AKRON – Nine graduates of Tippecanoe Valley High School were inducted into the school’s rolls of Distinguished Alumni during a ceremony Thursday night. Superintendent Brett Boggs opened the evening with thanks to sponsors, school workers and volunteers. He said that this was the fifth year for the induction program, and interviews would be recorded for the first time. Events for the inductees would not end with the dinner, however, as today would be a big day for them, he added. A breakfast was at 7:30 a.m. From 8:30 to 10:30 a.m. the inductees were scheduled to meet with up to 200 students, explaining their jobs and how they too could become successful, even coming from a small school such as Tippy Valley. Master of ceremonies Rita Price, acting as interviewer for the fifth year, asked each inductee questions about their time at TVHS and about their current careers. She walked them through their student days while finding out about the work they do now. First up were inductees Amy, Adam and Andrew Heckaman, owners of Splendor Boats, Silver Lake. Amy graduated in 1997, Adam in 2001 and Andrew, 2003. The siblings took a leap of faith when they took out a loan to purchase the multi-million dollar company. Today they design and manufacture catamaran deck boats which are sold nationally and internationally. Both brothers acknowledged the lessons learned on the football field, and thanked coaches Doug Heinold and Scott Bibler who instilled in them the values of hard work and determination. “I learned from Bibler that you have to work your hardest,” said Andrew, “to say you went the hardest you could.” Amy credited Jan Mills, who taught her all about art. “She is one of the main reasons I went into graphic design at Grace College,” she said. Even though today she works in the office of the company, she appreciates that background. Diana Erp Nettleton, Class of 1989, is a former teacher who now tutors and is the owner of Nettleton Educational Services. She credits Eloise Eberly, her English teacher, for giving her “the road map to learning. She made me want to teach other students to love English, too,” she said. Brooke Smalley, Class of 2000, is a nurse working in Haiti. After a mission trip when she was 15, she felt a calling to do volunteer work. She said she could not pick only one teacher who influenced her, so instead, named Dianne Pearson, Lois Buss and Terry Screeton, who all had a hand in her faith story, she said. Pearson taught her in first grade, Buss was her high school French teacher and Screeton was not only a teacher, but her youth group leader. “All of them led me to where I am now,” she said. Katti Stroup Sneed, Class of 1988, said she was not a good student in her early years. She was impressed by Duane Burkhart, however, stating that “He was hot!” As her psychology teacher, he instilled in her a fascination of the subject which she pursued all the way to a doctorate in the field. She currently serves as dissertation chair on several committees and on the board of directors for Bridges to Health, Grace House Recovery Home and the Fairmount Counseling Center. In addition to Burkhart, she credited Shelly Walgamuth and Beth Barr Henriques, who gave her encouragement and inspiration. DeShawn VanDeWater-Wert, Class of 1982, is also in the field of psychology and education. She runs her own business, “Your ADD Answers Coaching and Consulting,” which deals with people with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Suffering from that herself as a child, she said she appreciated teachers who made her feel comfortable and at home. She named Lynn Howie, her third grade teacher, for doing that. In a side note, she mentioned a Miss Lakes for letting her do dramatic plays as a child. “It’s too bad students don’t have as much fun in school today,” she said. Richard Terpstra, Class of 1998, couldn’t limit his list of influential teachers to under five. He named Duane Smith, elementary art teacher, who started him on the road to creativity; Julia Teel, who taught him how to have fun with it; Buss, who took the credible and made it incredible; Barr Henriques, who showed him the world is a stage; and Lynette Shoemaker, who exemplified passion and dedication. These characteristics now assist him as a toy designer for Dreamworks Animation, Nickelodeon, Sony Animation, Pixar and Walt Disney. The last inductee was Michael “Mike” Yazel, local Mentone artist and “modern day Michelangelo,” as he was described by his nominator. “I’ve drawn as long as I can remember,” he said, adding, “I think 3-dimensionally; I see the world a little differently that most people do.” Yazel is a painter, woodworker, blacksmith, glass and metal engraver and muzzle loader enthusiast. He gave credit for his broad interests and knowledge to his high school art teacher, Jan Mills. “She did it for me. She opened up my mind.”
