Alumni Inductees

Scott Hatfield
Scott Hatfield, ’68, is Chairman of the Board Emeritus for Savage & Ver Ploeg Architects in West Des Moines where he worked for 36 years before his retirement in 2017. He was the Principal in Charge of many notable West Des Moines development projects, including Hy-Vee Corporate Headquarters, the Wells Fargo West Des Moines Campus, and many West Des Moines Community Schools buildings.

Scott is a past chair of WDMCS’ Dollars for Scholars and Foundation for Educational Excellence, and was named the West Des Moines Citizen of the Year in 2010. In retirement, Scott spends his time volunteering and traveling with his family. Scott and his wife, Diana, have three children, Shani, Brandon, and Nathan, and five grandchildren.

Sam Kranovich
Sam Kranovich, ’73, works as a study hall supervisor at Valley High School, but plays a part in so much more, including running the Valley Pantry, coordinating pep rallies and conferences, assisting in planning commencement, and serving as a senior class sponsor. 

Beyond Valley, Sam is an active contributor to the West Des Moines community. He has served on the American Red Cross Disaster committee for 17 years, been a City Council meeting video operator for more than 20 years, trained as a West Des Moines volunteer firefighter for 32 years, and been a member of the West Des Moines Lions Club for 44 years. He worked at the first aid station at the Iowa State Fair for 15 years and was on the fair’s parade committee for 35 years. For his many community contributions, he was named the West Des Moines Citizen of the Year in 2012.

Community Member/Volunteer Inductee

Tom George
Tom George, ’58,  is a lawyer of counsel at Macro & Kozlowski, L.L.P., in West Des Moines

During his time at Valley High School, Tom was active in many sports, including baseball, football, basketball, and track, and was Vice President of the Valley Letterman’s club. He played baseball for the University of Iowa, where he graduated in 1962.

Tom has volunteered his time for Valley Baseball for decades, beginning in 198,7 and has been a part of every state championship team, including as a player in 1955. He was recognized as West Des Moines Citizen of the Year in 1988, and is active in the West Des Moines Rotary Club. Tom was an instrumental figure in the launch of WDMCS’ Community Education program in the 1970s.

His hobbies include building furniture, golf, traveling, reading, and volunteering. He belongs to the West Des Moines Rotary Club, where he has served as president, and is a retired member of a Naval Reserve JAG unit.

Staff Inductees

Jim and Cindy Lamson
Jim and Cindy Lamson served West Des Moines Community Schools as language arts teachers as well as directors of drama productions and speech contests for more than 30 years at Valley High School before their retirements in 2001.

Together, they directed two plays a year, beginning with “A Thurber Carnival,” by James Thurber and ending with “Brighton Beach Memoirs,” by Neil Simon. Their careers spanned 62 productions, including plays and musicals. As directors of speech contests, they helped numerous students receive 1 ratings and Outstanding Recognition awards at the state competition.

Jim and Cindy have two daughters, Laura and Louise, who graduated from Valley and, during their time there, acted in several plays and musicals. After graduating from Northwestern University, they both became professional actors.

Due to COVID-19, the Valley Hall of Honor did not induct a class of honorees in 2021. 

Alumni Inductees

Cindy Axne
Cindy Axne, ’83, is a businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S. Representative for Iowa’s third congressional district since 2019. She is the principal of Axne Consulting Group where she focuses on strategic planning, organizational effectiveness, leadership development and coaching. She is also co-owner of Creation Agents where she manages operations and strategy for the digital design company. Axne and her husband have two sons, and she is an avid outdoors person and animal lover.

Samuel Gabriel
Samuel Gabriel, ‘02, is the co-founder and executive director of Genesis Youth Foundation. The foundation empowers underserved youth and young adults through sports and the arts while engaging them in educational opportunities to become effective leaders and productive citizens. Gabriel has a degree in Healthcare Administration. He is actively involved with Kyles A.M.E. Zion Church. Gabriel and his wife have two children.

Roger Warren Sandler
Major General Roger W. Sandler, ‘52, entered active duty in 1991 after being  selected as the Chief of Army Reserve and Commanding General, U.S. Army Reserve Command. This was his second period of extended active duty, having served initially from 1956-1958. Sandler retired from the Army in 1994 and assumed duties as the National Executive Director of the Reserve Officers Association of the United States. He was also the National President of the Senior Army Reserve Commanders Association in 1984-1985. Prior to entering active duty, Sandler owned Sandler Properties, a real estate investment company in Mound, Minnesota. He has four grown children.

