EVSC Announces 2014 Hall of Fame Honorees

            The Evansville Vanderburgh School Corporation and EVSC Foundation today announced honorees in the biennially-awarded EVSC Hall of Fame, Class of 2014. The EVSC Hall of Fame honors distinguished individuals who exemplify outstanding achievement in their life’s work and who have made a positive impact on public education in the greater community. It also emphasizes the importance of service to community and inspires EVSC students to seek excellence in their own education and careers.

Honorees were selected following nominations made during September.  Judges were: Superintendent David Smith, EVSC Foundation President Kevin Hammett, Senator Vaneta Becker, the Honorable Randall Shepard, and School Board President Chris Kiefer.

The 2014 Hall of Fame inductees will be honored on March 18, 2014, at a celebration dinner sponsored by EVSC Foundation at 6 p.m., at the Tropicana Conference Center. To order a table for the event or for additional information,  please call Amy Dressel at 812-435-0229.

The 2014 EVSC Hall of Fame honorees are:

Kevin Eastridge

Mr. Eastridge graduated from Harrison High School, received a Bachelor’s Degree from Indiana University, and a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Evansville. He is president of F.C. Tucker Emge Realtors. Mr. Eastridge is past president of the University of Southern Indiana Foundation, the Rehabilitation Center, Vanderburgh County – Indiana University Alumni Association, and Greater Evansville Lenders Association of Realtors.  He is also past Director of the YMCA of Southwestern Indiana, Habitat for Humanity of Evansville, and St. Mary’s Hospital Foundation. Mr. Eastridge is currently President of the Indiana Association of Realtors, and was awarded Realtor of the Year by the Southwest Indiana Association of Realtors. He serves as Director of the National Association of Realtors and Federal Political Coordinator of the National Association of Realtors. Mr. Eastridge successfully led the Harrison High School Campaign to raise $100,000 to name the Charlie Siesky track.

 

Joan Finch

Ms. Joan Finch attended Lincoln High School, Evansville College, Indiana University, and the University of Evansville. She taught Business Education at Harrison High School and Central High School before becoming assistant principal and then principal at Central High School. Ms. Finch was the first female high school principal in the EVSC. She received the Golden Hoosier Award from the State of Indiana, the American Red Cross Award for Service and Dedication and was inducted into the Lincoln High School Hall of Fame. Ms. Finch now serves on the Board of the EVSC Alumni Association and the Evansville Retired Teachers Association. She also serves as chairperson for the Supervisory Committee of the Evansville Teachers Federal Credit Union and is a member of the Evansville area Alpha Kappa Alpha Society, chairing Founders’ Day and Arbor Day activities since 1957. Ms. Finch is a trail blazer for women employed by EVSC and is known as a tireless supporter of the EVSC and the greater Evansville Community.

 

Judge Carl A. Heldt

Judge Carl Heldt graduated from Central High School, earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from Valparaiso University followed by a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law. He was appointed as Vanderburgh Circuit Court Judge and was elected twice without opposition before retiring. Judge Heldt is a strong supporter of EVSC and spent several years raising funds to construct a downtown monument at the site of the old Central High School, built in 1868, the oldest high school west of the Allegheny Mountains. Judge Heldt was a highly successful attorney in private practice prior to accepting his position on the bench and also in public service. He has been a leader in legal circles, receiving the Evansville Bar Association’s James Bethel Gresham Freedom Award, the Governor’s Distinguished Service Medal, Outstanding Judge Award from the Young Lawyers Society, Dorn Perdue Service Awards. Judge Heldt is also a member of the EBA Diversity Committee, and the Law Library Foundation. Judge Heldt has initiated many legal programs to aid the community including the Vanderburgh County Drug and Alcohol Probation Services and Family Law Clinic for Self-Represented Litigants. He also encourages ongoing volunteerism, recognizing most active pro bono attorneys, and making courts more accessible to low income families.

