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NSU Alumni to be Honored at Gypsy Day 2007
Released August 10, 2007
As part of the Northern State University Gypsy Day Week festivities, seven alumni will be recognized at the Distinguished Alumni/Hall of Fame Banquet which will be held at the Alonzo Ward Hotel on Friday, October 5, at 5 p.m. in Aberdeen.
“The honoring of these alumni is truly an exciting tradition at Northern State, not only because of their personal accomplishments or experiences, but because of what each of these alumni represents,” said Patrick Schloss, NSU President.
Cindi
Walsh will be honored with the Distinguished Alumni Award.
Walsh graduated from Northern in 1981, with a degree in business.
She is currently the Regional President of US Bank, and volunteers
her time and leadership skills to various organizations in the Aberdeen
community.
GOLD
(Graduate of the Last Decade) Distinguished Alumni Award honoree,
Ben Victor, is a 2004 graduate of Northern State
University. Victor, now 26, is an accomplished sculptor with his
pieces exhibited across the U.S. He is the youngest artist to ever
have a sculpture in our Nation’s foremost collection of figurative
sculpture, the National Sculpture Statuary Hall in the United States
Capital.
Hall
of Fame inductee Cary Hornaman, who played both baseball
and basketball at NSU, received his B.S. in Education from NSU in
1980. While at NSU he received numerous conference, district and
regional awards.
Hall
of Fame inductee Chuck Keeler received his B.S. in Education
from Northern in 1969, where he was a two sport athlete in football
and wrestling. Keeler was known as a remarkable competitor in both,
playing defensive end for the Wolves football team and wrestling
in the upper weight classes.
Hall
of Fame inductee Jane (Konz) Hanson received her B.A. in
English in 1998. She played basketball for the Wolves during the
1987-1991 seasons where she was part of three national playoff teams,
as well as various other honors.
Hall
of Fame inductee Amy (Ellis) Scepaniak received her B.S.
in Special Education in 1993. This two sport athlete participated
in volleyball and track and field. She started all four years with
the Wolves volleyball team, and was a jumper and thrower for the
track and field team. As a senior she was an All-American.
Terry
Small has been chosen to receive the Kretchman Coaching Award.
The award is named after long time Northern athlete, educator, coach
and administrator Jim Kretchman. The award is given to a coach that
best exemplifies Kretchman's characteristics and dedication to educating
student athletes.
Small, a Blunt, S.D. native, graduated from Northern in 1967, where he played basketball for Coach Bob Wachs. After graduating, he began working in the Aberdeen public school system in 1967, coaching the Golden Eagle’s boys basketball teams from 1967-1997, with 21 seasons as the head coach. Having won the Eastern South Dakota (ESD) title eight times and the State AA boys title twice, Small’s teams have a record of 330-140. His teams also qualified for the state tournament 17 times. Small was named the South Dakota Basketball Coach of the Year Award in 1988, the South Dakota High School Activities Association Distinguished Service Award in 1998, and was inducted into the South Dakota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998.
“These alumni personify what an education from NSU can provide, and though the achievements of our graduates are embodied by these seven honorees for one night only, it comes to life in the daily activities of the entire Northern State family of students and alumni wherever they are,” added Schloss.
Those being honored at the banquet will also be recognized at the Gypsy Day Parade taking place on Saturday, Oct 6, beginning at 9 a.m. on Main Street, and during halftime at the football game between NSU and Wayne State beginning at 2:30 p.m. at the Clark Swisher Activities Complex. Congratulations to this year's recipients!
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