The Lisbon Alumni Association inducted six members into the 2021 hall of fame ahead of the Homecoming football game Friday, Sept. 17.
Those inducted included Matt Clark for the service award, Katie Curran Hallman for fine arts, Mike Conklin for achievement, Darla Dee Simpson for community impact, and Jamie Siegel and Dean Happel for athletics.
The LHS service award is given to alumni for specific and meritorious service to any not-for-profit organization or military service. Service must be for a non-compensated capacity for non-profit organization nominees or a full-time past or present member of the U.S. Military.
Matt Clark, LHS Class of 1991, is the 2021 inductee.
Colonel Matt Clark is the director of COVID international response operations for the White House COVID Response Team. In the COVID Response team, he was hand selected as the only military officer and is responsible for operations and logistics connected with moving over 610 million FDA, authorized and approved COVID vaccines to over 100 countries. He was selected for his current position after serving a year as Lead Program Manager of the vaccine portfolio in Operation Warp Speed. He advised Army senior leadership on medical research, development, and acquisition across the Army particularly through the initial pandemic response. He was recognized in 2018 as the first medical officer to receive the U.S. Army’s Product Manager of the Year. His other assignments include: research scientist at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; military legislative assistant to the House of Representatives; and as director of the Eisenhower Leader Development Program at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and Columbia University.
In Iraq, on redeployment as the deputy commander, Clark and three others served as subject matter experts in the rapid acquisition and design of the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected ambulance.
Clark is the recipient of the Surgeon General’s “A” proficiency designator, the highest award for professional achievement. He is highly decorated with many awards.
Clark graduated magna cum laude and as a ROTC distinguished military graduate from Coe College in 1995.
In his spare time, Clark is the series coeditor of the Annals of Theoretical Psychology.
The LHS fine arts award is given to alumni with exceptional accomplishments in the fine arts while attending LHS, including receiving conference honors, Superior ratings, All-State recognition(s), major roles in theater productions and concerts.
Katie Curran Hallman, Class of 2004, is the 2021 inductee.
Katie started her close association with the fine arts in her first musical at Lisbon in the sixth grade when she was Tootie in Meet Me in St. Louis. She was in almost every high school musical every year after that, a lot of times as the lead.
Other activities included: singing a solo at the Christmas concerts starting in the fifth grade and singing the national anthem at football games. Katie received multiple individual awards in Speech including double qualifying for All-State honors three time and a few All-State group awards.
Hallman recalls being involved in so many things that at her senior homecoming, she was part of the court, sang the national anthem, was a cheer leader, and directed the marching band at half time.
Hallman continues to be active in the liberal arts area. She has served as managing director at New Orleans most historic non -profit professional playhouse. In New York, she worked as director of concert operations and associate producer for Manhattan Concert Productions (MCP). There, she oversaw the production of concerts and events at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center, Jazz at Lincoln Center, Symphony Center — Orchestra Hall, and other venues across the United States. Hallman notably worked to launch the organization’s prestigious Broadway in Concert series at Lincoln Center. Hallman is currently the executive director of Theatre Cedar Rapids.
The LHS achievement award is given to alumni or faculty who have earned recognition for their achievements and contributions in their professional life. Recipients demonstrate a high level of achievement in their field and makes significant contributions in that field.
Mike Conklin, class of 1962, is the 2021 inductee. Conklin returns to Lisbon tonight following an award-winning 45-year media career.
Everything started in Lisbon as a high school student, where he covered high school sports, school board, and city council meetings for the local newspaper that eventually became the Mount Vernon-Lisbon Sun. His journalism journey included stops at several, small daily newspapers in the Midwest, and a stint as an on-air reporter for KCRG TV & Radio in Cedar Rapids.
Conklin was hired by the Chicago Tribune in 1969, and spent 36 years there as a beat reporter, editor, feature writer and, for 11 of those years, writing daily columns. He covered Chicago and national sports, including the Michael Jordan years, before moving out of sports and into reporting politics, White House events, crime, entertainment and arts and culture.
He left The Tribune in 2005 to teach full-time for six years at DePaul University, where he co-founded that school’s journalism department and taught in China as an exchange professor.
Conklin is a Cornell College alum, having served as the college’s alumni board president and chair of its sesquicentennial celebration in 2003. He received the school’s Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award in 2004.