 

Robert L. Koch, II

Mr. Robert Koch graduated Cum Laude from the University of Notre Dame and earned his Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Pittsburg. He is chairman of Koch Enterprises Inc., a billion dollar worldwide business with 3,000 employees. Mr. Koch is also a director of the Koch Foundation and Koch Holdings. He is known for his business acumen and his passion for high quality education. He is president of the highly successful Signature School, the first Charter School in Indiana, and the past chairman of the University of Evansville. He continues to support EVSC as honorary chair of the EVSC Superintendent’s Business Council, the Catholic School System, University of Southern Indiana, and Ivy Tech Community College. Mr. Koch is a registered professional engineer and holds seven U.S. patents. He has achieved numerous business and civic accomplishments including Chairman of the Indiana Chamber of Commerce, the Koch Family Children’s Museum, Catholic Education Foundation, Evansville Celebration of Diversity, Indiana Economic Development Corporation and the Indiana University Medical School Steering Committee. Mr. Koch has also served as a member of the Board of Directors of Fifth Third Bank and Vectren Corporation. He was recognized as the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur for Manufacturing in Indiana. Mr. Koch served as honorary chair of the Ivy Tech Community College’s first capital campaign which raised a record high of $8.8 million. The high success of the campaign helped secure an additional $38.2 million in state funds to expand and renovate the entire Evansville Main Campus .

 

Jimmy Lefler

Mr. Jimmy Lefler graduated from Reitz High school and is the owner of Lefler Collision and Glass. He started with a small family facility and through hard work, perseverance and high quality service, Lefler’s has grown to four nationally recognized repair centers in Evansville and Newburgh. Lefler’s has been named the #1 auto shop in the nation by the Auto Body Repair Network for two years in a row. Mr. Lefler received Evansville’s Chamber of Commerce Norman P. Wagner Business of the Year Award and the Evansville Courier & Press Readers’ Choice Platinum Award for best body shop. Lefler’s has become a multi-million dollar business by providing the highest quality service. Mr. Lefler supports many community causes such as organizing local support for area military families. He is active in the West Side Nut Club and serves on the Board of Directors for Uncharted International, Inc., a non-profit organization working in Myanmar and China assisting people in need of spiritual, medical, educational and economic development.

 

Alan H. Newman

Mr. Alan Newman graduated from Bosse High School and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Marketing from Indiana University. He is currently the senior vice president and regional manager of Hilliard Lyons. Mr. Newman has a passion for public education, serving as president of the University of Southern Indiana School of Business Board of Visitors, Ivy Tech Community College Advisory Board and was a charter member of the Advisory Board of the Institute for Banking and Finance at the University of Evansville. One of Mr. Newman’s greatest accomplishments was serving as co-chair of the Ivy Tech Community College’s first capital campaign which raised a record high of $8.8 million. The high success of the campaign helped secure an additional $38.2 million in state funds to expand and renovate the entire Evansville Main Campus. Mr. Newman is a member of the EVSC Superintendent’s Business Council and is a lead supporter of the Keep Bosse First Capital Campaign. He also serves as president of the Evansville Police Department Foundation.

 

Dr. David L. Rice

Dr. David Rice was the first dean appointed to lead the Evansville campus of Indiana State University in 1967, two years after the opening of the college. In 1971, he was named president of the campus. Under his leadership, he carefully guided the Evansville campus to establishment in 1985 as Indiana’s sixth state university, the University of Southern Indiana, an institution highly regarded for its excellent educational programs and innovative regional outreach projects. During the 27 years he led USI, enrollment grew from 922 students to 7,443 in 1994 when he retired.  Of the University’s more than 35,000 graduates, 71 percent live in Indiana and of that number, 81 percent reside in Southwest Indiana.

 

Dr. Rice has provided leadership to many efforts improving the communities in which he has lived.  He has been recognized by numerous organizations for his extraordinary vision and service to the community. When Southern Indiana businesses needed MBA-credentialed employees, Dr. Rice worked with state officials to ensure that USI was authorized to offer the Master of Business Administration, and he invested in resources to ensure the accreditation of those programs by the AACSB International.  When Historic New Harmony, New Harmony Theatre, and the Lincoln Amphitheatre needed institutional sponsorship to remain viable, he stepped in and merged academic talents with community needs to bridge critical times for those organizations. When former Congressman Lee Hamilton needed a leader for his Southern Indiana Rural Development Project, he tapped Dr. Rice.

