The Mount Vernon Community School District Alumni Association is pleased to announce the following alums have been selected as 2023 Alumni Hall of Fame recipients:
Achievement — Jamil Farshchi (class of 1996)
Fine Arts — Holly Gunn (class of 2004)
Service — Sara Kendall (class of 1978)
Community Impact — Mike Woods (class of 1977)
Athletic — Jeff Meeker (class of 1989)
The Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Homecoming weekend, Friday, Sept 30. Please attend at the Mount Vernon Performing Arts Center at 9 a.m. for the induction ceremony, followed by a public reception in the lobby.
Achievement Hall of Fame recipient Jamil Farshchi (class of 1996)This year’s Achievement Hall of Fame recipient, Jamil Farshchi (class of 1996), might just be considered a superhero in the world of cyber-security. From Mount Vernon to the Ivy League, to advisor to the FBI, to NASA, and to a world leader in his current field of computer security, he both protects and handles projects worth billions of dollars every day. Farshchi was nominated by classmate Ben Pospisil.
Farshchi’s time as a student in Mount Vernon formed the basis for who he is today. He learned to program when he wrote a Frogger video game for his middle school science fair, he learned the value of discipline as a member of Mr. Bellamy’s 1995 state championship football team (and then humility as they fell short in 1996), and he learned the value of mentorship (and patience) because every time he tripped up was always someone there who believed in him and pushed him to improve.
Farshchi’s first job out of college was securing emerging technology at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). He worked on initiatives such as protecting the Mars Rovers, the Shuttle Program and the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST).
From there, Jamil moved into National Security. As Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for the Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL). he rebuilt the United States’ preeminent nuclear weapons institution into a cybersecurity leader.
Farshchi then held a variety of leadership roles protecting some of the largest companies in the world. He protected $7 trillion of annual transactions at Visa. He defended Time Warner during North Korea’s cyber-attacks which compromised Sony. And he rebuilt Home Depot following their cyber breach of 56 million consumers.
Currently, Farshchi is EVP and CISO of Equifax. He joined Equifax in the aftermath of the most consequential data breach in history: The compromise of 148 million consumer records by the People’s Liberation Army of China. During his tenure, he’s led an unprecedented $1.5 billion transformation and has built what is regarded as one of the most advanced cybersecurity capabilities globally.
Farshchi is a strategic advisor for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and he serves on the board of directors for Ultimate Kronos Group (UKG), the National Technology and Security Coalition (NTSC) and the Piedmont Park Conservancy.
Farshchi holds a BBA from University of Oklahoma, PLD from Harvard Business School and a MS from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.
Fine Arts Hall of Fame recipient Holly Gunn (class of 2004)
This year’s Fine Art Hall of Fame recipient is Holly Gunn (class of 2004) She was nominated by the late Kate Rose. Kate’s son Scott Rose ’83 will represent Kate during the Hall of Fame ceremony and events.
In high school, Gunn was an active thespian, musician and artist. After debuting at age 9 as Tiny Tim, she went on to be an all-state choir member, a volunteer for art program for students, and honor thespian at the International Thespian Society.
“I was so fortunate to have three teachers who profoundly influenced my high school career and life,” Gunn said. “Señora Sue Deibner, Sarah Richardson, and Laurie Zaiger all had an enormous impact on not only my school performance but my outlook on life. I am eternally grateful to all of them for inspiring me and making me feel so welcome in their classes.”
After high school, Gunn studied fine arts at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She graduated in 2008 with a BFA in film, video, and new media. Her focus in school was hand-drawn animation.
From there she began working for various media companies before landing at Stereo D in Los Angeles. During her time there she worked as a depth lead and later a Stereoscopic Supervisor, converting movies into stereoscopic 3D. In 2014, she moved with the company up to Toronto, Canada. If you saw movies from 2012-2021, there is a good chance you have seen her work. Her credits include “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Captain Marvel,” “Avengers Endgame,” “Star Wars Episode VII: The Last Jedi,” “Spider Man: No Way Home,” “Black Widow,” “Dolittle,” “Spider Man: Far from Home” and “Godzilla.”
“I am the proudest to be given the opportunity to mentor artists at my workplaces and watch them grow and shine at what they do,” Gunn said. “It is really fulfilling to work on projects with them and grow artistically as a team. We work with so many talented artists.”
