Plum High School Distinguished Alumni Committee is proud to share the Class of 2020 Distinguished Alumni.
The committee recognizes Plum High School graduates who have achieved distinction in their respective fields or who have made significant contributions to society because of their volunteer, philanthropic or humanitarian efforts. Distinguished Alumni are an example to students because their accomplishments demonstrate all that is possible with hard work and commitment.
Including the Class of 2020, the committee recognized 52 people as Distinguished Alumni. Each year, these inductees visit Plum Senior High School, meet with students and classes, and share stories of lessons learned with National Honor Society Students and their parents.
Nominations are accepted from January through November, however, the committee decided to postpone inducting 2021 nominees due to the pandemic. The Class of 2020 will be celebrated with a banquet at Oakmont Country Club in the Spring of 2022.
Class of 2020 Distinguished Alumni
Kathleen Dudas Bostick
Class of 1976
Kathleen is an international business executive with more than 35 years of experience in the software, localization, and transportation industries, helping companies deliver world-class experiences to their global customers. She has an MBA in marketing and is a highly respected speaker and published co-author on topics such as global business strategy and global social media.
She started her career in the transportation industry, rising to Managing Director, and was the first woman to achieve that status at Southern Pacific Railroad. She went on to join SDL International, a British company in the software & localization industry, as their first employee in North America.
She was afforded opportunities to follow her passion for international travel, and has visited many European and APAC countries, taking in their diverse cultures and traditions.
Francis P. Ferragonio, Jr.
Class of 1973
Officer Francis Ferragonio served the Penn Hills Community as a police officer for 25 years, and as a history teacher at Linton Middle School for seven years. He earned his bachelors in Admin. of Justice from the University of Pittsburgh, and went back to Point Park University to obtain a second bachelors in Secondary Education of Social Studies. Fran married the apple of his eye, Patricia (Patty) Barbarino and went on to raise two daughters, Lauren and Sarah.
Sadly, on May 28, 2019, Officer Fran unexpectedly passed away. We honor his memory by sharing a few remembrances of his contributions to the community. Fran wore many hats throughout his life and put his heart into everything he did, from paper boy, Community Market, police officer, teacher, hypnotist, driving instructor, tax collector, and family man. Anyone that knew Fran, knew how proud he was of his family, especially his two daughters
Fran loved collecting Snoopy and Jiminy Cricket memorabilia, spending time with his family, learning new hobbies like ventriloquism, and helping others. To know Fran was to love him, and you never left his company without being a little bit happier and a little bit wiser.
Robert W. McCutcheon
Class of 1985
Robert W. McCutheon spent more than 27 years providing services to multinational clients with PricewaterhouseCoopers as U.S. Industrial Products Leader. As the Managing Partner of the Pittsburgh Office, he was responsible for over 5,500 PwC professionals serving clients across the U.S. In December 2018, Bob retired to spend more time with his family, follow his passion for music, and dedicate his life to serving his community and doing work to honor the memory of his late son, Ryan
.
Bob has always been deeply committed to engaging people, sharing knowledge and developing strong talent. He is passionate about supporting his community and creating a vibrant local environment to live, work and raise a family. Bob and his family also lived in Prague, Czech Republic from 2006-2008.
Following retirement from PwC, his family started The Vault Recording Studio where he could pursue his passion for music, promote Pittsburgh artists, and help our region achieve greater recognition for its vibrant arts community.
It was in 2017, following the loss of his 19-year-old son Ryan, that Bob, his wife Dana and their son Brett established the Ryan McCutcheon Rhythm19 Fund with the mission to provide greater access to art and music education. Through charitable contributions and volunteers they are able to give more children access to music and help enrich the lives of those with challenges or special needs.
Bob is a graduate of Robert Morris University and an active leader in the Pittsburgh community, serving on the boards for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and WQED.
Toni Steedman Zelickson (Kasmoch)
Class of 1972
Toni Steedman Zelickson is creator and producer of Blue Socks Media. At Center Middle School, she set in motion a creative career when she opted to direct a fifth-grade class play rather than audition for a role. A few years later, armed with a degree in advertising from West Virginia University, Toni founded her first business, at 24, Steedman Communications, located in Pittsburgh.
After a move to the Carolinas and six business ventures later, Toni has earned international respect as an Emmy Award-winning creator, director and writer of children’s TV series. Her original series, Raggs, airs globally in multiple languages with an extensive merchandising and live theatrical show program. Additional scripts, series, movies and publishing projects have followed on the heels of Raggs’ success.
Toni spearheaded the community’s efforts to build a local public library. For over 15 years, she served as a regional director for MDA in addition to other boards and charities. Today, she mentors young women in career development. However, her life would not be complete without the love and support of her husband Richard Zelickson, her daughter Alison Fox, son-in-law, stepchildren and grandchildren.
For more information about the Plum High School Distinguished Alumni Committee, please visit: https://www.plumdistinguishedalumni.com/