Gregg Palmer, Class of 1980, was nominated by Bernard Marcinkowy, retired Minerva High School teacher. Palmer graduated from Wright State University in 1985. He is currently employed by the Minerva Local School District as a seventh and eighth grade English teacher at Hazen Junior High School and is also the advisor and coach to The Power of the Pen Team. For the past five years, he has coordinated and directed all facets of the high school dramatic productions and musicals. He formed the MHS Dramatics Club in 1989 and has been the advisor to the club since that time.
From 1990 to 1993 Palmer was the Commissioner of the Officials for the Northeastern Buckeye Athletic Conference; from 1991-1992, he taught American Literature History, American Literature Contemporary, Creative Writing, and freshman English at Minerva High School. From 1986-1988 he was the Athletic Director, Yearbook Advisor and taught Advanced Composition and junior and senior English as well as Communications at Malvern High School.
Palmer was named "Teacher of the Year" at Malvern High School. He directed a community theater musical through the North Canton Playhouse for the Very Special Arts this past year. At St. Paul's Lutheran Church, he taught Sunday School from 1976-1980. He also taught Sunday School at the Abiding Christ Lutheran in Fairborn from 1980-1986.
In 1986 he was the coordinator of the Public Awareness Campaign for Ohio Public Images. From 1980-85 he was the sports and business writer for the Minerva Merchant and from 1976-80 he was the sports writer for The Minerva Leader. He is currently pursuing his master's degree through Ashland University.
In his nomination letter, Marcinkowy wrote, "Gregg Palmer is a fine example of determination and courage . . . Gregg is a gentleman, educator, and a person who has served his community, school, and his fellow educators."
William and Beverlee Harsh Palmer of Minerva, both members of the Minerva High School Class of 1958, have been a team since high school. They celebrated their fortieth wedding anniversary on January 30 of this year. They are the parents of three sons, Gregg, Bradley and Kevin who have continued to work in the same mold as their parents.
Bill is the son of Clarence and Betty Palmer. He has two sisters, Judy Bryan and Sharon Palmer, and a brother Ron Palmer.
Beverlee is the daughter of Karl and Marjorie Harsh and has one sister, Sandra Andrews. Karl and Marjorie Harsh owned and operated Harsh Billiards and Lunch until Marjorie's death in 1960. Then Bill and Beverlee took over the operation of the business until they sold it in 1972. They have owned and operated Minerva Bowl since 1975 when they purchased it from Dick and Sue Mount.
Gregg, their oldest son, is a member of the Minerva High School Hall of Fame and was a very special child. Gregg had spina bifida. Beverlee was once asked how they stood the burden of his care. She replied, "Gregg has never been a burden, but a blessing to us." Bradley, Kevin and Gregg all worked with their parents in the Minerva Bowl.
Bill and Bev work for the youth of the community. Trying to keep young people from getting hurt after the prom and giving the young people an alternative to post-prom activities, they, along with other businesses, clubs and individuals, were pleased to provide the students with community-sponsored entertainment.
A member of Rotary Club of Minerva with 32 years of perfect attendance, and a Paul Harris Fellow of Rotary International, Bill has been involved with all the activities of the club. He has served in every capacity from committee chairman to club president and representative of the District Governor. Beverlee as a Rotarian is always a step ahead to make certain all plans run smoothly.
Bill has been active in the Minerva Community Association for many years. He and Beverlee oversaw the Minerva Homecoming, arranged for the rides and entertainment, and for many years the parade.
The new look of the Community Building was the vision of the Palmers, and they have been instrumental in its continued improvement. At the present time, Bill is putting together plans to put new kitchen facilities in the building.
Bill is in charge of the games and prizes for the Minerva Rotary Club’s Christmas party for special children.
The Palmers have kept alive the memories of The Minerva Merchants Football Team by hosting their annual awards.
The Palmers donated the land for Mayor Park at the corner of Line and Main Streets.
