Hall of Fame Members

Dawn Huff Elliott Class of 1990

Outstanding Achievement (Athletics)

Dawn Huff, a 1990 graduate, was an outstanding high school and collegiate athlete. One longtime Mount Ayr coach called her the "best all-around female athlete to graduate from Mount Ayr." She placed in three events in the 1988 state track meet that propelled Moutn Ayr to the state team championship that year. She was a two-time state long jump champion, and was named first team all-state in both basketball and softball. In 1990 she was selected as the Des Moines Register Female Athlete of the Year. She attended the University of Missouri on a track scholarship, and still ranks among the top performers at Mizzou in the 100m Hurdles, shuttle hurdle relay, long jump, triple jump, javelin throw, and heptathalon.

Jack and Mildred Dixon Elliott

Class of 1945 - Distinguished Graduates

Jack Elliott was co-captain of the 1944 undefeated football team. Later in life he was a longtime volunteer at the school, serving as a school board member, keeping the basketball scorebook, and operating the clock at football games. He was a tireless worker for the community betterment and economic development in Mount Ayr and Ringgold County. He was active in Republican party politics on both the state and local level. Jack was named an Iowa Master Farmer, Iowa Master Pork Producer, and served as a 4-H leader for many years. Throughout his life he promoted our school and community throughout the state and the nation, and in 1996 he was recipient of the Iowa Volunteer of the Year Award.

Mildred Elliott was also active in state and national government service. She served on the state Real Estate Commission and the Iowa Board of Corrections. She was a member of the White House Conference on Children and on the White House Conference on Aging. She was president of the Iowa Republican Women and delegate to the 1980 Republican National Convention. She worked on the Iowa campaign staff of George H.W. Bush in 1988. She was active on all levels of the Eastern Star and Rainbow organizations. In 1994 she received the State of Iowa Distinguished Service Award.

The Elliott family awards the Jack & Mildred Elliott Memorial Scholarship to a graduating Mount Ayr senior each year.

Vance Geiger

High School Principal 1950-1969

Vance Geiger was universally respected by both students and staff, and many cited his compassion and concern for people as one of his greatest attributes. He had a tremendous influence on the lives of his students, even to this day. When faced with a tough decision, one of his former students (who is himself a school administrator) says he always asks himself the question “What would Vance do?” One nominator said Geiger was “the key person” in the reorganization of many small schools into the Mount Ayr Community School district. Before coming to Mount Ayr, Mr. Geiger was a successful basketball coach in Hopkins, MO. His 1942 team had a record of 42-4 and finished second in the Missouri state tournament. He served in the US Army Air Corps in World War II. Geiger was elected to the Representative Council of the Iowa High School Athletic Association and was active in numerous community organizations. After retirement he worked with student teachers at his alma mater, Northwest Missouri State University. A former student and colleague remarked that when he thinks of the “Mount Rushmore” of our school, the first person he would expect to see is Vance Geiger. Vance and his wife Zeline were generous benefactors to Northwest Missouri State University, and their gifts to that institution help students now and will continue to do so long into the future.

The Vance & Zeline Geiger Memorial Scholarship is awarded annually to a senior graduating from Mount Ayr Community High School.

Larry Hunter

Class of 1968 – Distinguished Graduate

A graduate of the University of Michigan Law School, Hunter is currently the executive vice president and general counsel of DirecTV and the senior lawyer for their entire operation. At various times he has served as chairman and CEO of DirecTV, CEO of DirecTV Japan division and CEO of DirecTV Latin American division. Hunter joined Hughes Electronics in 1993 and helped transform that company from a defense contractor into the leader in the satellite TV industry today. Hunter serves on numerous corporate boards and philanthropic organizations, and he is one of the most respected legal minds in the digital entertainment industry. He and his wife Rita (Barker) have been silent contributors to various projects in the Mount Ayr schools over the years, with a special interest in art, music and drama.

Joe McNeill

History and Government teacher 1948-1976, Head Football coach 1948-1972

With 136 wins McNeill is the winningest football coach in Mount Ayr history. His 1963 team went undefeated and is considered the best football team that has ever played at Mount Ayr. He was named the 1963 Des Moines Register Coach of the Year and was selected to the Iowa Football Coaches Hall of Fame. He attended the University of Idaho on an athletic scholarship but left after two years to serve in the Army during World War II. After discharge, McNeill went to Drake University and played football for three years, helping the Bulldogs win the 1946 Raisin Bowl over Fresno State. He came to Mount Ayr in 1948, and other than two years in Iowa Falls, he spent his entire career in Mount Ayr. McNeill also coached baseball and basketball at various times and took the 1954 basketball team to the state tournament. He also worked as a basketball official in the area for many years.

Dave Still

Class of 1964 – Outstanding Achievement (Athletics)

Head Football & Girls Track Coach, and PE/Health/Drivers Ed Teacher 1979-1998

Still was quarterback of the undefeated 1963 football team that is considered the best ever in Mount Ayr history. He started his teaching and coaching career in Mound City, MO where he had very successful football, girls basketball and girls track teams. In 1979 he came back to his alma mater and resurrected the football program, winning numerous conference and district championships along with a number of undefeated teams. Still coached the first playoff team in Mount Ayr football history (1984) and took a total of five teams to the playoffs during his career. His 109 football wins are second only to his high school coach, Joe McNeill. He enjoyed tremendous success as a girls track coach, winning many conference championships. In 1988 his team won the state championship, and that year he was named Iowa Track Coach of the Year. Still also coached girls basketball and baseball during his time in Mount Ayr. He was respected by his students and colleagues and truly cared about the people around him. Over the years he mentored many young coaches, and he was committed to building relationships with people before that was the “in thing” in education. Along with Coach McNeill, Still was also selected to the Iowa Football Coaches Hall of Fame.

Dave & his wife, Marie (Angus), also a long-time educator at Mount Ayr Community Schools, award the Dave Still Excellence in Physical Education scholarship to a graduating Mount Ayr senior each spring.

Dr. Peggy Whitson

Class of 1978 – Distinguished Graduate

With a chemistry degree from Iowa Wesleyan and a doctorate in biochemistry from Rice University, Whitson became an astronaut candidate in 1996. A former high school classmate and teammate remembers Peggy’s work ethic while in school, and how she always gave effort above and beyond what was expected - both in the classroom as well as in athletics. That extra effort has no doubt helped launch her very successful NASA career. She was the first female commander of the International Space Station, and she was named the first NASA science officer, designing and conducting numerous experiments in space. She set records among American astronauts and women for most time in space – 377 days – and has completed six spacewalks in her career, totaling 39 hours and 46 minutes. In 2009 she became chief of the NASA astronaut corps, overseeing all astronaut activities including crew selection and training. She stepped down from that post in 2012 to begin preparing for a possible return to space. In fact, Dr. Whitson was unable to be with us for tonight’s induction ceremony, because she is currently in training for herthird space expedition crew – the first American astronaut to achieve that distinction.

2019 Hall of Fame Inductees — Nov 7, 2019 5:23:20 PM

2018 Inductees — Sep 29, 2018 3:44:33 PM

2017 Inductees — Sep 22, 2017 3:15:52 PM

2016 Hall of Fame Members — Nov 15, 2016 3:38:36 AM

Induction Class 2015 — Sep 6, 2016 2:23:48 AM