The Clinton Community School District and the Clinton High School Hall of Honor Committee are proud to announce the inaugural 2019 Hall of Honor Class. The first inductees are William D. Conner, Sandra Fullerton Joireman, Kyle Ketelsen, Dr. Fred Luthans, and Krista Voda (Kelley).
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William D. Conner was an 1893 CHS graduate and was a career United States Army officer who became superintendent of the United States Military Academy after originally serving in the Corp of Engineers. While stationed in the Philippines, he participated in the Spanish-American War and was awarded a Silver Star for heroism in combat. From 1909 to 1916, he was with the War Department General Staff, was promoted to colonel from the United States, and in 1917. appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the American Expeditionary Forces. In July 1918, he was promoted to brigadier general and earned a second Silver Star. For his World War I service, Conner was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal, as well as receiving the Order of the Bath from Britain. He also received the Croix de Guerre and was named a Commander of the Legion of Honour from France. Conner retired in 1938, but was recalled to service during World War II, from 1941-42. He passed away on June 16, 1960, and was buried at West Point Cemetery.
Sandra Fullerton Joireman was a graduate of the CHS class of 1986 and is currently the Weinstein Chair of International Studies and Professor of Political Science at the University of Richmond. Joireman has spent the majority of her career working in humanitarian endeavors. She has published four books including Where There is No Government: Enforcing Property Rights in Common Law Africa (New York: Oxford University Press 2011) and Church, State, and Citizen (New York: Oxford University Press 2009). Joireman has written numerous articles on hunger, poverty, property rights, and war in developing countries. She has served on several organizations, including the African Politics Conference Group and the Editorial Board for Human Rights and Human Welfare.
Kyle Ketelsen, a CHS graduate from 1989, is currently an international opera performer. Ketelsen’s love for singing began when he was a member of the A’Capella choir under John DeHaan and extended to when he was studying with Albert Gammon at the University of Iowa. He earned his Master of Music degree from Indiana University under Scott McCoy. In regular demand by the world’s leading opera companies for his vibrant and handsome stage presence and his distinctive voice, Ketelsen has garnered great critical acclaim for his portrayals in major theaters around the world. He has won first prize in several international vocal competitions including the Metropolitan Opera National Council, George London Foundation, Licia Albanese Puccini Foundation, National Opera Association, and the Liederkranz Foundation.
Dr. Fred Luthans, a 1957 CHS graduate, has had a distinguished academic career as a teacher, author, mentor, and leader. Last year, Web of Science, an online scientific citation indexing service, named Dr. Luthans to the “Top 1% Citations” list of researchers around the world in all fields. In an article in Scientometrics, a peer-reviewed academic journal, a new study of citations over the past ten years in all fields of Business and Economics, also recognized Luthans in the top 1% of all business and economic professors in the world. Luthans has published over 50 books and 200 academic articles and currently works at the University of Nebraska.
Krista Voda (Kelley) is a 1992 graduate of CHS. In 2003, after attending the University of Northern Iowa, Voda began her career as a NASCAR broadcaster and co-anchor of Totally NASCAR on Fox Sports Net. She was also co-host on NASCAR Nation when that show aired on Speed Channel. Before moving to FSN, she worked at local television stations in Iowa and Kentucky, including WLEX in Lexington. In addition to NASCAR, she has covered college football (including the Cotton Bowl Classic), the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball Championship, the Kentucky Derby, the World Series, the PGA Championship, and the National Football League. Currently Voda is the pre- and post-race host for NBC Sports’s NASCAR coverage, which includes hosting NASCAR America on NBCSN. One of her first radio jobs was working at KROS.
The mission of the Clinton High School Alumni Hall of Honor has been established to recognize those who attended Clinton High School and have distinguished themselves in their careers, communities and personal lives. These individuals are held up to Clinton students as examples of citizenship and success.
The induction of the 2019 Hall of Honor will be in conjunction with the Academic Awards night scheduled for April 12, 2019.
