The Lisbon Alumni Association inducted the class of 2023 recipients into the alumni hall of fame at a ceremony Friday, Sept. 29, as part of the homecoming activities at Walmer Field. The class included Gaylord and Nola Owens (service award), Tait Stamp (service award). Dwayne and Lowell Andreas (achievement award). Steve Miller (community impact award), Howard Ciha (community impact award), Royce Alger (athletic award), Jamie Porter Lien (athletic award) and Ben Knake (athletic award). As well, past recipient Joyce Hotz was recognized at the ceremony and will be inducted into the hall of fame with her own plaque.
LHS SERVICE AWARD – 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. Inducting three individuals this year.
Gaylord and Nola OwensGaylord (class of 1941) and Nola Owens (class of 1943) are believed to be the oldest living married Lisbon alumni couple. Gaylord is 100 years old, and Nola is two years younger. They were married as Gaylord was on his way overseas as part of the army of occupation in Germany. Nola spent over 40 years as a secretary at St Lukes Hospital. Gaylord retired after 50 years as a Linotype operator. Volunteering was a common theme for this couple. Nola continued to volunteer at the hospital. Community and school activities kept them young. Nola selected the clothes for both of them for the induction ceremony. They were accompanied by their children, Mellissa, Marilene, and George.
Tait Stamp – Class of 1994 Tait Stamp was known at Lisbon School as the 1993 All-State QB and the 1993 state wrestling champ at 189 lbs. After graduation, Tait accepted a full ride scholarship to the Air Force Academy in Colorado. Following the completion of studies, he spent 20 years flying a KC10 for in-flight refueling. He completed 132 combat missions in Afghanistan. He spent time as an instructor pilot. Tait retired from the Air Force in 2018. He now flies 777’s for American Airlines based out of JFK airport. Routine flights take him to Europe, South America, and the Middle East.
LHS ACHIEVEMENT AWARD – Given to alumni or faculty who have earned recognition for their achievements and contributions in their professional life. Demonstrates a high level of achievement in their field and makes significant contributions in that field.
Dwayne Andreas (class of 1934) and Lowell Andreas (class of 1939)Lowell and Dwayne Andreas — American business icons, leading farm industrialists of the 20th century, and generous philanthropists.
The stories of Dwayne and Lowell follow a similar path, and their achievements and impact on agri-business are too numerous to announce this evening. Here are the highlights of their lives and careers.
Dwayne, born in Minnesota in 1918, and Lowell, born in Lisbon in 1922, were raised in Lisbon. They, along with their four siblings, attended Lisbon Community Schools. Their father Reuben was a farmer, tending livestock and crops on a farm north of town. The family moved to a home on North Jackson Street in 1922 when Reuben purchased the grain elevator in town. Dwayne, Lowell, and their brothers began working at the elevator at an early age and attribute their work ethic, business acumen, and public service mentality to working for their father.
Reuben served on the school board from 1922 until 1939, and was heavily involved in the planning of the 1939 school addition that included a gymnasium — now referred to as the “old gym” — along with several new classrooms.
In 1927 Reuben expanded into the animal feed business, operating Andy’s Feeds with his oldest son Albert. In 1934 Reuben and three of his other sons — Osborne, Glenn, and Dwayne — expanded into corn sugar molasses production under the name Honeymead Products Company. The company was moved to Cedar Rapids in 1936. With the onset of World War II and fearing that his sons would be drafted into the Army, he sold the fixed assets but not the Honeymead name to Cargill.
Dwayne graduated with the class of 1934 and attended Wheaton College for two years before returning to Eastern Iowa to work for Cargill as vice president until 1952, when he served as executive of the Grain Terminal Association.
Lowell graduated with the class of 1939 and began his post-high school education at Wheaton College and transferred to The University of Iowa, where he majored in philosophy. After graduation, he served in the U. S. Army during World War II, after which time he returned to Iowa to work in the family-owned turkey insurance company and turkey feed business, which were not included in the Cargill purchase.
In 1947 Lowell and Dwayne purchased a small soybean plant in Mankato, Minn., renamed it Honeymead Products, and grew the business into the nation’s largest soybean plant of its type before selling in 1960. They sold the plant to Farmer’s Union Grain Terminal Association at a price they could not refuse. But one success led to another with these visionary businessmen — they used the profit from the sale of Honeymead to start the National City Bank of Minneapolis.
In 1968, Dwayne and Lowell were offered the opportunity to invest in and manage the Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM), with Lowell serving as president beginning in 1969 and Dwayne serving as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman beginning in 1970. Lowell retired from ADM after only six years, but remained in a leadership capacity by serving as a board member for the following 25 years. Under their leadership, ADM acquired many smaller agricultural companies and expanded into international markets, growing to become a $22 billion corporation and international leader in the processing of agricultural products, with 274 processing plants and 23,000 workers around the world by 1997.
Dwayne was a friend and advisor to many presidents and politicians. President John F. Kennedy appointed him to the Food for Peace Committee, President Lyndon B. Johnson appointed him to The General Advisory Committee on Foreign Assistance Program, and President Ronald Reagan appointed in as chairman of the President’s International Private Enterprise Task Force. He also served as vice chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.
Dwayne and Lowell often shared their fond memories of growing up in Lisbon, crediting their success in life to working hard on the farm and their education at Lisbon Community Schools. Individually and through the Andreas Foundation, the Andreas family has been generous in their support of the Lisbon community.
Lowell often told the story of the day the Lisbon School called him to ask for money to buy folding chairs. He responded, “Why, that’s ridiculous to call me for folding chairs. You can raise money in Lisbon for that! Call me back when you have something more important.” They called back, asking for a donation for a building addition, which resulted in a $1.3 million gift in 1991 to provide matching funds for the enhancement of the school building erected under the vision and leadership by their father in 1939.