In August 2022, she started working as a project coordinator at PlayStation Studios in Agoura Hills, Calif., using her experience in working on feature films to transition to a different career path of production in video games. Her role as a project coordinator focuses on the facilitation of scheduling, management and coordination of creative departments to establish and maintain a project’s progress.
“Mount Vernon is a community which fosters rich diversity in fine arts, academics and athletics,” Gunn said. “I am so proud to call it my hometown.”
Service Hall of Fame recipient Sara Kendall (class of 1978)
Over the years our Service Hall of Fame has included many outstanding members, and Sara Kendall (class of 1978) is no exception. Kendall was nominated by her classmates Ann Koppenhaver, Cynthia Deskin Halbmaier, and Andrew Wolfe.
She was in choir from seventh through 12th grade and in band from third to ninth grade. Her favorite teacher was Bill Meyer in seventh grade English.
“He prepared me for American Literature in College because we learned all the writers and stories they wrote,” Kendall said. “He was also my Driver’s Ed teacher which made it fun learning how to drive. He remained relaxed with his students and made Driver’s Ed enjoyable.”
After graduating, Kendall attended Kirkwood Community College where she graduated with Honors and an associate degree in nursing. Kendall went on to Mount Mercy University where she was involved in both STARS – a student organization for returning students that were pursuing their bachelors’ degree as nontraditional students, and Today Nurses Tomorrow Nursing – an organization for RNs pursuing their bachelors in nursing.
From 1991-1999 she attended the University of Iowa College of Nursing where she was also involved in the Iowa Graduate Nursing Student group. While there, she helped with health fairs for cancer prevention, was involved with the Iowa Nursing Association (INA), and was named fifth District Nurse of the Year in 1994. She graduated with her masters of science in nursing in community health management.
Kendall is currently a registered nurse at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in the Admission and Transfer Center. She takes calls from outside hospitals, clinics, and medical centers from all over the state of Iowa and surrounding states for admissions and transfers from other hospitals to the UIHC. She also takes internal calls within the UIHC from the emergency room, intensive care units to the specialty floors, medical or surgical floors. She is the charge nurse of the Admission and Transfer Center, ATC, a role she shares with another RN every other weekend. She plans to stay in the ATC for 10 years in time to celebrate 50 years of nursing. Kendall also teaches at Kirkwood Community College where she recently celebrated 35 years of teaching classroom and clinical nursing.
Kendall is a 25-year volunteer with the Community Health Free Clinic in Cedar Rapids. She volunteers because she enjoys, “being able to care for patients who cannot afford health care and feeling grateful and appreciative for the volunteers that share their time to care for other people.”
In addition, Kendall has been involved with the American Cancer Society for 35 years providing education in elementary and middle schools in Linn County. This knowledge and level of volunteerism allowed Sara to be a speaker locally, state wide, national and internationally regarding cancer.
“I am not only proud of all my educational accomplishments, working accomplishments and career accomplishments, but proud of the MVHS Class of 1978,” Kendall said. “I came from a very intelligent class where many have excelled in their careers and professions.”
Community Impact Hall of Fame recipient Mike Woods (Class of 1977)
The Woods family is involved all over town with perhaps none more dedicated to his work for Mount Vernon than this year’s Community Impact Hall of Fame recipient Mike Woods (class of 1977).
Nominated by alum Cathy Hufford (class of 1983), she says “Mike’s community service list is exhaustive. “The work that Mike has done as a volunteer is more than paid employees do for larger towns and cities. It is easy to take for granted all the work that Mike puts into honoring veterans and making holidays special.”
Woods has been the American Legion Commander since 2006. He led the drive to raise funds for the new Veterans Memorial in 2014, and he continues to be its primary caretaker. He installs flags on light poles on Main Street in May before Memorial Day. He leads the setting up and taking down of the Avenue of Flags in the cemetery. He secures honor guard participants for all Mount Vernon home football games as well as the away game in Solon and some Cornell games. He secures honor guard participants at veterans’ funerals. He lowers and raises the flag when federal or state officials call for the flag to be at half-staff.
