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FROM THE ST LOUIS PARK HISTORICAL SOCIETY

SPORTS TIMELINE

St. Louis Park has a long tradition of athletics. The following are just a very few examples. Please contact us with any additions, corrections, or stories. Thanks to John Froom and Don Schimmel for their additions.

Achievements of Park grads are generally listed in this chronological listing in the year they graduated.

Also see Sports in the Park


1893-1894

On June 25, 1894, the Village Council received a letter protesting the public playing of baseball on Sunday. Action taken unknown.

 


 

1909-1910

In 1910 L.L. “Doc” Brown was manager of the baseball team and remained active in baseball in the Park for many years. In the 1930s he was the official scorekeeper for the Park team. Ben Brown says, “You could take his score book years later and follow the game right through the final out.”


 

1911-1912

In 1911 Bert Baston signed up for high school football at the age of 14.  He became a two-time U of M All-American football end in 1915 and 1916.  He was the first All-American from St. Louis Park and the first Gopher in history to be a repeat All-American.

A 1912 item in the Minneapolis Morning Tribune reports a clashup between the Brookside and St. Louis Park baseball teams.  In those days Brookside, while always part of the Park, was considered its own distinct area.

 


1913-1914

In 1914 Mr. F.M. Moon, manager of the St. Louis Park Base Ball Club, convinced the Village Council to provide $50 to grade the Ball Park.

 


 

1915-1916

In 1916 the baseball team was reimbursed $50 for their work on the ballpark.

 

Parkites may have traveled to see the ill-fated Twin City Raceway, 1915-17.

 


1921-1922

The 1922 Girls’ basketball team wore sweaters with orange monograms and black socks.


 

1925-1926

The High School Athletic Association elected its officers, including the first girl:

President:  Adrian Parker
Vice President:  Bill Jaglo
Secretary and Treasurer:  Virginia Dare
Cheerleaders:  “Fats” Blacktin and Harold Hofstrand

The team was still referred to as the “Parks” – Orioles were yet to come.


footballteam1925

Above is the 1925 Football team, including Victor Howell, William Gamble, Lester Davis, N.H. McKay, Siegfried “Zock” Hartmann, “Hipe” Nelson, Parker, “Sunny” Peterson, Clinton Sewall, Bill Jaglo, David Henderson, “Fuzzy” Whalen, Stan Chelberg, and Clair Chamberlain.

Back of the photo gives the details of Park’s winning record:

October 2:  Park 30 at Shakopee 0
October 9:  Excelsior 6 at Park 14
October 16:  (Alumni at Park – was this Homecoming?)
October 23:  Park 19 at Mound 0
October 30:  Wayzata 0 at Park 7
November 4:  Park at University High (no scores given)
November 13:  Hopkins 0 at Park 2 (forfeit)

 


See the Williams Family for the story of the Williams Brothers basketball team of the 1920s.

 


 

1932-1933

St. Louis Park was a charter member of the Lake Conference in 1932.  Other members were Hopkins, Minnetonka, Mound, University High School, and Wayzata.

 


1933-1934

 

Earl Bartholome, 4140 Brunswick, played 18 seasons of professional hockey, from 1933 to 1952, first with Rochester, NY, with the AHL.  Younger brother Kenneth Bartholomew was an outstanding speed skater.

 

Softball was organized into a league in 1934. The game, originally called “kitten ball” after the original team called the Kittens, was invented in 1895 at Minneapolis’s Engine House No. 19 by Lt. Louis Rober. The game was invented to pass the time at the fire station, and the teams were initially all sponsored by fire stations. The game became known as “Diamond Ball” in 1925, and in 1934 the Amateur Softball Association was formed and the game was renamed softball. But St. Louis Park still used the term kitten ball, as reported in a 1942 story of the Brookside Aggies (boys).

 


 

1934-1935

In 1934 the new Highway 7 cut right through the area that had been used for the high school’s athletic field, so in September 1935 a new field was dedicated.  The Hennepin County Review reports that “A colorful procession was part of the occasion, in which flag bearers, faculty members, the ‘peptimists’ and the contesting teams took part.”  The bad news was that “Wayzata emerged victorious, 36-0, in a game that saw many substitutions.”

 


1936-1937

 

The St. Louis Park football team of 1936 beat the Village of Bloomington 7 to 0 on the new Oriole football field. The two teams did not play each other again until 1954 when Bloomington became a member of the Lake Conference.

