James Wood Athletic Association’s
P. Wendell Dick Hall of Fame
FOR USE BEFORE September 20, 2019 Issued Sept. 13, 2019
JWAA to Induct 6 into Athletic Hall of Fame
WINCHESTER, VA-------Five athletes and one contributor will be inducted into James Wood High School’s P. Wendell Dick Athletic Hall of Fame on Friday, September 20, 2019. Ceremonies for the 20th annual induction begin with a reception at 4:30 p.m, followed by the 5:15 ceremony in the auditorium.
The event is open to the public. The inductees also will be recognized on the field at halftime of the football game between the Colonels and Warren County. Kickoff is at 7 p.m.at Jerry Kelican Stadium.
Russell G. Feeley, Jr., Class of 1963, is being inducted for his excellence in track and field. He won state championships in both the half-mile and mile events and as a freshman helped lead the Colonels to a Group II, District 10 state runner-up finish in which they lost to Waynesboro by one-half point. His state championship times were 2:00.6 in the 880 and 4:33.2 in the mile.
His junior year he was a top scorer, leading the Colonels to the 1962 Group 1B Northwestern District championship and was named Most Valuable Male Track Athlete that year. He also was co-captain of the track team his senior year and received the JWAA Track Award.
After high school, Feeley earned a Bachelor’s degree from UNLV and served 27 years in the US Air Force. He and his wife, Adele, have three children and reside in Las Vegas.
James “Jimmy” Porter is being inducted for three years of excellence in track and field and basketball from 1973-1975. Porter transferred to Randolph-Macon Academy his senior year, but not before leaving his mark.
A two-year varsity letterman in track, he set the school’s long jump record (22’4”) which held for eight years and still ranks second on the Colonels’ all-time list. He also set the high jump record (6’5”) at James Wood which stood for more than eight years and currently is fifth on the school’s all-time list.
Porter won the high jump and long jump events in the 1975 Apple Blossom Invitational and qualified for the state meet high jump competition his sophomore and junior years. He received the Most Outstanding Track and Field Award from JWAA in 1974 and 1975.
In basketball, Porter was a two-year letterman and led the team in defense and rebounding his junior year. He earned the Most Improved Player Award from the team that season.
After high school, Porter served in the US Army for 17 years, including deployments to South Korea and West Germany. While in the military, he played basketball at the company and battalion levels which included competition against the Korean National basketball team. He and his wife, Kum, have three children.
Greg McFarland, Class of 1984, is being inducted for his excellence in basketball, baseball and football. In basketball, he was a three-year varsity letterman and starting point guard for two seasons. In three seasons, his teams won a total of 53 games, including the Commonwealth District and regional titles and a state semi-final appearance his junior year.
In baseball, McFarland earned four varsity letters and was named to the All-Area second team as a pitcher his sophomore, junior and senior years. His pitching ERA was 1.78 his junior season and he also was named to the All-Area team as an outfielder his senior year.
In football, he earned two varsity letters as a quarterback and free safety and was a member of the 1980 undefeated team.
Following high school, he played basketball and baseball at Shenandoah University where he earned BA and MBA degrees and was named “Outstanding Student” in the School of Business. He and his wife, Lynelle, started their own business, Premier Contracting, which they have operated for 17 years.
Charles J. “Chuck” Phares, Class of 1985, is being honored for his excellence in wrestling. He wrestled all four years at James Wood and posted an overall career record of 78-12-3. As a junior, he had a 12-1 dual meet record and was district champion in the 145 pound class.
His senior year, he won both the district and regional championships and placed third in the state. His record that year was 28-2-1 and his accomplishments included winning the Christmas Tournament Championship (145 lb. class), being named the Most Improved Wrestler by the JWAA and earning the Winchester Star Wrestler of the Year Award.
Phares also participated in track and field at James Wood all four years and continued his wrestling career at George Mason University where he competed for two seasons. He earned a B.A. Degree in economics from there in 1990 and is executive VP and Partner of LAT Apparel Company. He and his wife Jennifer have three children.
Dawnette P. Bowers, Class of 1988, is being honored as a contributor for her multitude of of service and excellence as a student athlete, cheerleader and coach. During her four years in high school, she participated on 15 teams and earned 10 varsity letters. She set a school record in the 55 meter low hurdles in track and field at JW, and as a varsity cheerleader her team won the First Place Award of Excellence two consecutive years and competed in the national competition in Orlando and Dallas. Her senior year, she was named the Most School Spirited at James Wood and received the Outstanding Cheerleading Award from the JWAA.
After graduation, Bowers returned to James Wood and began a career as cheerleading coach and track and field coach. She has coached cheerleading for Frederick County Public Schools for 15 years, including eight at JW and seven at Millbrook High. Her cheer teams have advanced to the region and state levels, including the first state competition in 1999 and district championship in 2001. She is a VHSL official, judging technical and routine cheerleading. Currently working at Millbrook, she has coached cheerleading, track and girls tennis and her teams have made state appearances in all three sports.
Jerri M. Jenkins, Class of 2000, is being honored for her accomplishments in track and field.
A three-year letterman in cross country and four-year letterman in track and field, she excelled in five events in track, and over her career ranked among the Colonels’ top10 all-time best performances in those events.
In her freshman season, Jenkins won the district title and was second in the region and sixth in the state in the high jump. Her sophomore year she won the district and regional titles and was fourth in the state. As a junior, she won the district and state titles again and was second in the high jump. Her senior year she won district and regional high jump titles while finishing among the district, regional and state leaders in the long jump, triple jump and 300 meter hurdles.
Jenkins was named Outstanding Female Track Athlete all four years in high school by the JWAA and also received the John Moser Award and the P. Wendell Dick Scholarship. She earned a B.S. degree from Virginia Tech and has two children.
