RACINE - Three Park High School alumni were inducted into the school's Hall of Fame during the annual graduation day brunch on June 7. Now numbering 222 of Park High School's most illustrious graduates, the Hall of Fame was begun in 1974 by directing principal James C. Thompson. Inductees include graduates from as far back as 1929 and as recent as 1991.

Hall of Fame members must be Park High School graduates, have graduated at least 10 years ago and achieved noteworthy status in the person's profession or in the area of humanitarianism. A brief letter of nomination indicating the nominee's name, year of graduation and accomplishments may be sent to Park High School. A committee of Park High School teachers and administrators review resumes submitted by nominees before the final selection is made.

This year's inductees are:

James R. Jorgensen, Class of 1966

James Jorgensen graduated with honors from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and he later received his MBA from Stanford University in 1972. Since graduating from Stanford's Graduate School of Business, Jorgensen has started more than 25 enterprises in fields ranging from retail to manufacturing, from Internet to mail order and from oil exploration to insurance. Most of these entities remained small, while two have reached market caps in excess of $1 billion. Jorgensen has also taught graduate level classes at the University of Redlands and at Stanford and continues to mentor graduate and postgraduate students from each school. He has also been active in youth sports, CASA of Santa Clara County and the Los Altos Educational Foundation. He resides in Los Altos, Calif., and is currently helping launch a Web site entitled The World Biography Project.

James Madsen, Class of 1978

Dr. James Madsen graduated from UW-Madison in 1982 with degrees in applied math, engineering and physics, and philosophy. He moved on to the Colorado School of Mines, where he was awarded an IBM Research Fellowship in 1986 and earned a Ph.D. in applied physics in 1987. Madsen began his postdoctoral research at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst and for the past 20 years has taught physics at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, where he has received several awards in both teaching and research, including the Wisconsin Association of Physics Teachers Award for Service and Teaching Excellence. For the past 10 years Madsen has been involved in the IceCube Project, which is a research venture and international collaboration of 250 scientists building a new type of telescope at the South Pole. Madsen is currently living in River Falls with his wife, Linda, and they have two children, Joshua and Megan. Both of his parents, as well as his four brothers and five sisters, are Park High School graduates.

Phillip Olson, Class of 1949

Phillip Olson graduated from Carthage College in 1953 and Indiana University in 1957 with degrees in music education. A Professor of Music at New Jersey City University from 1967-1996, Olson made a name for himself in the early 1960s as a soloist and chorus member on a variety of TV shows including the Gary Moore Show, Perry Como TV specials, the Mitch Miller

Sing-A-Long and a host of PBS TV shows. Olson also has performed as a soloist and background singer, and traveled on tours throughout the United States with Ray Charles, Judy Garland, Kate Smith and Lena Horne. He has also been active in both the Boy Scouts and Little League in Demarest, N.J., and still performs as a soloist and as conductor of the Men's Chorus of the Upper Valley, which includes many alumni of the Dartmouth Glee Club. Olson and his wife, Rosie, currently split their residence between a home in Tenafly, N.J., and one in Vermont. They enjoy traveling in their retirement and will be going to Russia this month.

Scholarships

A scholarship program started in 1986 and funded by contributions from Hall of Fame members awarded two $1,500 scholarships to seniors Steven Henning and Kimberly Rouze.

During his four years at Park High School Steven Henning has been very active, both in and out of school. He has played trombone in the Band and Jazz band for four years and has also competed on the golf and bowling teams. He participated in the Western Field Studies program his sophomore year and was inducted into the National Honor Society his junior year. He was awarded a National Scholastic Art and Writing Gold Key. He was enrolled in CP and AP classes all four years, maintained high honors and received an AP Scholar Award. He has been very active in the Boy Scouts of America where he earned the rank of Eagle Scout and went on to receive bronze, gold and silver palms. He was inducted into the Order of the Arrow and became a Brotherhood member. Henning will attend the UW-Madison in fall and will major in chemical engineering.

Kimberly Rouze has had a great experience at Park High School. She has thrived inside and outside the classroom. As a hard worker, she has excelled with her grades, maintaining high honors all four years. Her passion for dance inspired her to become a member of the varsity

pom-pon squad for four years. She was a two-year captain of her squad, which enhanced her leadership skills. She was also a member of the French Club. As a junior, she was inducted into the National Honor Society. Rouze continues to help the community with her pom-pon squad, raising money for the Susan G. Komen foundation and the March of Dimes, participating in community events and helping the school. She has volunteered with All Saints and the United Hospital System. Helping the community is very important to her. Rouze has been very active and involved, and she thinks that this foundation from Park High School will take her far in life. Rouze plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Madison in fall and at this point is undecided about a major.

In 2007, the Hall of Fame unveiled a new perpetual plaque for the Hall of Fame display to recognize Park High School alumni who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. The plaque, entitled "Washington Park High School Honors Our Fallen Heroes," is sponsored by VFW Post 10301. The committee is seeking information regarding Park High School alumni who qualify for this honor. Contact the school with the name of the individual, the class year and the conflict the served during.