First GHHS Hall of Fame inductees named

Fri, Jul 11, 2008    to del.icio.us

For the first time, the thousands of Grand Haven High School graduates from 113 classes will have their own hall of fame.

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The 17 stand-out inductees who will become the GHHS Hall of Fame's inaugural class were announced to the Tribune this morning.

The class includes familiar names like Mary A. White and Charles Conklin — and others that made their mark in athletics, the arts and the community.

"This is the first time our alumni have been recognized," said Roger Jonas, co-chairman of the GHHS Hall of Fame Advisory Council. "We have some people who are known for their names, and other people who have done some amazing things that aren't as recognizable."

Jonas said the living inductees have been contacted with the news, and all have verbally accepted invitations to an induction ceremony Nov. 8 at Grand Haven High School.

They will also be featured in an interactive memorial at the high school, which will help current students learn about the inductees' successes as well as their failures, advisory council co-chairwoman Lana Jacobson said. Organizers are hoping students use the inductees as role models during some of their most formative years, she said.

"(Students) need to hear it wasn't all successes," Jacobson said. "There were down times (for the inductees), and they needed to keep going."

Graduates, teachers, servicemen and coaches were nominated in six categories: performing arts, athletics, academics, service to Grand Haven Area Public Schools and society, and honorary achievement to the school district.

The performing arts inductees are musician John Douglas Baker, class of 1935; and conductor Steven Jarvi, class of 1996.

The two athlete inductees are Steven Sluka, class of 1927; and R. Lester Runk, class of 1935. The 1931 boys basketball team, 1960-61 baseball team and 1981 girls basketball team will also be inducted.

Chemist David Robinson, Dr. Jill Feyen Miedema and architect James Timberlake will be inducted in the academic category.

Veterans Charles Conklin, Eugene Rothi and Donald Constant will be inducted for service to Grand Haven schools and society.

Educators Betty Nagy, Gustave Cohrs, Lane Smith and Mary A. White will become part of the hall of fame for their contributions to the school system.

The inductees have impacted the community and the world in a variety of ways and in very different eras. White became the first teacher in Grand Haven and Ottawa County in 1834, while 1997 graduate Miedema received the National Health Service Corps Scholarship for medical school.

Smith was recognized for a distinguished teaching career and for developing the school district's successful Science Olympiad program. He was also on the nine-member selection team that whittled down the more than 50 nominees, but said he didn't help judge the category in which he was nominated.

"I didn't even know the answer for a couple weeks — I didn't dare to ask," Smith said. "It was a real treat being selected to be on the committee, and it was a real honor to find out that I was nominated."

While 17 people will be in the first hall of fame class, only six nominees will be inducted every two years, Jacobson said.

"We just wanted to make this one a big deal," she explained.