 

Interesting find:  The 1937 Echo referred to the Orioles “as they are now named.”

 


1938-1939

 

Bill Roberts donated a softball documenting the Oak Hill team’s win of the 1939 Roundball Championship in Rural Hennepin County.  Roberts was the captain; other members of the team, as written on the ball, were:

L. Grey
Earl Ames
L. Davis
Joe Justad
H. Frieberg
K. Skoogman
A. Gorneson
J. Sully
P. Sully
M. Klump
J. Klump
I. Nygard
G. Hammerlund
K. Hammerlund


 

1940-1941

Don Schimmel reports:  “Park had a hockey team before WWII, introduced in 1940, and coached by Carl Carlson (honest). Carl also coached the 1941 team, but as far as I can figure out, hockey was discontinued after that, and wasn’t started up again until after WWII.”

 


 

1945


robinsonjimmy
In about 1945 sportsman Jimmy Robinson moved to the area when the magazine he wrote for, Sports Afield, moved to Minneapolis.  Robinson wrote for the magazine from 1927 until 1986, when he died at his home at 29th and Boone Ave. in St. Louis Park, where he lived for over 30 years.  He was a a trap shooter and hunter who led many excursions with famous personalities like Ted Williams, Mickey Mantle, Clark Gable, and other actors and politicians.

 

The sports press box was built at the athletic field out of circus lumber by a school summer crew in 1945.  It did its job until replaced in the fall of 1973.


1946-1947

Boys’ hockey resumed at Park in 1946 at a rink located where Central Community Center is now.  Boys’ gym teacher Pete Zanna volunteered to coach the new team, even though he didn’t even know how to skate.  Zanna was head coach from 1946-1968, and Assistant Coach from 1968 to 1972.  Rex Pickett wrote an account of the development of the program, called “Outside to Inside:  The Origins of Lake Conference High School Hockey.”  The article was published in the hockey newspaper Let’s Play Hockey.  Thanks to John Froom for sending this to us.

The Minneapolis Lakers, led by George Mikan, brought pro basketball to Minnesota in 1947.


 

1947-1948

The softball season was successful in 1948, with teams being fielded by the VFW, Christy’s, Rodgers Hydraulic, and the American Legion.

 


 

1948-1949

On December 14, 1948, the New York Giants baseball team announced that they were building a $1.5 million stadium called Candlestick Park on the corner of Highway 12/Wayzata Blvd. and Zarthan. The stadium ultimately got built in Bloomington and the Giants went to San Francisco.

 


 

1949-1950

Jim Mattson was all state for St Louis Park in 1949 State Hockey Tournament and had a 60 plus save performance or more at the tournament. He went on to All American goalie in the early ’50s at the U of M with John Mayasich as a teammate. He played pro goalie for the Green Bay Bobcats minor league hockey many years after. Mattson is related to the great Passolt dynasty of the 1970s.

 


 

1950-1951

 
lettermen1951
Park’s Lettermen, 1951

 


1951-1952

 

Adult slow pitch softball was also introduced in 1952, due to the efforts of Recreation Director Dorothea Nelson. From an initial four teams, as many as 240 teams have participated in later years.

1952 was the year the Park Athletic Association was formed, meeting for the first time on February 6. The group’s goal was to ensure that a program of competitive athletics was available to all boys and girls in the Park. First President of the organization was Otis Dypwick, sports information director at the University of Minnesota. Other officers were Dr. Walter Johnson, B.E. Stoltman, and Jack Dunsworth.

In 1952 the Park baseball team came in third in the State Tournament.

 


 

1952-1953

In June 1953 Jerry Longabaugh headed up the St. Louis Park Soft Ball Club.

 


 

1953-1954

Edwyn Robert “Bob” Owen, Class of 1954, was All-Lake Conference and All-State at Park High.  His father was Ed E. Owen, who worked for Parks and Rec and served as a City Councilman.  Ed played hockey in Duluth in 1934 and had a brief stint as a professional in Duluth before coming to St. Louis Park. Their St. Louis Park address was 4305 Brook Ave. So.  Bob went on to Harvard, where he was named All-Ivy League.   In 1960 he was on the U.S. Olympic hockey team and was the first Parkite to win a gold medal.  Bob battled mental illness and died in 2007.

