By creating many student-driven organizations and activities, the principal empowered the student body and faculty to embrace a dynamic spirit of the soul. Removing all obstacles, including the football team, basketball became the centerpiece for the school and community.
Through almost 70 years, basketball at Lyman Hall High School in Wallingford, Connecticut, was sacrosanct, leading to countless wins and championships.
Amid the deleterious events regarding football over seven decades, the most improbable and, indeed, the most impossible of moments came in the form of a miracle, the 1985 state football championship for Lyman Hall High School. "Before the Picture Fades" is the story of the events that resulted in that miracle. Nary, a rah-rah sports piece with exciting moments and colorful characters, this book examines circumstances and consequences that often face public secondary schools.
Whether you shake your head, laugh, or cheer loudly, "Before the Picture Fades" will swing the door of your heart wide open with endless exultation.
About the Author: An innovative, passionate educator, football coach, and mentor, Dr. Hoag was a Connecticut State Department of Education member for over 35 years. An accomplished speaker, he has entertained and thrilled audiences throughout his lifetime with his anecdotes and philosophy on teaching, parenthood, athletic coaching, and leadership. Dr. Hoag has received state and national recognition for teaching, coaching, education assessment, and community service. Of the many awards, Dr. Hoag was the recipient of the national 2008 C. Thomas Olivio Award, presented to one person annually for leadership and creativity in student assessment by the National Occupational Competency Testing Institute. In 2013 Dr. Hoag was honored with the Silver Eagle Award of the Connecticut Council of Deliberation for "sterling service to uplift humanity"; and the 2016 Outstanding Community Service Award by the Urban League of Greater Hartford. Dr. Hoag created and directed the groundbreaking Developing Tomorrow's Professionals (DTP) program for Black and Hispanic young men. Stephen Hoag is the author of "A Son's Handbook, Bringing Up Mom with Alzheimer's/Dementia," a stirring personal account of his ten years caring for his mother with this dreaded disease. In 2018, Dr. Hoag's romantic novel, "Whisper of a Kiss," was released with the emotional moving book "Vows" in 2020, winning acclaim for its inspirational acumen and encouraging approach to understanding one person's impact on another.
