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plaques on paneled wall
Plaques honoring Plymouth High School Alumni Hall of Fame inductees hang in the auditorium lobby.

PHS seeks Alumni Hall of Fame nominees

Posted February 10, 2025

The Plymouth High School Student Council is accepting nominations for the PHS Alumni Hall of Fame, which honors graduates with exceptional achievements.

This is the 15th year for the recognition, which debuted in 2010. Retired PHS social studies teacher Dan Lamb, who was Student Council advisor at the time, came up with the idea after seeing a similar Wall of Honor at Cambridge University in England.

The first four PHS inductees were announced at graduation in June 2010. That summer, the curved wall in the PHS auditorium lobby was converted into a suitable place to hang plaques, the first of which were added after an induction ceremony at Homecoming 2010.

Including that inaugural class of four, 37 PHS graduates have been inducted into the PHS Alumni Hall of Fame. They come from all walks of life and represent classes from 1940 through 2004 (with four from the Class of 1969 and three each from the Classes of 1960 and 1973). You can read bios on all 37 of these amazing Panthers on our Alumni Hall of Fame webpage.

This year’s Alumni Hall of Fame nomination form is due Friday May 2 to the PHS Office (enter Door 1G or mail to Plymouth High School, 125 S. Highland Ave., Plymouth WI 53073).

Nominees must have graduated from Plymouth High School at least 10 years ago, and should be people who have made a difference, achieved a high level of success, exhibited leadership qualities, and/or served their community.

The Student Council Hall of Fame Committee selects inductees, who are announced each year during PHS Commencement Exercises in June and formally inducted during PHS Homecoming in the fall. Candidates not selected during their initial nomination will be reconsidered for the following three years.

Learn more:
• View or download the Alumni Hall of Fame nomination form.
• Read bios of past inductees to the PHS Alumni Hall of Fame.
• Explore the Post-Graduate Success section of our interactive, award-winning District Report Card to learn more about how Plymouth grads are making an impact all over the world.

Alumni Hall of Fame members

  • Gilbert G. Gilman, Class of 1940, banker, inducted in 2015
  • Dar Blanke, Class of 1941, bank president and civic leader, inducted in 2016
  • Carol Edler Baumann, Class of 1950, political science professor, inducted in 2010
  • Timm A Zimmermann, Class of 1953, nuclear medicine pioneer, inducted in 2010
  • Luther Schriefer, Class of 1955, U.S. Navy Admiral, inducted in 2014
  • Dr. Kazuhiko Maekawa, Class of 1958, the first foreign exchange student at PHS, inducted in 2010
  • Dr. Philip M. Krueger, Class of 1958, ob/gyn and U.S. Forest Service Heritage Hero, inducted in 2011
  • David G. Wacker, Class of 1958, teacher and renowned photographer, inducted in 2014
  • Ed Brinkman, Class of 1959, PHS teacher and coach, inducted in 2021
  • Barbara (Koehler) Lavallee, Class of 1960, artist and book illustrator, inducted in 2011
  • Wayne Huberty, Class of 1960, certified public accountant, inducted in 2012
  • Nancy Blick Jusky, Class of 1960, community activist, inducted in 2013
  • Sister Kathryn Schilling, Class of 1961, who ministers to the poor in Nicaragua, inducted in 2011
  • Ralph C. Stayer, Class of 1961, head of Johnsonville Foods, inducted in 2018
  • Ron Nicolaus, Class of 1963, longtime Plymouth fire chief, inducted in 2023
  • Stan Struve, Class of 1964, youth coach and advocate for those with special needs, inducted in 2019
  • Lou Gentine, Class of 1966, owner of Sargento Foods, inducted in 2012
  • Thomas Kestell, Class of 1966, dairy farmer, inducted in 2016
  • Allen Nohl, Class of 1968, advocate for veterans, inducted in 2018
  • Keith Abler, Class of 1969, musician and civic leader, inducted in 2022
  • Tony Evers, Class of 1969, then-State Superintendent of Public Instruction and later Governor of Wisconsin, inducted in 2011
  • Scott Richards, Class of 1969, teacher and coach, inducted in 2022
  • Chuck Schumacher, Class of 1969, activist in Southeast Asia, inducted in 2020
  • Roger Boeckmann, Class of 1971, automotive technician, inducted in 2015
  • Gerald Krebsbach, Class of 1972, founder of KW Electric, inducted in 2024
  • James Hemauer, Class of 1973, advocate for those with disabilities, inducted in 2013
  • Gary Gritt, Class of 1973, co-founder of High Tech Tool and Die, inducted in 2017
  • Joan Vorpagel, Class of 1973, Parkview Elementary School secretary, inducted in 2014
  • Dr. Sharon (Blanke) Chappy, Class of 1975, nursing educator, inducted in 2015
  • Bill Miller, Class of 1980, outdoors writer and expert, inducted in 2013
  • Gina Krueger-Grapentine, Class of 1984, teacher and coach, inducted in 2023
  • Laura Schwartz, Class of 1991, speaker and author, inducted in 2012
  • Dr. Joel Dudley, Class of 1995, professor of genetics and genomic sciences, inducted in 2017
  • Lisa (Peplinski) Jaster, Class of 1996, third woman to graduate from the Army Ranger Program, inducted in 2016
  • Beau Hoopman, Class of 1999, member of the 2004 and 2008 Olympic rowing teams, inducted in 2017
  • David Peters, Class of 2001, champion of those struggling with addiction and mental-health issues, inducted in 2021
  • April Doebert-Fischer, Class of 2004, occupational therapy professor and advocate for at-risk children, inducted in 2019