Longtime State Representative Greg Davids was honored November 1 as the 2019 inductee into the Kingsland School Wall of Honor. A crowd estimated at 55 was on hand in the Kingsland Café to see Davids added. The Wall of Honor, which started in 2008, has added one honoree each year, making Davids the 12th graduate of Kingsland/Spring Valley/Wykoff on the wall. Student Emily Biermann opened the event, playing the “Star-Spangled Banner” on trumpet.
Superintendent James Hecimovich stated that the Wall of Honor was initiated in 2008, “To do something to recognize what education can do for people… Kids need to realize that high school is a foundation. It’s not the end, it’s the beginning.” A five-person committee accepts nominations for the Wall of Honor, and then votes to select a recipient, with each committee member serving a three-year term. The committee currently consists of Al Williams, Deb Zimmer, Dennis Carrell, Mark Biermann, and Terry Klomps. The nomination of Greg Davids was submitted by Sue Kolling.
As read by emcee Terry Klomps, Sue Kolling’s nomination letter stated, in part, “Greg Davids was a Spring Valley graduate, and he never forgot where he grew up, and the people and the education he received.” The letter stated that as a State Representative, Davids “has done so very much for this area, starting with the veterans’ cemetery, and now with the veterans’ home in Fillmore County. Greg Davids was elected in 1991 to the House of Representatives for District 28B, now serving in his 14th term.”
The letter went on to describe some of the highlights of Davids’ work and service career, including his time as an insurance agent, family farm owner, Social Studies teacher, and a coach of football and wrestling. He also served on the Preston City Council, and was mayor there from 1986-1991, as well as serving as president of the Preston Lions Club. Following Davids’ high school graduation from Spring Valley High in 1976, he went on to graduate from Waldorf College (Forest City, Iowa), then obtained his bachelor’s degree in Social Studies from Winona State, and a graduate degree from Mankato State University. Kolling’s nomination letter stated that when she considered the qualities of the previous Wall of Honor inductees, “Greg Davids fits all of these attributes. He represents our school, our community, and Southeast Minnesota with pride.” Kolling came forward to deliver additional comments about Greg Davids, including, “Let me tell you, this guy has never forgotten about Greater Minnesota.”
In his acceptance comments, Davids shared reminiscences of some humorous stories of his time at Spring Valley High School, and he offered thanks to former teachers and colleagues. He also shared that although he grew up in a large family on the home farm, “I didn’t know we were poor” because the family always had plenty to eat, thanks to the gardens and livestock available there. He added his feeling that, due to neighbors always willing to help neighbors, “In the community we grew up in, we were rich.” Davids went on to describe his strong belief in, and support of, Minnesota’s public school system. He said, “I know what public schools have done for me, and what they’re doing for my grandsons.” He added, “Public schools are the great equalizer,” and went on to explain his belief that everyone should be given the same opportunities, but then it’s up to each individual to decide how to use those opportunities.
Davids said that because Minnesota has 75% of the state’s population within a seven county metro area, “We have to make sure that rural Minnesotans are heard, and not just swept aside.” Davids was joined at the induction ceremony by many members of his immediate and extended family, and was given a standing ovation at the conclusion of his acceptance remarks. Attendees then enjoyed refreshments and social time.
Previous Wall of Honor inductees include John Nicholas Osterud (2008), Irene Elmyra Warren (2009), Terry M. Therneau (2010), Dr. Henry Plummer (2011), Honorable Donovan W. Frank (2012), Mitchel A. Lentz (2013), Tom C. Healy (2014), Karice B. Stern, MD (2015), Edwin Julius Krueger (2016), Wendell H. McKenzie, PhD (2017), and Sue Kolling (2018).
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