Page 14 - Wallingford Magazine Issue 53 Early Spring 2025

2025 DISTINGUISHED ALUMNI

AWARD RECIPIENTS by Joe Pajor

The Wallingford Education Foundation (WEF) established the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2004 to honor individuals
who have attended the Wallingford Public Schools and meet one or more of the following criteria:

• High achievement in one or more fields of
• Recognized excellence in their chosen cultural endeavor, such as music, theater, dance,
vocation on a local, regional, or national level literature, or the arts
• Outstanding leadership in their vocation or • Significant contributions to the community
a local, regional, or national organization through volunteer work or charitable giving.

On occasion, WEF chooses to honor individuals who did not attend Wallingford Public Schools but who have significantly
impacted the Wallingford community. Since the inception of this award, WEF has recognized over one hundred Wallingford
school system alums and will honor six additional alums at the Aqua Turf Club in Plantsville on May 15. The Class of 2025
WEF Honor Roll inductees include Wayne Barneschi, Ryan Christenson, Sharon Drossopoulos, David Warren MacDonald,
Christina Madancy, and John Mattie. Each has made a significant impact on many lives and communities.

Wayne Barneschi Ryan Christenson
Wayne Barneschi graduated from Ryan Christenson is a 2005 Mark
Lyman Hall High School in 1979. His Sheehan High School graduate
life is a tale of self-made innovation, named to the Mark Sheehan Hall of
vision, and philanthropy. He found- Fame in 2019. He credits his Shee-
ed the nationally recognized Trail of han High teacher, Ellen Dressel, for
Terror, a legendary haunted trail now inspiring him to take his art passion
tucked in the woods adjacent to PNA to the next level. Ryan graduated
Park in Wallingford. from Naugatuck Valley Community
College in 2009 and became a na-
In the early 1990s, Wayne, his wife, tionally and internationally recog-
and a few friends created a small nized artist professionally known as
backyard haunt, quickly becoming a ARCY for his photo-realistic mural
“must-visit experience” within the Wallingford community. art using spray paint.
In 1995, they expanded the haunt to an old house residing
on a half-acre. This expansion led to the creation of the Trail Stressing that he wants people to recognize that graffiti art
of Terror, an attraction that partnered with the local chapter can be done in a positive way, ARCY has created hundreds of
of The American Red Cross. Over the next 13 years, the Trail murals. Some of his national work includes murals for the
grew and raised over a half million dollars for Red Cross pro- Smithsonian National Zoo in Washington, D.C., for America’s
grams. National Parks at the Indiana Dunes Visitor Center in Porter,
IN, for the United States Department of Defense Contracted
Wayne was undeterred when the Red Cross's local chapter Affiliate in Great Bend, KS, for the National Archives/Harry
closed in 2008. He formed Scare Crew Productions, Inc., a S. Truman Presidential Library & Museum in Independence,
non-profit that has operated the Trail of Terror ever since. MO, for Super Bowl LIV - The Dan Patrick Show in Miami, FL,
Now located adjacent to the PNA Park, it is in its 31st year and Major League Baseball/Fox Sports/Kansas City Royals.
and operates with more than two hundred volunteers per ARCY has done mural and watch design for Citizen Watch
night. The Trail draws 20,000+ visitors annually and has won of New York City and is a licensed Disney Fine Art/The Walt
multiple local and national awards, including Best Walk- Disney Company artist. Some of ARCY’s more notable per-
through Haunt, Most Intense Walk-through Haunt, Most manent large-scale murals include one eight stories high,
Unique Haunt, and overall Best Haunt in the country. another one on a rooftop, and one a hundred feet long.
The Trail of Terror has donated over three million dollars to Ryan has created murals at many of Wallingford’s schools,
local charities and people in need. Among the long list of re- including Sheehan, Fritz, and Pond Hill. He also collaborates
cipients who have benefitted are the Wallingford Emergency with non-profit mural organizations across Connecticut, in-
Shelter for Families, the Coalition for a Better Wallingford, cluding CT Murals, Rise Up for Arts, and the Greater Hartford
and C.R.E.W., a student organization at both Wallingford Arts Council. His ability to inspire children with his story mo-
High Schools, providing humanitarian aid in the most need- tivates them to see their own potential to turn their dreams
ed areas. into reality.

14 Wallingford Magazine - Early Spring 2025