Five alumni and one former staff member join the Edgewood High School Hall of Fame

Oct. 10—Five alumni and one former staff member were inducted into the Edgewood High School Hall of Fame during a ceremony on Oct. 5 at the school's auditorium. They joined 83 individuals and one family as members of the Hall of Fame.

The newly inducted alumni are Robert E. Greene, ′65, Martha Sue Hanson, ′68, David E. Pruitt, ′84, retired Marine Corps Maj. Eliezer 'Eric' Santana, ′91, and Michael C. Brown, ′96. Former teacher, counselor and assistant principal Ronald S. Webb was also inducted. All six honorees were selected from among a group of almost 40 nominees by vote of existing Hall of Fame members and the Edgewood High School Hall of Fame Committee.

"Each year since 2011, the distinguished list of Hall of Fame members has continued to grow," said Edgewood High principal Sandra J. McMichael in a news release. "We are proud of this legacy and pleased that once again this year we are able to recognize the many and varied accomplishments of the outstanding individuals associated with Edgewood High School. Their achievements and subsequent recognition, represented by the plaques hanging on our Wall of Fame, serve as daily reminders to faculty, staff and students that the goals that we set can be achieved through determination, hard work and perseverance — all of which we strive to promote here at EHS."

In 1963, Greene became one of the pioneering African American students who dared to cross the "color line" by enrolling at Edgewood High as a junior. He participated in cross country, basketball and track and field, the release said.

After graduation, Greene signed up for a four-year tour of duty in the U.S. Air Force, where he was stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi. After being honorably discharged, he earned an associate's degree at Harford Community College, completed a bachelor's degree at the University of Baltimore in 1974, and in 1991, completed the Johns Hopkins University's graduate level Leadership Development Program for minority managers.

Greene opened his own firm, Robert E. Greene & Associates in Bel Air, providing health, disability and executive/employee benefit plans to a variety of businesses. In 1979, he was appointed the Harford County government's director of personnel, the first African American to hold a cabinet-level position in the county. He then taught for several years at Harford Community College before founding Network Recruiters, Inc., which provided 1,700 employees with temporary and permanent jobs in the Baltimore area, the release said.

Greene passed away Jan. 15 at the age of 75.

Hanson, 73, is a fifth-generation Edgewood farm family member, and was a multi-faceted standout student while at Edgewood High. Hanson graduated near the top of her class and was a musical star who was a member of the all-state and all-eastern band/orchestra, proficient in a wide variety of instruments. She was secretary of the school band and a member of the EHS Jazz Trio. She also was the organizer of the Talmadge-Overbey Singers, performing at major events on the East Coast including the Baltimore Civic Center.

Hanson earned a nursing degree from the Johns Hopkins Nursing School, and later earned bachelor's degrees in accounting and liberal arts from Johns Hopkins University. She received a master's degree in religion from the Lancaster Theological Seminary and a doctorate from the California Institute of Integrated Studies, as well as a graduate teaching certificate in Gregorian chant from Catholic University.

She is proficient in Latin, Aramaic and Koine Greek languages. In 1970, she published in an anthology of modern poetry titled "Patterns," the release said.

Pruitt, 56, played three varsity sports while at Edgewood High including soccer, basketball and lacrosse. He was a starting attackman on the 1983 and 1984 EHS state championship lacrosse teams and was named all-county in his senior year. He earned a lacrosse scholarship to Drexel University where he was a dean's list honor graduate and was named to the Drexel lacrosse all-decade team.

He has worked at Stanley Black & Decker for the past 30 years in sales, marketing and senior leadership positions. Pruitt has used his status as a business leader to give back to his alma mater and to his community. At Edgewood High, he is an active supporter of the Rams4Others charity, and has worked with the school's Finance Academy in sponsorship of its internship program, the release said.

Santana, 50, was a standout student-athlete at Edgewood, having been named the county's baseball player of the year in 1990 as well as having been a member of various regional all-star teams. As a pitcher, he won two state playoff games and led the Rams to three state semifinal or final games.

He was team captain in both football and baseball, also starting on the basketball team all the while battling the effects of a rare blood disease. In addition, he was elected president of his sophomore and senior classes, the release said.

After high school, Santana enrolled at Georgetown University, leaving college after two years to enlist in the U.S. Marine Corps. After being accepted to the Marine Enlisted Commissioning Education Program, he returned to Georgetown, receiving his bachelor's degree in international politics and security, while earning a commission as a second lieutenant. As a student at Georgetown, he was a four-year starter in baseball where he was named rookie of the year as a freshman and later captained the team his junior and senior years, the release said.

In the Marines, Santana worked his way through the ranks from enlisted private first class to an officer, and retired from the Marine Corps in 2018 as a major.

Brown, 45, a former four-sport athlete and honor student at Edgewood High, is the principal of Winters Mill High School in Carroll County. In high school, Brown demonstrated his perseverance by recording perfect attendance in all four years while lettering in basketball, track and field, lacrosse and football.

A three-year captain of the Rams football team, he was a two-way lineman who earned all-county recognition three years in a row and was selected to play in the Chesapeake Classic High School football all-star game. He was an all-county basketball player for two years.

By submitting your email to receive this newsletter, you agree to our Subscriber Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

The Morning Sun

He also took part in Edgewood High School's music program. Brown was part of the homecoming and prom courts, and was treasurer of his class.

Brown's football skills landed him a full scholarship to Bowie State University where he was chosen on the all-rookie CIAA team as a freshman. Later, he played at Shepherd University in West Virginia where he was a starter for three years, helping Shepherd to the WVIAC Conference title and the first NCAA playoff game in school history. He was featured in the September Shepherd Alumni Association's "Alumni Highlights" section.

Brown is president of the Maryland Association of Principals. This year, he was nominated for Maryland principal of the year.

Webb, 87, entered to Edgewood Junior and Senior High in 1958 as a seventh-grade chorus teacher, making the Edgewood high School choral program one of the most respected in the state. After achieving his master's degree from Johns Hopkins University in 1968, Webb was named as a part-time guidance counselor and five years later, he was appointed as an assistant principal, a position in which he served until 1976.

Webb completed a 36-year career in the Harford County Public Schools as a supervisor and principal, including Havre de Grace High and C. Milton Wright High School, before retiring in 1996.

The Hall of Fame provides a way to link the community with the school while celebrating the school's past, according to the president of Edgewood High School Alumni Association Karen Carey, a 1978 Edgewood High graduate and 2017 inductee into the school's Hall of Fame.

"This year's inductees represent another group of exceptional individuals who span generations of the greatness at the school," said Carey. "We are grateful to the school administration for working in partnership with the Alumni Association to honor these deserving people."