2022 Hall of Fame Inductees

2022 Hall of Fame Inductees
Posted on 02/10/2022
This is the image for the news article titled 2022 Hall of Fame InducteesFive former students, a longtime principal, a respected teacher and one of the finest teams in school history will be part of the third annual Rolla High School (RHS) Hall of Fame induction ceremony next month.

Members of the RHS Hall of Fame class of 2022 include former students Marvin Breuer, Eric Berg, Dr. Ingrid Nygaard, Robert Barefield, and Dave Roberts; former principal Dr. Roger Berkbuegler; former teacher Leland Womack, and the 1993 Bulldog boys’ soccer team.

The dinner/banquet will be held Feb. 12, starting at 6 p.m. at the Rolla Junior High School. The 2022 RHS Hall of Fame inductees will also be recognized at halftime of the RHS boys’ basketball game Feb. 11.

Tickets for the banquet are $15 each. Tickets to the RHS Hall of Fame Banquet can be purchased online at https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/59999

Marvin Breuer Marvin Breuer (Class of 1931): Although RHS didn’t offer baseball during Breuer’s career there, he went on to have success at the Major League level. Breuer pitched five seasons and competed in two World Series for the New York Yankees.

He was also the winning pitcher in the sixth game of the 1938 Junior World Series for a Kansas City team that won the championship.

After graduating from RHS, Breuer competed on both the rifle and baseball teams at Missouri School of Mines (now Missouri S&T). Breuer, a member of the Miner graduating Class of 1935, is a member of the MSM/UMR/S&T Athletic Hall of Fame, being inducted in 1991. He earned a B.S. degree in civil engineering from MSM.

With the Yankees Breuer had the nickname “Baby Face.” He played only for the Yankees, from 1939-43, and sported a 25-26 record with a 4.03 ERA and 226 strikeouts. Breuer was a part of the New York 1941 World Series championship team, pitching three scoreless innings of relief in game 4 against the Brooklyn Dodgers. He also pitched in the 1942 World Series against his home state opponent St. Louis Cardinals.

After Breuer’s playing career ended, he spent 31 years working for the United States Geological Survey in Rolla until his retirement in 1976.

Eric BergEric Berg (Class of 1975): Berg was an all-state linebacker for the Bulldogs during the 1974 season, but it was his play in college for the Mizzou Tigers where he made a bigger name for himself on the football field and continued his winning ways during a long stint as an assistant coach for multi-state championship teams at Rockhurst High School.

He chose to play his college ball 80 miles away for the Mizzou Tigers of the then-Big Eight Conference. It took a while for Berg to adjust to big-time college football after being recruited to MU by then-head coach Al Onofrio’s staff.

After the early struggles Berg figured things out and became a three-year Tiger letterman. By the time he was a junior, Warren Powers took over as Tiger head coach and Berg was a key in his Mizzou defense from the linebacker position, helping the squad finish with an 8-4 record and a 20-15 victory over LSU in the Liberty Bowl at Memphis, Tenn. In that bowl Berg was voted as the game’s defensive MVP. The Tigers were ranked No. 14 in the final coaches’ national poll and No. 15 in the final AP poll.

In his senior season of 1979 Berg was the hub of the MU defense at strong-side linebacker. During the Big Eight season Mizzou lost a one-point heartbreaker to Oklahoma State and a two-point decision to Oklahoma, but ended the campaign on a strong note, winning the Hall of Fame Classic Bowl over South Carolina 24-14 in Birmingham, Ala. and was ranked No. 20 in the final coaches’ poll. And for the second consecutive year Berg was named defensive MVP in a bowl game. After that season concluded Berg was also honored for his studies, being selected to the 1979 CoSIDA Academic All-America Team.

After returning to Columbia to get his degree in 1981, the next move for Berg was at Rockhurst High School.

He has a counselor his entire career at Rockhurst, from 1981 to present. And success continued for Berg on the football field as an assistant coach for the Rockhurst Hawklets.

