Sherry (Mjelde) Landrud (’70) cherished her years growing up at The Neighborhood Grocery with her parents, Sonny and Gene Mjelde. Her first job was sorting penny candy, then filling vinegar jugs during canning season and later delivering groceries to customers. Brother Myron, whom she adored, was born when she was in first grade. After graduating from Fergus Falls High School in 1970, she went on to receive a degree in speech pathology from St. Cloud State University and advanced education degrees from the University of Minnesota and Hamline University. She worked for Intermediate District 287 in suburban Hennepin County for 42 years in positions including speech therapist with students who were deaf/hard of hearing; teacher of the deaf/hard of hearing for students ages 3 through 21; coordinator of the deaf/hard of hearing program for students in 125 schools in 13 suburbs; and reading coordinator and educational consultant. Sherry also taught for six years in the College of Education at the University of Minnesota for students completing deaf education licensure. She was a member of the U of M College of Education Alumni Society Board and active in writing best practice standards for the Minnesota Department of Education for teachers of the deaf/hard of hearing. In 2009, Sherry was District 287’s nominee for Minnesota Teacher of the Year for her platform and commitment to Literacy for All. Sherry and her husband, Bob, have lived in Morningside Edina for over 40 years. They are active members of Lake Harriet Church and have participated in five of the church’s theater productions. Sherry taught Cherub Choir for 26 years and in 2017, published her songs. Her hobbies include cooking, reading, music, gardening, travel and rug hooking. Sherry is happiest spending time with daughters Megan, a kindergarten teacher, and Greta, an ICU nurse, and grandchildren Evelyn, Oliver, William and Nell and their families.

Curt Reinan was a member of the Class of 1957. As a junior, he was named MVP of the Otter basketball team. During his senior year, he set a school season scoring record of 462 points for Otter basketball, which he held for 29 years. He helped lead the Otters to a 27-1 record that year, 3rd place in the Minnesota State Basketball Tournament and was named to the All-Tournament Team. Reinan also played on the Otter football team that went undefeated as a junior and senior. After finishing college, he joined the US Air Force for a 20 year career during which he became a fighter pilot flying the F-4 Phantom. He served 7 overseas tours including one in Vietnam. During his Air Force career, he earned an MBA and entered the business world upon retirement. He resided in Las Vegas, NV at his death.

Mike Hilley graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 1986. During his junior and senior years, the FFHS Boys Basketball Team went 41-2 and participated in the 1986 State Boys Basketball Tournament. Mike led the Otters in scoring both years. He led Fergus Falls in 1986 with a scoring average of 22.1 points/game, and led the team in rebounding, steals, field goal percentage and served as one of three captains. Statewide recognition included First Team All-State and he was one of five finalists for Minnesota’s Mr. Basketball Award in 1986. Mike also participated in the Outstate-Metro All-Star Series where he was the leading scorer in the series. Following his senior year, Mike was the statistical leader at Fergus Falls High School in single season scoring (a record which had stood since 1957), career scoring, steals in a season and career steals. He was also named Honorable Mention All-American by the NSHACA, Converse All-Stars and USA Today. In addition to basketball, Mike also lettered his freshman year as a distance runner in track. His sophomore year, he switched to tennis and was a three-time letter winner and Regional Qualifier his senior year. He was also a starting defender on the soccer team his senior year. Hilley accepted a full scholarship to play basketball at NDSU and was a two year starter. He transferred to Concordia College in Moorhead after his junior year and was named MVP and Most Inspirational Player his senior year. He completed his Bachelor’s Degree at Concordia and also earned a Master’s Degree from St. Mary’s of Winona. Mike and his wife, Christy, have three children: Alex, Sydney and Samantha (Sami) and reside in Brooklyn Park, MN.

Shannon McKenzie (’82) is an Emmy Award-winning producer who has helped visual stories reach audiences in every corner of the globe. A former professional tennis player, McKenzie has spent nearly a decade working in media and entertainment. A graduate of Fergus Falls High School, she received a BA in English Literature from Carleton College in Northfield and an MBA from Fordham University in New York City. McKenzie has held a variety of positions in the media and entertainment industry. She wrote and hosted a television show for The Tennis Channel and served as the director for The NBC Sports Group, where she had the honor of helping to bring the Olympics, the World Cup and many other historic sporting events to the world’s largest stages. She is the daughter of  William and Jean McKenzie of Fergus Falls.

Katie (Weiss) Hanneman grew up in Fergus Falls. She graduated from Fergus Falls High School in 1993, where she was a 6-year letter winner in golf with two top-ten finishes in the Minnesota State High School Golf Tournament. From 1993-1997, Katie played Division I golf for the Gamecocks at the University of South Carolina. During the 1994 season, they placed 2nd at the SEC Championship and finished 9th in the country at the Division I NCAA Championship. In 1996, while still in college, she qualified as an amateur and earned a spot to play in the LPGA Edina Realty Classic held at Edinburgh USA in Brooklyn Park, MN. After graduation, Katie began her professional level play, most notably on the Futures Tour, the development tour to the LPGA. Her best professional finish was 5th at the Colorado Women’s Open. From 2000-2002, Katie was the Head Women’s Golf Coach at East Tennessee State University. During that time, her team broke 6 school scoring records and scored three top-five finishes and an individual conference championship runner-up. In 2002, the University of Minnesota hired Katie as the Head Women’s Golf Coach – to lead a program that had been targeted for elimination due to lack of funding. Katie began her tenure at the U of M by heading a massive fundraising campaign to “Save Gopher Sports”. The program secured the necessary funding, not only for women’s golf, but for two other non-revenue sports targeted for elimination by the University. To this day, the trio of programs are still competing and are fully funded. Under Katie’s leadership, the Gopher women’s golf team earned four individual crowns and each year brought home a team title. She remained at the U until 2007, departing to start her family and raise another generation of golfers. Katie now serves as a Head Coach for the USA Jr. National Golf Team, a trainer for the Positive Coaching Alliance, a coach for the Orono Spartans Middle School Golf Team and runs Hanneman Golf Academy in Minneapolis. Katie and her husband, Todd (’90), have two children: Ava (12) and Sammy (10). They live in Orono, MN.