Todd D. Wait:
Todd Wait is a 1982 graduate of Ashland High School and the son of native Ashlanders Dave (an ACSHF inductee) and Sandy Wait. As a young man he enjoyed playing organized baseball in the Ashland City Youth Leagues (T-ball through Pony League) and neighborhood basketball, football, and wiffleball with his younger brother Jeff – a gifted golfer and saxophonist at Ashland High School. An excellent student athlete from a talented family, Todd was a 7-time AHS letterman excelling in football, and basketball and could have excelled in baseball if he would have learned how to take a pitch.
As quarterback playing football at AHS for Coach Dave Gray, Todd had the honor and pleasure of being teammates with fellow ACSH Famers Scott Valentine, Dave Crecelius, and Bill Seder, and being coached by ACSH Famer Jim Minnich. A three year starter in Coach Gray's "Run and Shoot" offense, Todd threw for nearly 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. In the 1981 season, he threw for 1987 yards, 13 touchdown passes, and ran for 5 more touchdowns including single game highs of 384 yards and 3 touchdown passes. As a senior Todd was Co-Caption, selected best offensive back, first team All-Cardinal Conference and Honorable Mention All-Ohio.
As a Co-Captain for Coach Jim Barr's 1981-82 Cardinal Conference Co-Champion Arrows, Todd was second team All-Conference and voted MVP by his teammates. During half-time of Ashland's home games, Arrow fans were entertained by the school's award-winning stage band with Todd's brother Jeff on baritone sax.
Spring meant baseball, and Todd went from being the leading hitter on the freshman team to a .250 hitter on the varsity; again, because he never saw a pitch he didn't like. He had the distinction of once swinging and missing at a pitch so far inside that it hit him!
After graduating with honors from Ashland High School, Todd received an appointment to the U.S. Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There he continued to be active in intramural team sports. Upon graduation from the Academy, he became a pilot in the U.S. Air Force based in Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, California. While on active duty and later as a reservist, he flew the C-5 Galaxy from 1987-1999 and is a Persian Gulf War veteran.
After being honorably discharged from the Air Force, Todd followed in his father's footsteps and became a pilot with United Airlines, and is presently a Boeing 767 pilot based at Dulles International Airport in suburban Washington D.C.
After moving to Northern Virginia, Todd became an active member of the Reston Runners, a local chapter of the Road Runners Club of America. Through their support and encouragement, he has finished 11 marathons and three 50-mile ultra-marathons. Being connected to the community is important to him, he leads a weekly training run at the local YMCA and volunteers on the Reston Swim Team Association board and is stroke and turn judge and meet referee for the swim league. He resides in Reston, Virginia with his children Ryan and Ellen, and is proud to call Ashland his hometown. He still hasn't seen a pitch that he doesn't like.
Nominator: MRS. WALTER WAIT
