94 losses and 5 ties.  

Coach Barr has one of the most decorated football coaching records in the region.

1966-1971 James Wood High School (38-2-1)
2 undefeated teams
Virginia AAA State Champions 1970

1971-86 Shepherd University (104-48-4)
3 WVIAC Championships
NAIA National Play-offs 1985

1990-1991 Loudoun County High School (5-5)

1994-1997 Sherando High School (38-13)
State Play-Offs (3 years)

2000-2001 Shenandoah University (9-11)
Start-up program

2005-2007 James Wood High School (16-15)

Barr has been induced into the NAIA Hall of Fame, Shepherd College Hall of Fame, Clarke County Athletic Hall of Fame,James Wood Athletic Hall of Fame and will soon be inducted into the Shenandoah University Hall of Fame in 2022 (postponed due to COVID.)Walter Barr is a 3-time WVIAC Coach of the Year and 4-time Winchester Star Coach of the Year.  In 2016 he received the Richard C. Shickle Award and in 2019 was bestowed the honor of having the James Wood High School Football Field named after him.
Coach Barr has been published in The American Football Coaches Guidebook to Championship Football Drills by Jerry R. Tolley 1984 and hosted many football coaches’ clinics while he was at Shepherd University and Shenandoah University.

Paul Wendell "Wendell" Dick
Last year, on Friday, December 4, 2020, our community said goodbye to a beloved individual and friend to many.  To many of us, Wendell was the face of James Wood High School athletics even after his retirement in 1991.

Wendell grew up in Frederick County, VA and went to James Wood High School (5-12 grades) when it opened in 1950. He graduated in 1958. Dick was recognized as James Wood’s “Outstanding Male Athlete.” While in high school, he was 1stteam District 10 basketball player, earned 14 Varsity letters, and participated in football, basketball, baseball, and track. He was one of the first James Wood High School graduates to have perfect attendance for all 12 years of schooling.

In 1958, Wendell enrolled at Potomac State Junior College in Keyser, WV, on a basketball scholarship where he led the team in free-throw shooting for two years.In 1960, he entered West Virginia University, where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree in Physical Education. He was a goalie on the WVU men’s soccer team and earned his MS Degree in Health and Safety. After graduating, he joined the Army National Guard in Winchester. While in Basic Training in Fort Jackson, he was selected as the “Outstanding Trainee” and was catcher of their undefeated softball team.Wendell enjoyed playing for a traveling semi-professional basketball team and fast pitch softball.  Wendell was a Cross-County and Track Official for 50 years (1960-2010). For many years, he was also a “Color Commentator” for 92.5 WINC-FM Sports with Joe Pasquali.
Wendell held lifetime memberships in the James Wood Athletic Association, the Potomac State College Alumni Association, the West Virginia University Alumni Association, the Virginia Retired Teachers Association, and the Greenwood Fire and Rescue Company Association.

For several years, he served as Co-Director of the Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival Sports Breakfast.

In 1990, Wendell was inducted into the Fast-Pitch Softball Hall of Fame and in 2000, James Wood High Schooled honored Wendell by establishing the P. Wendell Dick Athletic Hall of Fame.  

Russ Potts will accept the award on behalf of the Wendell Dick family.

Ken Mease
If you have attended the Partlow Insurance Sports Breakfast over the years, you will know that Ken Mease cherished the opportunity to visit and participate in the Shenandoah Apple Blossom. Ken began attending the Festival in 1999 where he emceed the Sports Breakfast.  There were only two years between 1999 and 2017 where he was not able to participate in our annual celebration. In addition to emceeing the Sports Breakfast, Ken spoke at the Festival’s Ladies Horticultural Luncheon and served as the Court Ambassador for the Coronation of Queen Shenandoah. In 2018, the Festival recognized Ken by presenting him with a life pass to the sports breakfast.   Ken returned to celebrate the Festival with us in 2019 but did not emcee the breakfast that year.  Ken loves the Festival and continually went out of his way to support the Festival in many ways.

Ken Mease has had a tremendous career in sports television and radio in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast region of the US for over five decades.

Ken grew up in Selinsgrove, PA and graduated from Selinsgrove Area Joint High School in 1960. In high school, Mease played basketball and baseball, was band president and served as Lt. Governor and International Trustee in Key Club International. After graduating from high school, Ken attended Susquehanna University from 1960 to 1964.  During college, Mease worked part-time for WKOK-AM-FM as a disc jockey, news, and sports reporter.

In 1963, Ken worked for WUNS-AM in Lewisburg, PA as an announcer and color commentator for Bucknell University Football for their ’64 and ’65 seasons.

