Inductees Unveiled for Inaugural Framingham Hall of Fame Ceremony on May 7

FRAMINGHAM – On Saturday, May 7, 2022, four individuals will be inducted into the inaugural Framingham Hall of Fame.

The first class of honorees are the late Royal Bolling, Lisa Bebchick, Corey Cheng, and Adam Siegel.

Three individuals will be attending the ceremony and one individual is being inducted posthumously, as part of the Foundation’s mission to honor the Framingham High graduates of the past.

Lisa Bebchick: Framingham High Class of 1994. Bebchick is an experienced litigator and partner at Ropes & Gray LLP in New York City, which handles complex and high-profile legal matters, both civil and regulatory, including before the nation’s highest courts, such as the US District Court for the Southern District of New York.  She excelled in academic, athletic, social activities and student government at Framingham High. She graduated cum laude from The University of Pennsylvania and graduated magna cum laude at Boston University School of Law. She has received numerous awards and recognition regarding her extensive work in behalf of women in the law. Bebchick has also been published and quoted in numerous legal journals.

Corey Cheng: Framingham North Class of 1990. Cheng graduated with honors in mathematics, science, music, Spanish, and language arts. He ran track and cross country, played on the golf and volleyball teams, was in National Honor Society, and led the 1990 FNHS Academic Decathlon Team to a fourth place finish at the U.S. National Finals. Cheng earned a Bachelors in physics from Harvard University, a Masters in Electro-acoustic music from Dartmouth College, and a Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Michigan. Cheng became a researcher for Dolby Laboratories, San Francisco, where he worked on sound compression technology for the iPhone. Later, he was Associate Professor of Music Engineering Technology at the University of Miami, Florida, where he taught digital signal processing, acoustics, and music. Currently, Cheng works in international marketing and sales at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

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Adam Siegel: Framingham North Class of 1986. Siegel attended Dunning Elementary, Walsh Middle School, and graduated from Framingham North. While in high school, he participated in all four years of theatrical productions with the PACERS led by Henry Schlickman. He was also in the school orchestra and chorus – and enjoyed 4 years in the Marching Band including as Drum Major in his senior year.  He graduated from University of Massachusetts/Amherst with a bachelor’s degree in business management while also producing theater with a student-run group.  An internship opportunity brought him from UMass to New York City to work in a Broadway general management office. Today, he is the Managing Director at Lincoln Center Theater in New York where he has been employed for more than 22 years and has produced more than 100 musical and plays both on and off Broadway as well as on tour nationally and internationally.  He is the recipient of 3 Tony Awards (for Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King & I; J.T. Rodgers’ Oslo; and Arthur Miller’s A View from the Bridge) and 9 nominations. Siegel is currently the President of the League of Resident Theaters, the largest professional theatre association of its kind in the United States. He is a member of the Broadway League and the Association of Theatrical Press Agents and Managers, having spent the earlier part of his career as a Company Manager on Broadway and National Tours.

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Royal Bolling: Framingham High Class of 1940. Bolling showed a talent for politics when he ran for president of his predominantly-white Framingham High class and obtained endorsements from Massachusetts Governor Leverett Saltonstall and Boston Mayor James Michael Curley. He became the school’s first African-American class president and was re-elected twice before graduating in 1940. He attended Howard University, before joining the Army in 1943. He joined the segregated 92nd infantry division of the U.S. Army (known as the “Buffalo Soldiers”), eventually rising to the rank of first lieutenant. He fought in German-occupied Italy, earning the Silver Star, Purple Heart, four Battle Stars, and the Combat Infantry Badge for “extraordinary leadership and valor under fire.” After the war, he continued his studies at Harvard University and Boston University Law School. While still a student he founded a real estate agency, from which he retired in the early 1990s. In 1961 he was elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he served six 2-year terms. He represented the 11th Suffolk District from 1961 to 1964 and the 7th Suffolk District from 1965 to 1968 and 1971 to 1974. In 1982, he was elected to the Massachusetts Senate, where he represented the Second Suffolk District from 1983 to 1988. Bolling authored more than 200 legislative initiatives in the course of his career. In 1963, he proposed the original Racial Imbalance Act, a version of which was signed into law by Governor John Volpe in 1965 and which led to the desegregation of Boston’s public schools. He was instrumental in establishing Boston’s METCO program. Bolling was an early advocate for gay rights, and chaired the Hispanic Commission, the state’s first commission on issues affecting Latinos. He also chaired the Senate’s Public Service Committee. Widely recognized for his diplomatic skills, Bolling was chair of the Special Legislative Committee on Foreign Trade and was hosted by heads of state around the world. He died in 2002 at the age of 82.

The Framingham High Hall of Fame Foundation, a 501c3 organization, voted in seven individuals to the inaugural class but due to scheduling conflicts, a few needed to defer their induction until 2023.

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The induction ceremony is scheduled for Saturday, May 7 at the Sheraton Hotel & Conference Center in Framingham.

Tickets, for what is expected to be a sold out event, are on sale now. Tickets are $75.

Cocktails at 6 p.m. Filet Mignon plated dinner at 7.

Ceremony from 7:45 to 9:30 p.m. with MAGIC 106.7 morning show host and Framingham resident David O’Leary.

The deadline for ticket sales is April 28.

Proceeds from the Framingham Hall of Fame will benefit Framingham High arts, drama, music, and authorized clubs like robotics, Black Student Union, Environmental Club, etc.

The Framingham High Hall of Fame Inc. is still accepting sponsors for the May 7 event. There are several sponsorship levels – $250, $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000 and $10,000. For more on the sponsorships click here. Deadline for sponsorship is April 13, 2022.

The Framingham High Hall of Fame Foundation has been holding an athletic hall of fame since 2018.

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In 2018, Framingham Public Schools eliminated athletic fees for all Framingham High athletes. Proceeds from the Flyers Hall of Fame ceremony, and subsequent induction ceremonies, benefit the Framingham High athletics department.

With the Framingham High School Foundation announcing that it would disband in 2021, and that the Salute to Framingham would not happen in 2022 or subsequent years, the Framingham High Hall of Fame Foundation Board voted to create a Framingham Hall of Fame for non-athletic alumni who graduated from Framingham High, Framingham North High, or Framingham South High. Inductees to the new alumni hall of fame could be performers, entrepreneurs, scientists, business executives, public servants, artists, educators, etc. Inductees can also be principals and staff who have retired from Framingham High, Framingham North, or Framingham South.

Members of Framingham High Hall of Fame Foundation include Board President Jim Kelly, Vice President Noval Alexander, Clerk Heather Connolly, Treasurer Jacqui Goldberg, Technology Officer Susan Petroni, and Board members Scott Wadland and Ricky Finlay.

Nominate someone for the 2023 Framingham High Hall of Fame here.

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