(Oakland) The Riverside Hall of Fame Class of 2022 has been announced.
Riverside School Superintendent Tim Mitchell said the purpose of the Riverside Community School District Hall of Fame is to honor graduates, employees, teams, individuals and friends of the Riverside Community School District for their accomplishments at and/or to the service of the Riverside Community School District.
Applications are received each year and the selection is made by the Riverside Board of Education.
An Induction Ceremony will be held Thursday, September 29 at 2:30 p.m. in the gym at the Middle/High School in Oakland. A parade will be held Friday, September 30 at 2:00 p.m. Inductees can choose to ride in a vehicle in the line-up. This year the parade is in Oakland. A Hall of Fame Reception will be held Friday, September 30 from 3:00 to 6:15 p.m. at the Oakland Country Club hosted by 2018 Hall of Famer Clark Christensen. Inductees will be introduced in front of the grandstands during the football game on Friday, September 30 at 6:30 p.m. All inductees’ family and friends are admitted free to the game.
The Riverside Hall of Fame Class of 2022 inductees include:
Kenneth Finnegan – Employee – Oakland Elementary Principal 1974-1994
Kenneth Finnegan served as the Oakland Elementary Principal from 1974 until 1994. He was born in Ayrshire, Iowa, to George and Ruth (Myers) Finnegan and was the 7th of 16 children. He graduated from Ruthven High School in 1956. Ken received his Bachelor’s Degree from Buena Vista College in 1961 and his MSE from Drake University in 1968. He married Nancy Edwards in 1961, and their union was blessed with nine children. Ken taught and coached in Pocahontas (1961-1965) and Havelock-Plover (1966-1974). Ken and his wife moved to Oakland where he then served as Elementary Principal for twenty years until his retirement in 1994. Ken put everything he had into his principal duties. According to Joan Turner, elementary school secretary, Mr. Finnegan was, “A man that loved [the school children] and cared for them from morning until night. Kenneth Finnegan was always ready to greet them with a happy good morning as they got off the school bus… He had a genuine love and concern for every child that passed through our doors.” Ken’s son, Pat, reflects that his dad didn’t consider his work as a “job” so much as his calling in life. He felt every child’s pain, and he felt pride in every child’s success. Ken had 9 kids at home but considered every kid that went through Oakland Elementary as one of his own. After his passing in 2013, an outpouring of testimonials and memorials was received. The Finnegan Family Foundation was established from these funds and continues from the benefit of an annual golf tournament and other fundraising activities. The foundation supports educational efforts and those in need in Southwest Iowa communities and schools. To date, more than $49,000 in college scholarships to seniors and in assistance to area teachers and schools has been donated.
Gary Funkhouser – Employee – Oakland Band Director (1967-1978) , Superintendent (1978-1980) in Flemme and Superintendent Carson-Macedonia, Oakland and Whiting (1980-1993)
Gary Funkhouser served as the Oakland Band Director from 1967 until 1978. He then served as Superintendent at various schools such as Klemme (1978-1980), Carson-Macedonia, Oakland and Whiting (1980-1993). Gary holds a Bachelor’s degree in Music Education from Northwest Missouri State University (1958), a Masters’ Degree in Music from the University of Northern Colorado (1960), a Masters’ Degree in School Administration from University of Northern Colorado (1964) and a Education Specialist Degree from the University of Nebraska Omaha (1978). Gary dedicated twenty-five years of his career serving Carson, Macedonia and Oakland communities. In 1978, in what might be considered foreshadowing the future of Riverside, He and his counterpart at Carson-Macedonia organized a joint music concert. He campaigned tirelessly for school facility upgrades and his bands grew to nearly 100 members and collected numerous local, regional and state honors. In 1980 he became Superintendent and Elementary Principal of Carson-Macedonia. All three of his children are Carson-Macedonia graduates. Then in 1988 he served as Superintendent for both districts advocating for the district to come closer together. Gary has been a member of numerous local, state and national organizations. He has had articles published by the National Association of Secondary School Principals.
David Fahrenkrug-Distinguished Graduate-Carson-Macedonia 1978
David is a distinguished graduate of Carson-Macedonia High School, class of 1978. He grew up on a farm outside of Carson. He learned a great work ethic and self-discipline from his parents, Don and Marcella Fahrenkrug. In high school he was active in football, basketball, track, band, choir, musicals and other school groups. After graduation, he worked for a farmer and then at Farm Service CO-OP in Oakland. Computers were just coming into use at that time and he developed a strong interest. He received his computer education at Iowa Western Community College by taking night classes. He went on to receive an Associates Degree from the Institute of Computer Science in Omaha. Then a Bachelor of Science Degree from Concordia University in Chicago and then a MBA in Technical Management at the University of Phoenix. David has 30 years of experience in IT which include working for both small to medium businesses and Fortune 500 companies. David is owner and partner of Focal Point Solutions Group which is a Managed Services, Cloud Hosting, and Disaster Recovery organization. David and his wife, Dianna have two daughters, two sons and several grandchildren. They currently live in Scottsdale, AZ.