The Andreas Foundation also contributed generously to the capital campaign for the construction of Southeast Linn Community Center in 1987, and continues to actively supports education, hospitals, children and social services and religions organizations across the United States. Lowell passed away in 2009 and Dwayne passed in 2016, but their legacy lives on.
LHS COMMUNITY IMPACT AWARD – Given to alumni who deserve to be recognized for their service contributions to the Lisbon community in any capacity and their service for any reason. Two inductees this year.
Steve Miller (class of 1983)Steve Miller has made volunteer work part of his routine by assisting long-time High School Softball Head Coach Bob Bunting for the past 39 years. While Steve does not remember exactly how their relationship started, Steve has been helping Coach Bunting with the upkeep of the ballpark for the past four decades! Steve does it all, including mowing, weed eating, lining the field, and maintaining the infield that bears Bob Bunting’s name. To recognize all of Steve’s hard work and dedication to the Lisbon Softball Program and to Coach Bunting, the parents of current players and other community members raised funds to rename the diamond to Miller Ball Park at Bunting Field. Coach Bunting lauded Steve’s efforts saying “Once he got out of high school, he started helping me with softball just for something to do. Everything you see at the field, all our fencing, Steve helped me build. We dug the holes, we built everything.”
Howard Ciha (class of 1984)Howard Ciha and his wife of many years, Phyllis, never had children. However, Howard didn’t let that stop him from providing contributions and assistance to the Lisbon Community School District to help all levels of students over the years. Howard honorably served in the United States Army after graduating from Lisbon High School in 1944. Howard was a lifelong farmer who was dedicated to caring for the land and his livestock. In the early 1990’s when the Million Dollar Challenge that the Andreas Foundation had issued to Lisbon Schools was trying to raise funds, Howard stepped up in a big way, pledging a large amount towards the new Computer Lab that was to be next to the High School Library in the newly constructed Andreas Center. In recognition of Howard’s very generous donation, the Computer Lab was named after him. The lab, at that time, included cutting edge technology that helped Lisbon’s students make great strides and achievements and made Lisbon Schools a leader in education in this area. Howard quietly continued to donate funds to Lisbon Schools over his lifetime, helping all students get a top-quality education while enjoying great facilities. Howard’s generosity over several decades helped make Lisbon Schools a destination school of choice.
LHS ATHLETICS AWARD – Given to alumni with exceptional accomplishments in athletics while attending LHS. Statistical records and awards, All-Conference award(s), All-State award(s), and/or State Championships earned. Three inductees this year.
Royce Alger (class of 1983) In high school, Royce was known for his three (3) State wrestling championships. He then won the Junior National Title. He was also successful at football. He still holds the record for the most rushing yards. After graduation, Royce continued his success as an Iowa Hawkeye winning three Big Ten championships, and two National titles. He was twice named The Big Ten Outstanding Wrestler of the year. The honors and achievements did not stop there. He is a two-time World Cup Gold Medalist, the 1990 Silver Medalist, three-time U. S. Open Champion, and a two- time Pan American Gold Medalist.
Jamie Porter Lein
(class of 1994)Jamie was a part of the 1994 Lisbon softball state champion team. She was selected to the All-State team twice. Jamie participated in many different sports and was awarded All-Conference status multiple times. She attended Wartburg College in Waverly, where she was a two-time All-American, three time All-Region, and four time All-Conference. She had a career batting average of .430. Twenty-five years later, she still holds that record. This included a slugging percentage of .723, and she had 163 hits, 24 doubles, 15 triples, 19 home runs and 15 stolen bases. She was inducted into the 2013 Wartburg College Athletic Hall of Fame. Jamie would like to say thank you to the coaches and friends that helped make this possible.
Jamie was accompanied by her husband, Nathan, and two children, Kjell and Anja. They enjoy any outside activity and take a lot of pride in the sheep they raise. She is currently working for the West Central Community School District
Ben Knake (Class of 2012)A newspaper article on March 15th, 2012 stated: Lisbon senior Ben Knake keeps racking up the accolades for his athletic prowess. He was named to the Iowa Newspaper Association 3rd team all-state list for Class 1A. He was on that year’s state qualifying basketball team. Ben’s awards include: Basketball — All-State 2 times All conference MVP 2 times 6 All conference 1st team Led Lisbon to its first and only state basketball tournament appearance.
Football: Selected as the class A All-State Team Captain All-state First team two times QB of state title team All-District First team two times
Track: Member of the state Distance Medley title in 2012 Finished top five in the high jump in 2012.
Baseball: All-State one year All-Conference one year
No nominations were received for Fine Arts Awards for 2023. The Lisbon Alumni Association encourages the public to download a nomination form and submit it for next year’s inductions.
In 2014, three alumni were given The Distinguished Alumni Award. These included Joyce Hotz – class of 1954, Betty Stoneking – class of 1956, and Terry Pasker – class of 1990. These three will have recognition plates added to the composite plaques hung in the school. Here this evening to receive a certificate of that honor is Joyce Hotz – class of 1954. Joyce spent most of her life as a missionary working mostly with translation of the Waffa’s language in New Guinea for one of the tribes. She had to formulate an alphabet for it. Much time and effort went into translating the Bible into their language and teaching them how to read. It was in 1976 that the New Testament was published and dedicated to the Lord’s work among the Waffa people. The Lisbon Alumni Association Hall of Fame is pleased to present this certificate to Joyce Hotz.
Nola Owens is presented the plaque for service award at the Lisbon Alumni Hall of Fame awards.