MANKATO — A hall of fame induction ceremony is slated for Mankato East High School graduates deemed to have made outstanding contributions to society.
The ceremony is 4 p.m. Friday, East’s homecoming, in the school’s auditorium.
This year’s Wall of Distinction honorees are:
Nancy Gullickson Lynch is a 1979 East graduate who earned degrees from Bethany Lutheran College and Minnesota State University as well as a master’s in educational administration and a doctorate from two California universities. She began her career as an elementary school teacher in California and later moved into administration, first as a principal and later as superintendent.
Her many honors include Administrator of the Year for Region Two in California.
Gullickson Lynch co-founded Give Back to Humanity, an organization focused on improving the lives of children and their families in impoverished areas of the world.
John Otis is a 1980 East graduate who went on to earn a degree in English from Macalester College. For the last 35 years his reporting has focused on Latin America. He is the Latin American correspondent for NPR and the Wall Street Journal.
Shereen Askalani Clemens is a 1996 East graduate who received her BA degree from MSU and her juris doctorate in 2002 from the Hamline School of Law. She worked at Ramsey County Attorney’s Office for 14 years. In 2016, Clemens was appointed to the position of Hennepin County District Court judge. She remains on the bench today and has served on several committees including the 4th Judicial District Equal Justice Committee as well as the Minnesota Board of Judicial Standards.
She is a volunteer coach for high school and college debate and speech teams, a mock trial judge and a mentor for the St. Thomas School of Law and Hopkins High School Professionals Providing Experience for Life.
Craig Dahl is a 2003 East graduate who was a three-sport athlete at the school. He attended North Dakota State University, majoring in mechanical engineering and serving as a starter on the football team.
Drafted into the NFL by the New York Giants, Dahl played on that team’s winning Super Bowl XLII team. He later played for the St. Louis Rams and the San Francisco 49ers. He closed out his nine-year NFL career with the Giants.
After retiring from football, Dahl transitioned into business. He began with the Tailwind group in Mankato and expanded his ventures to Dallas, where he and his family now reside.
He has supported youth football programs in Mankato by coaching and donating equipment, established an endowment at NDSU for math and science scholarships, and engaged in charitable work with Operation Homefront and the 49ers’ outreach program.