Steven Pierce – Distinguished Graduate- Oakland 1965, Former Oakland School Board Member and Oakland/Riverside Sports Announcers “Voice of Bulldogs”
Steven Pierce was born in 1947 in Council Bluffs to Ralph Richard and Junellyn (Scheffler) Pierce. He passed away on January 27, 2022 at the age of 74. He grew up on the family farm in Oakland. He attended country school for several years and then graduated from Oakland High School. He played football, wrestling and track and was even convinced to sing in the choir. He attended the University of South Dakota and played football there for one year. He also attended C.E. School of Commerce in Omaha and met his wife Margaret (Marge) Ekstein. They were married in 1968. He farmed with his father and then on his own for over 50 years west of Oakland. He was very involved in volunteering and many community organizations. He served on the Oakland School Board and served as President. His favorite activity was announcing high school football and basketball games. He was honored in 2016 as the Oakland High School Alumni of the year and in 2018 Steven and his wife were inducted into the Iowa 4-H Hall of Fame.
1992 Oakland Yellowjacket Football Team-District 15 Champs-Record 9-1:
The 1992 Oakland Yellowjackets Football team ended the season undefeated, District 15 Champions, rated 6th in the state in Class A and qualified for the playoffs.. During nine regular season games they scored 306 points while the defense held all opponents to just 6 points. One of the highlighted matchups during the year was with top rated Logan Magnolia. The game was tied at halftime (0-0) but Logan scored in the early third quarter. The Yellowjackets went to work and scored three minutes later to go up 7-6. They went on to prevail in the game 14-6.They ended the season as the number one rated defense in Southwest Iowa, all classes. They were the first and only Oakland football team to make the playoffs. The season ended with a playoff loss to the top rated team in the state, Madrid, 36-22.They were the last Oakland football team before the district consolidated and became Riverside. They might not have been the most talented team of all time but they for sure were the toughest.
Coach Marv Thompson & Assistant Coach Tom Grobe.
Team members: Daniel Klindt, Jeremy Perkins, Mark Kindred, Jacob Gardner, Jake Havick, Steve Swope, Chad Clark, Tom Schuler, Derek Pierce, Henry Chase, Shane Kinnison, Todd Bentley, Andy Matejka, John Coffelt, T. J. Weisbeck, Coery Hackett, Kyle Kenkel, Jami Scofield, Troy Linnenbu rger, Brian Boland, Chad Weirich, Jason Carley, Clint Wall, Troy Kinnison, Chris Pendgraft, Andy Messerschmidt, Shane Konfrst, Jermie Henderson, Kenny Moore, Dana Martens, Perry Beedle, Mark Jeppesen
1986 Oakland Yellowjacket Boys Basketball Team-3rd in State, WIC Tournament Champions, WIC Conference Runner-up and Regular Season Record 19-1 & Total Record 25-2
The 1986 Oakland Yellowjacket Basketball Team ended their season 3rd place in the State, Western Iowa Conference Champions, Western Iowa Conference Season Runner-up and a regular season record of 19-1 and a total record of 25-2. They opened the season with a 13 game winning streak before suffering their first loss. That was to Tri-Center 67-66 after beating them earlier in the year 61-60. Injuries became a problem as they entered tournament play, but the team still came out on top to become district champions. They earned a berth in the state tournament for the second year in a row with an exciting last second play that allowed them to beat Sidney 43-42. At the state tournament they beat Charter Oak (61-45) before losing to Palmer (61-72) and then prevailed in the 3rd place game beating Lynnville-Sully (69-51).Jeff McCowen was named to the All State Tournament Team and was 2nd in scoring and 3rd in rebounding. Many other Yellowkacets received All Conference and joined the 1000-point club.
Coaches Larry Miller and Daryl Nelson
Team members: Rusty Cooper, Craig Wall, Matt Finnegan, Bobby McJunkin, Shane Thompson, Tom Koch, John Taylor, Brad Grosvenor, Troy Rehfeldt, Jon Finnegan, Justin Busby, Craig Zimmerman, Jeff Bowes, Mike D’Angelo, Corey Bane, Robb Carley, Jeff Carley, Steve Keast, Tab Zuch, Jeff McCowen, Mickey Stogdill, Trevor Renfeldt, Shawn Shanno, Tray Thompsen, Craig Christensen and Pat Finnegan
Next week (September 26-October 1) is Homecoming week at Riverside and a number of All School Reunion activities will also be taking place. You can find more information here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1OtvQM9Hg6yUS14-Gh1N7cJWnQdZ0S8JG75ecTjiVV3E/edit