Terry Bartholome, Class of 1954, signed with the Detroit Tigers in 1957 or 1958 for $40,000 and a bonus of $10,000. The contract had its plusses and minuses. Since Terry was also an outstanding hockey player at Park and the U of M (he roomed with Herb Brooks), he likely would have been chosen for the U. S. Olympic Team in 1960, as 1954 teammate Bob Owen was, but since he had “turned pro,” he was ineligible to be on the U. S. team at that time.

 


 

1954-1955

In 1955, 6 ft. 7 in. center Warren Jeppesen scored 47 points against Edina in an 86-67 victory, a new Lake Conference individual scoring record.  Jeppeson made 17 field goals and 13 free throws.
Bob Reith was named to the all tournament hockey team at the State tournament in 1958.  He was also a star golfer.

 


 

1957-1958

1958 graduate Don Brose played in the State hockey tournament in 1958 with SLP (and Bob Reith) and is in the NCAA coaches hall of fame.  He started coaching as a 19 year-old player coach at Concordia and after a few years he coached for 38 seasons (1962-2000) at Mankato State.  He won a total of 540 games as a head coach.

 


1958-1959

 

In the Fall of 1958 six Parkettes were chosen to become the Lakerettes, cheerleaders for the Minneapolis Lakers basketball team (photo at right).  The girls were Mary Lou Kuhn, Darlene Anderson, Gretchen Grashius, Kay Anderson, Debbie Libby, and Francine Rapp.

Long-time MLB Pitcher Tom Niedenfuer was born in August 1959 at Methodist Hospital and lived his early years on Xenwood Ave. in the Park.  He pitched for the LA Dodgers and the Baltimore Orioles in his 9 year career from 1981-1990.

“Arnold Palmer Thrilled Park Fans in 1959 PGA.”  He participated in the PGA tournament at the Minneapolis Golf Club.

1959 Grad Jerry Jones made his mark as a Golden Gopher during the 1959-60 season.  He was admitted to the SLP Athletic Hall of Fame in 2007.

 
jonesjerry1960
SLP Dispatch, 1960

 


 

1959-1960

Al Druskin, Class of 1960, signed with the Twins in 1964.

1960 graduate Darlene Anderson was one of the most accomplished women golfers in Minnesota history.


 

1961-1962

 

St. Louis Park captured the 1962 State Boys Basketball Championship, defeating over 480 schools for the prize. The tournament was a one-class 8 team event back then.  Beek’s Pizza was the spot for celebration, and the place was reportedly torn apart. The photo below is from the Echo, courtesy Paul Linnee.


BasketballChamps1962

 

2015 May 2 Historical 008 62 State Champs

 

The team had been staying at the Curtis Hotel, and on March 25 they rode in open convertibles from the Curtis to the Park Theater with a police escort.  There a motorcade of excited fans formed and escorted the team to the High School.  3500 people tried to get into the gym, where Coach Holm presented the team with their gold medals.  Bruce Ackland was selected as the most valuable player of the 1962 Minnesota State Tournament by Minnesota basketball coach Johnny Kundla.

 


parkettes1962paradestevebrown
Steve Brown took this photo of the Parkettes in the parade returning to Park High

 

Park’s six varsity cheerleaders also won the Best Cheerleading group trophy, given out by the St. Paul Dispatch and Pioneer Press.  The winning team consisted of Nancy Emerson, Sue Sutherland, Jeri Murphy, Jane Thorbeck, Joan Mackey and Ellen Beugen.

 

In 1962 Park also won State in Cross-country and Track.

 


 

1964-1965

From 1964 until 1983 the Parkettes were cheerleaders for the Minnesota Vikings.


 

BOB STEIN

1965 graduate Bob Stein was an All-American football end at Park High where he also played varsity baseball and basketball. Stein went to the U of M where he was a 2-time All-American and was drafted in 1969 by the KC Chiefs of the NFL. He played in January of 1970 in Super Bowl IV against the Vikings and is the youngest person ever to play in a Super Bowl still. He was born January 22, 1948 and was only 21 years old at Super Bowl IV. He went on to play six more years in the NFL, with the Chiefs, Los Angeles Rams and finished in 1975 with the Minnesota Vikings. His last NFL game was the 1975 NFC playoff game against Dallas (Hail Mary catch game). He went on to get a law degree and was an NBA player agent for many years. In 1987 he was named the first President of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves, a position he retained until 1994, when the team was sold to Glen Taylor.

