According to a news release from the foundation, the four were selected for having made outstanding contributions in their professional fields, achieving notable success or demonstrating exceptional service to their communities. They are 1968 graduate James “Jim” Burget; 1958 graduate Lee Fisher and his wife, 1962 graduate Joanne Moore Fisher, and 1957 graduate Brigadier General Clarence Barry Hartman.

The recipients have been invited to accept their awards at the Foundation’s third annual Cherry and White Appreciation Night, 5:30 to 8 p.m., Sept. 25, at the Michael Ross Event Center, 144 W. Third St.

Keynote speaker for the event will be Joyce M. Abbott, a retired educator from Philadelphia, who is best known as the real-life inspiration behind the hit ABC sitcom, “Abbott Elementary.”

Attendance at the event is limited to WASD educators and administrators.

Burget will receive the Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of his decades of service as an educator, coach and community volunteer.

After earning his political science degree from Lycoming College in 1972, Burget returned to WAHS, where he taught social studies and coached until his retirement in 2007.

As a cross country and track coach, he guided generations of student-athletes to district, state and even national success, earning honors that included District 4 Cross Country Coach of the Year. Among his many athletes was a three-time state champion who went on to become a two-time national marathon champion and the No. 2 ranked road racer in the world in 1991.

In retirement, Burget has remained an active community member, volunteering for the James V. Brown Library — where he earned the Rose Lehman Harer Volunteer of the Year Award in 2019 — and contributing his time to the Lycoming College Alumni Association Executive Board, Pine Street United Methodist Church, Hepburn Township Codes Department and the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank. He resides at Cogan Station with his wife, Marilyn.

The Fishers will jointly receive the Distinguished Alumni Humanitarian Award for their decades of service to education and community leadership in Oneonta, New York, where Fisher taught social studies for more than 30 years in the Davenport school system before retiring in 1995. He also served as an assistant basketball coach at SUNY Oneonta.

Together, the Fishers became founding members of the Oneonta branch of the NAACP in the early 1990s, where they took active roles in promoting fairness and opportunity across Otsego County. For more than three decades, the Fishers have provided steady leadership through their work with the organization’s Legal Redress Committee and other civic efforts. In 2022, they were further honored with a portrait unveiling at a public ceremony in Cooperstown, New York, now on display in the Supreme Court Courtroom of the County Annex Building.

The two reside at Oneonta.

Hartman will receive the Distinguished Alumni Service Award in recognition of his decorated military career and lifelong commitment to public service.

After enlisting in the Army, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1964 and was commissioned as an Armor officer.

He served two combat tours in Vietnam, earning the Legion of Merit, Bronze Star Medal with “V” device, Meritorious Service Medal, Air Medal, Army Commendation Medal and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross. He later commanded the 1st Squadron, 11th Cavalry in Fulda, Germany, and retired from active duty in 1992 as senior U.S. Army advisor to the New York Army National Guard.

Hartman continued his service in the New York Guard until 2006, retiring as deputy commander with the rank of brigadier general. His military education includes Ranger and Airborne schools, the Naval Command and Staff College and the National War College. He also earned a master’s degree in international relations from Indiana University.

Since 2011, he has served as trustee and secretary of the Friends of the New York State Military Museum and held leadership roles with several West Point alumni organizations.

He resides in Clifton Park, New York, with his wife, Bridget.

This year’s honorees bring the total number of Distinguished Alumni recognized since the program’s launch in 2012 to 29, said Greg Hayes, executive director of WASDEF.

WASDEF, a nonprofit affiliate of the Williamsport Area School District, facilitates charitable giving and permanent legacies in educational innovation, arts, athletics and scholarships.

For more information, visit www.wasdeducationfoundation.org.