Hall of Fame Class of 2022

Gaelynn Lea

Gaelynn Lea is a member of the Class of 2002. Lea won NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest in 2016 and has since toured in 45 states and 9 countries with her unique mix of original songs and traditional fiddle music. She recently wrote the original music for the Broadway production of "Macbeth", which ran this past year in New York. In addition to performing, she uses her music as a platform to advocate for Disability Rights and to promote Disability Culture. Lea is a proud Co-Founder of a change-making group called RAMPD (Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities).

Heather (Marsman) McDonald

Heather McDonald is a member of the Class of 1987, graduating number one in her class. She was a member of the Choralaires and Captain of the Girls’ Swim and Track Teams. McDonald graduated with honors from the U of M with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. Heather started working for NASA in 1992. She has received numerous awards including a Silver Snoopy (NASA's highest award for contributions to crew safety and mission success). McDonald is recognized as an expert in spacecraft rendezvous and docking technologies and operations. She was appointed as the first female Chief Engineer of the International Space Station in 2018.

Sean Hill

Sean Hill is a member of the Class of 1988. He was a star defenseman for the Greyhounds while at East and went on to play seventeen seasons in the National Hockey League for eight different teams. Hill was drafted in the 8th round by the Canadiens and won the Stanley Cup in 1993 with Montreal. He was a member of the United States Winter Olympic Team in 1992. Hill scored the first goal in the history of the Mighty Ducks of Anaheim in 1993. He was selected to the WCHA All-Tournament Team in 1990 and 1991. He ended his NHL career with the Minnesota Wild in 2008.

Beryl Pettigrew

Beryl Pettigrew, East's legendary Orchestra Director, moved to Duluth, Minnesota, in 1957 to join the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra and begin a teaching position at West Junior High School in Duluth. In 1960, he accepted the Orchestra Director position at East and ran the string program for 26 years, also the Duluth String Orchestra, and feeder school programs. He was an adjunct violin and viola teacher at UMD. Pettigrew was with the Duluth Superior Symphony Orchestra for 47 years, playing with internationally famous musicians including Issac Stern, Beverly Sills and Itzhak Perlman.

Ben Wolfe

Ben Wolfe is a member of the Class of 1965. He was director and grief therapist of St. Mary’s Grief Support Center. He is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Fellow in Thanatology as well as a former president of the Association for Death Education and Counseling. Wolfe consults and trains internationally and has given over 2,000 presentations on grief and loss. He was a clinical member of the NE Minnesota Critical Incident Stress Debriefing team. He has authored numerous related articles and served on the St. Mary’s Bio-Ethics Committee.

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