Outstanding alumni will be celebrated in September on Homecoming weekend

Marion Community Schools is pleased to announce the 2026 inductees for the Marion High School Hall of Distinction.

These inductees will be honored during Homecoming Weekend, on Sept. 25 (along with the inductees to the MHS Arts Hall of Fame and Athletics Hall of Fame, which will be announced soon). The ceremony will start at 5 p.m. at the Walton Performing Arts Center at MHS and is free and open to the public. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m.

Inductees will also be honored at the Giants’ homecoming football game set to start at 7 p.m. that day. Inductees will be provided a free game ticket; all others can purchase tickets for $7 each, to help support the MHS Athletic Department.

Congratulations to all of these exceptional alumni!

Nominations for all alumni honors are accepted year-round. For more information, visit the Alumni section of the Marion Community Schools website here.

This year’s inductees are:

• Amos Randle, Class of 1951, first and only Black man to serve as police chief for the City of Marion
  
• Michael Gault, Class of 1966, longtime educator, trainer, and coach in both athletic and academic programs
  
• Diana (Murrell) Reese Gardner, Class of 1975, longtime educator and library / media specialist at Marion Community Schools
  
• Lezlie (Ladwig) Winter, Class of 1977, longtime Grant County educator, administrator, and community leader 
  
• Robert Hull, Class of 1991, CFO of Panini America, a multi-billion-dollar company and a leader in the sports and entertainment industry
  
• Daniel Swenson, Class of 1991, longtime journalist, three-time Pulitzer Prize winner, and a recipient of the Peabody Award, the Edward R. Murrow Award, and many other awards 
  
• Aparna (Raj) Parikh, M.D., Class of 2000, internationally recognized cancer researcher and Harvard Medical School educator
  
• Willis Van Devanter, honorary inductee (graduated in 1876 from a Marion school that preceded the establishment of Marion High School), a Supreme Court justice for nearly three decades

The MHS Hall of Distinction gives lasting recognition to alumni who have made exceptional contributions to the achievements and prestige of Marion Community Schools. It also serves to help inspire current students to aspire to similar success.

Any MHS alumnus who graduated at least 10 years ago and who has made substantial contributions to the achievements of Marion Community Schools or whose exemplary actions reflect honor on MCS is eligible for nomination. The Hall seeks to honor men and women who have distinguished themselves through superb accomplishment on a local, state or national level in diverse fields of endeavor. Non-MHS graduates may be afforded honorary status in the MHS Hall of Distinction.