Two Brookville Area High School graduates. Two remarkable careers. A lifetime of service and achievement.

This October, the Brookville community will have the opportunity to celebrate Dr. Fred Park, EdD., and Dr. H. Ed Richards, DDS, as they are inducted into the Brookville Area High School Hall of Fame as members of the Class of 2026.

The induction ceremony will take place Thursday, October 8, at 1:15 p.m. in the BAHS auditorium as part of a school assembly. The event is free and open to the public. Both inductees will also be recognized during halftime of the Raiders’ homecoming football game on Friday, October 9.

For Dr. Park and Dr. Richards, the honor represents more than impressive careers. Their stories are deeply connected to Brookville, to service, and to the people they have spent decades helping.

A Lifetime in Education

Dr. Fred Park is a member of the Class of 1961 — the final graduating class of the former Brookville High School at Northside Park.

His relationship with the Brookville Area School District didn’t end when he received his diploma. In fact, it continued for another six decades.

Dr. Park devoted 65 years to the school district, including 20 years serving on the Board of Directors and 45 years as a teacher, principal and assistant principal. Over the years, he served students and families at Hickory Grove Elementary, Northside West Elementary, and the former Longview and Summerville elementary schools.

His own education continued throughout his career, earning bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees from Clarion University, Indiana University of Pennsylvania and Nova Southeastern University.

And even after retiring from the Brookville Area School District in 2010, Dr. Park wasn’t finished with education. He spent another 10 years at Clarion University as a learning skills specialist in Student Support Services.

For someone who spent his career helping students learn and grow, a place in the BAHS Hall of Fame is a fitting recognition of a lifetime spent in education.

From Brookville to the U.S. Military and Beyond

Dr. H. Ed Richards graduated from BAHS in 1967, where he excelled both academically and athletically.

His career would take him far beyond Brookville, beginning with his graduation from the U.S. Military Academy in 1971 and his service as a military officer.

After serving in Miami, Dr. Richards attended Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, earning his dental degree in 1977. His military career and dental training took him from Fort Bliss in Texas to Wiesbaden, Germany, and eventually back to El Paso, where he completed his oral surgery residency at William Beaumont Army Medical Center.

He later became a Diplomate of the American Board of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery.

But after years of education, military service and professional accomplishments across the country and overseas, Dr. Richards eventually returned home.

For nearly 40 years, he operated his dental surgery practice at 121 Main Street in Brookville, partnering with fellow Brookville graduate Dr. William Weaver.

His commitment to service continued through the U.S. Army Reserves, including a deployment to Afghanistan where he provided oral and maxillofacial surgery care to American troops.

Continuing a Tradition of Excellence

Dr. Park and Dr. Richards now join a group of individuals whose accomplishments have helped make the BAHS Hall of Fame a celebration of the many ways Brookville graduates and community members have made a difference.

Since the Hall of Fame was established in 2018, its members have included Al Lefevre, Robert Himes III, James Calder, Kate Hynes, Dr. Tina Nabatchi, Nathan Smith, Col. James Harding, William Kutz, Dr. Karl Nolph, David Taylor, Dick Bowley, Robert Pence, Dr. Uma Chapa-Perni, John DeMotte, Andy Hastings, Rhonda Mays, Ken Burkett, Dr. John Grottenthaler, Larry McManigle, H.C. “Chuck” Taylor, Thad Turner, Becky Aikman, Col. Nicholas Ondrasik, Sean Taylor, and Bob Tonkin.

Many of those honored have built careers in education, medicine, business, the military, the arts and public service. Some remained close to home, while others took their talents around the country and the world.

But they all share something important: they started here.

And on October 8, the Brookville community will gather to celebrate two more graduates whose journeys began at Brookville Area High School.

Congratulations to Dr. Fred Park and Dr. H. Ed Richards, the 2026 inductees into the Brookville Area High School Hall of Fame.