1999 State Championship Football Team, 11 Individuals Inducted Into Perkins Hall Of Fame

The Perkins Alumni and Friends Association is proud to announce the 2026 Perkins Alumni and Friends Hall of Fame Class. Eleven individuals, including alumni, former staff members, and athletes, as well as the 1999 State Championship football team were inducted during a banquet on January 18, 2026.

The inductees are:

Lt. Col. Christina Quillen Agnew '00 
Lieutenant Colonel Christina Quillen (Agnew) exemplifies the achievement, character, and service of Perkins High School. She graduated co-valedictorian with a 4.6 GPA, earned the school’s top female scholar-athlete “Goldfish Award,” and led across academics, athletics, and service — including National Honor Society, marching band, varsity softball, student council, theater, and more. She co-captained the cheerleading squad for the 1999 PHS State Championship Football team.

Christina earned her commission as a distinguished graduate of the U.S. Air Force Academy, studying aeronautical engineeringand joining the elite Wings of Blue Parachute Team. She completed more than 750 freefall jumps, certified as a jumpmaster, and trained over 1,500 cadets. She later earned two master’s degrees — one in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Institute of Technology (#1 graduate
of her class) and another in Military Operational Art and Science, also as a distinguished
graduate. She is also a graduate of the Air War College.

Derek Brennan '09 
Derek Brennan is a professional mural artist and the founder of Studio Brennan, located at 78th Street Studios in Cleveland. His passion for art began at Perkins High School, where he first honed his skills as a caricature artist at Cedar Point. That early experience launched a lifelong creative journey focused on public art, storytelling, and community impact.

To date, Derek has completed nearly 75 murals across Ohio, including about 15 in the Sandusky area. In Sandusky, his work includes collaborations with Shores & Islands Ohio, Hoty Enterprises, H2 Property Holdings, and The Emporium. His murals are known for their vibrant color, narrative style, and strong sense of place. He often partners with the Cleveland Mural Company on large-scale projects that bring communities together through collaborative design and shared stories.

Robert Brown '81 
Bob was born and raised in Sandusky and attended Perkins from K-12, graduating in 1981. He is the son of the late Robert and Ann Brown, both career educators, primarily with the Sandusky City Schools. He has three sisters, Barb (Class of ’75), Linda (Class of ’76) and Karen (Class of ’82). At Perkins High, Bob was Class Valedictorian, a member of National Honor Society, a Buckeye Boys State delegate, and on the Academic Challenge and Scott Hi-Q academic teams. He also played basketball, tennis and football. In his Senior year, Bob was Co-Captain for both the Varsity Tennis (3 letters) and Basketball (2 letters) teams. In tennis, Bob played first doubles, was All-SBC two
years, a District qualifier and compiled a 50-3 record, never losing an SBC match. As a team, the Pirates went 53-1 those three years. In the Spring of 1981, Bob was presented the Senior Scholar Athlete Award and several scholarships.

Bob then attended Miami University, graduating in 1985 with a Bachelors in Science degree in Mathematics and a minor in Statistics. He received his law degree from The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law in 1988. At OSU, Bob served as Executive Editor for the Ohio State Journal on Dispute Resolution and received the Judge Joseph M. Harter Memorial Award for Achievement in Trial Practice.

Since graduating from OSU in 1988, Bob has worked as a corporate attorney in Cincinnati, and is currently a partner with Bricker Graydon, a large Ohio based firm. Bob has also served in several roles at the Cincinnati Bar Association: Chairman, Vice Chairman and Secretary of the Admissions Committee and as the Past Chairman of the Commercial Litigation Committee of the Ohio Association of Civil Trial Attorneys. Bob is admitted in the following jurisdictions: Ohio, Kentucky, U.S. District Court - Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Eastern District of Kentucky; and U.S. Court of Appeals - Sixth District.

Michael Eldridge 
Michael J Eldridge was born in Taylor, Michigan, on January 9, 1951. Mike grew up in the small town of Berlin Heights, Ohio, and graduated from Berlin Heights High School in 1967, the last graduating class before the merge with Milan Schools.

