New DSJ Hall of Fame inductees announced

VW independent staff/submitted information

DELPHOS — Four exceptional individuals who have made a lasting impact in one of four different areas are slated for induction into the St. John the Evangelist Catholic School Hall of Fame next month.

Each year, Delphos St. John’s recognizes alumni and community members who embody the values of excellence, faith, service, and leadership. This year’s honorees represent the highest standards of personal and professional integrity, and their contributions have enriched both the Delphos community and the broader world. Inductees are selected by a selection committee based on the following four categories:

Professional Development

Recognizing individuals who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments and leadership in their chosen careers, contributing to innovation, excellence, and the advancement of their profession.

Service to Delphos St. John’s Parish and School

Honoring those who have selflessly given their time, talent, and resources to support the mission of St. John’s Parish and School, strengthening our Catholic identity and fostering student success.

Service to Mankind

Celebrating individuals whose humanitarian efforts and community involvement have had a significant, positive impact on the lives of others—locally, nationally, or globally.

Arts/Athletic Achievement

Acknowledging excellence in athletic or artistic performance, including those who have competed, coached, taught, or performed at an outstanding level, bringing pride and inspiration to the St. John’s community.

2025 Hall of Fame Inductees are:

Colonel Brian Huysman, Professional Development – Colonel Huysman is a 1998 graduate of Delphos Saint John’s and a 2002 graduate of The Ohio State University.

Earning a Naval Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship to attend college, Brian was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Marines in 2002 and was trained as an infantry officer in 2003. He served proudly in the First, Third, and Fourth Marine Divisions alongside exceptional Marines and sailors. In over 23 years of active military service, Brian deployed twice to the war in Iraq, twice to the war in Afghanistan, and once to Okinawa, Japan.

Huysman is tremendously honored to be recognized by the Delphos St. John’s Hall of Fame and thankful to his family, friends, and community who have supported him throughout his years in Delphos, college at The Ohio State University, and service as a Marine Officer across the globe. He is most thankful and appreciative to his parents, Ron and Barb, sister Katie and her family, Uncle Don Huysman, grandparents- Howard, Cam, Bill, and Pauline- extended family, and all other friends, past classmates, coworkers, and Marines.

He is most especially grateful for the love and support of his wife, Michelle, and children William and Alexandra, whose own service and sacrifice for two decades has allowed Brian to continue to serve as a Marine. Brian is deeply grateful to receive this recognition for his professional achievements, which would not have been possible without the remarkable people in Delphos at school and in football, at Ohio State with the ROTC organization, and with Marines from Virginia to California, from Hawaii to Japan, and across the Middle East. Brian is honored and proud to be surrounded by exceptional people and to continue living a life of Service.

Dick Clark, Service to St. John’s – With deep roots in his faith, it is no surprise that Dick Clark’s life has been one of hard work and service. His grandmothers Lilly Clark and Grace Kreischer were great inspirations to Dick. Through their deep faith, hard work, and the help from family and the church, they raised their kids to be outstanding citizens. His parents, John and Margie, instilled their faith and service to Dick and his siblings Cathy, Dave and Kellie.

A 1978 graduate of St. John’s Dick spent his summers working for Angeline “Mom” Miller in the school. She shared her love of St. John’s both with Dick and her son Neil. There was the sense of family and service at St. John’s coming from great teachers like George Adams, Fran Voll, Bob Arnzen, John Gunder, Ann Tuohy, Ray Funk, Ollie Sever, Bud Honigford and Jim and Louise Stevens. The Sisters of Notre Dame and the priests at St. John’s brought their faith and service to the family.

After high school Dick attended the Ohio State University Lima campus. He later moved to Columbus but ended up at Franklin University due to their smaller class sizes and flexible schedule. His first job after college was with the Keebler Company but after eight years home was calling. He came back to Delphos and started his career in human resources at Personnel Pool and continued working in that field for twelve years. His next 23 years were selling real estate with the last 18 as owner of Dick Clark Real Estate.

Dick heard many years ago that you can make a living or you can make a life. Getting involved in the community helps you make a life. In his years in Delphos, Dick has been involved with the Delphos Club of Rotary International, Chamber of Commerce board member, The Meadows Advisory board member, Senior Citizens board member, West Central Association of Realtors board member, St John’s Alumni Association, Hall of Fame Committee, School Council member, Parish Foundation member, Finance Committee member, St. John’s Men’s Scholar, basketball game announcer, DSJ football coach, little league Coach, The K of C #1362 member, Delphos Civil Service Commission President and Kiwanis July 4 celebration volunteer. Dick was working bingo when he got the call that he’d been elected to the Hall of Fame. He was floored and thought it was a joke at first. He is truly humbled and honored to receive such an award. He’d like to thank the committee for continuing to recognize alumni who have made a difference in promoting the values and traditions of being a Blue Jay.

Dick lives in Delphos with his wife Brenda. He has three sons, John, Ryan and Tim.

