Dr. Jeff Shogan first made a name for himself as a student and an athlete in the Gateway School District in the 1960s and early 1970s.

The teachers who molded him and the teammates who shared many special moments with him can attest to his worth.

But Shogan didn't stop there and continued to make an impact on family, friends and colleagues throughout his life, including those he helped through his medical expertise in the field of oncology.

He accomplished a lot in his profession, but those who knew him well said he wasn't close to being finished helping anyone he could.

Shogan died Jan. 9. He was 56.

"His loss is a loss not only to his family and friends, but also to humanity," said Bob Holden, a lifelong friend of Shogan.

Holden first met Shogan in 1965, when the Gator standout was in seventh grade.

Two years later, Shogan played for Holden on the Gateway freshman team and helped the squad to a 16-1 record and a runner-up finish in the Valley League of the Junior WPIAL.

"His athletic career was just one facet of a lifetime filled with a competitive nature to excel in everything he did," Holden said.

Holden remembers 17 years ago, when his son, Scott, was diagnosed with Stage IV Hodgkin's disease, and Shogan did everything he could to help treat his son.

"My wife and I know that Jeff saved our son's life," Holden said.

"He always had time personally and professionally to show his care and concern for others. When a friend or family member needed medical help, if he couldn't treat them personally, he would steer them to someone who could."

Shogan continued to find success in basketball at the varsity level at Gateway.

As a junior and a senior in 1970 and 1971, he was a starter on back-to-back Gateway section championship teams.

Those Gator squads had a combined 39-9 record and went to WPIAL playoffs both seasons.

Shogan shared starting duties both years with Vince Lamberti. The two met in ninth grade at South Junior High and became good friends.

Lamberti said he would run into Shogan periodically for several years at weddings and other events but saw him more often the past five or six years at youth basketball tournaments.

Shogan was heavily involved in the lives, both in and out of athletics, of his three children--Alyson, Jeffrey and Jack. He shared his love of basketball as a youth coach.

"When we would see each other (at basketball games and tournaments), it was like we hadn't missed a beat," Lamberti said.

"We would reminisce about old times and enjoyed each other's company. We had some great times in high school. It was always better when we won. I really enjoyed being around him."

After high school, Shogan continued his education at Yale University in Connecticut.

He started on the freshman basketball team, but an injury ended his season and his basketball career.

Shogan's athletic talents at Gateway and accomplishments both in school and in life were honored in November with induction into the Gateway Sports Hall of Fame.

"Jeff said that it was a very special night in his life," said Holden, a 2003 Gateway Sports Hall of Fame inductee.

Holden presented Shogan for induction at the hall-of-fame banquet.

"The last thing he said to me at the banquet before we parted ways was that as long as he's in town each year around the time of the banquet, he would be there," said Tony Petrocelli, chairman of the Gateway Sports Hall of Fame.

"That meant a lot to hear him say that."

Petrocelli said that the day before Shogan died, he received a thank-you note and a bottle of champagne from Shogan, as a sign of gratitude for his hall-of-fame honor.

"He was a typical humble high school athlete," Petrocelli said. "He appreciated what his coaches did for him, from seventh grade on."