Currently, Conklin writes books having published three novels—Goal Fever, Transfer U., and Class Dismissed—and recently co-authored a coffee table book, Miracle by The Mountain. He also does relief work on the Mexican Border as well as in East Africa.
The LHS community impact award is given to alumni who should be recognized for their service contributions to the Lisbon community in any capacity and service for any reason.
Darla Dee Simpson, Class of 1979, is the 2021 inductee. If you hear the name Darla Simpson, there are a few things that come to mind. She is short in stature, loves to give hugs, and is very social. Darla graduated from Lisbon High School in 1979 and Cornell College in 1983. Family is very important to her, and she would do anything for those closest to her, which is one of the main reasons she never left Lisbon after graduating.
Simpson coached junior high softball for a few years in Lisbon before welcoming her own children. After having kids, it can be difficult to stay involved, but she always found a way. Her daughter remembers her coaching softball from kindergarten up until high school. At this time, Simpson transitioned to keeping the scorebook for Bob Bunting—the same coach she played for in the 70s. She was a volleyball official for many years as well as a line judge. After her daughter graduated, she transitioned to keeping score and libero tracking for the volleyball team. During basketball games, she did the official score sheet, while also managing to be one of the loudest fans in the gym. Simpson almost never missed a sporting event while her kids were in school.
Simpson has also volunteered chaperoning dances, been a long-time announcer for prom’s Grand March, as well as volunteering at various band and chorus contests. She has taught Sunday school, Bible School, and called bingo for the Legion at Sauerkraut Days in the community.
While her own children were in junior high and high school, Simpson often opened her living room for study sessions. She tutored her children’s friends at no cost—often baking treats for them as well. After her children graduated, she has continued tutoring kids in the community, mostly in mathematics.
One of the things you may notice about Darla, is how genuine she is and how much she truly cares about people in the community. Children that grow up in Lisbon and move away, often greet Simpson with a hug and a smile and are eager to catch her up on everything going on in the life.
Simpson was diagnosed with cancer in 2018 (but is currently in remission). It was very evident at her benefit of the impact she has made on the Lisbon Community. The amount of support was immense and she truly loved seeing everyone that came out to support her.
The LHS athletics award is given to alumni with exceptional accomplishments in athletics while attending LHS, including statistical records and awards, All-Conference award(s), All-State award(s), and/or State Championships earned.
Lisbon has two inductees this year.
Jamie Siegel, Class of 1988, is a 2021 inductee. She came to the Lisbon community at the end of her first grade year. She immediately made friends and just loved Lisbon. She was always a good student and on the honor roll in high school. Every year she participated in basketball, volleyball and softball. In softball she played all five years on the varsity team for Lisbon. She was the first Lisbon female athlete to be selected to the All-State Tournament Team in 1988 at third base. Several years she was also on the All-Conference Team.
Siegel has been back in this community for almost 30 years. She has lent her hand doing the calligraphy on the wall charts for the Lisbon wrestling program for many years and also has filled out the certificates for the yearly honorees of the softball team for her former high school coach. An act she still does.
Siegel has worked for Collins Aerospace (formerly known as Rockwell Collins for more than 20 years. She is raising her two sons in the community she is proud to call home.
Dean Happel, Class of 1984, is a 2021 inductee. Happel is well known to the Lisbon Community as a 4-time state place winner in wrestling. Three of those were championships. But he also holds the Lisbon School pole vault record and qualified for the state track meet in 1983. He was a 1984 High School Wrestling All-American team selection and is a member of the Glen Brand Hall of Fame.
Other activities included: National Honor Society, musicals, plays, band, and choir.
Happel has been coaching either wrestling or track since 1991. Coaching wrestling included many hours with the Kids wrestling club. He is retiring this year from coaching wrestling to allow him to follow other pursuits such as the Lisbon School Board.
Happel has been married to his wife, Dawn, for 30 years. They have nine children and just received their second grandchild last Friday. Happel is the operations manager for Elite Stone Fabrications here in Lisbon.
Six inducted into Lisbon Hall of Fame
September 23, 2021
Margaret Stevens | Staff photo
Lisbon High School’s Alumni Hall of Fame honorees for 2021 are: (from left) Jamie Siegel, Dean Happel, Katie Curren Hallman, Matt Clark, Darla Dee Simpson and Mike Conklin.
Margaret Stevens | Staff photo
Lisbon Hall of Fame All