Dave Roach, Service to Mankind – David Roach was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Thomas and Doris Roach on July 15, 1950. He was the oldest of five children. Dave attended St. Andrews Elementary in Fort Wayne, and went on to graduate from Mary Knoll Junior Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1968. Following his time at the seminary, he attended Indiana-Purdue University in Fort Wayne. While working for Northern Indiana Public Service Company.

When Dave and a partner decided they wanted to start a radio station, they chose Delphos. The former Commercial Bank building on Pierce Street became the home for the new station. WDOH became known for its local news and sports coverage. It also became famous for another Delphos celebrity and fellow Hall of Fame recipient…Mr. Bob Ulm.

While building the radio station, Dave met and married Laura (Murphy) Roach in 1974. They have two children, Melissa and Amanda, both graduates of Delphos St. John’s.

When WDOH was sold to Maverick Media, Dave took on the role of manager of the Maverick stations in Lima and Delphos. Following his time with Maverick Media, Dave began working for First Family Radio in Van Wert (WSKD/WERT). While there he helped develop an online newspaper called the VW independent. In his career Dave Roach spent almost 50 years in the radio business and was very proud of his accomplishments. Outside of his radio career, Dave had another passion – he had learned to play soccer while in college and loved the sport. He helped create the Delphos Soccer Association, which was a girl’s club soccer team consisting of both St. John and Jefferson high school girls. He was also the first girls’ soccer coach of Delphos St. John’s, and he was chosen Coach of the Year for parochial schools in northwest Ohio – twice.

Community service was important to Dave. He served as president of the Delphos Chamber of Commerce and both the Delphos and Van Wert Rotary Clubs. He served as president of Delphos Community Improvement Corporation and president of the Van Wert Visitors Bureau along with being vice-president of The Community Health Professionals. Dave served on the board of Niswonger Performing Arts Center and the Union Bank. Dave also served Delphos St John Parish. He was president of the school council and also served on the finance committee and parish council. Because of his service to the town and the school, Dave was made an honorary graduate of Delphos St. John’s.

Shannon (Smith) Lewandowski, Art/Athletic Achievement – Shannon grew up under the big, blue skies of Kansas. She loved attending camp and hiking in nearby Colorado with her mom, dad, sister Samantha, and brother David.

During the summer before her freshman year, Shannon and her family moved to Delphos. It was tough for a teenager to leave behind friends and teammates, but the kindness of new Blue Jay teammates and coaches made the move a bit easier. One of the first people she met at St. John’s was Bob Arnzen. Coach Arnzen and NKU alums Jeanne Arnzen-Gulick and Deb Lindeman were great friends and mentors during her times at DSJ and NKU. DSJ teachers Mrs. Hanser, Mrs. Noonan, and Don Huysman made learning fun.

Shannon played volleyball for four years, but it was in basketball that she made her mark. Coaches Dan “Beeze” Grothouse and Jeff Grothouse helped ease the transition from Kansas to Delphos, and teammates Stacy and Julie helped make basketball fun again. A four-year varsity player, she scored 1,219 points in her career and had the highest points per game average in DSJ history at 20.9. In the Midwest Athletic Conference she garnered honorable mention as a sophomore and as a junior was MAC and District 8 1st team and NW Ohio Honorable mention. Her senior year she was MAC Player of the Year, 1st team District 8, and 3rd team All-State.

After graduating from St. John’s, Shannon played four years of college basketball at Northern Kentucky University. Norse head coach Nancy Winstel was tough and set high expectations for her players, a challenge that Shannon gladly accepted. That group helped raise the level of NKU women’s basketball until they finished third in the nation her senior year. Shannon had an outstanding basketball career at NKU. She scored 1,326 career points and shot 56.4 percent from the field, second all-time at NKU. She scored 16.5 ppg her senior year and earned All-GLVC Conference honors, helping NKU capture the GLVC regular season and tournament titles.

Today, Shannon lives in Fort Mitchell, Kentucky, with her husband, Adam, and their daughter Rachel. Shannon works for Ingage Partners and is also a freshman coach and assistant varsity volleyball coach at her daughter’s high school. She learned the news of her induction into the DSJ Hall of Fame from her friend Stacy the same week that Coach Beeze Grothouse died. She’s proud to be part of the legacy of St. John’s Girls Basketball. She continues to be a strong supporter of the rise of women’s sports.

In conjunction with homecoming weekend, festivities for these Inductees will take place on both the evening of Friday, October 10, at Stadium Park, and Saturday, October 11, at various locations. Starting at the 4:30 p.m. St. John the Evangelist Mass and, immediately following, at the induction ceremony to be held at the Delphos Knights of Columbus Hall, the accomplishments and enduring legacies of this year’s inductees will be recognized and celebrated.

The community is warmly invited to attend the Hall of Fame ceremony and join in celebrating these outstanding individuals. Admission is free, but an RSVP is required as dinner will be served. Event sponsorship opportunities are available, and nomination forms can be submitted for those you believe may be strong candidates for future induction.

To RSVP or request more information, email advancement@delphosstjohns.org or call 419.692.5371 ext. 1002.