By Lori Sorenson
Several Luverne alumni and former educators will be inducted Friday into the Luverne Alumni Hall of Fame and Luverne Educators Hall of Fame.
The 2025 Class of the Luverne Alumni Hall of Fame and the Luverne Educator Hall of Fame will be honored in ceremonies Friday, Sept. 19, during Luverne’s Homecoming celebration.
The 2025 Induction Ceremony will be at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, in the LHS Performing Arts Center.
A public reception will follow in the LHS Commons.
Luverne Education Legacy Foundation (LELF) will host a tailgate meal prior to the Homecoming football game; gates will open at 6 p.m. with kickoff at 7 p.m.
Alumni Hall of Fame inductees will include:
•Dr. David Piepgras – LHS Class of 1958: for excellence in the field of neurosurgery; serving as chair of the Department of Neurology at Mayo Clinic from 1992 to 2004; recipient of many professional awards; and extensive contributions to the field of neurosurgery throughout his career.
•Timothy Connell – LHS Class of 1967: for his contributions to the Rock County and Minnesota judicial systems as attorney, county attorney, and district judge; youth sports (particularly hockey); continued involvement in school and community; and regional philanthropy
•Dyan Ebert – LHS Class of 1986: for her contributions to the legal profession; serving as civil litigator and CEO of Quinlivan & Hughs, PA; Past President of the Minnesota Bar Association and 2021 Attorney of the Year.
•Richard Wildung – LHS Class of 1939: for accomplishments in collegiate and professional football including for the University of Minnesota Gophers with national championships in 1940 and 1941; selected eighth overall in the 1943 NFL draft by the Green Bay Packers; interrupting his career to serve in the Navy during World War II; playing in the NFL through 1953.
Qualifications
According to the committee, the purpose of the Alumni Hall of Fame is to “honor former students and graduates who distinguished themselves and contributed to the vision of District 2184: Learn, Live, Lead.”
Qualifications for selection to the Alumni Hall of Fame include the following at a local, regional, state, national, or international level:
•Excellence in their profession.
•Exceptional service, volunteerism or contributions to community.
•Excellence in personal endeavors.
•Exceptional contributions to education.
The 2023 Alumni Hall of Fame members are the 1964 State Championship basketball team, Quentin Aanenson, Jim Brandenburg, Jerilyn Britz, Warren G. Herreid, Betty Soutar Mann, and Monti Ossenfort; the 2024 honorees are Thomas Getman, Marvin (Whitey) Helling, Kevin Kessler, Gary Papik and Vonda Viland.
Educator Class of 2025 Hall of Fame inductees will include:
•Laurin Carroll –1972 to 2000: High school math teacher for 28 years and head boys’ basketball coach from 1972-1990. His teams won two Southwest Conference championships, appeared in ten District 8 championship games, winning seven of them, and placed second in the state tournament in 1983. Overall career record of 429-235 in 29 years of coaching.
•Gregg Gropel –1967 to 1999: He developed the Community Education program at Luverne Schools, including the summer recreation programs; organized and established the Luverne Dollars for Scholars program in 1983, which has grown to being the second largest DFS chapter in the United States; and founded the “The Luverne Alumni News.”
•Katie Croes Hemme – 1963 to 1999: Physical education and health teacher with extensive contributions as a pioneer for the development of high school girls’ sports as a result of Title IX legislation. In 1974 her physical education classes transitioned to a co-ed setting, and she became the first interscholastic girls’ varsity coach in track and field, volleyball and gymnastics. She also initiated the adaptive PE and the Special Olympics programs at Luverne Schools. Founder of Cardinal Sports Day, which provided opportunities for athletes of all abilities.
•Joseph Roberts –1963 to 2002: Math teacher for 40 years; head baseball coach from 1964-1980, including a State Tournament appearance in 1972; offensive coordinator for Cardinal football for 13 years; coach and manager of Luverne youth baseball for many summers; and longtime caretaker of the youth baseball complex that now, appropriately, bears his name.
Qualifications:
The Educator Hall of Fame is intended to “maintain the rich heritage and tradition of successful academic, extra-curricular, and operations of Luverne Public Schools,” according to the committee.
“The Educator Hall of Fame emphasizes the tremendous impact educators have made on the lives of students throughout the years and also the impact educators have on the community,” Luverne Superintendent Craig Oftedahl said this summer when 2024 inductees were announced.
To be selected to the Educator Hall of Fame, the teacher or administrator must have been a full-time educator in the Luverne Public Schools for at least eight years.
They must have “distinguished themselves by demonstrating exceptional leadership, character, and achievement during his/her tenure in the Luverne Public School District.”
Nominees must also be retired from or not working in the district for a minimum of five years.
The candidates are also considered for their significant and/or long-term contributions to Luverne Public Schools and the Rock County community.
The 2025 educator honorees will join existing Hall of Famers Harvey Eitreim, Esther Spease Frakes, Gordon Gits, Elmer Menage and Dolly Talbert.
Hall of Fame committee
The Luverne Public Schools Hall of Fame Committee includes chairperson Craig Oftedahl, Jeanne Bowron, McKenzi Klein, Jason Berghorst, Emily Crabtree, Mark Lundgren, Cory Bloemendaal, Mike DeBates, Gary Papik and staff member Jane Lanphere.