2016 Chamber Hall of Fame honorees announced

A retired Holton/Jackson County Chamber of Commerce adminis­trator who worked tirelessly to or­ganize the Chamber’s events, in­cluding the annual Fourth of July celebrations and the Home and Garden Show.

A former Holton mayor and businessman and his wife, a long­time clothing store owner on Holton’s Town Square, both of whom played a major role in the founding of one of the Chamber’s more popular festivals of recent years.

A pair of dairy farmers who served as “hands-on volunteers” on several Jackson County boards, helping to develop Banner Creek Reservoir, keeping the Fourth of July celebrations going and grow­ing the Jackson County Historical Society.

The founder and current leader of one of the most successful youth dance studios in northeastern Kan­sas, a business which provides young people with the chance to compete against kids from larger cities and stimulates further busi­ness on the Square.

These paragraphs respectively describe Dianna Wilson, Harold and Jan Hodge, Joe and Dorothy Rogers and the leaders of Paula’s School of Dance/Studio 1 Dance Center, all of whom have been named the Chamber’s 2016 induc­tees into its Hall of Fame.

The 11th round of inductees will be honored at the annual Hall of Fame banquet, which Chamber as­sistant director Beth McManigal said will be held Thursday, Feb. 4, 2016, at the EUM Family Life Center.

The banquet will follow the same format as in previous years, McManigal said, with a social hour at 5:30 p.m., a dinner catered by 2013 Hall of Fame inductee Gloria Stavropoulos of Boomers’ Grill and Catering at 6:30 p.m. and the in­duction ceremony at 7 p.m.

Dianna Wilson began working at the Chamber in 1989 as a part-time secretary, but over 17 years, she would turn her role at the Chamber into one of the hardest-working administrative tenures in its history. Wilson’s diligent service to the community in organizing the Chamber’s annual events and wel­coming new businesses to the Square and the community contin­ued until her retirement from the Chamber in 2006.

Harold and Jan Hodge chose Holton as their hometown in the 1970s and quickly became fixtures in the area, starting Jan’s Attic, a shopping destination in Holton, shortly after their arrival. The Hodges were also key in organizing the popular fall event, the French Market, on the Square, and Harold also served as the city’s mayor. After Harold’s death in 2013, a do­nation from Jan made it possible for the city to install a fountain in Elkhorn Lake in his honor.

Individually, Dorothy and the late Joe Rogers have served on sev­eral boards of directors, including the Jackson County Historical So­ciety, the Delaware Watershed and First Christian Church. The Rogers are also being recognized for their contributions to the growth of Holton Community Hospital, the development of Banner Creek Res­ervoir, the continuation of the city’s Fourth of July celebrations and their involvement in youth activi­ties.

Paula Birkbeck Taylor started Paula’s School of Dance in 1984 as a high school senior looking to teach dance to young people out of her family’s garage. The school would eventually move to a space above Denison State Bank, where it continues today as Studio 1 Dance Center under Heather Carlson’s leadership. In the mid-1990s, the dance school’s students won a na­tional championship. The school also puts on a hugely popular re­cital every year.

Inductees for 2016 will join Hall of Fame members honored in pre­vious years, including:

• 2006: John Chiles, Homer Clark (deceased), Bud Geis (de­ceased) and Frank Gil­liland.

• 2007: Jim Birkbeck, Scott Foster, Harold Ireland (deceased) and Vestina Nonken (deceased).

• 2008: Ron Anderson, Tom Davies (Volunteer of the Year), Ross (deceased) and Betty Moser, and Marlin White (deceased).

• 2009: Warren E. Bottenberg (deceased), Robert Brown, Carolyn Koger and the Jackson County Friends of Hospice (Volunteer of the Year).

• 2010: Neva Heiselman, Roger and Cindy Hower, Pat McClintock (deceased) and Dan Mehringer (Volunteer of the Year).

• 2011: Gary Bell, Dr. Joel Hutchins, Anna Wilhelm and Freda Galer (Volunteer of the Year).

• 2012: George Gantz (de­ceased), Francis Jensen (deceased), Judy Ol­son, Janet Zwonitzer and Joannie Dannenberg and Betty Flemming (Volunteers of the Year).

• 2013: J. Richard Lake, Wayne and Gladys (deceased) Ogilvie, Cathleen Reed and Gloria Stavro­poulos.

• 2014: Dr. Carlos Chavez (de­ceased), Roy Hale and Rich and Lynne Mulroy.

• 2015: Bill and Debra Brown, Mike Ford, Jim Potter (deceased) and Brad Stauffer.

Tickets for the February banquet are $30 per person and are cur­rently being sold at the Chamber office, 118 E. Fifth St. in Holton, with ticket sales to be expanded to Holton’s banks in the near future, McManigal said. For more infor­mation, call the Chamber office at 364-3963.