 

Beyond the University focus, Dr. Rice’s commitment to the community is unparalleled.  A founder of Leadership Evansville, he also served as its president.  He was president of the Board of Commissioners of the Evansville Housing Authority and chairman of the Governor’s Citizens Advisory Committee for Title Twenty of the Social Services Act.  Dr. Rice has served as general chairman of the Fund Drive of the United Way of Southwestern Indiana, chairman of the Board of WNIN Channel 9 Public Television, explorer chairman of the Buffalo Trace Council Boy Scouts; and president of the Indiana Public Broadcasting Society.  He also served on the Board of the Evansville Museum of Arts, History, and Sciences; the Indiana Business Modernization and Technology Corporation; the Chamber of Commerce of Southwest Indiana; The Villages, Inc.; Youth Resources; and Evansville Coalition of Adult Literacy; and was active in Rotary.  His visionary work on the transportation committee of the Chamber of Commerce resulted in a network of roadways that now smooth the movement of people and goods in the Tri-State area.  In professional circles, he served the Indiana Conference for Higher Education as its president.

 

Dr. Rice has earned many accolades from public service organizations, including the Salvation Army Service to Others Award, West Side Civitan Citizen of the Year, the National Community Leadership Conference Leadership Alumni Award, Rotary Civic Award, Boy Scout Distinguished Citizen Award, and is a Sagamore of the Wabash.  In 2013, Dr. Rice was inducted into the Evansville Regional Business Hall of Fame.  With his wife Betty, he received the Leadership Evansville Lifetime Achievement Award in 2009.  In recognition of his university leadership, both the Faculty Senate and the USI Alumni Council have endowed scholarships in his name.  The University Library is named in his honor and he holds an honorary doctorate from USI.

 

Mr. Jack B. Schriber

Mr. Jack Schriber graduated from Bosse High School and earned a Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Arts from the University of Evansville. He served EVSC for 37 years, both as an English teacher at Central High School and then as supervisor of fine arts until he retired in 2007.  One of the things he may be best known for is serving 26 years as a consultant and producer of the EVSC and PEF Summer Musical and director of Central High School’s theater productions. The summer musical is also a tremendous fundraiser that nets over $50,000 annually back to the schools as grants for various programs that touch a broad range of curriculum areas. He also directed and produced the Reitz Home Murder Mystery for 12 years.  Mr. Schriber has been recognized with the University of Evansville and Evansville Courier & Press Outstanding Educator of the Year Award. Mr. Schriber took his teaching expertise to the next level and worked as adjunct professor at the University of Evansville, where he was awarded the Teacher of the Year award.  He presently serves as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern Indiana for the Department of Communications. Mr. Schriber has received the Mayor’s Art Award and the Sagamore of the Wabash, the top award an Indiana Governor can bestow.  He, along with his wife, Sue, have also earned Leadership Evansville’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and the Rotary Citizen of the Year Award.  Along with his many awards, Jack dedicates countless hours serving on community boards.  He was appointed by the Governor for two consecutive terms to the Indiana Arts Commission and the Public Art Commission and Department of Metropolitan Development by the Mayor.  He also served of the board of directors for the St. Mary’s and Deaconess Foundations, Children’s Theater Productions, Evansville Civic Theatre Productions, USI Foundation Board, Wesselman’s Nature Center and as a former president of the Arts Council of Southwest Indiana. Mr. Schriber’s work has been included in such publications as the Webster’s Guide to Writing, Principles of Speech Communication, and Art Talk.  He is a tireless advocate of the arts at EVSC and in the community.

 

Jon Michael Siau

Mr. Jon Michael Siau attended Harrison High School. He received his Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees from the University of Evansville. In all professions there are those few gifted people with passion, talent, leadership, and compassion that set the standard for the rest of us to follow.  Jon Siau is one of these gifted people. Mr. Siau’s accomplishments are simply too many to list, but to name a few: Most Inspiring Educator by Evansville Living Magazine, American Star of Teaching from the U.S. Department of Education, The Power of Art Award from the Rauschenberg Foundation for outstanding work with students who have disabilities, High School Teacher of the Year from the University of Evansville and the Evansville Courier & Press, All USA Teaching Team by USA Today, , Arts Educator of the Year from the Arts Council of Southwestern Indiana, Volunteer of the Year from Keep Evansville Beautiful, Sportsman Award from Leadership Evansville, Jon Michael Siau Day Proclamation by Mayor Lloyd Winnecke, and the Excellence in Education Award presented by legendary UCLA coach John Wooden.

