Chaminade president, Bro. Bernard Ploeger, SM, and alumnus, George Gilmore ’04, smile at the news of their selection as Chaminade University’s 2017 Silversword Hall of Fame Inductees
Chaminade University will induct Chaminade president, Bro. Bernard Ploeger, SM, Ph.D., and Chaminade alumnus and 1991 Maui Invitational MVP, George Gilmore, Jr ’04, into the 2017 Silversword Hall of Fame at its ninth annual intercollegiate athletics gala. The gala event takes place on Thursday, March 16, 2017, starting at 6:00 p.m. at Ala Moana Beach Hotel (Hibiscus Ballroom).
Chaminade president, Bro. Bernard Ploeger, SM, PhD, will conclude his service as president on June 30, 2017. He has served Chaminade for 23 years: eight years as its president, plus the prior 15 years in other leadership capacities. He is considered the chief architect in developing and carrying out the University’s strategic plans since 2008. One of the major key levers of success in those strategic plans has been to renew Chaminade’s participation in intercollegiate athletics as a point of pride for alumni and for campus and community supporters. Ploeger has been instrumental in encouraging Chaminade’s competitive success in regional and conference sports, has helped ensure an increase in outreach in Hawaii, and has pressed for financial support in securing program facilities.
George Gilmore, Jr. ’04, after earning junior college all-America honors in men’s basketball at Santé Fe Community College in Florida in 1990, followed his coach to Chaminade University. In his first game in the 1991 EA SPORTS Maui Invitational, he scored 23 points against Iowa State. He followed that with 28 points against Toledo then 33 versus Loyola Marymount. He finished the 1991-92 season second in the nation in scoring with a 28.3 scoring average while earning Division II All-America honors. The following year proved to be his landmark season when he set the Maui Invitational scoring record by pouring in 93 points in the three-game tournament, earning him the tournament’s Most Valuable Player honors, one of only two Chaminade players to hold that distinction. He graduated in 2004. Today, the Kailua resident, in alignment with Chaminade’s mission and values, works at the Kapolei Detention Home helping to mentor at-risk youths turn their lives around.
With the strong leadership of event chair, Dr. Edison H. Miyawaki, the athletics gala is headed into its ninth year and has raised $1.3 Million in support of the 10 sports programs. For more information on table sponsorships, or individual tickets, please contact Ryan Hirata at (808) 735-4764. You can also visit www.goswords.com for more information about the gala event, along with the latest information regarding Chaminade athletics.