The Pacelli Catholic Schools Hall of Honor was established to recognize outstanding alumni, friends, or major contributors who have made outstanding contributions in their personal or professional lives. These individuals are an inspiration and are role models to our students and we celebrate them by recognizing them in our Hall of Honor.
A maximum of 5 members may be inducted into the Hall of Honor each year. Alumni may not be considered for nomination until 10 years following their graduation from Pacelli Catholic Schools. Faculty and staff may not be considered for nomination until the completion of his/her employment at Pacelli Catholic Schools.
The Pacelli Catholic Schools Hall of Honor Committee invites nominations of candidates for the Pacelli Catholic Schools Hall of Honor. Recipients shall be selected based upon, but not limited to, the general criteria listed below for each category
David Hardwick ’56 became part of the Pacelli community as a freshman when his family moved to Austin to open a Ben Franklin Store. David describes himself as having less than distinguished credentials and with no plans to further his education beyond high school. With the encouragement and help of Pacelli Principal Father James Habiger, he was given a scholarship to St. John’s University. His college experience provided him with an incentive to succeed and a sense of purpose in a nurturing environment.
David’s passion for physics and technology has led him to build and invest in tech start-up companies including three in Denmark. These enterprises work on a diverse array of enterprises ranging from determining the number and type of insects in agricultural environments to eliminating the effects of patient movements while in MRI machines.
David’s lives in Maine with his wife, Kathy. They have two grown children, Ian who is a social worker in Oregon and Jessica who lives in Scotland pursuing tech opportunities in the tradition of her father. David’s siblings Pat, Paul and Mary were also graduates of Pacelli.
David’s advice to Pacelli students is “whether you choose to be a farmer or work in foreign service, a physicist or a plumber, a doctor or a dancer—pick something you love to do as a career path…pick carefully, and love your work.”
Both Leroy and Joy grew up on livestock and multi-crop farms, only 5 miles apart near Morgan, MN. Leroy was the second to the youngest of eleven children, attended eight grades of Catholic School at St. Michael’s Church, and high school in Morgan. Joy, the second oldest of four children, attended country school through the third grade, and then went to public school in Morgan. Leroy and Joy met on a blind date the summer of 1948. From that day forward, they never dated anyone else saying, “We were a fit!” During their high school years, Leroy was a 3-year starting varsity player for both football and basketball. He also enjoyed chorus and participating in school plays. Joy enjoyed taking part in her high school’s music program, playing the clarinet, saxophone, and the piano—her favorite!
Leroy graduated from high school in 1951 and attended St. Thomas for one year. Joy graduated in 1952 and soon after, she and Leroy were married at St. Michael’s Catholic Church. Leroy continued his college education at Mankato State. He graduated in 1958 earning a Physical Education and Health degree with a minor in Biology. Leroy and Joy were blessed with eight children: Cathy ‘71, Barb ‘74, Terry ‘75, Michael ‘78, Laura ‘79, Rachel ‘80, Cecilia ‘81, Gina ‘85. All eight children graduated from Pacelli and earned college degrees.
Leroy was a life-long educator beginning his career at Loretto Catholic High School in Caledonia, MN from 1959-1962 before coming to teach at Pacelli. While at Pacelli, Leroy taught Science, Biology, Physical Education, and Health. In addition to being an inspiration to his students in the classroom, he enjoyed coaching for a total of 33 years. Leroy began as an assistant coach for both boys basketball and football from 1962 through 1966. He stepped into the role as Pacelli’s head boys basketball coach in 1967, and had much success for 18 years, which included six trips to state tournament competitions, all placing third or higher! Leroy was also Pacelli’s head baseball coach winning the 1967 state tournament and was the head golf coach for several years. In 1985, after coaching boys basketball, Leroy fulfilled the head basketball coaching position for girls B-squad, until his retirement in 1995.
Leroy is proud of his students’ success both in and out of the classroom and is confident they are successful in their adult lives due to their experiences at Pacelli. Both Leroy and Joy felt extremely blessed to have been a part of the Pacelli family for many years, and grateful for the education it provided for their children. In 1971, the Koll Family welcomed Mike Baudoin into their home during his senior year. He quickly became a special part of their family, which continues to hold true 49 years later. The bond they have with one another is even stronger today and speaks of incredible sacrifice, as faith truly brought them together.