Charlie Grisham remembers Stein in his Little League years:

Bob was a pitcher in Little League, and he was VERY fast and VERY wild.  We all feared batting against him, because he was so fast and because you never knew if the ball would come in front of  you or in back of you!  Funny memory!

 
steinbob1965
SLP Sun-Sailor, 1965


 

1967-1968

In 1968 Parkite David Skoog was drafted by the Minnesota Twins.


1969-1970

In 1970 Parkite Bruce Wachutka was drafted by the Minnesota Twins.  Photo of Bruce  below courtesy John Froom.


wachutkabruce


 

1970-1971

Jeff Diamond, 1971 grad, worked for the Minnesota Vikings from 1976 to 1999, starting out as a public relations intern and ending his career there as Senior Vice President and General Manager.  He was named NFL executive of the year in 1998.  From 1999 to 2004 he was President of the Tennessee Titans NFL.


 

1971-1972

In 1972 Parkite Rick Dominik was drafted by the Chicago White Sox.

 


 

1972-1973

Boxer George Foreman’s wife Adrienne gave birth to daughter Michi on January 6, 1973 at Methodist Hospital. Mrs. Foreman lived in South Minneapolis. George beat Joe Frazier for the Heavyweight Championship on January 22, 1973.

Al Beal, a Park graduate who attended St. Olaf, was on the all-Midwestern Conference football team 3 times (at least) as of 1973. He was also on the Lutheran Brotherhood All-Lutheran team.

1973 graduate Chuck Engel was MVP of the State American Legion tournament and played four years of baseball at St. Cloud State.  He played two years of minor league ball in 1978-79.

1973 grad and current Park teacher Dan McEachran was a member of the 1978 Minnesota Gopher baseball team, starting at third base.

 


 

1973-1974

In the Fall of 1973 Park High girls were able to participate in interscholastic sports.  The sports available were volleyball, tennis, speed swimming, and cross country.  Gymnastics and synchronized swimming would be offered in the winter and track and field in the spring.

1974 grad Scott Rosenthal was a pitcher on the 1978 Minnesota Gopher baseball team as a starter and relief pitcher.


 

MARC TRESTMAN

Marc Trestman was a 1974 graduate who played college football and became the head football coach for CFL’s Montreal Allouettes.  He also coached for the Vikings, North Carolina State, and the University of Miami.

On January 16, 2013, 1974 Park grad Marc Trestman was named as Head Coach for the Chicago Bears.  See an interview here.  He served in that capacity for two years until being fired after the Bears performed poorly.  Trestman was appointed as the Offensive Coordinator for the Baltimore Ravens on January 20, 2015.

In September 2013 Marc was inducted into the St. Louis Park Athletic Hall of Fame.

Trestman was inducted into the 2014 Minnesota Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in the Citation Division on March 29, 2014.

Comprehensive articles about Trestman’s career can be found in the StarTribune articles here and here and here.

 

Photo dated August 23, 2013, taken by AP photographer Ben Margot

 


In 1974 Parkite Larry Goldetsky was drafted twice, including in the third round to Montreal in 1975 and the Kansas City Royals.  He was a minor league player and coach for 8 years.

1974 Park graduate Scott Rosenthal pitched for Dick Siebert’s Minnesota Gophers from 1975-1978.

1974 grad Danny Passolt was a 9 letter winner and captain of the 1974 Hockey team and All Conference in hockey and Soccer. He went on to play for the University of North Dakota Sioux for two years after high school.

 

On August 11, 1974, Jewish high school fraternity Walensky AZA held a 100-Inning Marathon Softball Game as a fundraiser for the Variety Club Heart Hospital.  Ten games of ten innings each were planned for Aquila Field #2, and opponents included members of the Minnesota North Stars, disk jockeys from WYOO radio, and some pro wrestlers. Scott Segelbaum helped organize the event, and has North Stars autographs including Bill Goldsworthy, Louis Nanne, JP Parise, Dennis Hextall and others. Rob Sherwood from WYOO umpired part of the games.  The group was named for Gordon Walensky, who died in Vietnam.


 

1974-1975

Danny Johnson was a Golden Gloves boxer (1975) who had been on the varsity football and wrestling teams at Park High.

1975 grad Jeffrey Passolt played hockey at St Louis Park then went on to play at St. Cloud State for four years in 1977-80. He was inducted in the SCSU Sports hall of Fame and is FOX 9 News Lead Nighttime Anchor.