William and Beverlee Palmer were nominated to the Hall of Fame by Marilyn Bartley, and seconded by Bernard Marcinkowey. In her nomination Marilyn said that Bill and Beverlee Palmer have the same qualities of caring about the well-being of the town as Dr. Hines, Dr. Weir and Dr. Whiteleather. They work with the students and teach them the qualities of courtesy and the need to work to become better persons as did Hall of Famers Lee Jackson and Bob Gallina.
Bill and Beverlee Palmer are Minerva High School Alumni who work quietly, leading by example and multiplying limited means to achieve extraordinary things.
Nancy I. Klippert Parker, Class of 1955, was nominated by her brothers, Dr. John Klippert, and Frederick Klippert, M.D. Nancy has had an outstanding career as a secondary school teacher of English for thirty-five years, culminating in her selection by the Maryland Council of Teachers of English in 1995 as Maryland's English Teacher of the Year. In his nomination John, included over thirty pages of material extolling Nancy's abilities not only as a teacher, but also a caring human being who gives freely of her time and abilities to her students as well as her favorite charities.
After graduating from Minerva High School, Nancy received a bachelor's degree from Mount Union College. She taught English in schools in Ohio, Florida and Virginia during the next few years. Nancy earned a master’s degree from Marshall University where she met her husband, Kenneth Parker. They were both hired at South Carroll High School in Sykesville, Maryland. Nancy was an English teacher and Kenneth as a football coach and physical education teacher. They taught there from 1966 until their retirements in 1995.
Nancy said that she always adopted a strong approach to teaching, "probably because the English teacher who influenced me was always this way. In high school, Cornelia Whitacre taught me how to write a term paper and, ultimately, how to teach English by demanding the best from my students."
Nancy is a member of the National and Maryland Councils of Teachers of English, Delta Kappa Gamma International Society of Professional Women Educators, and Marks Twain Circle. She is passionate about the writings of Mark Twain and assigned term papers to her expository writing classes on the subject of “Huckleberry Finn" which meant she graded 90 term papers on the subject each year.
Nancy served her community by volunteering for the Leukemia Society, participating in the Walk for Life as a breast cancer survivor, and through Delta Kappa Gamma helped provide scholarships for women majoring in education. She sponsored South Carroll High School cheerleaders for 21 years; volunteered as secretary for the football team, monetarily helped a deaf student through college; arranged for dental care for a needy high school student and helped a student who was paralyzed in an automobile accident through his rehabilitation.
“Nancy Parker is the kind of professional one wishes could be cloned and turned out to fill every vacancy in a school. She loves to teach and conveys her enthusiasm for both her subject and her students in every lesson. Her wit and humor balance a serious determination to draw the best from her students.
Mrs. Parker’s experience, expertise, service to her school and dedication to the principle that all students can succeed have served as inspiration to teachers throughout our school system for nearly three decades,” said Barry D. Gesinger of Carroll County Schools.
Frederick J. Pocock, Class of 1941, was nominated by his niece, Susan Hilverding Scharf. He received a Bachelor of Science degree from Mount Union College in 1950. Previously, he had graduated from Lincoln Aeronautical Institute and studied at Akron University. He did his post-graduate work at Akron University in 1953.
Pocock is an accredited NACE corrosion specialist, consultant and engineer. He has been in the water technology business for 38 years with Babcock and Wilcox Company in the Research and Development Division. He is a member of Who's Who in America.
He was a technical leader in the development of the water conditioning system for sub and supercritical fossil fuel plants and for light water reactor systems. His experiences include water technology research, start-up and operations for the first commercial nuclear ship, the NSS Savannah, as well as the first commercial nuclear plant utilizing once-through steam generation.
Pocock has received numerous awards for his engineering expertise and has held many leadership positions in his field. He has authored and co-authored more than 40 publications concerning the water technology of thermal power systems, both nuclear and fossil fuels. He has consulted on water technology projects in Europe, the Middle East and the Far East.