Community/Volunteer Inductee

Melinda Dunnwald
Melinda Dunnwald is a WDMCS parent who has been volunteering in the district since 2011. Dunnwald co-founded and co-facilitated Jordan Creek Elementary School’s Kids Care Club. This student led-group also created the “profriend” movement to positively impact the conversation about bullying and promote kindness and friendship in action. 

Dunnwald served on the WDMCS Board of Education from 2015-19 and was both president and vice president. She earned four Better Boardsmanship Awards for her ongoing commitment to ongoing service, learning and advocacy. Dunnwald is also an active supporter of the WDMCS Student Scholarship Fund, Booster Pak Program, Staff Recognition Committee, Valley Booster Club and Athletic Department and Student Council events. She and her husband, Jeff, have two children.

Former Staff Inductee

Chuck Clark
Chuck Clark began his WDMCS career in 1972 at Valley High School in the music department. Throughout his 17 years at Valley, his commitment to excellence was demonstrated in his dedication to his students, desiring they would not only be fine singers but people of great character. Many extra hours were spent at school preparing students for All-State, rehearsing for musicals, giving voice lessons or sharing life lessons at the piano bench. He and his wife, Jean, had two children. Valley students and staff mourned his death in 1989.

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Alumni Inductees

Doug Buchanan
Charles Douglas “Doug” Buchanan ‘58, retired from the West Des Moines Community Schools (WDMCS) after 35 years of service. He began his career with WDMCS teaching at Stilwell Junior High in 1967, later serving in various administrator roles including principal of Clegg Park Elementary. He transitioned to the district’s Teaching and Learning Services Department in 1973, serving as director of elementary education and in other leadership roles before retiring in 2002 as associate superintendent of Teaching and Learning Services.

Le Ann Finger
Le Ann (Hiddleson) Finger ‘81, is the director of tournaments and player development for the Arizona Golf Association (AGA) where she manages operations for more than 40 association golf tournaments and championships and nearly 75,000 amateur golfers in Arizona. She is a PGA Certified Professional in Player Development and one of only 210 women nationwide who are both PGAs of America and LPGA Class A Professionals.

Gerry Page
Gerald “Gerry” D. Page ‘68, retired from the West Des Moines Community Schools after 31 years of service. He joined WDMCS in 1974, teaching math courses at Stilwell Junior High for three years and Indian Hills Junior High for 13 years. He then served as an assistant principal at Westridge Elementary and Crossroads Park Elementary, later becoming principal of Westridge Elementary. He served as Westridge principal until his retirement in 2005.

Community/Volunteer Inductee

Tim Miller
Timothy “Tim” Miller served WDMCS for 18 years, five of those as Valley High School principal. The three cornerstones that he strived to instill in the student body of “doing the right thing, doing your best, and treating others the way you want to be treated” are still in place today. Miller retired from the district in 2018, and his contributions to both Valley and the community were reflected in his selection as West Des Moines Citizen of the Year in 2018.

Former Staff Inductee

Marj Wharff-White
Marjorie “Marj” Wharff-White began her WDMCS career in 1968 as a P.E. and health teacher at Hillside, a ninth-grade building. She transitioned to Valley four years later and worked there until her retirement in 2002. During her 30 years at Valley, she taught P.E. and health, coached cheerleading and volleyball, and served for one year as the activity director. She remained connected to Valley over the next decade as a substitute teacher. Valley students and staff mourned her death in 2015.

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Alumni Inductees

Phil Carter
Dr. Phil Carter was born in St. Louis, Missouri. His family moved to West Des Moines, Iowa, in 1955. He attended Valley High School, acting as co-captain of the football and basketball teams. He graduated in 1957 and went on to study medicine at the University of Iowa and Washington University (St. Louis) School of Medicine. He then served in the U.S. Air Force as a captain and general medical officer. After completing his service, Carter worked as a neurosurgeon and professor for several organizations including the Barrow Neurological Institute, the University of Oklahoma School of Medicine, and the University of Arizona College of Medicine. Carter patented two neurosurgical instruments, pioneered a joint study on tumor therapy, authored more than 100 articles and books on neurosurgery, and presented at numerous national and international neurosurgical conferences. Carter died in 2010 after a long and courageous battle with cancer. He is survived by his wife Colleen.