Joy was called to her heavenly home June 25, 2007, shortly after celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary. Leroy describes his late wife, Joy, as “the rock of the family” and was a significant influence in raising their children. Joy always had a special appreciation, holding a special place in her heart for Pacelli Catholic Schools, especially for the students. In her honor, The Joy Koll Memorial Scholarship Program was started in 2007 to help and encourage students to continue their education at Pacelli.
Linda grew up in Austin and graduated from Pacelli in 1969. She graduated from College of St. Teresa in Winona with a degree in Elementary Education. She taught at Pacelli in a variety of areas for 40 years. She met George while attending Pacelli football and basketball games. The couple married in 1980 and have two children, Adam and Bethany, who both attended Pacelli.
George graduated from Winona Cotter High School and accomplished undergraduate studies at St. Mary’s College in Winona and graduate studies at St. Mary’s and Winona State. He taught Latin and English at Pacelli from 1966-1984 and in Rochester Public Schools from 1985-88 and 1995-2010. In between those years he worked for several jobs in Austin, coming back to Pacelli as librarian and Latin instructor from 2011-2018. George coached boys basketball, boys and girls tennis, boys cross-country, boys track and served as athletic director from 1978-1984. George remains active in many service organizations in the Austin community. He and Linda love spending time with their grandchildren.
Favorite Pacelli memories for George include attending state tournaments, building relationships with faculty both in and out of school, attending Pacelli’s annual galas where he and Linda had their first date. George shares two of his favorite sayings that have stood the test of time—PMA (positive mental attitude) all the way!” and “Happy Friday Eve” still said among faculty and students on Thursdays.
Linda’s favorite memories include the relationships she developed among colleagues, learning from her students young and old, sporting events, theater productions, humanity classes that gave students the opportunity to be creative, homecoming and prom events. One of her greatest honors was presenting her advisory class of four years at Pacelli’s 2018 graduation ceremony.
Gary and Carol have been an integral part of Pacelli for over 50 years. They both grew up in South Dakota where they attended elementary and high school. They met in college, married and had three children who attended St. Augustine, Queen of Angels and graduated from Pacelli: Tara Lee in 1985, Brett in 1990 and Angie in 1992.
Carol graduated from Southern State College with a BA in Education. She taught in Lyle, was a childcare provider, a sales associate at Seifert’s, Grandma’s House Gift and Home Accessories and Stuttgart Tan and Travel. Carol has served and continues to serve as “historian” for Pacelli for many years, clipping news articles and providing Pacelli friends and family with all of the latest Pacelli news.
Gary attended grades K-12 at Highmore, South Dakota. He also graduated from Southern State College with a BA in English. After his first year of teaching in South Dakota, Gary came to Pacelli where he stayed for the remaining 44 years of his teaching career. Even in retirement Gary continues to keep scorebooks at every game for LP athletics and he is the “go to” substitute teacher for all subject areas. Gary’s love and passion for Pacelli continues to shine through in so many ways!
Both Carol and Gary enjoy attending Pacelli plays, concerts, sports and events. They love to share stories about Pacelli traditions and values. They are one of Pacelli’s greatest marketing tools! They share everything “Pacelli” with the community of Austin. They take the time to express gratitude and appreciation with frequent handwritten thank you notes to Pacelli staff to recognize the efforts and good work that they give to our students and families.
Gary says that he was always impressed by the students’ involvement beyond classes. One of his fondest memories was the 1992 State Basketball Championship. He comments “Not only were the players outstanding students and athletes, they all created great lives for their families and themselves.”
Bill and Mary Christopherson are part of a three generation Pacelli family and lifelong members of St. Augustine Catholic Church. They first met in second grade while attending Columbus Elementary School. They married in 1954 and were blessed with twelve children: Patrick (1974), Mark (1975), Teresa (1976), Thomas (1977), Jane (1979), Katherine (1980, presently teaching at Pacelli), Joseph (1981), Anne (1982, former Pacelli teacher), Daniel (1984), Peter (1988), and Matthew (1989). All of their children were graduates of Pacelli except their son John who died at birth in 1968.
