March 29, 2024

NHS Hall of Fame inductees to be recognized

Distiguished alumni to be announced at game Friday

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The first inaugural class of the Newton High School Hall of Fame will be introduced at the Newton varsity football game against Pella at 7:30 p.m. Friday at H. A. Lynn Stadium.

Sixteen inductees were selected earlier this year by the Newton High School Hall of Fame Committee based on the distingushment of alumni in the fields of athletics, arts (including authors, musicians, visual artists, and journalists), business, education, government, science, or service. Additional categories for consideration are retired Newton Community School District staff, and any individual or organization that has made outstanding contributions to the success of Newton High School.

The purpose of the Hall of Fame is to recognize individuals that have made exceptional achievements or have contributed to the success and reputation of Newton High School.

“For me, being a Cardinal has always been a work of pleasure, and the Hall of Fame is another illustration of how the Red Pride tradition is alive and well in Newton,” NHS Principal Bill Peters said.

Inductees were announced and awarded at the NHS Alumni Brunch on June 7 where family, friends or the inductees were there to accept. The first nine will be announced prior to the football game on Friday and the remaining eight at halftime.

A list of the the 2014 inductees is as follows:

Emerson Hough — Class of 1875

Hough was an internationally known author who wrote numerous books about the American West, including The Covered Wagon. He played a significant role in the development of our nation’s national park system.

Lucy Hall — Class of 1897

She was the first principal of NHS and later was named superintendent of schools for Jasper County. She is considered a pioneer for women in education in this state.

Colonel Avery Jack Ladd — Class of 1923

A career military and commercial airline pilot. He flew as a B29 pilot, on 25 missions in the Pacific Theatre in World War II and is also a member of the Iowa Aviation Hall of Fame.

Thomas Smith — Class of 1926

An M.I.T graduate, Tom created the research and development department at Maytag, and was instrumental in washer designs that led Maytag to great success from the 1930s to 1970s.

Laird Bush Lamb — Class of 1924

He was a three-sport athlete for the Iowa Hawkeyes in football, basketball and track.. A three year football starter in the backfield; he was a two-time Big 10 champion in the Javelin. He lost his life on a bombing mission over North Africa in 1942.

Bill Green — Class of 1938

He was a member of the famed 1939 Ironmen at the University of Iowa. He would be named All-American and was a draft pick of the Green Bay Packers. He was later a long time division manager for the Maytag Corporation.

Norman Neal Deaton — Class of 1947

A nationally known artist, he began his career with the Smithsonian Institute, U.S. National Museum. In addition, his works can be found nationwide. He has been a consultant to India as a Natural Science Exhibit Specialist for the U.S. Department of Fish and Game.

Dr. Robert Sparks — Class of 1950

Well know world wide in the field of medicine, after receiving his Doctorate in Medicine, he served as a professor at Tulane University and was later Chancellor of the University of Nebraska Medical Center. He served on numerous committees nationwide for hospitals and universities. He was also a Fellow of the U.S.-China Educational Institute, and was a member of the five physician US delegation for medical exchanges with the Soviet Union in 1988.

Dr. Charles Murray — Class of 1961

A Harvard University and M.I.T. graduate. He is a well known political analyst and author of several books including The New York Times best seller the “Bell Curve.” He appears on major national networks news programs to this day.

Dr. Tom Altemeier — Class of 1963

A first team all state football and basketball player, he was instrumental in Newton’s 1963 Basketball State Championship. He was later named All-American in football at Luther College and drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs. He entered the field of medicine and became President of the Minnesota Association of Medical Directors of Nursing Homes and Physicians. He passed away in 1993.

Minda Gralnek — Class of 1971

She is credited for creating the widely seen red and white bulls eye logo for Target Corporation. She was named to the Retail Advertising Hall of Fame in 2007. She is considered one of the top business women in the world. She is currently Vice President of Global Designs for Pepsico-Europe.

Karen King — Class of 1975

She has been awarded several honors for her artwork in the state of Florida, including the Award of Distinction in 2001 and 2002.

Frank Gilson

Although he was not a graduate of NHS. He was the key behind the great success Newton football experienced in the 1970s and 80s. He led the Cardinals to two state championship games winning the title in 1980. Frank died in the prime of his life following the Newton-Urbandale game in 1985.

Brigadier General David Cotton — Class of 1977

He was Chief Information and Director of Communications for major military headquarters in the U.S. and Europe. He also led the U.S. delegation in negotiations with Afghanistan and Iraq following 9/11.

Sara Haines — Class of 1996

She spent several years with NBC News in New York. She appeared with Kathy Lee Gifford and Hoda Kotb on the fourth hour of “The Today Show” as a contributing correspondent. She is currently one of the weekend hosts of “Good Morning America” on ABC News.

Tom J. Weeks — Class of 2001

He was a producer for NBC News in New York before going to Hollywood with NBC Universal where he has been a part of several motion pictures including “Les Miserables.” He is currently an associate producer and writer for a television series that now appears on the Lifetime Network. Tom’s father is currently an assistant football coach for the Newton Cardinals.

H.A. “Pop” Lynn

The last member and most recognizable to Newton, is for whom the stadium is named. A long time NHS Principal, Pop won many state honors in his life in the field of education. But most importantly, he had the love and admiration of most all of his students.

NHS Hall of Fame Committee will be seeking new nominations to be announced next year. Nomination forms can be found online at www.newton-cardinals.com, or at the Newton Senior High School office.