Steve Gaer
West Des Moines Mayor Steve Gaer has served as West Des Moines Mayor since April 2007. He has also served West Des Moines as a member of several organizations and committees, including the West Des Moines Community Schools Foundation for Education Excellence, the West Des Moines Capital Improvement Committee, and the West Des Moines Development Corporation. He has been the chief operating officer and general counsel for R&R Realty Group in West Des Moines since 2004. A second-generation Valley High School graduate, Gaer was a State of Iowa Scholar, president of the National Honor Society, and a member of two state golf championship teams during his high school years. He also received the American Citizenship Award. After his graduation in 1979, Gaer earned degrees from the University of Kentucky and Drake University Law School. A lifetime resident of West Des Moines, Gaer is husband to Sally and father to Jacob and Margaret.

Peter Hedges
Peter Hedges is an award-winning playwright, novelist, screenwriter, and film director who graduated from Valley High School in 1980. He studied drama at the North Carolina School of the Arts. Hedges rose to fame with his first novel, “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape,” which was adapted into a critically acclaimed movie. He has written two other novels and numerous plays and written and directed movies including “Dan in Real Life,” “Pieces of April,” and “About a Boy.” He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay for “About a Boy.” During his time at Valley, Hedges was heavily involved with Valley Drama as a member of the Thespian Club and the Baker’s Dozen mime troupe. He has returned to Valley to speak with students many times, performing with the Baker’s Dozen in 2010. Hedges is married to poet Susan Bruce. They have two children Simon and Lucas.

Chuck Munns
Chuck Munns is a 1968 Valley High School graduate who served for 34 years in the U.S. Navy’s most high-profile and challenging positions, attaining the rank of vice admiral. His most recent Navy position was commander of the U.S. Submarine Force, which includes all U.S. submarines worldwide. He also served as commander of NATO submarines, working with all NATO member countries to provide safe and effective submarine procedures and policies. While at Valley, Munns enjoyed STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math)-based courses and competed in football, track, and wrestling. Munns is now retired from full-time employment but serves his community on a number of boards, commissions, and committees. He is currently special Department of Defense adviser to the United States Secretary of Defense and U.S. Strategic Command and commissioner for the South Carolina Commission for Higher Education. Munns and his wife, fellow Valley graduate Kristin, live in Aiken, South Carolina, and have two children and five grandchildren

Community/Volunteer Inductee

Cindy Todd
Cindy Todd is a West Des Moines Community Schools parent who has been volunteering in the district for 27 years. Todd started volunteering when her daughter entered kindergarten at Fairmeadows Elementary in 1991. She is an active member and supporter of the WDMCS Student Scholarship Fund, co-founded the Valley Drama Booster Club, and was involved with the development of the Staplin Performing Arts Center. She has been part of several district committees and organizations that support the WDMCS including parent groups at Fairmeadows Elementary, Stilwell Junior High, and Valley/Valley Southwoods; the Staff Recognition Committee; School Community Network; three community PPEL committees; several district interview committees; and the WDMCS Foundation Board. Todd and her husband, Dan, reside in West Des Moines. Her daughter Megan graduated from Valley in 2004, and her son, Rob, graduated from Valley in 2008.

Former Staff Inductee

Jim Underfer
Jim Underfer is a retired WDMCS teacher and wrestling coach who worked at Hillside Elementary, Stilwell Junior High School, Valley Southwoods Freshman High School, and Valley High School. As a teacher, he received the Environmental Science Teacher of the Year award and the Goodwill Recycling Teacher of the Year award. As a coach, he was recognized by the USA Olympic Committee and inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and the Iowa Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. Underfer also established the Valley High School Athletics Hall of Fame outside the Field House. He worked at Valley High School for 30 years, spending countless hours teaching and coaching students during and outside of school hours, often welcoming students into his home. He was married to Alice Underfer for 55 years and has three children and five grandchildren. His favorite memory from his time at Valley High School is the laughter of students.