Hall of fame inductees honored

Some of Green River High School’s most accomplished alumni were honored Friday night during the annual Green River High School Hall of Fame recognition and induction ceremony.

Taking place at halftime during the football game between the Wolves and Rawlins Outlaws, inductees walked along the track at Wolves Stadium, escorted by GRHS cheerleaders, as fans cheered from the stands.

“It is quite an honor,” Dr. Joseph Smith said about his induction.

Smith said he was surprised when he received the letter informing him of his induction. Dr. Smith, a retired clinical professor who worked at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, said he has come back to Green River occasionally since moving from the area, remarking how much the city has changed since his years at Lincoln High School. One change he notices is how economic activity has moved to the south side of Green River, while another is just how large the city has expanded since his graduation in 1965.

“The rifle range used to be over there,” Dr. Smith said, pointing to a group of houses behind the Glenn Hill Fire Station.

Another inductee received another induction into the hall of fame. Ana-Marie Ehrler was inducted as part of both the 1996 and 1997 girls basketball teams that took second at the state finals both years. Ehrler, whose maiden name is Ortega, was a member of the first hall of fame inductees in 2009, having been recognized for her athletic accomplishments in high school and college, as well as her service in the U.S. Air Force. While at Green River, Ehrler was the first girl from Green River to receive the Millard Simpson Award in 1997. She is also a two-time state champion in the high jump. 

“It’s awesome being able to represent the team and get inducted again,” Ehrler said.

Since graduation, she attended and graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy, and served in both Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, flying more than 300 combat missions in the AC-130U and earning the Bronze Star Medal. Other inductees this year were Arthur Hale, a World War II Tuskegee Airman, flight instructor and aerospace engineer and Don Polson, a University of Wyoming Professor Emeritus of Engineering and a Fulbright Scholar with the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.