MARSHALL — The Pride in the Tiger Foundation will induct five individuals into its Hall of Honor during MHS Homecoming activities on Friday, Sept. 12.

Every three years individuals are selected from induction from three separate categories: alumni, community, and former faculty/staff.

This year’s honorees include Drew Kindseth, class of 1970, alumni; Bruce and Vicki Lamprecht, former business services manager and elementary teacher, respectively, faculty/staff; and Harry and Jaen Weilage, community members.

A social and tailgate meal will be held at 5 p.m. on Sept. 12 at Tavern 507, where there will be a short induction ceremony. The five will be introduced at halftime of that evening’s Homecoming game.

This year’s Hall of Honor class:

Drew Kindseth

The 1970 Marshall High School basketball team that made it to the state tournament had a unique understanding of the word “team.”

Embracing that term and playing unselfishly was a major factor in the Tigers making it to state.

It was also why the group, with the leadership of former Marshall High School standout Drew Kindseth, began the 1970 Best Teammate Scholarship 45 years later.

Kindseth is a 1970 alumnus and a three-sport standout. He was a three-year starter on the basketball team and a co-captain of that 1970 team that made it to the state semifinals, where they’d fall to eventual champion Sherburn in what was the last one-class tournament in Minnesota. He still holds the Tigers’ single-game scoring record of 41 points 55 years after that feat in January 1970. He said his best sport was probably football, “But I liked basketball the best.” In football, he was a three-year varsity player, and scored 98 points in nine games his senior year, averaged 8.2 yards per rush and against Luverne, returned two punts for scores just three minutes apart — 52 and 67 yards. He was also a four-year baseball letterman at shortstop. A complete student-athlete, he was a 1969 Boys State representative, graduated third in his class of 236 students, was named 1970 Mr. Minnesota Teen for the state of Minnesota, and was part of the group that started the inaugural Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) huddle group at MHS in 1968-69. In 1970 he was named the first National FCA High School Athlete of the Year.

He was a three-year letter winner at what was then Southwest State University, and was selected as the team’s 1971-72 Most inspirational Player. He was the second-leading free throw shooter in the NIC conference (90 percent) and the team co-captain in 1972-73.

The 1970 Best Teammate Scholarship is named for Clark Wigley, a senior on that 1970 team and Kindseth’s best friend. He passed away unexpectedly in 2015, two days after a knee replacement surgery.

Kindseth, now retired and living in Texas, recalls the 1970 team was devastated. They brainstormed for weeks about the best way to honor Wigley. It was a teammate on that 1970 club that planted the seed that grew into the 1970 Best Teammate Scholarship. “Dave “DeVos was a junior on that team and made the observation that Clark was the ultimate teammate. That started things in motion.”

Kindseth said the scholarship “doesn’t necessarily go to the highest scorer or the leading rebounder or the best all-around player. The recipient may start, or may not. Most importantly, he’s the guy you want as your teammate — a hard worker every day who digs deep when it gets tough; someone who encourages other guys; someone you can always count on, on and off the court; and someone you just like being around. That was Clark.”

The scholarship is very meaningful to the team members and others who have contributed. “It’s validation we have done something worthwhile. It sends a great message, and will live on a long, long time.”

The scholarship recipient is selected by MHS basketball coach Travis Carroll and his staff.

“That 1970 team was known for the love and friendships we had. It was a team-first mentality. The scholarship is representative of that.”

Bruce and Vicki Lamprecht

Bruce and Vicki Lamprecht have seen first-hand the excellent education provided to students in Marshall Public Schools.

The couple moved to Marshall from Fargo in 1979 when Bruce took a job as the food service director at then-Southwest State University. From there he would move on to be general manager of the Best Western Marshall Inn and then was Director of Business Services for Marshall Public Schools from 1993 until his retirement in 2018.

Vicki taught in all three elementary schools in Marshall — Park Side, East Side and West Side. She retired in 2018.

They know the importance of education, and began the Bruce and Vicki Lamprecht Scholarship through the Pride in the Tiger Foundation.

The scholarship is awarded to a senior who wishes to further his or her eduction and who possesses the skills needed to be successful in the fields of Business Management or Elementary Education.

“We had seen that Harry and Jaen Weilage started a scholarship and we both felt it was a good idea, that it would help a student get started. We have also gotten a lot of pleasure in meeting the recipients (at the annual scholarship awards ceremony). It’s outstanding what the Foundation has done and we’re happy to support its mission,” said Bruce.

