Fund-raising letters to FHS alumni also planned
The group working on forming an athletic hall of fame at International Falls High School is now seeking nominations for potential inductees.
Group members agreed Wednesday to pursue having a nomination form placed on the school district’s Web site and also making the form available in the next alumni newsletter.
The form seeks the name of a player, coach/director/advisor, at-large member or team to submit to the hall of fame in care of FHS athletic director Don Rolando.
Rolando, Bronco sports booster and math teacher Timm Ringhofer and a few others began meeting in April in an effort to turn the athletic hall of fame idea into a reality.
Though nominations would begin to be accepted, the group is presently not in a position to induct anyone.
A written proposal the group has looked at calls for setting up a seven-member selection committee to review hall of fame nominations. Under the proposal, a five-sevenths majority vote of the committee would be required to be inducted into the hall of fame.
The proposal also would direct the selection committee to vote on a maximum of six nominees in the first year and a maximum of four in subsequent years. However, at this point no selection committee has been formed.
As for who might be a future athletic hall of fame inductee, the name of someone with local ties who is in the Pro Football Hall of Fame came up at Wednesday’s meeting.
“Bronko Nagurski seems like kind of a no-brainer,” Ringhofer said.
The group is also looking into raising “seed money” to cover initial expenses, such as for covering the costs of plaques for the inductees and providing meals for honorees at an induction banquet.
Sending a fund-raising letter to FHS alumni was suggested by Stuart Nordquist, a group member who coached the Bronco football team for decades.
Nordquist said that approach generated more than $4,000 in the late 1990s when he and the Bronco football booster president sent out a letter to alumni seeking donations for football equipment and supplies.
“To me, I think this is the easiest thing for a fund-raiser,” he said.
Nordquist and Rolando agreed to make the necessary contacts to obtain authorization to send out a fund-raising letter to FHS alumni on behalf of an athletic hall of fame.
Group members also agreed to get prices on the cost of plaques, both the variety that would include a picture and the type that uses etching.a
The group set its next meeting for June 22 at 7:30 p.m. in the FHS library.
