Four new inductees were selected to the Sidney City Schools Hall of Honor this week and will be enshrined on Friday evening April 20, 2018, in the Sidney High School auditorium beginning at 7pm. The public is invited to attend this 25th annual event and the reception that follows in the adjacent gymnasium. The Hall will have 127 members with these additions.
Chairman Rudy Keister (SHS 1981) offered an overview of the selections, "The Hall of Honor committee is quite pleased with the 2018 induction class. From education to bio-science to entrepreneurship, these are four very different people who deserve this recognition. We are anxious for the Sidney schools community to learn about the great contributions these individuals have made in their vocations and home communities. These four emerged from a very strong field of candidates, many of whom could be selected in the future."
All four of the selections are Sidney High School graduates, representing two centuries and four decades. Three plan to be in Sidney for the festivities including interactions with current students on the day of the ceremony. One is deceased, one resides in Michigan, and two have remained in Sidney.
Raeburn (Epler) Barnes (SHS 1892) went on to become a teacher before getting married and leaving education which was mandatory for women at that time. She died in 1964 and her will evidenced her devotion to education as it provided for a student loan fund that bears her name and has now served some 2600 individuals in Sidney and Shelby County.
Mike Herbert (SHS/JVS 1985) learned auto trades at the Joint Vocational School and eventually purchased his own service center that he's taken to an award-winning level. He's also consistently assisted the Sidney City Schools especially the baseball program.
Ardiss (Willman) Luce (SHS 1967) inspired many students in Sidney and elsewhere to become artists and/or teach the subject while also spreading the love of art throughout the student body.
Dr. Richard Rediske (SHS 1970) is a major national and international player in the area of water quality as a professor, researcher, and consultant at Michigan's Grand Valley State University following many years in the water quality industry.
Specific individual biographies of each recipient will be released in the spring as the April 20 induction approaches. "When we tell their full stories, we hope to make our community proud and to inspire current students, consistent with the Hall of Honor Mission Statement. This
group's mixture includes a trio with local impact and one who has excelled elsewhere. The Hall of Honor has always recognized both," Chairman Keister concluded.