 


1975-1976

 

1976 graduate Reid Goldetsky was an All-American gymnast at Park High.  He attended college at the University of Minnesota where he was a standout gymnast who was on the four-time Big Ten Gymnastics Championship teams from 1976 -1980.  He competed for the United States in the Maccabiah Games in Israel (1981), winning team gold, silver in still rings and bronze in all-around.  He is now an attorney.

 


 

1977-1978

1978 graduate Johnny Passolt lead the Lake Conference in scoring (hockey) with 35 goals 23 assists in 1978.  He was a member of the NCAA Championship team at Minnesota State – Mankato in 1980, coached by Park Alumnus Don Brose. Johnny was all conference in hockey and soccer and is in the Minnesota State-Mankato Athletic Hall of Fame. He is the fourth leading scorer (hockey) in the history of the school. Johnny is also the head golf pro at a course in Hayward, Wisconsin and also designed the course.

The boys’ basketball team went to the State Tournament in 1978, coming in second to Prior Lake.  “Orange Crush” became the tournament symbol for the orange and black Orioles, with kids putting pennies in Orange Crush pop cans and making a great noise.


1979

Park went to the State Basketball Tournament in 1979.

 


1980

In 1980 Mike Olson was the second round draft pick  for the Kansas City Royals (38th overall). He was considered the greatest fastball in the history of Minnesota high school baseball.  He could throw 98 mph.  He went on to play three years of minor league ball.  Mike is now the Head Varsity Coach at Edina High School.

1980 graduate Jim Petersen was a 6′ 10″ center with many accomplishments.  Follow the link for more about this outstanding athlete.

1980 graduate Terry Leinendecker was a first team all-state soccer goalie at Park and went on to become a three-time All-American goalie at St. John’s.  He also played professionally.


 

1982

The Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome opened in 1982.

 


 

1982-1983

1983 graduate Benjy Kent played college soccer at the University of Wisconsin and later professionally.  He is currently (2010) the Head Coach for the SLP girls soccer team.

 


 

1984-1985

1985 graduate David Solseth attended Grandview College in Iowa and was slected in 30th round of the 1989 draft.  He played three years of minor league baseball hitting over .300 in 1989.

 


 

1985-1986

Amy Davidson, a 1986 Park graduate, led her team to the state title and played four years of college ball at Kansas State.


1986-1987

1987 graduate Kathy Blair participated in three state basketball tourneys at Park and attended Indiana University on a basketball scholarship. She was a state qualifier in several track events as well.

The 1987 St. Louis Park HS baseball team won the Lake South conference under coach Dan McEachran.

 


 

1989-1990

The 1990 Girls Basketball team won the State championships!

 


 

1991-1992

1992 graduate Amber Dewall was a star guard on the Park girls basketball team and attended Northwestern University (Big Ten) on a basketball scholarship.

 


 

1993-1994

 

The St. Louis Park Junior American Legion baseball team won the State Championship.  The coaches were Fred Rose and Jerry Udean. Members of the team included Jeron Udean, Steve Rose, John Altemeier, Nathan Bryant, Sam Chauhan, Nick Skogman, Andrew Abruzeezee, and Jason Siegfried.  There is a full roster from the billboard at the field by Peter Hobart.  The State tournament was held at Carlson Field, here in St. Louis Park.  Our winning team went to Bridgeport, Michigan, for the Junior Legion National tournament.

 


 

1994-1995

Erik Rasmussen, class of 1995, was named “Mr. Hockey” for the State of Minnesota.  He went on to play two years at the U of M and nine years in the NHL.

 


 

1997-1998

1998 Park graduate T.J. Bohn became the first Park graduate to ever play in the majors when he appeared in games in 2006 for the Seattle Mariners and 2008 for the Philadelphia Phillies.

1998 graduate Aaron McEachran was all-conference in hockey and baseball at Park. He attended Northern Iowa (D1) on a baseball scholarship and was a 17th round draft pick of the Toronto BLue Jays in 2001. He played three years in the minors with the Jays and three additional years in independent baseball.

 


1998-1999

In 1998 Park went to the Boys’ State Hockey Tournament.

 


 

2000-2001

In 2001 Parkite Aaron McEachran was drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays baseball team.


 

2001-2002

In 2002 Parkite T.J. Bohn was drafted by the Seattle Mariners baseball team.

 


 

2002-2003

In 2003 Park went to the Boys’ State Hockey Tournament.