Ken joined the Pennsylvania Air National Guard in 1965 where he completed basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in San Antonio, TX.  He attended tech school as a communications specialist at Shepherd Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, TX.  Ken completed his Guard commitment in 1971.

Between 1965 and 1975, Ken continued his work in communications at radio and television stations in Harrisburg, PA, Charlotte, NC, Pittsburgh, PA, and Providence, RI.  While in Providence, Mease anchored sports six days a week and was recognized in 1973 with the Rhode Island Sportscaster of the Year award from the National Sportscasters and Sportswriters Association.

In 1975, Ken served as Director of Athletics for Robert Morris College (now University.)  Ken was instrumental in the University’s leap from junior college status to NCAA Division I.  Ken did play-by-play of Colonials basketball for three seasons, coached the school’s basketball team for one season. While at Robert Morris, Mease laid the groundwork for the school’s Sports Management program.

In 1979, Ken went back to news television as a sports anchor and weekday reporter in Pittsburgh, PA.  Ken was awarded two Golden Quill Awards (the Pittsburgh Emmy) for the “Steeler Monday” sports feature.

From 1986 to 2003, Ken was the sports anchor and reporter for WUSA-TV in Washington, DC.  Ken primarily worked as the station’s weekend sports anchor with weekday reporting duties. Ken covered Sunday night sports specials including Redskin shows. Mease also freelanced where he covered Navy Football radio and George Mason TV basketball play-by-play.

From 2003 to 2010, Mease joined CBS-Westwood One Sports Radiosportscasting including Redskins post game.

In 2010 Ken joined the Washington Freedom, an American professional women’s soccer club in Germantown, Maryland.

Rodney Cowley will accept the award on behalf of Ken Mease.

Tommy Dixon
Born in Winchester, VA, Tommy is the second youngest of seven children to Rachel and Clark Dixon.   Dixon attended first through seventh grades at Douglas School.  After integration, Tommy attended Handley High School from eighth through twelfth grades.  While at Handley, Tommy was a three-sport athlete, playing football, basketball and track and field.  He was voted 2nd team All-State in football and basketball.   After high school, Dixon studied health and physical education at Potomac State College in Keyser, WV and Berea College in Berea, KY.  

During Tommy’s tenure, he coached football, track and field, and basketball.  Tommy coached football at Daniel Morgan Middle School for nine years where his team only lost two games and had one tie; the rest were wins.  Dixon was an assistant track and field coach when Handley won several state championships.  Tommy coached basketball for 36 years and compiled a record of 403-228.  Tommy coached his teams to nine regular season championships, 10 regional appearances, 3 regional championships, and 6 state tournament berths.  Coach Dixon was also recognized several times as Coach of the Year at the District and Regional level.  Tommy also was selected to coach in the state all-star game in 2000.

In 2001, Coach Dixon was inducted into Handley’s Hunter Maddex Hall of Fame and the Potomac State College Hall of Fame in 2010.  On Saturday evening, December 17, 2016, during a boys’ and girls’ varsity basketball game inside Handley’s Maddex-Omps Gymnasium, the school announced that the basketball court would forever be known as the Coach Tommy Dixon Basketball Court.

The Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® is delighted to announce that Haley Skarupa, US Women’s National Ice Hockey team member and Olympic gold medal winner will join Joe Theismann, Santana Moss and Coach Tommy Dixon to speak to local sports fans on Saturday morning, May 1, 2021 from 8:00-10:00 am at the Partlow Insurance Sports Breakfast at the Frederick County Fairgrounds.

Haley Skarupa was a member of the 2018 United States Women’s Olympic Ice Hockey Team who took home a gold medal from the Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea. She is a three-time World Champion and a Four Nations Cup Gold Medalist for Team USA as well. Haley graduated from Boston College in 2016, majoring in psychology. While at Boston College, she was a four-year starter and named an All-American Collegiate Athlete.  Skarupa is currently the second highest points leader in Boston College hockey history, men or women, with 115 goals and 244 total points in her four years. 

Out of college, she was drafted 5th overall into the National Women’s Hockey League and was a unanimous All-Star Selection her rookie season for the Connecticut Whale. Haley is originally from Rockville, Maryland and graduated from Wootton High School in 2012. She joined the Washington Capitals organization as their Hockey Ambassador for the 2019-2020 season to help promote the growth of the game in the DC, Maryland, and Virginia area. Currently, she is a member of the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association (PWHPA) where she participates in weekend-long hockey events across the USA and Canada year-round.  Haley works full-time in business development for Klaviyo, an ecommerce, email marketing and SMS marketing company.

Santana Moss is considered one of the Miami’s most explosive and exciting players in its storied history. The Miami native, who won 2 state titles in the long jump and one in the triple jump while at Carol City High School, brought his game breaking speed and big play capabilities and rewrote the Hurricanes record books.
 
