In spite of the rain, three individuals were inducted in the Turkey Valley Hall of Fame Friday night at halftime. Those pictured are (front, l-r) Bridget Meyer, Bill Burke (honoree); (back) Dave Ungerer, Diane Ungerer, Janice Meyer Plastic, Carole Burke, Dan Meyer, Chris Meyer, Danny Schmitt and Jerry Winter (honoree). The family of Keith O’Connell were unable to attend. (Photo courtesy of Leah Kruse)
Three new members were inducted into the Turkey Valley Hall of Fame at halftime of Friday’s football game as they were recognized, the following biographies on their impact to the school were read.
Keith O’Connell
Keith O’Connell was born Oct. 15, 1927, on the family farm east of Frederika, Iowa. He attended rural country school and was a 1945 graduate of the Fredericksburg High School. He initially began college at Upper Iowa University in Fayette before he enlisted in the armed forces in February of 1946. Keith served in the US Navy for two years and was honorably discharged in 1948.
On Aug. 25, 1948, he married his wife Madonna Schissel. Keith completed his bachelor’s degree in 1950, and his master’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1955. Keith taught two years in Clutier and then moved to Fredericksburg where he served as high school principal for four years. The couple then lived in Carpenter for four years where he served as a coach and superintendent before embarking on the greatest challenge of his life.
The Turkey Valley School District was officially formed on July 1st, 1960, and it desperately needed a superintendent. Despite being discouraged by his colleagues of even applying for the job because of the monumental task it would be, Keith O’Connell applied for and accepted the job anyway. Mr. O’Connell always liked a challenge.
Prior to the formation of the new public school district nestled along the serene banks of the Turkey River, there were three public high schools located in Ft. Atkinson, Waucoma, and Lawler. There were also two Catholic high schools in St. Lucas and Protivin. In addition, each town had their own Catholic Grade School.
Mr. O’Connell’s first task, and what he considered to be his greatest accomplishment, was the complete reorganization and consolidation of the school district. Keith felt very fortunate to have worked with a great school board and dedicated community members that would ultimately determine everything from the education curriculum, hiring competent and qualified staff members and employees, choosing the school colors, the school mascot, the ultimate location of the school, and yes, even the name of the school itself. Construction began on a centrally located K-12 building the following year and the school officially opened its doors for students in the fall of 1963.
During Keith’s 29 years as Turkey Valley superintendent, he also filled several integral roles in education field. He served several terms on various boards, including Chairperson of the State Advisory Council for School Improvement, president of both the Executive Board of Iowa School Administrators and Area Superintendents. He also served on the Iowa High School Athletic Association Representative Council (IAHSAA) and the Board of Control for ten years.
Keith eventually retired in 1989 after 29 years as Turkey Valley Superintendent. He later said what he missed the most was the people he worked with, especially the countless students over the course of his long and successful tenure as Turkey Valley’s first superintendent.
“Keith was the hardest working person I ever knew and he expected everyone else to work just as hard,” stated Ronn Donn, longtime Turkey Valley principal. “He was particularly great with the school finances. He always knew where every dollar was and what could be spent in each department.”
Mr. O’Connell maintained courage and strength of character in the way he lived his life right up until his death in 2007. All seven of Keith and Madonna’s children and six of his grandchildren are proud Turkey Valley graduates. Keith was a loving and dedicated husband, father, grandfather, colleague, educator, mentor, and friend. He looked for the best in everyone he met and strived to give his best back to everyone in return.
Keith O’Connell was truly the right person at the right time to spearhead the organization of Turkey Valley School District. It is now our challenge to live our lives by his example and continue the proud Turkey Valley legacy he left behind.
Bill Burke
An excerpt from longtime Turkey Valley bus driver Bill Burke’s Letter of Resignation to the Turkey Valley School Board dated May 5, 2010, states: “There is a time for staying and a time for going!” It is time for me to be going as a full-time bus driver for Turkey Valley. It seems like just yesterday, way back in 1957, when I began driving the school bus for the Waucoma Public School.”
When Turkey Valley consolidated in 1960, Bill had a shiny new bus to drive, but the job remained the same. The job was picking up the children in the morning and bringing them home in the afternoon.
For over 50 years, Bill Burke picked up countless children in his big yellow school bus and for over 50 years, he brought the children safely home. The journey for Bill, a decorated Korean War veteran, began was he was just 26 years old and having just been honorably discharged from the United States Military.