The winning began Berg’s first season at Rockhurst, as the Hawklets won the 1981 state title. His first two seasons there he was linebacker coach under head coach Jerry Culver. Then Tony Severino took over as head coach and the winning continued, with seven more state crowns. In all Berg has been a part of eight state championship teams at Rockhurst.

Eric and his wife, Deb, have four children – Rachel, Laura, Scott and Kevin.

Berg’s parents moved to Rolla when he was two years old. His parents later moved from the area and for decades Eric has not had family here, so his trips back to his hometown have been few.

But he recalls Rolla dearly, and is remembered the same way by the residents still here who knew him.

Ingrid NygaardIngrid Nygaard (Class of 1977): Dr. Nygaard, committed to mastering a wide range of surgical procedures, is widely regarded as a leading gynecological surgeon who has mentored countless residents, fellows and faculty members. She is a graduate from University of Missouri School of Medicine and completed her residency in OBGYN/Obstetrics & Gynecology at the University of Michigan. She also completed a fellowship in Advanced Gynecologic Surgery – Pelvic Reconstructive Surgery (Urogynecology) at the Mayo Clinic – Scottsdale, Az.

Dr. Nygaard is based in Utah, where she specializes in Urogynecology and OBGYN/Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Her interest in surgery and urinary incontinence led her to the field of urogynecology. Because there were very few formal urogynecology fellowships at the time, she chose to fellowship in advanced gynecologic surgery at the Mayo Clinic. Her mentors were Dr. Javier Magrina, a gynecological oncologist, and Dr. Jeffrey Cornella, a urogynecologist.

After completing her fellowship, Ingrid was attracted to the changes taking place in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa. And at Iowa she quickly established an outstanding program in urogynecology and was awarded tenure at the university for her many scholarly contributions to the field.

In 2005 she joined the faculty at the University of Utah as professor. She moved with her children and husband, Dr. Charles Saltzman, who is the L.S. Peery Presidential Endowed Professor, Chair of the Department of Orthopedics and Director of the Board of Orthopedic surgery at the University of Utah. The university for years has been ranked among the top 10 academic health sciences centers.

Dr. Nygaard also served as editor-in-chief for the American Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology (AJOG) from 2014-18.

Born in Trondheim, Norway, Ingrid came to the United States at the age of five years. She lived in New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Missouri. Ingrid also became an official translator.

Robert BarefieldRobert Barefield (1978): Baritone Robert Barefield has performed as soloist with organizations throughout the U.S. and in Europe. He has appeared with numerous opera companies and with orchestras as an oratorio soloist. An accomplished recitalist, his wide-ranging repertoire includes premiere performances of works by contemporary composers. His career in music reflects his love of both teaching and performing.

Barefield’s degrees include Doctor of Musical Arts (1991) and Master of Music (1984) from University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (Corbett Opera Scholar); Bachelor of Arts in Music (1982) from Washington University in St. Louis (summa cum laude), and Master of Business Administration (1990) from the University of Maryland.

Venues he has performed in include Carnegie Hall, New Orleans Opera, Arizona Opera, Opera Connecticut, Central City Opera, Dorian Opera Theatre, Hartford Opera Theatre, Opera in the Heights, Monteux Opera Festival, Scottsdale Performing Arts, Evansville Philharmonic, Mississippi Symphony, Chattanooga Symphony and Abilene Philharmonic. Selected roles he has performed include Figaro in The Barber of Seville; title role in Gianni Schicci; Papageno in the Magic Flute; Fredrik in A Little Night Music; Danilo in the Merry Widow; Sid in Albert Herring, and Musiklehrer in Ariadne Auf Naxos.

He was a baritone soloist for performances including German Raquiem, Carmina Burana, Messiah, Requiem, Sea Symphony, Sacred Service, American Requiem and Wie Die Blatter – The Heiligenstadt Testament.

Barefield has had multiple premiere performances of art songs and larger works by leading composers, including the song cycle Songs To Fill the Void by renowned composer Scott Wheeler, based on poetry by Robert Barefield honoring his late partner, Stephen Muzujian, performed at Weill Hall in Carnegie Hall in October, 2016.