In high school, Mike lettered in track and basketball. After high school, he entered the Air Force, spending time in England, Thailand, and the USA. After 10 years of service, he settled in the Frederick, Maryland, area until 2005, when he returned to Ohio to be near his family. 

Mike was always very artistic, enjoyed oil painting and drawing, but was very focused on photography. His love of the camera and sports drove him to begin photographing volleyball at Perkins. His successful photography eventually made its way into the Sandusky Register. Mike branched out into other sports — football, basketball, baseball, then finally on to anything the community asked of him.

He was always so proud of the Perkins sports teams and always referred to them
as “my kids.” He especially enjoyed watching students grow from grade/middle
school to seniors, ready to take on their new lives.

Willie Matthews '75
Willie Matthews was raised by Cebron and Ruby Matthews. He is the youngest of 3 brothers. Willie is married to his wife Marcie and resides in Flint, Michigan. Willie has 3 children, Mackenzie, Morgan, and Montgomery. He also has 3 grandchildren: Wyatt, Katerina, and Jalen. Willie enjoys playing golf, traveling, the symphony, art and museums, college football, spending time with family, watching sports in person and on television.

Willie attended Meadowlawn Elementary School then attended Perkins High School and graduated in the Class of 1975. Willie learned to play sports with his brothers and neighborhood kids. He started to play organized sports in football, basketball, and baseball from grades 7-12. During his senior year, he was named Captain in all 3 sports. 
He earned 8 letters throughout his high school career. Willie received 6 All SBC Conference honors during his junior and senior years. Willie also played baseball during the summers with the Sandusky American Legion Post 83 as a center fielder. The team finished as Runner-Up for state championship in 1974 and Willie was also selected to play in the American Legion All-Star Game at year end.

David McDowell
David McDowell graduated from Sandusky High School in 1969. He graduated from BGSU with a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education in 1973 and his Masters in Education in 1980. He and his wife Debbie have been married for 51 years and have two children: Christy and Chad and 3 grandchildren: Taylor, Jackson and Emma.

He began his teaching career at the Margaretta LSD where he taught 5th and 6th grade. He then moved on to a 34-year career in the Perkins LSD at Meadowlawn and Briar Middle School where he taught 6th grade and later, 7th and 8th grade gifted classes. 

While at Meadowlawn, he was student council advisor, started the first school newsletter and assisted in developing the Young Authors’ Conference, bringing in many authors to give presentations and interact with students. Later he worked with NASA to bring a large moon rock collection for display at the school and started the PEP program (”Promoting Education Publicly”). Students in all grades wrote to nationally famous and local achievers asking how their education had helped them in life. Several U.S. Presidents responded. President Chadd Green presented a book of the letters to former President Ford on his visit to Sandusky.

Raymond Neill
Raymond Neill is a 1971 graduate of Margaretta High School. He participated in the sports of baseball and basketball while attending MHS. Ray signed a professional baseball contract with the Cleveland Indians in 1973. He was released by the Indians after the 1974 season. In 1977, he began working at the Ohio Veterans Home in
Sandusky, Ohio, where he worked 32 years proudly serving our United States Armed Service Veterans.

Ray was inducted into the Margaretta Sports Hall of Fame in 2013 as an individual athlete and then again in 2016 as a member of the 1971 MHS Final Four baseball squad. He was selected as the Most Valuable Player of that team by his teammates and coaches. 
In 2017, Ray was inducted into the prestigious Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Hall of Fame. Ray’s first venture into coaching high school sports would be as a varsity boys assistant basketball coach at his Alma Mater in 1988. His other early coaching stints would include coaching boys and girls high school and junior high basketball at Margaretta and Sandusky High School. 

It was in 1995 he became the JV baseball coach at Perkins HS and then the head baseball coach in the following spring of 1996. Ray would spend the next 21 years in that position before stepping down following the 2016 season. The baseball Perkins Pirates won 15 Conference, 17 Sectional, 8 District and 2 Regional Championships under Coach Neill. The 2007 and 2014 teams were Final Four participants. Coach Neill’s overall record as the head baseball coach at Perkins HS was 434-144.

