News Releases

January 19, 2012
For Immediate Release
For additional information: 
Barbara Kerr, APR
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing

Telephone: 360-992-2921
Email: bkerr@clark.edu

 

Clark College announces
2012 Athletic Hall of Fame inductees

The first inductees into the college’s
new Athletic Hall of Fame will be honored
on February 25, 2012

 

VANCOUVER, Wash. – Seven individuals and a perfect team will be honored as the first inductees into the Clark College Athletic Hall of Fame. 

Karen (Remy) Morgan Hill, Jacob “Vern” Kindsfather, Randy Myers, Claude “Skeet” O’Connell, Jim Raines, Gaydena Thompson, Mary Lou White and the college’s undefeated 1992-1993 women’s basketball team will be honored on Saturday, February 25, 2012. 

The event will be held on the second floor of Clark's Penguin Union Building.  Following a 5:30 p.m. reception, the ceremony will begin at 6 p.m.

The event is sponsored by the Penguin Athletic Club.  Tickets are complimentary but seating is limited.  To place a reservation, call 360-992-2691.  Reservations will be accepted through Feb. 18.  

Clark College is located at 1933 Fort Vancouver Way, Vancouver.  Driving directions and parking maps are available at www.clark.edu/maps.

The announcement of the honorees was made by Clark College President Robert K. Knight during the 2012 State of the College Address.  Knight credited former interim athletic director Dennis Huston and members of the Penguin Athletic Club for their “leadership and vision” in making the Hall of Fame a reality.

Knight honored Huston with a Clark College Presidential coin. The coin is given to faculty and staff members who provide exemplary service to Clark students, the college and the community.

The 2012 Clark College Athletic Hall of Fame Honorees

Karen Morgan Hill
Karen (Remy) Morgan Hill:
Karen (Remy) Morgan Hill attended Clark from 1969-71.  She played volleyball and basketball, where she averaged 33 points a game and set a single game scoring record of 52 points which stood for 20 years.  She was also known for her jump shot, which was virtally unheard of in women’s basketball at that time. 

She went on to compete in basketball at Portland State. Hill was a 1989 Women of Achievement honoree.  In 1993, she was inducted into the NWAACC Hall of Fame.



 

Vern Kindsfather
Jacob “Vern” Kindsfather
: In 2011, the Clark College baseball field was dedicated to long-time Clark baseball coach and teacher Jacob Vernon Kindsfather. 

Kindsfather was a 20-game winner for the Seattle Rainiers in the Pacific Coast League. He pitched the first perfect game in Northwest League history. 

For 25 years, Kindsfather coached the Clark College baseball team and taught physical education. 

He died in 2008 at the age of 84.

  

 

Randy Myers
Randy Myers
: A star pitcher for the Penguin baseball team during his years at Clark, Myers went on to have a stand-out career in major league baseball.  In 1989, as a member of the Cincinnati Reds, he was National League Co-MVP. 

In 1991, he received Clark’s Outstanding Alumni Award.

Randy Myers continued his support for Clark athletics by serving as an assistant coach for our women's basketball teams.


    

Skeet O'Connell
Claude “Skeet” O’Connell:
Skeet O’Connell is a legend at Clark College as a coach and a person.  A mentor to numerous alumni who still speak gratefully of his influence, “Skeet” O’Connell arrived at the college in 1946 and was its athletic director until his retirement in 1977.

He coached baseball and basketball during many of those years.  He also coached golf from 1975 through his “second” retirement in 1987. Clark’s Athletics Building is named in his honor. 

 

  

Jim Raines
Jim Raines:
Jim Raines is being honored for meritorious service. 

A passionate supporter of Penguin student athletes, he is past president of both the Clark College Alumni Association Board and the Penguin Athletic Club Board.

In 2007, he received Clark’s Presidential Award for Excellence.

 

    

Gaydena Thompson
Gaydena Thompson
: Gaydena Thompson made history in 1977 by being named the first female athletic director in the Washington state community college system, a position she held until opting to focus her attention on teaching in 1982.

Through her classes, college activities and public service, she was a leader in promoting fitness for students and community members alike.

Clark’s fitness center is named in her honor.

  

Mary Lou White
Mary Lou White:
A long-time advocate for women’s sports, Dr. White served at Clark College for 13 years. 

In the 1950s, she was a physical education instructor and a coach for sports including an award-winning, coed fencing team and Clark’s softball team. 

She died in 2007.

        

      

 

92-93 Women's Basketball Team

Clark College 1992-1993 Women’s Basketball Team: In a perfect season, the 1992-1993 Clark College women’s basketball team won the NWAACC championship with 33 wins and no losses.

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