Small town support important to Greyhound Award recipients
The three oldest alumni who attended the Dow City-Arion Alumni Banquet on Saturday are, from left, Martha (Argotsinger) Harper, Dale Argotsinger and Helen (Keairnes) McCoid. Helen is a 1948 graduate who said she has never missed attending a banquet in the 76 years since she graduated. She lives in Vail. Dale also graduated in 1948. He lives in Aurora, Colorado. Martha, Dale’s sister, graduated in 1953. She lives in Lamoni. Photos by Gordon Wolf
The two recipients of this year’s Dow City-Arion Alumni Association Greyhound Awards spoke about the importance of a small town and having people to help support them.
John “Ernie” Kline, a 1979 Dow City-Arion graduate, has exhibited a dedication to the school’s athletics as a student and in his adult life. Among his accomplishments, he recorded stats for basketball and football games for over 40 years, was a high school assistant softball coach for 10 years, and coached junior high sports
Mike Weber graduated from Dunlap in 1985 and has spent his career in education, school administration and coaching. He joined the teaching staff at the Boyer Valley School District in 1993. For 29 years, from 2004 until his retirement in 2022, he was principal for the Boyer Valley School District.
The awards were presented by Marvel Heistand, Class of 1968; Larry Nielsen, Class of 1990; Erin Weber, Class of 2018; and Joe Weber, Class of 2018.
Presented with the award at the banquet on Saturday, Kline cited a line from his favorite John Mellencamp song: “I was born in a small town.”
To that Kline added, “I was raised in small town, and Dow City is it for me.”
He said his mother graduated from Dow City in 1941, as did Kline and his six siblings, and he is thankful that they were all educated in Dow City.
“Three things that I really care about are faith, family and friends and I hold them all very closely,” Kline added. “My passion is athletics and music.”
He said some people may not know about his love for music.
“Coming from a small town you learn early on that you can get involved in all that. And I had the opportunity to be involved in everything,” Kline said.
He was in chorus and plays, played baseball and golf, and helped with all the other athletic events in other capacities.
Addie Wood, a 2021 graduate of Boyer Valley High School, closed out Saturday’s Dow City-Arion Alumni Banquet with a song. Mike Weber, an alumni award recipient, holds the microphone.
Mike Weber, a recipient of the Dow City-Arion Alumni Association Greyhound Award, stands with family after the alumni banquet on Saturday night.
Upon receiving his award, Weber said, “When I think about the Greyhound Award, the word that keeps coming to mind is pride.”
He said that the alumni banquet and the alumni association are as strong as ever.
“Working in this building for 29 years, it always amazes me to see the support that this banquet draws year in and year out,” he added.
He thanked all the people that helped support him and especially thanked the two administrative assistants that worked alongside him – Marvel Heistand and Hollie Nelson. He said Heistand broke him in when he became a principal and was invaluable. Nelson had been an associate at the school for many years and showed that she was an outstanding employee and was willing to go above and beyond for the good of the school.
“The staff is top notch. The evidence is the outstanding alumni that has come through the school system,” said Weber. “There are so many Greyhounds and Bulldogs that have gone on to do great things in this world, and that could not have happened if not for the great staff of the school system.”
Pictured with Greyhound Award recipient Ernie Kline are Roger and Marilyn Rohlf (at left) and Jerry and Judy Kline.
Marvel Heistand (left) and Hollie Nelson worked alongside Mike Weber as administrative assistants during his 29 years as principal.
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