 

Mr. Siau’s coaching success excelled as much as any other aspect of his career. He coached championship teams in four different sports, had five state champions and four All-Americans, state-ranked top 10 teams in four different sports and state finalist and/or state finalist teams in four different sports.

 

The accolades continue in the world of art. He was awarded a medallion by the State of Indiana as one of the state’s top contemporary artists. He was commissioned as the first artist to create original artwork for the United Sates Olympic Committee’s world-wide publication, THE OLYMPIAN. Mr. Siau has also created art work for celebrities Mickey Mantle, Yogi Berra, Don Mattingly, Harry Caray, Bob Knight, Vince Gill, Bill Cosby, The Jud’s, Garth Brooks, and Steven Tyler. Through all of Jon’s famous artwork, he always stayed true to his alma mater and ‘home’ for 43 years revising the art curriculum for EVSC, designing a previous logo for EVSC and designing artwork for EVSC yearbooks, school newspapers, and numerous clubs and organizations.

 

Mr. Siau’s students participated in Indiana’s premier competition for the Arts, Project eXcel, winning ten first place, three second place, and two third place awards. Over 100 of his students have been honored with U.S. National Awards and one of his students won an Emmy award for his movie The Planeteer. Mr. Siau’s students also won Best of Show awards in Evansville Museum of Art Show four different decades.

 

Mr. Siau is a member of the Board of Directors of the EVSC Foundation and the EVSC Alumni Association. His friends and former students honored him by naming the Jon Michael Siau Art Gallery at North High School. Margaret Spelling, former U. S. Secretary of Education, said it best “Teachers like Jon Siau never give up on a child. They believe every child, regardless of race, income, or zip code can achieve high standards in school.”

 

Philip H. Siegel

Mr. Philip Siegel graduated from Bosse High School and earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from Indiana University and a Juris Doctorate from Indiana University School of Law. Mr. Siegel is a sole practitioner focusing on Real Estate and Probate Law. He has been an assistant city attorney in Evansville, was the first attorney for the Evansville Vanderburgh Area Planning Commission and has served as president of the Evansville Public Safety Board. Mr. Siegel has been an adjunct professor at the University of Evansville since 1978. He is currently president of the Temple Adath B’nai Israel Temple and President of the Evansville Jewish Council. Mr. Siegel served his country as a captain in the United States Army. He received the Distinguished Service Award from the IU Alumni Club of Greater Evansville and was awarded the Attorney General’s Cup for the March Against Hunger Food Drive. Mr. Siegel was chairman of the Judicial Evaluation Committee and acted as judge pro tem in Drug Court. He served as president of the Evansville Bar Association and secretary of the Indiana Bar Association. Mr. Siegel leads Jewish services at the Temple every Tuesday morning. In his generous nature, he created the B’nai B’rith Teddy Bear Project which gives Teddy Bears to hospitals and homeless children and established Operation Little Red Wagon which donated wagons to hospitals for young patients while involved with the Evansville Jaycees. He was honored with the Susan K. Helfrich for Excellence in Pro Bono Services award. He currently serves as a Division Chair of the Keep Bosse First Capital Campaign to build a new multi-purpose complex at Bosse High School.