 


 

2005-2006

St. Louis Park High School left the Classic Lake Conference (CLC) in the fall of 2005. This closed out an association and tradition that began in 1932, when the Lake Conference was organized, and continued with the more recent association with the CLC. The expectation is that Park teams can be more competitive with schools similar in size.

 

 

2006 graduate Andy Sackrison currently plays D1 hockey for Minnesota State-Mankato. Andy was a 5th round pick in the NHL draft in 2006 by the St. Louis Blues.

 


 

2009-2010

In 2009-10 St. Louis Park High School had three All-American hockey players that attended Gustavus Adolphus College. Park became the FIRST high school in the USA, to EVER have more than two players honored in the same year. Quite a feat. David Martinson (2004 graduate) was named a 1st Team All-American and was the Hobey Baker Award winner for being the “Best Division 3 Player in the USA” during 2009-10.  Josh Swartout (2006) and Mitch Carlson (2004) were second-team All-Americans.

 


 

2010-2011

2011 grad and all-state shortstop Derrick Keller passed away at age 18 in June of 2012 due to complications from leukemia. Dakota Field was renamed Keller Field at Dakota Park and a new scoreboard was dedicated in his honor in 2013.


2012-2013

 


2014-2015

In the fall of 2014 St. Louis Park joined the new Metro West Conference, leaving the North Suburban Conference.  Fellow West Metro Schools are Bloomington Jefferson and Kennedy; Eastern Carver County (Chanhassen and Chaska); Richfield; and Robbinsdale Cooper.  “The new conference aims to align mid-size schools that share similar demographics and athletic, arts and activities programming from the Twin Cities west and south metro.  The new conference also reduces average travel time from 22 miles one-way to 12 miles.


 

BOYS’ HEAD HOCKEY COACHES

1946-1968:  Pete Zanna

1968-1972 Larry Langen

1972-1974 Dave Rodda

1974-1980 Chuck Pfannenstein

1980-1983 Keith Schaeffer

1983-1986 Bill Quinn

1986-1990 Rob Little

1990-1997 John Barger

1997-2011 Tim Donahue (1987 Park graduate)

2011 –   Former NHL player Shjon Podein (UMD)


ST. LOUIS PARK ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

One of the originators of this program, Don Schimmel, describes how it came to be:

It was Bill Hammerlund’s idea in the first place, and he was encouraged by the real guru of Twin City High School Athletic Halls of Fame, Don Swanson, both of whom were teammates on the Gustavus football team in the early 1950s. Don was the long-time football coach at Patrick Henry (the football field at Henry was named for him). He was a 1949 graduate of Minneapolis South, and I think he got a HOF going there, as well as at Henry, and Minneapolis Edison, too. And there are probably others–Washburn and Roosevelt come to mind.

In 2003 or 2004 the three of us met with Andy Ewald, the High School Athletic Director, to discuss the idea, and it took off from there. I put together the bylaws, Andy contacted Deb Wold and Phil Frerk, and the five of us got it going. Other original members of the HOF Committee included Linda Gust (coach of the Girls Synchronized Swimming), Monika Schmitz Fraser (Class of 1980), Ben Brown (Class of 1934), and Al Wachutka (Class of 1979).

The 2005 induction event was held on September 29 at the Minneapolis Golf Club with 26 inductees.

The 2007 induction dinner was held on October 4 at the Minneapolis Golf Club with 22 inductees.

The 2009 ceremony was held on September 10 at the Doubletree Hotel with 15 inductees.

The 2011 ceremony was held on September 22 at the Doubletree Hotel with 11 inductees.  Channel 9 news anchor and 1975 Park High grad Jeff Passolt was the master of ceremonies.  A new feature was the Team of Distinction, won by the 1962 boys’ basketball team, which won the State championship that year.

The 2013 event was held on Thursday, September 12 at the Mariott Hotel in St. Louis Park with 10 inductees.  Jeff Passolt was again the master of ceremonies.  The public is invited to attend; reservations should be made no later than September 1st.  The Teams of Distinction were the 1958 Boys State Championship track team and the 1986 Girls Class 2A State Championship basketball team.  A new category was the Oriole Lifetime Achievement Award, given to George Haun (Class of 1950) for his long career for the city Parks Department, and to Carole Banbury Shulman (Class of 1958) for her accomplishments as a figure skater, coach, author, and mentor.  The Class of 1958 was having their reunion that coming weekend, so there was an enthusiastic contingent on hand to congratulate Carole!