Woods also coordinates and helps select American Legion Scholarship recipients. Prior to 2020, he helped secure Boys State recipients sponsored by the local American Legion post. He collects old American Flags from depository boxes and ensures their proper disposal. He hosts a reception at Hallmark Care Center in Mount Vernon three times a year in recognition of Memorial Day, Veterans Day, and the American Legion birthday. He created a Veteran’s Day video with photographs of all Mount Vernon residents and alumni, alive or deceased, who served in the U.S. Armed Forces.
Woods served 22 years on active duty in the U.S. Army, becoming a member of the “Green Berets,” one of America’s most elite and capable special operations units. Among his deployments, two were to Naples, Italy and the Caribbean Island of Grenada. In Grenada his unit focused on saving the island from the clutches of communism. He participated in combat patrols, but after mission was complete, the battalion shifted into security operations and distributed rations and potable water wherever needed. In Italy, he assisted in the mountainous areas after the Irpinia earthquake. Woods’s military training was paramount as he deployed in small teams to distribute food, water, and shelter for the thousands of displaced and homeless citizens. For their efforts, Woods unit received the Humanitarian Service Medal, awarded to military service members who lend assistance during a natural disaster.
After finishing his military service, he went to college to complete his college degree at the University of Washington and earned his teaching certificate from Saint Martin’s College. Woods then chose to come home to Mount Vernon. He was a substitute teacher in the school district for ten years. He also helped support his wife Joleen Woods in choir and musicals as a “roadie.” Woods is currently a medical support assistant at the Iowa City VA Hospital.
“I have enjoyed a career that has taken me around the world with varied opportunities to volunteer wherever I have found myself,” Woods said. “But retirement from the military gave me the chance to volunteer to a larger extent right back where I started, in my home community of Mount Vernon, where I will continue to volunteer and ‘give back’ for as long as I am able.”
Athletic Hall of Fame recipient Jeff Meeker (Class of 1989)
An outstanding addition to our Athletic Hall of Fame is Mount Vernon resident Jeff Meeker (class of 1989). He was nominated by Diane Zinkula (class of 1973) and Truman Jordan.
A Mount Vernon native, Meeker was a four-sport athlete in high school. Meeker was all-conference in cross country and student council president. His passion for volleyball was sparked by watching Shirley Ryan’s elite volleyball teams in the mid 1980s and by competing in MVHS’s Shaving Cream Classic. When asked about favorite teachers from high school, Meeker said “My dad, Bob Meeker, of course, but we had so many outstanding teachers it is hard to pick just one. I loved learning to write poetry in Ruth Michaud’s classes, performing in musical productions led by Maggie Ellison, and a highlight of high school was traveling to Rocky Mountain National Park with Dick Peters.”
Meeker received a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Knox College and a master’s degree in sport psychology from the University of Iowa in 1995.
In 1993-94, Meeker was a volunteer volleyball assistant at the University of Iowa. He then enjoyed a successful run as head coach at Iowa Wesleyan, compiling a 61-68 record from 1995-98. Meeker revamped a program that won nine matches in his initial season to 20 wins in 1998. From 1999-2002, he was an assistant men’s volleyball coach at St. Ambrose prior to taking over Cornell’s program.
At Cornell, Meeker is a nine-time Conference Coach of the Year, and has compiled a 456-312 collegiate record, highlighted by an unparalleled run of success through 21 seasons at Cornell College. His 400 wins (and growing) on the Hilltop are the most by a Cornell coach in any sport.
Meeker was named Cornell’s Director of Athletics in January 2023, after leading the athletics department in an interim role since July 2022. He oversees all operations within Cornell Athletics, which includes 20 NCAA Division III intercollegiate sports.
Meeker’s Rams have won 10 consecutive Midwest Conference regular-season championships, the first volleyball program in MWC history to win more than three in a row.
In 2018 then Mount Vernon High School students interviewed Meeker along with several players and assistant coaches as a part of the Smithsonian “Museum on Mainstreet” project. During the interview, Cornell volleyball assistant coach Polly Blythe said, “He cares about those girls a lot, and he cares about his program a lot.” Then Cornell College athletic director Keith Hackett commented, “Meeker is an outstanding coach, he does a great job in our community.”
Mount Vernon Alumni hall of fame induction Sept. 30
September 21, 2023