Bill, who passed away in 2012, graduated from St. John’s University with a degree in Business Administration in 1953. He had a minor in education and did his practice teaching at Pacelli. He also served for two years in the US Army before beginning his 42-year career at Hormel.
Mary graduated from the College of St. Teresa, Winona, Minnesota in 1953, with a degree in nursing. Following graduation, she worked at St. Olaf Hospital in Austin, Sibley Memorial Hospital in Washington D.C. and later with the pathology department at St. Olaf Hospital.
Bill and Mary were lifelong advocates for Catholic schools. Bill actively served on school boards, led two Capital Campaigns and several other fundraising efforts and coached basketball after retirement. Mary says, “We have so many fond memories of Pacelli, but we are especially grateful to our former teachers, the parish priests and the Sisters of St. Francis (the God Squad at Basketball games), who were always present inside and outside the classroom.”
Both Tom and Tricia were born and raised in Austin and are both the youngest of seven children. They were both very active and served as leaders while at Pacelli. After graduation they moved to Cedar Rapids for two years and moved back to Austin where they have remained since.
Tom is the Chief Financial Officer for Reichel Foods, Inc. in Rochester and Tricia is the Human Resources Director for the City of Austin. They both continue to give back to Pacelli and the community of Austin in many ways. They have been long-time supporters of the Austin Bruins Hockey organization with Reichel Foods sponsorship. The Austin Bruins Foundation, in turn, has been very generous in supporting Pacelli Catholic schools both financially and with player support with academic visits with students. Tom also facilitates a generous Reichel Foods donation of nutritious snacks for all of the students during their annual Track and Field event each spring.
The couple was very active in the community while raising their two children, Brad and Dan, whose families both live in Austin. They enjoy attending community events and stay involved in the Pacelli community through relationships with their friends and their friends’ children, former teachers and coaches. They are regular attendees to the annual Pacelli Benefit Auction. They have helped to keep the memory of Jim Grebin (fellow 1984 graduate) alive through a scholarship program in Jim’s name at Pacelli.
The Wiechmanns shared that they have many fond memories while attending Pacelli including “meeting each other to create a lifetime of memories.”
Laura Sheedy has given many years to her alma mater. She is very involved in many school areas. Not only does she teach, but she coordinates many activities outside of the classroom setting. She is responsible for the yearbook, homecoming week, flurry week, dances, finding chaperones, assisting at the prom and organizing graduation. She is a wonderful role model for students and staff. Her drive and perseverance are incredible examples of being able to follow through while also being open to adjusting to fit a new situation. She is on the go from before the school year starts to after the year ends.
Her rapport with students is remarkable. She is completely involved with seniors for Homecoming and planning various activities for the week. She coordinates the Christmas Basket project with a total Catholic perspective. Eagle Bluff, along with its fundraisers, is her gift to middle school. Trips to Washington, D.C., and Italy two summers from now, are examples of her love of educating our students outside the classroom. Organizing the PALS program and partnering elementary students with student athletes is her gift to our younger students. The excitement that she generates in the younger PALS as they prepare surprises and well-wishes to encourage their older student athlete PALS before a game is inspirational and heartwarming. The admiration seen in the young students’ eyes when their student athlete recognizes them at lunch or gives them a high five on the playground is testament to the success of this program.And where would we be without that ever present camera? Marketing is her middle name. Facebook posts, media articles, files full of pictures that are drawn from to tell the Pacelli story.
Her love of teaching is shown in her patience helping students one on one. She is helpful. She is kind. She is caring. She values her students. These are traits noted by one of her students. She is an amazing teacher who challenges her students daily to love math. She is friendly and flexible. She is available to students and always has their best interest at heart. She is involved and displays her faith through her actions and love of Pacelli. She demonstrates her concern for students with a firm but respectful approach, and, in turn, students respect her.
Her work ethic and faith doesn’t end at school. She brings it all home with her as a steward of the earth on the Sheedy farm. She is always caring for God’s creatures in one way or another. Pacelli is so fortunate to have Ms. Laura Sheedy. We are grateful for her love of Pacelli and all that she does to share this love with students, staff, and families. Ms. Sheedy is a huge part of what makes Pacelli run smoothly every day. Even though she isn’t full time, no one would ever know. She is constantly at Pacelli, making sure not only that her job is done effectively, but she also willing steps up to to help others.