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Alumni Association recognizes Iowa Valley grads, supporters
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
MARENGO — The Iowa Valley Alumni Association presented Distinguished Alumni and Outstanding Service Awards during homecoming weekend.
Founded in 2022, the Association presented its first awards last year to Charles R. “Bob“ Dillin and Rick Wanamaker. This year, three alumni accepted Distinguished Alumni Awards and four staff and community members received Outstanding Service Awards.
James E. Freeze
Janet Behrens, Iowa Valley junior and senior high school principal, introduced Distinguished Alumnus Major General James E. Freeze who, according to Behrens, reflects the values of Iowa Valley.
Freeze’s high school yearbook his senior year described him as dashing, dapper and dandy, said Behrens. His classmates remembered him as a good dancer.
Freeze was homecoming king and participated in athletics, music and drama. He graduated from Marengo High School in 1949.
One week after graduation, Freeze enlisted in the Army as the Korean conflict intensified, said Behrens.
Freeze attended the officer corps program at the University of Maryland and spent the next 30 years rising from the rank of private to the rank of major general.
Freeze served in key leadership roles in Army intelligence, said Behrens. He retired in 1981 with the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Bronze Star Medal, the Defense Meritorious Service Medal, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air Medal, and the Army Commendation Medal.
Freeze was inducted into the Military Intelligence Hall of Fame in 1988.
Freeze has always been a man of character, said Behrens. He was married to his high school sweetheart, Dorothy Tompkins, for 64 years. They have two children.
Freeze proves that greatness can come from humble beginnings, said Behrens.
Unable to attend the ceremony, Freeze sent a message to Behrens. “I find it a joy to reminisce about these times,” said Freeze. “[I was] fortunate to be born and raised in Marengo.”
Randy Tompkins, Freeze’s nephew, accepted the award for Freeze.
Jim Lindenmayer
A multisport athlete, Jim Lindenmayer pursued higher education with passion and a purpose, said Gage Kensler, president of the Alumni Association, in his introduction of the 1969 graduate.
Lindenmayer earned a doctorate from the University of Iowa and found employment as the continuing education coordinator with Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa in 1980.
Lindenmayer became vice president of IHCC in 1984 and, in 2001, became the community college’s third president.
During Lindenmayer’s tenure, enrollment increase 35% even as the population declined, said Kensler.
Lindenmayer secured funding for Ottumwa Job Corp center after eight years of political maneuvering. He retired from IHCC in 2013 and was appointed to the Board of Regents in 2018.
“I’ve always felt so fortunate to be from Marengo,” said Lindenmayer in accepting his award.
Lindenmayer remembered being a 14-year-old freshman starting his first high school football game against North Scott, a much larger school. The Tigers traveled to Eldridge to play the team.
Lindenmayer was the only freshman on the traveling squad and said he was “way over my head.” He remembered thinking in the locker room, “I can’t believe I’m dressing next to my idols.”
The kickoff came to Lindenmayer’s side of the field. He remembered being in the dog pile after the tackle. “People were saying I made the tackle,” Lindenmayer said, but he doesn’t know if he did or not.
“I’ve always had good people around me to cover for me,” said Lindenmayer.
Connie Vogt Gougler
The final Distinguished Alumnus was Connie Gougler who graduated in 1988, “a time of big hair and Friday night cruising,” said classmate Michelle Schachtlie, who introduced Gougler.
Gougler, Connie Vogt at the time, was homecoming queen and class president. She studied broadcasting and communications after high school at the University of Northern Iowa, then headed to Oregon where she worked for marketing for companies such as IBM, Serena Software, Webtrends and TransUnion.
Gougler lives in Portland, Oregon, but she still helps plan class reunions, said Schachtlie.
Moving to Oregon “was a bold decision at the time,” said Gougler. She had only $600 in her pocket.
Her first job, in 1993, was as a temp making cold calls for a company later acquired by IBM, she said. After working 15 years for mission driven companies, Gougler is vice president of growth marketing for Outseer.
Gougler has spent 20 years making the internet safer, she said. She’s prevented dating site scams and abuse on gaming and online gambling sites. She’s identified illegal store fronts that can be created easily with artificial intelligence.
Gougler said she’s proud to be working in the fraud reduction field. She learned resilience, responsibility and how to look out for others at Iowa Valley High School. Iowa Valley gave her confidence, she said.
“I will always carry the spirit of Iowa Valley and this community with me,” Gougler said.
Terry Housman
The Outstanding Service Awards recognize people who have served the school but are not necessarily alumni.
Terry Houseman was such a person, said Behrens. He left a permanent mark on Iowa Valley.
Houseman was born in 1937 in Grinnell. He graduated from Gilman High School in 1956 and earned degrees in education and administration from Central College in Pella and from the University of Iowa. He married his wife, Ardith, in 1958.
Houseman devoted 35 years to Iowa Valley, said Behrens. He taught social studies and coached girls basketball.