He was also the head girls basketball coach at Perkins HS for 13 years. The Lady
Pirates won 3 Conference, 6 Sectional, 3 District and 1 Regional Championship during this time. The 2007 team was a Final Four participant and the 2008 squad (24-2 record) was voted Div. 2 Ohio.

Tom O'Shaughnessy
Tom O’Shaughnessy, or Mr. O, as he was affectionately known by his students and colleagues, taught in the Perkins Public Schools for 30 years. His title was Assistant Band Director, but was regarded as an Associate Director by John Kustec, who had the title of Head Band Director.

Mr. O’s passion for teaching was very evident in his daily work with the Junior High students. His 7th and 8th grade bands consistently received superior ratings at OMEA contests and student participation in Solo and Ensemble Contest was phenomenal. Around 90% of his students would participate in Solo and Ensemble each year, which involved many after-school and evening rehearsals. His Jr. High band program was a model that other directors in Ohio tried to implement in their schools.

Mr. O held students to a high level of accomplishment but made sure they knew he
cared about them as human beings. His compassion for his students was evident
through their entire time at Perkins and beyond. 

Steven Schuster '86
Steven Schuster is grateful for the strong foundation he gained at Perkins, where he twice served as class president, captained the football team, and was inducted into the National Art Society. He earned a Marketing degree from Miami University and began his restaurant career with Perkins Restaurants in Wisconsin and Illinois before becoming Regional Manager for Cooker Bar & Grille, overseeing operations across multiple states.

In 1998, Steven and his wife, Valerie, returned to Sandusky to purchase Perkins Restaurant from his parents, Dick and Cathie. They made their home in Perkins Township with daughters Caroline and Allie. Together, they opened Max & Erma’s, built a new Perkins location, and developed Route 250 properties — serving as landlord for Chipotle and owner-operator of Penn Station and Tofts. In 2020, Steven rebranded the “Pancake House” into Sandusky Bay Pancake House and is now preparing to open Westside Pancake Company.

Through his business, Steven embodies the “Eat, Drink, Think…Local” philosophy, partnering with local businesses and supporting numerous causes. Fundraising through the Pancake House has benefited organizations such as I Choose Yellow, the Ohio Veterans Home, the Corpsman Maxton Soviak Memorial Foundation, Prayers From Maria, and Give Kids The World Village — donating a total of over
$300,000!

Dave Speer '70 
Dave Speer is a proud member of the Class of 1970. During his time at Perkins High School, he distinguished himself as a standout wrestler who competed at the state level. Following graduation, Dave attended the Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics, where he earned a degree in Specialized Technology in 1974. The following year, in 1975, he joined his father and brothers in founding Speer Bros., Inc. — a company that has grown into a respected name in the construction and utility industry. In 2003, the family expanded their entrepreneurial efforts by establishing Tuffman Equipment & Supply.

Dave and Linda are the proud parents of three Perkins graduates — Michele Hall (1998), Michael Speer (2000), and Mark Speer (2003) — and grandparents to six grandsons, four of whom are current Perkins Pirates. The Speer family has generously sponsored numerous teams, programs, and community projects over the years, continuing their legacy of support for current and future generations. In his spare time, Dave enjoys restoring and collecting classic cars and cherishes time spent with his family and friends.

CDR Emily Stellpflug '01
CDR Emily Stellpflug, a native of Sandusky, Ohio, graduated from Perkins High School in 2001, where she played volleyball, basketball, softball, and trombone in the PHS band. She earned a Bachelor of Science in Naval Architecture from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2005 and received her Navy pilot wings in June 2007.

CDR Stellpflug accumulated over 3,400 flight hours. Her awards include the
Meritorious Service Medal (three), Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal
(three), Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and Army Achievement
Medal. She also earned the 2019 CAPT Joy Bright Hancock Leadership Award and the 2022 John Paul Jones Award for Inspirational Leadership. She is married to her wife, Carrie Stellpflug, and has twin 4-year-olds, Titus and Malakai.

The 1999 Football State Champions & Coaches as a team

The inductees were formally honored at the Perkins Hall of Fame Banquet on Sunday, January 18, 2026. The inductees were surrounded by family, friends, classmates, and the community at the event.