Among his CD recordings include Songs To Fill The Void; Two Plus One Guadalupe – Our Lady Of The Roses; Light Enough, and Occident Meets Orient.

Dave RobertsDave Roberts (Class of 1979): Roberts started his sports journalism career as a senior in high school, beginning as a part-time sportswriter for the Rolla Daily News in the summer of 1978. He has covered area sports, including all athletic teams of his alma mater, for more than 40 years. In 1980, at the age of 19, he became the youngest sports editor of a Missouri daily newspaper. Except for a five-year absence, Roberts served as the Daily News sports editor from 1980 through 2016. During that time he also worked as sports editor for the Waynesville Daily Guide for three years and provided weekly stories for the St. James Leader-Journal and later the St. James Press. For four years he and his wife, Donna, operated davesports.com, an award-winning sports website which included full coverage of area high school/college programs and during that time produced more page-views than any other mid-Missouri sports webpage, including area newspapers.

After a year away, in 2017 he returned to his familiar role of covering area athletics as the sports editor of the newly-formed Phelps County Focus newspaper, which in just its fourth year of existence was honored by the Missouri Press Foundation in 2021 as having the state’s No. 1 newspaper website presence in the weekly category.

In all or parts of five decades Roberts has overseen the selection of approximately 500 RHS football and basketball student-athletes to the Central Missouri Media all-district teams, while nominating more than 100 Bulldogs to media football, basketball and baseball all-state teams.

Roberts has been the offensive statistician for the RHS football team for 40 years and for around a decade in the 1990s and early 2000s served as an instructor in the RHS weight room on a volunteer basis.

Roberts was presented the Distinguished Service Award by the Missouri Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association in 2017. Over the years he has earned more than 40 writing awards from United Press International (UPI), the Missouri Associated Press (AP) and the Missouri Press Foundation’s Better Newspaper Contest. In particular, he was voted Missouri’s top sports columnist numerous times in the small daily newspaper category (1982, 1984, 1985 by UPI; 1995 by AP; 2011 by Better Newspaper Contest). He also has won many awards for sports features and sports photography and was part of a newsroom that earned several first-place awards for best sports pages and best sports special sections.

As an athlete Roberts was a lifetime drug-free powerlifter, winning state and regional championships as well as setting state, regional and national records. In 1995 he finished fourth in the 275-pound weight class when the World Drug-Free Powerlifting Federation held its World Bench Press Championships in the United States.

He trained several middle school, junior high, high school and collegiate lifters who went on to earn school, state, regional and national honors including his daughter Alicia, who set state and national records in two powerlifting organizations, and in 2003 won the girls’ age 16-18, 120-pound U.S. Powerlifting deadlift national championship.

Dave and Donna Roberts (RHS Class of 1982) owned and operated The Frame Shop for 20 years, and during that time worked closely with the Rolla School System to produce several different school projects. They have two daughters, Ashley (RHS Class of 2003) and Alicia (RHS Class of 2005), and 10 grandchildren.

Roger BerkbeuglerDr. Roger Berkbuegler: Dr. Berkbuegler served as RHS principal for 28 years, starting in 1980 until his retirement in 2008. During his tenure here, RHS was recognized as a Missouri Gold Star School and as a National Blue-Ribbon School. He also served as a professor in the education department for the University of Missouri.

Known as “Berk” by many of his friends, Dr. Berkbuegler has been honored as Missouri Principal of the Year for the Missouri Association of Secondary School Principals (MASSP) and was again honored to be one of the first Missouri recipients of the National Milken Family Foundation Education awards of $25,000. He was also named as one of the top 10 principals in the country by Pepperdine University.

He served as president of MASSP, was elected for two terms as the national coordinator for NASSP and served on the MASSP board of directors for 10 years. He was one of eight principals appointed nationally to membership for a three-year term on the National Larger Secondary Schools Committee by the NASSP board of directors, and he served a three-year term on the National Alliance of High Schools Board of Directors.