Using very conservative math estimates, Bill has driven roughly 600,000 miles during his Turkey Valley career, over 20 times the circumference of the Earth! And that was just driving his daily bus route! Bill, huge wrestling fan, also took great pride in driving the Turkey Valley wrestling team bus as well, having driven them to dual meets and tournaments all over the state for over 50 years under eight different TV head wrestling coaches. From the pee-wee grapplers to the state champion wrestlers, Bill was always along for the ride and loved doing the driving. Over the course of his long tenure as the wrestling team bus driver, Bill somehow knew EVERY backroad and EVERY shortcut into EVERY town in northeast Iowa, along with EVERY backdoor into EVERY gymnasium in that town.
In addition, if you ask him about the time the wrestling team and cheerleaders were stranded for two nights in Cresco during a HUGE snowstorm, he might just tell you, “I COULD have made it home!”
Bill and his wife Carole have been married for over 60 years and are the proud parents of five children, all Turkey Valley graduates. Carole resides on their “Century Farm” just a few miles south of Waucoma, and faithfully and lovingly spends most of her days with Bill at the Good Samaritan Nursing Home in West Union. Their loyal ties to Turkey Valley run deep as Carole also worked at Turkey Valley for over 20 years as a substitute cook and classroom associate.
Another proud moment for the Burkes was when they were given the prestigious IGHSAU Sportsmanship Award at the 2017 Girls’ High School Basketball Tournament.
Bill had that deep “tone of respect” in his voice that the students listened to, and his passengers always knew they had a loyal FRIEND in the driver’s seat.
From his pleasant “Good Morning” and welcoming smile when they got on the bus, to his “Have a Good Night” and gentle wave when they got off, the students at Turkey Valley could not have had a better friend than their bus driver Bill Burke.
“It is the family connections that make Turkey Valley such a special place,” offered Carole and Bill when told about this award. “Thank you for taking us along for the ride.”
Jerry Winter
Jerry Winter was a three-sport star athlete for the Trojans and graduated in 1972. The son of Melvin and Mary Lou Winter of Lawler, Jerry competed in football, basketball and baseball. He earned all-conference and all-state honors in all three sports. He holds many all-time school records. These records include 3,143 career rushing yards in 11-man football, 4,078 career total yards, 44 touchdowns, and 317 rushing yards in a single game.
Nicknamed ACE for good reason, Jerry posted a 50-9 won/loss record in baseball with 21 career shutouts, complied 478 career strikeouts, and a microscopic 1.1 career ERA. He also possessed a very formidable bat as well. Jerry led the Trojans to a state runner-up finish in the 1971 state spring baseball tournament back when there was just ONE class of competition. Jerry tossed a one-hit shutout against Fonda and struck out 17 in the state semi-final round win. With a blazing fastball clocked in the mid-90s, Jerry also had pin-point control making him one of the most feared pitchers in the entire state.
“Jerry was such a fierce competitor,” offered teammate Loren Kriener from the 1971 baseball team. “He was such a hard worker. He was always trying to get better and hated to lose. We all did.”
A real floor general, Jerry played point guard in basketball. His quickness, scoring ability, and court awareness helped lead the Trojans to the conference title. Playing with Jerry was like having a coach on the floor. A consummate team player in all three sports, he simply made everyone that played with him better.
Recruited by several colleges, Jerry elected to go to Iowa State and play baseball. He was a four-year baseball letter winner for the Cyclones. Jerry played many different positions including the infield, outfield, and of course pitching. In his first college start, he set a record for throwing the least number of pitches in a nine inning game. Jerry threw a total of 91 pitches in a complete game shutout against the University of Houston. He also earned The Big 8 Pitcher of the Week honor for a nine inning, one-hit complete game shutout over Kansas State. He also wielded a solid bat in the formidable Cyclone line-up.
After college, Jerry had a 43-year career at Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids. During that time, he officiated Iowa High School football and basketball contests, along with Division III college football games for 38 years. He officiated numerous Iowa state playoff games including the state finals on several occasions. Jerry was inducted into the Iowa High School Officiating Hall of Fame in 2004.
He has been married to his wife Patty for 42 years. Patty and Jerry have three children: John, Jackie, and Kristen. Kristen (Hackman) is currently a first grade teacher at Turkey Valley. They also have five grandchildren.
Jerry would like to thank all of his many teammates, coaches Bill Mulder and Ray Card, the Turkey Valley Booster Club, and the Turkey Valley administration for making this award possible. He would also like to thank all military veterans, law enforcement officers, and first responders for their dedicated service. God bless America and Go Trojans!
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