He is the school career leader in all-purpose yards, receiving yards and punt return yards and career punts returned for touchdowns (6). He set an NCAA record in 2000 with 4 punt returns for touchdowns on the year. That year, he also set the school single season record for punt return yards (655). He led Miami in receptions and receiving yards in 1999 and in receptions in 2000 and is tied with Michael Irvin for third in most career pass receptions. He also tied a school record with 3 receiving touchdowns against Rutgers in 1998.
 
Santana was named the 2000 BIG EAST Offensive AND Special Teams Players of the Year, the only player in league history to win both awards. He was named First team All BIG EAST in 1999 and 2000 (unanimous choice), and 2nd team in 1998. In 1999, he was named a Biletnikoff Award semi-finalist and in his senior season, he finished 7th in the Heisman Trophy balloting.
 
He put his lightning speed to use with the Hurricanes track team and set a school record in the 60-meter indoor, a record that stood for 11 years. In 2000, Santana was named the BIG EAST Most Outstanding Field performer when he won the conference title in both the long jump and triple jump.
 
Moss was drafted in the 1st round (16th overall) of the 2001 NFL draft by the New York Jets, and he spent 4 seasons with the team, before playing for the Washington Football Team for 10 seasons. Moss was selected as an All-Pro in 2005, he ended his career with over 700 catches, 10,000 yards receiving and scored 66 touchdowns in his illustrious playing career.
 
He is regularly heard and seen on local sports radio and television programs. He is also the host of The Santana Moss Show, a popular weekly show on YouTube and provides in-depth analysis for the Washington Football Team. Santana serves the community through his nonprofit, “89 Ways to Give Foundation.” 89 Ways To Give’s vision is to inspire hope, create everlasting bonds, enhance quality of life and empower everyone in our community.
 
Santana graduated with a Bachelor of Liberal Arts (BLA '01) degree and a master’s degree from the University of Miami Business School in 2016. In 2008, Santana married his high school sweetheart, LaTosha; and they have four children.
 
Insider’s Note: Santana Moss will speak at the Partlow Insurance Sports Breakfast on Saturday, May 1 at 8:00 am.  A limited supply of Sports Breakfast general admission ($35.00) and VIP ($65.00) tickets are available online at www.thebloom.com. Sports Breakfast VIP tickets include preferred seating, breakfast, autographed book and a photo with Joe Theismann.

Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival® President, Tommy Price, is pleased to announce that former Washington Football Team-great, entrepreneur, and ESPN and the NFL Network analyst Joe Theismann will serve as Sports Marshal for the 2021 Partlow Insurance Sports Breakfast and is sponsored by Omps Funeral Home.
 
Joe graduated in 1971 from the University of Notre Dame, where he received All-American honors in both Football and Academics.  That same year, he was runner up to Jim Plunket for the Heisman Trophy balloting.  Joe chose to begin his career with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League after being drafted by the Miami Dolphins and Major League Baseball’s Minnesota Twins.
 
A 12-year NFL veteran, Joe played in 163 consecutive games from 1974-1985 for the Washington Football Team and holds team records for passing yardage (25,206), completions (2,044) and attempts (3,602).  He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection and Pro Bowl MVP leading Washington to a 27-17 victory over the Miami Dolphins in Super Bowl XVII.
 
Joe was selected as the NFL’s Man of the Year in 1982 for his community service and dedication to the health and welfare of children.  In 1983, he won the league’s Most Valuable Player Award, leading the Washington Football Team to a second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.  Joe Theismann’s career ended abruptly in 1985 after sustaining a badly broken leg during a Monday Night Football game against the New York Giants on national television.  In 2003, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame and in 2013 received the Walter Camp Football Foundation “Distinguished American” Award.
 
With every chapter of his life, Mr. Theismann evolved from athlete to the ultimate businessman.  An Emmy award winning analyst, businessman and athlete, Joe utilizes his gifts, talent and high energy to share his strategies for handling unforeseen change.
 
Joe released his book “How to Be A Champion Everyday: 6 Timeless Keys to Success” in June of 2020.  In his new book, Joe shares his timeless wisdom with everyone, wisdom about how to succeed in life. Sprinkled with personal anecdotes, insightful observations about the world around us, and drawing on the examples of successful personalities throughout history, this book provides the guidance and spark for each one of us to improve our lives and achieve our dreams.

Insider’s Note: Joe Theismann will speak at the Partlow Insurance Sports Breakfast on Saturday, May 1 at 8:00 am.  A limited supply of Sports Breakfast general admission ($35.00) and VIP ($65.00) tickets are available online at www.thebloom.com. Sports Breakfast VIP tickets include preferred seating, breakfast, autographed book and a photo with Joe Theismann.