Dr. Berkbuegler has given numerous local, state, and national presentations on various educational topics for MASSP, NASSP, the Missouri State Board of Education, the University of Missouri, the Milken Family Foundation and McDonalds Corporation. Some of his practices and research were selected to be published in the form of monographs for the National Association of Secondary School Principals, and he has had numerous writings published in statewide publications.

As president and a representative of MASSP, Dr. Berkbuegler was the first non-corporate person to give a major address for the McDonald’s National owner/operators convention in Las Vegas, Nevada, regarding working secondary students. This relationship established a national policy for working students and was the beginning of McDonald’s sponsorship of the national assistant principal of the year recognition program.

Dr. Berkbuegler is certified as a Missouri teacher, an elementary principal, secondary principal, superintendent, and as a director of curriculum. He has a bachelor of science degree from Southeast Missouri State University, a master’s degree in administration from Central Missouri State University, elementary principal certification from Drury University, Springfield, Missouri; an education specialist degree from Central Missouri State University, and finally an education doctorate from the University of Missouri.

Roger and his wife Kathryn have two children, Matt and Michelle, and grandsons Trevor and Nolan.

Leland WomackLeland Womack: Mr. Womack had a pair of distinguished stints as a RHS teacher as part of his 28-year career in the Rolla School System. Now in his 90s, he still lives in Rolla.

A 1946 Houston High School graduate, Womack graduated from Central Methodist College with a B.A. in biology in 1950 and later that year was drafted into the Army and served in the Korean War. In 1953 he returned from Korea and continued coursework at the University of Missouri and Southwest Missouri State to obtain a teaching certificate.

He came to Rolla in 1955 as a biology teacher at RHS. He later graduated from Lincoln University with a Master’s of Education degree.

In 1971 he left the classroom to accept the position of Administrative Assistant-Curriculum at Rolla Public Schools, under then-Superintendent Dr. John Roam. In 1975 Leland was the recipient of the first Bob Carter Memorial Conservation Award, presented for his promotion of the Rolla School District’s outdoor conservation study program.

In 1977 he returned to the classroom to finish his career teaching science at the Rolla Junior High School and the Rolla Middle School. In 1983 he retired from the Rolla Public School System after 28 years.

Following his retirement from Rolla schools, Mr. Womack continued to contribute to the Rolla community. He taught biology to nursing students at Park College/RTI; trained/taught Hospice volunteers for seven years; shared his knowledge and experience for more than 15 years with the Master Gardener program; was a member of a barbershop quartet, and remained very involved in the Rolla Methodist church choir, and volunteered his time and expertise maintaining the church grounds.

1993 RHS Soccer Team
1993 RHS Boys’ Soccer Team: The most successful soccer team in Bulldog history, the RHS boys made it to the state tournament Final Four in 1993, finishing in fourth place and a 19-5-4 overall record.

In the state tourney finals RHS lost 1-0 heartbreakers to DeSmet in the semifinals and Parkway South in the third-place game. Those games snapped a 21-game RHS unbeaten streak.

All-stater Mike Kiefer led the charge for the RHS offense with 23 goals and 20 assists while Jon Kwantes added 16 goals and eight assists.

In all the Bulldogs had five all-staters – midfielder Kiefer, keeper Chad Lieber, forward Ryan Guffey, midfielder Gevan McCoy and back Kwantes.

“Toughest team I have ever been around,” said head coach Mike Howard. “We tried hard every year to improve our team’s mental toughness. This team had it.”

In 2019 Howard retired as RHS soccer coach after 29 years. At the time of his retirement he had coached 29 of the 30 Bulldog boys’ teams and all of the Lady Bulldog campaigns. In all he coached 53 seasons of soccer at RHS. During that time his teams captured 31 district tourney championships, 19 conference championships, 11 state tourney quarterfinal berths and the 1993 Final Four appearance.

Congratulations to all our 2022 inductees! It's a Great Day to be a BULLDOG!
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