By Mike Madera
Special to the Voice
The West Haven Hall of Fame Committee has announced its newest inductees to be honored Saturday, November 21, at Amarante’s Sea Cliff, 62 Cove St., in New Haven.
The new soon to be inductees include Don MacMillan Jr., Mike Savino, Veronica Lynn, Max Padro, Khair Eric Thimas, Joanie Amato Jones, and Mike Madera (Tinker Blake Community Service Award).
With seven new members, there will now be 225 inductees in the prestigious club since the start over two decades ago.
MacMillan Jr., a 1977 graduate of West Haven High School, was one of the standout hockey players of his era. A defenseman who possessed an exceptional combination of size, lateral movement, and offensive ability, MacMillan scored nearly 100 points during his high school career.
Called a great teammate by his peers, MacMillan played three years of varsity hockey under legendary coach Art Crouse and was a key member of the 1976 West Haven team that won the state championship. Known for having one of the hardest shots of his era, MacMillan earned All-State and All-American honors as a senior.
After his outstanding high school career, MacMillan continued playing hockey at the University of New Haven, where he made the transition from defense to forward.
A 2015 graduate, Savino excelled as both an All-State hockey goaltender and an All-State baseball player during his career at West Haven High School. In hockey, he was a four-year varsity player, where he earned First Team All-SCC honors twice, was named Most Valuable Player in 2014, and received All-State recognition in both 2014 and 2015.
On the baseball diamond, he was a solid shortstop and third baseman who batted .515 as a senior, broke the school’s single-season hits record, and earned First Team All-State and All-SCC honors in 2015.
Savino continued his baseball career at the University of Connecticut at Avery Point, where he was a two-time First Team All-Conference selection, and helped lead the team to an eighth-place finish at the JUCO World Series as a freshman.
A 2019 graduate, Lynn established herself as one of West Haven High School’s most accomplished three-sport athletes, excelling in hockey, softball, and volleyball.
A four-year varsity hockey standout on defense and captain her senior year, Lynn earned All-Conference honors every season, was a three-time First Team All-State selection, helped lead her team to two Southern Connecticut Conference championships, and scored the first goal in the history of the West Haven/Sacred Heart Academy girls hockey program. Lynn finished her high school career with 24 goals, 21 assists, and 45 points, while also blocking 301 shots, including 80 in her senior year.
Lynn was also a four-year varsity softball player, who was named All-Conference in 2019. She finished with 108 career hits and a .412 career batting average, while serving as team captain as a senior.
Despite an ACL injury limiting her senior volleyball season, Lynn was a varsity starter and captain after beginning the sport in high school with no prior experience, starting varsity as a middle hitter her sophomore year.
Lynn continued her softball career at Southern Connecticut State University, and she was inducted into the Connecticut Girls Hockey Hall of Fame in 2026.
Padro is widely regarded as one of the greatest swimmers in West Haven High School history. A 2016 graduate, Padro became the school’s first boys swimming state champion by winning the Class L 200 individual medley as a junior and finished his career holding seven individual school records along with relay records, many of which still stand today.
Those records include 200 individual medley, 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle, 200 freestyle, 500 freestyle, 100 butterfly, and 100 breaststroke.
A multiple-time All-State, All-Conference, and All-Area selection, Padro continued his success at Southern Connecticut State University, where he captured 12 Northeast-10 Conference championships.
Thimas was one of the most dynamic football players ever to wear a West Haven uniform. In his senior season, Thimas rushed for 1,051 yards on just 106 carries, averaging an outstanding 9.9 yards per carry, while scoring 15 rushing touchdowns and adding another receiving touchdown.
A 1990 graduate, Thimas finished with a school-record 1,188 total yards in a season, and a career-record 3,446 rushing yards, cementing his place among the program’s all-time greats.
Legendary Hall of Fame coach Ed McCarthy summed up his impact best, calling Thimas “the most talented player I’ve ever coached” at that time.
A 2004 graduate, Amato Jones was a four-year varsity standout and starter in both soccer and lacrosse at West Haven High School, earning recognition as one of the top defensive players in the state.
A two-time soccer most valuable player and lacrosse team most valuable player, she earned First Team All-State honors in lacrosse in 2003, while helping lead West Haven to Southern Connecticut Conference championships in both sports.
Amato Jones was named the team’s Defensive Player of the Year in lacrosse as a sophomore, and she finished her lacrosse career with 48 goals and 23 assists, before returning to her alma mater as a math teacher. Amato Jones was named Second Team All-SCC on defense in 2002 and 2003, while being selected Second Team All-SCC offense in 2004.
Amato Jones has also served as an assistant coach for the West Haven girls lacrosse program from 2011-2021.
Madera is a 1987 Platt graduate, where he played baseball. Madera, however, is being honored for his service to the community, where he has dedicated close to forty years covering and promoting high school sports, including more than three decades doing the same for West Haven athletics.
A longtime member of the West Haven Hall of Fame Committee since 2003, Madera has also served as President of the Walter Camp Football Foundation (2017-2019) and the West Haven Penalty Box Club, and he has also held leadership roles with West Haven Youth Hockey and West Haven Little League.
In July of 2026, Madera was elected to serve his second tenure as President of the nationally recognized and New Haven based collegiate football organization, becoming just the second foundation member to be selected as a two-time President of the Walter Camp Football Foundation.
Madera’s commitment to local sports and community has been recognized with numerous honors, including the John Wentworth Good Sport Award, the West Haven Twilight League Gold Bat Award, induction into the New Haven Gridiron Club Hall of Fame in 2021, and he will also be inducted into the Southern Connecticut Diamond Club Hall of Fame in October of 2026.
For information regarding the induction ceremony, please contact West Haven athletic directors Joe Morrell and Mike Anquillare at joseph.morrell@whschools.org and Michael.anquillare@whschools.org.
Leave a Reply