The 2015 event was held on Thursday, September 17.  Details to come


The inductees with the year inducted are:

Bruce Ackland – 2007 Class of 1962
Jill Anderson – 2009 Class of 1990
John Anderson – 2007 Class of 1981
Steve Ashley – 2011 Class of 1967
Bert Baston – 2005 Class of 1912
Clifford Bohmbach – 2009 Coach
Dick Bracher – 2007 Class of 1955
Francis Bradley – 2005 Class of 1951
Don Brose – 2009 Class of 1958
Gerry Brouwer – 2013 Class of 1963
Don Brown – 2011 Class of 1954
Sally Callahan – 2005 Coach
Jenny Johnson Carrier – 2011 Class of 2000
Deb Cordner – 2005 Class of 1998
Ron Dachis – 2013 Class of 1967
Amy Davidson – 2005 Class of 1986
Carter DeLaittre, Jr. – 2007 Class of 1970
Alan Druskin – 2009 Class of 1960
Gary Eidson – 2009 Class of 1975
Chuck Engel – 2007 Class of 1970
Bob Fitch – 2005 Class of 1937
Monica Schmitz Fraser – 2007 Class of 1980
Phil Frerk – 2007 Coach
Barb Eide Gardiner – 2011 Class of 1986
Mike Gillham – 2005 Class of 1963
Sally Gannon Goddard – 2011 Class of 1988
Reid Goldestsky – 2009 Class of 1976
Claire Goldstein Swanson – 2013 Class of 1995
Barb Gordon Williams – 2013 Class of 1989
Roy Griak – 2005 Coach
Brian Grover – 2009 Class of 1971
Lyle Hanks – 2007 Coach
John Hanson – 2005 Class of 1946
Larry Hartman – 2007 Class of 1985
Laarry Herrmann – 2011 Class of 1966
Amber DeWall Hickory – 2007 Class of 1994
Lloyd Holm – 2005 Coach
Frank Howard – 2013 Class of 1966
Warren Jeppesen – 2005 Class of 1955
Roger Johnson – 2007 Class of 1969
Jerry Jones – 2007 Class of 1959
Nancy Knauer – 2005 Class of 1986
Sue Kragseth – 2005 Class of 1979
Gerry Krueger – 2005 Coach
Jim Kumpula – 2009 Class of 1959
Joanne Kutzler – 2005 Class of 1969
Rod Lazorik – 2011 Class of 1958
Terry Leiendecker – 2005 Class of 1980
Beth Lindblad Lanham  – 2009 Class of 1984
Jerry Ludvigson – 2007 Class of 1948
Don McKay – 2009 Class of 1946
Elmer “Bud” Malone – 2007 Class of 1940
Karen Jennings McCarron – 2007 Class of 1994
Jim Mattson – 2005 Class of 1949
Kathy Blair Mobley – 2011 Class of 1987
Bruce Mortensen – 2005 Class of 1962
Cindi Aarsvold Nickel – 2009 Class of 1986
Bob Olson – 2011 Class of 1965
Bob Owen – 2007 Class of 19554
John Passolt – 2007 Class of 1978
Arthur Patterson – 2007 Class of 1958
Jim Petersen – 2005 Class of 1980
Rollie “Gus” Peterson – 2011 Class of 1948
Roger Plantikow – 2013 Class of 1957
Erik Rasmussen – 2005 Class of 1995
Bob Reith – 2007 Class of 1958
Bob Roy – 2009 Coach
Augie Schmidt – 2007 Coach
Dick Seaberg – 2005 Class of 1951
Peter Shapiro – 2005 Class of 1975
Bob Stein – 2005 Class of 1965
Bill Terriquez – 2013 Class of 1966
Ellen Hanson Thompson – 2009 Class of 1987
Steve Thompson – 2013 Class of 1967
Marc Trestman – 2013 Class of 1974
Stan Veker – 2009 Class of 1966
Bruce Wachutka – 2007 Class of 1970
Bob Wagner – 2005 Class of 1965
Lefty Wright – 2011 Class of 1953, Coach
Chris Wold – 2013 Class of 1982
Darold “Deb” Wold – 2007 Coach
Pete Zanna – 2009 Coach
Tom Zanna – 2005 Class of 1965
Kim (Babula) Zerr – 2007 Class of 1983