He joined the Pride in the Tiger Board after his retirement, and serves as its Vice President. That continues a history of involvement in the community. He’s been on the SMSU Foundation Board, been council president at First Lutheran Church, a Hope Harbor board member, Rotary secretary, and Airport Commission secretary, to name but a few. He’s a part-time consultant for Innovative Quality Schools of Minnesota.

Besides her teaching duties, Vicki also held a variety of coaching positions, including SMSU assistant volleyball coach, head gymnastics coach at MHS for 17 years, junior high volleyball and track coach and Community Services gymnastics instructor. She’s also taught Sunday school and led the Children’s music program at First Lutheran.

As you can see, they’re very active in the Marshall community.

Bruce is a Tracy High School graduate and Vicki is from St. Francis, Minn. They met while attending Minnesota State University Moorhead.

“We are happy and fortunate to give back to Marshall public schools,” said Vicki. “The Pride in the Tiger Foundation makes a lot of opportunities available for students.”

They’ve sunk their roots deeply in Marshall and are happy to see many alumni return to the community to continue careers and raise their families. “Marshall felt welcoming to us when we moved here, and it’s a wonderful community, with good people,” said Vicki.

Bruce points to “good leadership — the mayor, city council, the various groups in town are collaborative and work well together, and are forward thinking.”

Bruce said that the Foundation’s efforts are similar to the school district’s when it comes to being good financial stewards. “The district spends its money wisely. The administrative team, the school board, the staff and teachers want to do the best for the students. Likewise, the Foundation spends its money wisely and has an understanding that what we do is all for the students.”

Harry and Jaen Weilage

One of the first things Harry Weilage was charged with when he arrived in town was to design a park out of an area on the edge of town that at that time was 51 acres of corn.

Weilage had accepted the position of director of Parks and Recreation and Community Education in Marshall and arrived in 1980 with his wife, Jaen. They came from Annandale. “(Then-Marshall superintendent) John Feda’s brother-in-law lived in Annandale, that’s where I learned of the opening,” he said.

They have been entrenched in the community ever since, and three years ago started the Harry and Jaen Weilage Family Scholarship through the Pride in the Tiger Foundation.

“Education played an important part in our lives and our parents’ lives, they were big advocates,” said Harry Weilage. “We looked around, and said we love Marshall, and want to give back.”

“Both of our families believed in service to the community,” said Jaen. “Dad had an eighth-grade education and was on the school board for 25 years, and the bank board. He believed you can keep learning all your life and serve the community. Harry’s mom was a speech therapist and she’d have kids with speech impediments come to the farm; he saw at an early age that commitment and service.”

Both mentioned, also, how Marshall Public Schools did such a good job educating their three children: Drew and Laurel Burke, Denver, Colo., and Hope Doom, Marshall. They have three granddaughters, and are looking forward to the birth of a fourth grandchild.

The scholarship is awarded to a student leader who has participated in activities and/or athletics and encompasses Tiger Pride.

Harry and Jaen grew up on farms near Morton, Minn., just two miles from one another. Harry was one year older than Jaen, and their first date was to Homecoming Harry’s junior year.

Both attended St. Cloud State University. Harry had a double major in Education and Recreation, and started on the football team four years. He later received a master’s in Educational Administration. Jaen earned a degree in Recreation Therapy.

That 51 acres on the edge of town turned into what is now Independence Park, perhaps the premier park in a group that includes a dozen parks, each with distinct features. Independence Park has a soft spot in his heart because it was his first, but Memorial Park downtown — the World Trade Center beam park — is right up there.

“They initially wanted to display that beam over by the fire station,” he recalls. “We had a different idea, and a lot of different areas of the community came together to get it done.”

And though the creation of Independence Park was years ago, the discussions about what it should look like and what it should contain spurred community-wide discussions that served as something of a “wish list” and road map for city leaders in the years to come.

Jaen’s career has included various positions serving the elderly in Marshall. Those have included social services and activities positions in assisted living and Lyon County coordinator of ACE of Southwest Minnesota (Advocate, Connect, Education). She continues as a volunteer with the Marshall Area Dementia Network.

Parks and Recreation/Community Education changed its name to Community Services down the line and that gave Harry an opportunity to delve into community development and amenities that make communities welcoming places that Marshall natives want to return to. “Dan Westby (MHS volleyball coach) and his group did a survey a year ago and over 55 of his volleyball players are living in the region now. That says a lot about bringing these young adults back. Marshall is a wonderful place to live and raise a family,” he said.

“The community really welcomed us, and we’re thankful to both the community and the school district and are happy to call Marshall home,” said Jaen.