“What a great moment for Litchfield High School,” said mayor Keith Johnson, speaking to a packed auditorium Friday evening.
Preceding the indoor marching band concert, the Litchfield High School Hall of Fame inducted three new members.
Inductees Dave Kleis, Samara Reck-Peterson and Dean Urdahl join those before them who have demonstrated an outstanding post-graduation performance in society.
Kleis, a 1982 LHS graduate, is mayor of St. Cloud. Reck-Peterson, a 1989 Litchfield High School graduate, is a professor at the University of California San Diego. Urdahl, a 1967 LHS graduate, represents Meeker County in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
“They’re selfless, persistent and humble,” High School principal Jason Michels said as he introduced the trio.
Since 2013, the Hall of Fame has inducted 18 Litchfield High School alumni.
The inductees:
DAVE KLEIS
Kleis has served as mayor of St. Cloud for the past 11 years, following an 11-year career in the Minnesota Senate. Since 2005, he has worked as a historian and has maintained a strong influence in the St. Cloud community.
A member of the 1982 Litchfield High School graduating class, Kleis was a participant in football, track, weight lifting and choir. He served as captain of the track team his senior year.
Kleis also served on the Student Council and was elected class vice president his senior year. He was president of the German Club his junior and senior years.
Kleis served in the U.S. Air Force and Air Force Reserve for 9 1/2 years. Following his military service, he joined the American Legion and served as a post adjutant for Post 76 in St. Cloud.
Kleis earned a degree in political science and history from St. Cloud State University. He is a founding member and co-chair of the Mississippi River Cities and Towns Initiative, striving to keep St. Cloud as one of the most livable cities internationally. He also served as chairman of the St. Cloud Metro Transit Commission.
His advice to current students encouraged bonding with their community.
“Get involved in your community, get to know others, and contribute in every way you can. Life is an adventure, try not to worry so much about material reward, and invest in the moment,” he said.
SAMARA RECK-PETERSON
Known as “Samie” to Mayor Johnson as a student, Reck-Peterson’s achievements in high school and beyond demonstrate how passion and pursuing personal goals makes a world of difference.
As a student at Litchfield High School, Reck-Peterson was involved in a number of activities. A member of the basketball, cross country and track teams, she was was also a marching band member for three years. She served as captain of the cross country and track teams, and competed at the state meet in both sports. She served as senior class president and graduated as salutatorian in 1989.
Reck-Peterson earned a bachelor’s degrees in biology at Carleton College in Northfield in 1993, moving on to earn a doctorate in cell biology from Yale University in 2000 and a National Institutes of Health postdoctoral fellowship at the University of California in San Francisco in 2007.
Now, she is professor of cellular and molecular medicine at University of California San Diego where she has worked since 2015. Previously, she worked for eight years as an associate professor of cell biology at Harvard Medical School in Boston.
“As a female scientist, (women are still underrepresented in the sciences and in particular at the level of full professor) I understand that I am a role model and I take this seriously,” she said on how she has contributed to society. “I encourage everyone who wants to be a part of scientific enterprise to do so.”
During her professional career, Reck-Peterson has served as program chairwoman of The American Society for Cell Biology Annual Meeting, council member of The American Society for Cell Biology, been on the editorial board of the Journal of Cell Biology, board of reviewing editors of eLife and associate editor of Molecular Biology of the Cell.
Asked what advice she could pass on to current high school students, she spoke of finding passion and pursuing goals.
“Figure out what you are passionate about. For me that was science. Then set goals for yourself and pursue them with determination. Use mentors to help you with this and don’t be shy about networking. We are all capable of much more than we think!”
DEAN URDAHL
A member of the 1967 graduating class, Urdahl’s involvement in high school spanned through several different activities, decades before his political career.
Involved in swimming, football and basketball, Urdahl also worked on the school newspaper and participated in speech and Future Teachers. He was also manager for the high school baseball team.
Following high school graduation, he attended St. Cloud State University. He went on to a 35-year teaching career in the New London-Spicer School District, where he taught history and coached the cross-country team. His runners earned three consecutive state titles.
Urdahl has served as a state representative for 15 years. He was first elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2002.
Urdahl has served as president of the Meeker County Historical Society, chairman of the 1976 Forest City Stockade Restoration Committee, vice president of the Litchfield Baseball Association, Education Minnesota Local President for New London-Spicer, vice chairman of the Minnesota Republican Party in 1970-1971, and chairman of the Sixth District Republican Party Committee.
Urdahl has authored nine books, including a number of historical fiction novels set around the Dakota-American War.
“Have goals and be persistent in striving to achieve them. Don’t give up,” he advised current students.