Students remember Houseman as “tough, but fair,” said Behrens. One remembered having to sit on the bench during a game for breaking curfew. Others remembered being paddled by him after he became elementary school principal in 1968.
Houseman retired in 1996 but stayed connected with the school, driving a bus for a while, Behrens said.
Houseman served on the Marengo City Council and as Marengo mayor. He loved hunting, fishing and golf and cheered for the Iowa Hawkeyes, said Behrens.
Houseman died in 2024 at the age of 1987.
Though his presence is missed, Houseman left a legacy, said Behrens. True service is measured by the lives we touch, she said.
Houseman’s wife accepted the award for her husband. Houseman loved his church and family, she said. He had a great staff to work with.
“I wish he were here to received this award. He would have been so proud.”
Garth Grafft
The City of Marengo can’t be separated from the grocery store on West Dillin Street and its owner, Garth Grafft.
“To speak of local tradition is to speak of him,” said Corienne Dally.
Garth and Ruth Grafft opened Big “G” Food Store in 1963 on West Miller Street, said Dally. It was more than just a place to shop, she said. It was a place to gather.
When space on West Miller Street became limited, Grafft built a new store on West Dillin. In 2009 he expanded the garden center to keep up with the needs of the community.
Big “G” was the gateway to the workforce for many Iowa Valley alumni, said Dally. It offered not just employment but opportunities to learn responsibility.
Grafft is a visionary, a mentor and a friend, said Dally. He’s tireless servant of Iowa Valley and Marengo.
Grafft remembered moving to Marengo in 1963. The town had five car dealerships and five grocery stores at the time, he said. The exceptional school system played a role in the family’s decision to move to Marengo.
The world is changing, said Grafft, and Iowa Valley has done an excellent job of keeping up with the needs of students.
Scott Hardie
Iowa Valley science teacher Tom Megchelsen said that teacher and coach Scott Hardie “made an immediate impact on me” when Megchelsen arrived in Marengo 36 years ago. They both had agricultural backgrounds and had been raised with strong values.
Hardie was Megchelsen’s mentor in teaching and in coaching, he said. Hardie was “old school.” He believed in discipline and hard work.
As Iowa Valley head track coach, Hardie took the team to a state title in his first season in 1985. He produced successful baseball teams as well, but he was humble, attributing his success to his players, Megchelsen said.
Hardie liked to have fun, said Megchelsen, but he said one of the best ways to have fun is to win.
Still, if Hardie had to choose between teaching and coaching, Hardie would choose teaching, Megchelsen said. “He knew how to relate to kids, and the students responded …”
Megchelsen called Hardie his guide and a true friend.
Hardie said he taught more than 1,000 students while at Iowa Valley. “I retired in 2009 after 25 years of teaching here and 33 years total.”
When Hardie came to Marengo in 1984, Iowa Valley had some coaching openings and a government requirement, said Hardie. He thought it was too good to be true. But Iowa Valley wouldn’t give him the baseball coaching job until he’d proven himself as a track coach, he said.
Hardie’s track team won state that first year.
Marengo had good facilities when Hardie came to Iowa Valley, he said. The community continues to upgrade facilities and to grow with the community’s needs, as is evidenced by the new swimming pool.
You don’t realize until you leave how good the people of Marengo are, Hardie said.
Chuck Kyte
It’s hard to summarize 2 ½ decades of Chuck Kyte’s life, said Andrew Hummer as he introduced the coach.
A graduate of Newton High School, Kyte was a 205-pound guard for Central College in Pella, said Hummer. He was drafted into the Army and, following his serve, came to Marengo as science teacher and coach in the late 1970s.
“At that time we had a brand-new field,” said Hummer.
Kyte coached multiple all-state and college athletes, Hummer said. He helped build the strength and conditioning program.
Kyte instilled toughness, discipline and intensity. He was willing to adapt to his players. He started using hand signals to send plays in to his quarterback, and in 2002 switched to a spread offense to make better use of the team’s talent.
“He knew how to lead us though adversity,” said Hummer. He remembers the team expecting to win after moving down to Class A in 2002. “We got our butts kicked,” said Hummer. Kyte told the team it has to show up to win.
The Tigers went on a 10-win run and made the semifinals, Hummer said.
Hummer remembered being an “overemotional 17-year-old” getting a pat on the back from Kyte in the locker room.
Kyte called the Outstanding Service Award unexpected. “It’s a really great honor,” he said.
When he arrived in Marengo in 1979, he liked that Iowa Valley was “a school on the move,” Kyte said.
The school was full of legences in every department. “So we had a great group of people.”
He came to Marengo because of the new science room, football field and gymnasium. Communities either get better or get worse, said Kyte. Iowa Valley got better. And it continues to get better. “It’s a great place to be,” said Kyte.
“I spent six years teaching in Arizona at a large 4A high school,” said Kyte. It’s a different environment, a different place.
“This is an environment that needs to be cherished,” said Kyte.
“Keep Iowa Valley a strong, great place to be.”