 

Linda E. White

Ms. Linda White graduated from Indiana State University where she received a nursing degree from the Deaconess School of Nursing and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She received her Master’s Degree in Business Administration from the University of Evansville. Ms. White is presently the president and chief executive officer of Deaconess Health System. Under her leadership, Deaconess Health System has experienced exponential growth. Through her vision and courage, Deaconess has implemented innovative programs and technologies that not only help patients, but are also studied through the county as “best practices.” Ms. White has made a strong impact on education. She supported the establishment of the Deaconess Children’s Enrichment Center which provides enhanced services that go beyond simple daycare by providing young children with an excellent year-round educational program, preparing them for the transition into primary school. Ms. White is also the leader of Deaconess Community Benefit Committee, which has contributed thousands of dollars to fund programs that help fight childhood obesity and enhance health care services at many local elementary and middle schools. She also helped establish the Health Science Institute which allows students to experience first-hand the wonders of medicine and medical research through seminars, clinical experiences and demonstrations, and interaction with leading health care professionals. Ms. White is an original member of the EVSC Superintendent’s Business Council and was inducted into the Evansville Regional Business Hall of Fame. She was the Athena Award recipient in 2001 and received the Distinguished Citizen Award from the Buffalo Trace Council. Ms. White believes in enhancing the local quality of life and is a participating member of Leadership Evansville, Operation City Beautiful, Ark Crisis Nursery, Junior League of Evansville, Boys and Girls Club of Evansville, YWCA, United Way of Southwestern Indiana, Southwest Indiana Chamber of Commerce, American Health Association and YMCA of Southwestern Indiana. Ms. White also serves on the Old National Bank Corp., University of Evansville, and Signature School Boards.

 

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke

Mayor Lloyd Winnecke graduated from Central High School and received a Bachelor of Science degree in Communications from the University of Evansville. He was elected mayor of Evansville in 2011. Prior to becoming Mayor, Mr. Winnecke was senior vice president and marketing director for Fifth Third Bank. Before joining the bank, he spent nearly two decades in the television news industry working in several markets, including Louisville and Indianapolis. He was news director at WEHT-TV News 25 in Henderson, Ky., before making the move to Fifth Third.

 

In the public sector, he was elected to the Vanderburgh County Commission in 2008 and served as president of the County Commissioners. Prior to that, he served nine years on the Vanderburgh County Council, including three years as County Council president and one year as finance chairman.

 

Mayor Winnecke and his wife, Carol McClintock, are members of St. Mary’s Catholic Church and are active members of the community. In 2014, the Downtown Evansville Rotary Club designated Lloyd and Carol as Paul Harris Fellows in recognition of their shared purpose with the Rotary to build world understanding and peace. The couple also was honored in 2012 with the Keep Evansville Beautiful Volunteer of the Year Award for launching the monthly litter pick-up initiative “Clean Evansville,” and inspiring other to help keep Evansville Beautiful. Last year, the Indiana Association of City and Towns recognized the City of Evansville with the 2013 IACT Community Achievement Award and the 2013 IACT Green Community of the Year Award for promoting civic pride, work ethic, and the spirit of volunteerism through various city activities, in particular Clean Evansville.

 

Also In 2013, Mayor Winnecke was named an honorary member of the West Side Nut Club for his enthusiastic support of the community and the City’s West Side.

 

The mayor has served on the Boards of Evansville Civic Theatre, Gilda’s Club of Evansville, the American Red Cross, the Evansville African American Museum and the University of Evansville Purple Aces Club. He also serves on the executive committee of the Economic Development Coalition of Southwest Indiana and the ITAC (city-county information technology committee). He is a past board member and current volunteer for the Easter Seals Rehabilitation Center, and a past cabinet member for the local United Way campaign. Other organizational involvements include the Evansville Parks Foundation, Wesselman Nature Center, the University of Evansville Theatre Society, Reitz Home Museum, University of Southern Indiana Arts and Humanities, and Junior Achievement. Mayor Winnecke is also a member of the EVSC Superintendent’s Business Council.

 

This group joins a community of Hall of Fame members including 12 members of the inaugural Class of 2010: Brent Beeler, Chuck Bundrant, Gayle Cook, Lee Hamilton, Don Korb, William Mays, James McCarty Sr., Mattie Miller, William Ridgway, Randall Shepard, John H. Schroeder, and Matt Williams; and 12 members of the Class of 2012 included: Dr. Joey Barnett, Sen. Vaneta Becker, Bill Bussing, Karen and Niel Ellerbrook, Alan Graf, Jr., Bettye Lou Jerrel, Bob Jones, Ira Neal, Dr. Rodney Perkins, Ron Romain, Steven Slater, and Pat Shoulders.