Currently he is a consultant to several clients in the United States in Water Technology. He and his wife Lois have two children, Kathleen and David. They live in Casselberry, Florida.
Dr. Barbara Powell Reider was nominated by her mother Gaye Powell and her sister Cheryl Campbell.
While in high school, Reider was a four-year member of Symphonic Band. She also served in Marching Band, where she was a majorette for four years. She was a delegate to Girls’ State, and valedictorian of her class. She received her Bachelor of Business Administration Degree from Kent State in 1983, her Master's Degree in 1986 from The Ohio State University, and her Ph.D. from Kent State in 1991.
Reider's business career has taken her to the University of Montana as a professor of accounting and finance and as a former professor of accounting at the University of Alaska at Anchorage. She is a certified public accountant, and is also certified in management accounting, internal auditing, financial management and government financial management.
While at the University of Alaska, she initiated a program to assist Native Alaskans in remote fishing villages with their income tax compliance. Before she developed this program, these native Alaskans were in danger of losing their fishing licenses because of non-compliance with tax regulations, and because of corrupt income tax preparers.
Reider, while at the University of Alaska, was involved with an exchange program with educators in Magadan, Siberia. With the breakup of the Soviet Union, citizens were able, for the first time, to develop businesses of their own. She traveled to Siberia on numerous occasions to teach their educators to instruct the people in running these businesses.
Her career awards include the Most Inspirational Teacher by her students and the John and Kathy Connors Faculty Fellow, both in 2006. From 2002 to 2004 she received the Outstanding Faculty Award and in 1998, the Teacher and Advisor of the Year award.
She has had numerous professional journals published and has been proofreader of numerous college textbooks. Reider has volunteered at the Women's and Children's Abuse Center in Anchorage, has advised numerous student groups, including Beta Alpha Pi (Business Honorary), Christian Student Fellowship, and the Accounting Club. She is also a member of the Scholarship Selection Committee and the Library Advisory Committee at the University of Montana.
Dr. Reider now lives in Missoula, Montana, and is married to outdoor adventurer, Bob Reider.
William J. Powell, Class of 1936, was nominated by Gloria "Dodie" Klee. Throughout his high school career, he excelled in sports. He participated in football, basketball and golf. In 1932 he played on the Minerva High School team that scored 332 points to opponents 0. During his four years of football, he captained the team, played position of fullback, called signals from fullback, excelled in punting, passing and place kicking, and was selected All Tri-County most valuable player two years. Powell captained and coached the golf team and also played basketball.
After high school Powell attended Wilberforce University where he played on the great Wilberforce University Green Wave football team. They were undefeated in 1936. He organized the first golf team at Wilberforce University with his brother Berry. The team was quite successful.
He was employed 23 years at the Timken Roller Bearing Company where his service was interrupted with three years of military service in England. He received a certificate of merit from his commanding general in recognition of outstanding performance of military duty. The citation reads, "Technical Sergeant Powell displayed sound judgment in allotting the limited transportation available. The success in this area of truck movements of personnel and equipment from concentration and marshaling areas for overseas shipment for the continental invasion was in great measure due to his fine efforts.” This award is one of his proudest possessions.
Powell hosts the LPGA Pro-Am for Special Olympics, the Celebrity Tournament to benefit the United Negro College Fund, the Minerva golf team and the East Canton golf team.
After returning from military service in 1946 and while working at the Timken Company, he purchased an old dairy farm in the East Canton area where he designed and built Clearview Golf Course. Clearview is the first public golf course in the United States designed, owned and operated by an Afro-American. In 1992 the National Golf Foundation named the Powell Family the Jack Nicklaus Golf Family of the Year.
He married Marcella Oliver and they have two children, Renee and Larry. Golf World Magazine honored Powell with an article entitled "Plotting His Own Course," April 1993, tracing his love of golf from the age of nine to the present.