The Clinton Community School District and the Clinton High School Hall of Honor Committee are proud to announce the 2024 Hall of Honor Class. The inductees are Diane Andrews, KC Busch, Brian Guy, George Nord, and William Thiesen.
Chairperson of the Hall of Honor Committee, Dennis Duerling, stated that “the fifth Hall of Honor class continues to show the depth of Clinton High School Alumni who have gone on to make major differences in their careers which impact those around them. Three of the five this year are recognized by their career accomplishments and impact which reach well beyond the communities they live in. The fourth is a current leader in the science field nationally and the fifth reached the highest levels of military service.”
Dr. Diane (Randall) Andrews (CHS Class of 1972) was nominated in the category of Professional Career Accomplishments. She has retired as an Associate Professor Emerita from the University of Central Florida. Andrews received her BSN from the University of Iowa, her MS from the University of Illinois, and her PhD from the University of Central Florida. She began her career at Rush Presbyterian St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago where her passion for leadership led her to serve roles in both post anesthesia and cardiovascular units. During her 14 year tenure with the University of Central Florida, Andrews served as Director of the Executive DNP program, a program which she founded, and the MSN Leadership and Management program. Her research focused on the work environment of direct care nurses. Andrews had two national appointments in which she served: Secretary of the Association of Leadership Science in Nursing and an onsite reviewer for the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.
KC (Rogis) Busch (CHS Class of 1990) was nominated in the category of Accomplishments in Academic Fields. Dr. Busch is currently an Assistant Professor of STEM Education at North Carolina State University, specializing in science learning, and is affiliated with the Leadership in Public Science interdisciplinary cluster. Her long-term career goal is to explore and advance educational experiences that empower individuals to engage in collective action to improve their lives and communities. After graduating from Clinton High School, Busch earned a BS in ecology from Iowa State University, an MA in science education from the University of Texas, and a PhD in science education from Stanford University. She taught secondary school science for twelve years in Austin, Texas. In addition, Busch has two years of informal environmental education experience in Africa with the Peace Corps, in Nevada with the National Park Service, and in Vermont and Iowa. One of her major initiatives has been the investigation of how to use language to teach about climate change in educational settings, and how that framing affects youths’ perception of the problem and their capacity for creating solutions. Busch is the co-founder of the Climate Change Education Collective.
Brian Guy (CHS Class of 1978) was nominated in the area of Professional Career Accomplishments. After graduating from Clinton High School, Guy entered the field of law enforcement as the youngest officer ever hired by the Clinton Police Department and became the longest serving Chief of Police in the history of the Clinton Police Department. He was instrumental in creating the Clinton Citizen’s Police Academy, which has been in place for over 20 years. Guy was also a driving force in creating a “Standardized Field Training” program for the Clinton Police Department, which is recognized and adopted throughout this part of the country. He served on the Iowa Enforcement Academy Council, the Clinton County Communications Commission, and on the Board for the Mobile Team Training Unit, a multi-agency and multi-state law enforcement training organization.
George Nord (CHS Class of 1953) was nominated in the area of Distinguished Military Service. Nord, a retired Army Command Sergeant Major with 30 years of service, was awarded the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star, The Legion of Merit, and the Silver Star. Nord also earned the Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, and the Combat Infantryman Badge. Nord was awarded the Silver Star on June 17, 1968, for his actions on February 8, 1968: “while serving as Light Weapons Infantry Advisor to the 38th Ranger Battalion, Army of the Republic of Vietnam…When the Rangers encountered intense hostile fire, Sergeant Nord remained at the foremost points of contact to direct and control the supporting fires of the armored personnel carriers and armed helicopters…When one of the vehicles was disabled, Sergeant Nord went forward to within 50 meters of the Viet Cong line and directed air strikes as close as four feet from his position. When Sergeant Nord was informed that the other American advisor was wounded and lying exposed close to the enemy positions, he dashed forward under hostile fire to recover the fallen advisor. He then arranged for medical evacuation of the wounded while continuing to direct Ranger assaults until the area was cleared and the insurgents routed.”
William Theisen (CHS Class of 1963) was nominated in the area of Professional Career Accomplishments. Thiesen is a restaurant entrepreneur who was the founder of Godfather’s Pizza, a popular national pizzeria chain that has locations in over 40 states. He got the idea to start a pizza chain when he was running his own bar called “Wild Willys.” Thiesen noticed many of his customers carried pizza from a restaurant next door into his bar to eat it. He removed the wall separating the two businesses and the birth of Godfather’s Pizza began in 1973. Many locations opened throughout the country and Thiesen had a thriving business. He sold the company to Pillsbury in the mid-1980s. In 1983, Thiesen constructed a 20,125 square foot mansion in Omaha, Nebraska, at the time, the largest in the city. In 1995, he sold the mansion to Terry Watanabe, former owner of Oriental Trading Company. In 2009, Thiesen opened Pitch Pizzeria in Omaha, his first pizza restaurant since he sold Godfather’s.
The mission of the Clinton High School Alumni Hall of Honor is 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 2024 Hall of Honor Class will be in conjunction with the Academic Awards ceremony scheduled for April 26, 2024.