Tracy Area High School welcomes 2 to Wall of Fame
By Per Peterson
Neal “Corky” Vahle remembers being knocked down more than once in his professional career, but his ability to get back up helped forge a successful, achievement-filled life. And on Thursday night, Vahle was one of two Tracy Area High School graduates to be inducted into the schools’ Wall of Fame.
Vahle, a 1950 THS graduate, along with 1956 graduate Dr. Don Edwards became the latest members of the distinct club at last week’s 2017-2018 American Education Banquet.
Vahle said his path to Washington was a strange one. His father, he said, wanted him to be a pharmacist, but said he disappointed him by eventually getting a degree in the social sciences.
“He couldn’t figure out how I was going to make a living,” he said.
After a stint in Germany as a member of the U.S. Army, Vahle returned to the States and went to law school at the University of Minnesota. However, that didn’t turn out the way he had hoped.
“I flunked out of law school by twelve-hundredths of a point,” he said.
For more on this article, see this week’s Headlight-Herald.
Stobb ‘never expected’ special award
By Per Peterson
A humbled Russ Stobb took the stage at Thursday evening’s 2017-2018 American Education Banquet and deflected praise onto all his peers who quietly give back to their community.
Stobb, who was awarded the 2017 Lifetime Service Award, lauded those who go out of their way in their day-to-day life by giving of their time and talents to make their community a better one.
“I never expected to receive this kind of award,” he said after receiving his award. “But I’m honored to be here and to be considered worthy of the honor. I’m also a bit humbled by it. I know that in our community and in our school district, there are many people who do wonderful things for their community and for others. I think they do them because they think it is the right thing to do. We appreciate and we need those kind of people in our community to help make this a little bit better of a world than it sometimes is.”
Stobb, the 1999-2000 TAHS Teacher of the Year, began his teaching career at Tracy High School in 1971 and has taught biology, human anatomy and physiology, ninth-grade physical science, eighth-grade earth science, seventh-grade life science and outdoor adventures.
For more on this article, see this week’s Headlight-Herald.