Collinsville, Illinois – December 27, 2023 – The Collinsville Community Unit School District #10 Kahok Hall of Fame announced the 2024 class of inductees during a halftime ceremony at the Collinsville Prairie Farms Holiday Classic Basketball Tournament in Fletcher Gymnasium at Collinsville High School.
The Hall of Fame was established in May 2022 “to recognize athletic and personal accomplishments, exemplary citizenship, contributions to society and actions that brought distinction and honor to all associated with Collinsville Community Unit School District #10.”
The 2024 group is the second to be enshrined in the Kahok Hall of Fame. Twenty-one individuals and teams were honored as the inaugural class last year.
Beginning in May 2023, nominations for the 2024 class of inductees were solicited from the public. In August, the eleven members of the Hall of Fame Selection Committee – four from the school district and seven representing the community at large – chose this year’s Kahok Hall of Fame inductees from a lengthy list of worthy individuals and teams.
To be eligible, a candidate must have graduated from Collinsville High School, worked for Collinsville CUSD #10 or be affiliated with the Collinsville CUSD #10 communities. Individuals inducted into the Hall of Fame must be at least 30 years of age prior to being inducted.
The Collinsville CUSD 10 Kahok Hall of Fame has two divisions:
- Distinguished: Individuals are recognized for community service, academic achievement, professional accomplishment and/or school district employment.
- Athletic: Individuals, teams and coaches are recognized for their success and accomplishments.
“Our district is really excited to recognize our alumni, residents and employees for their community service, academic achievement, professional accomplishments, service to the district, athletic success and accomplishments,” said Superintendent Dr. Mark B. Skertich.
“It was a challenge and an honor for the committee to review and select the Collinsville Kahok Hall of Fame Class of 2024,” added Skertich, “We are extremely proud of this year’s inductees and look forward to our community celebrating their accomplishments in February.”
2024 Induction Dinner Tickets and Information:
The 2024 inductees will be celebrated February 15, 2024 at the Gateway Center in Collinsville, Illinois. Doors open at 5:00 p.m.; followed by dinner at 6:00 p.m. The inductee presentations begin at 6:45 p.m. The cost is $40 per person. Tables seating eight can be requested. Tickets for this event are limited and must be purchased in advance. Ticket sales end on February 1, 2024.
Tickets can be purchased by contacting Clay Smith ([email protected]) 618-346-6320 Ext. 1231 OR Jan Harmon ([email protected]) 618-346-6320 Ext. 1122.
2024 Collinsville CUSD 10 Kahok Hall of Fame Inductees:
1965 Basketball Team (Athletic Achievement): The 1964-65 Kahok basketball season was supposed to be a “rebuilding year” after an upset loss in the super sectionals ended the 1963-64 season. However, everything came together that winter to bring home Collinsville High School’s second state basketball championship. Under the leadership of legendary Collinsville basketball coach Vergil Fletcher and assistant coach Frank Pitol, with grit and perseverance, as well as a historic command of Fletcher’s 1-2-2 “ball press” defense, the ‘65 team accrued a 30-2 season, 12-0 conference record, and state championship.
1986 Soccer Team (Athletic Achievement): The 1986-87 Kahoks capped an 18-5-2 season with Collinsville High School’s second boys soccer state championship. Collinsville beat Libertyville in the state tournament final match 2-1 in a nail-biter that included four overtimes.
William (Bill) Baumgartner (Distinguished Achievement): A 1976 graduate of Collinsville High School; as well as graduate of the U.S. Coast Guard Academy, University of New Orleans and Harvard Law School, retired U.S. Coast Guard Rear Admiral Bill Baumgartner’s 33 year military career included serving as The Judge Advocate General/Chief Counsel (TJAG) and Seventh District Commander of the Coast Guard. He is the recipient of the Legion of Merit Award for his actions during the global war on terror.
Bob Bone (Athletic Achievement): Bob Bone was a three-year starter for Kahok Basketball leading up to his graduation from CHS in 1973. He played on two regional and sectional championship teams and two Elite Eight teams. Bone was named All-Conference, All-State and All-State Tournament as a senior. At University of Missouri-St. Louis, Bone started every game for four years, and was a three-time NCAA Division II All-American. He was also an academic All-American and earned an NCAA postgraduate scholarship. His career as an athletic director and basketball coach includes twenty-years at Collinsville High School.
Brenda Holdener (Distinguished Achievement): Captain Brenda Holdener enlisted in the U.S. Navy following her 1978 graduation from Collinsville High School. She earned degrees from Oregon State University, the Naval War College and University of Colorado-Colorado Springs. During her 31-year Navy career, she served as a combat helicopter pilot, navigator on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower and USS Kitty Hawk, commanding officer of a helicopter squadron, and command center director for North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD). She was the first female commander of the USS Wasp, a multipurpose amphibious assault ship. In the early 1990s, Holdener was part of a panel that spoke before Congress regarding the combat exclusion law which prohibited women from serving in combat positions.
Francesca “Frannie” Kolesa (Athletic Achievement): CHS Class of 2010 graduate Frannie (Steiner) Kolesa’s calm and cool demeanor helped lead the Kahok Girls Bowling team to the state championship in 2010; to date the only IHSA state championship girls team in school history. At the state tournament, Kolesa’s 2,756 (229 average) pins, including three consecutive strikes in her final frames, helped the Lady Kahoks clinch the team championship, and earned her the individual state title. She was named 2009-10 SIHSBC Player of the Year and St. Louis Post-Dispatch Female Athlete of the Year.
Dominique Manley (Athletic Achievement): Kahok middle-distance runner Dominique Manley graduated from Collinsville High School in 2010 holding eight school records; seven still standing today. During his high school years, he was a two-time 800m, and one-time 4X800m relay Madison County champion; and 4x400m Southwestern Conference relay champion. Manley made three appearances at IHSA State, including when he won the 800m state championship in 2010. He continued his track career at Kansas University where he competed individually and as part of Jayhawk relay teams.
Ken Oberkfell (Athletic Achievement): Ken Oberkfell, a 1974 graduate of Collinsville High School, learned baseball growing up in Maryville, Illinois, and as a Kahok at CHS. He was signed by the St. Louis Cardinals in 1975, which launched his long career as a professional baseball player and coach. The highlight of his Major League career was being a member of the Cardinals’ 1982 World Championship team as part of “the best infield in baseball.”
Dennis Pace (Athletic Achievement): The 1965 Kahok state championship basketball team was led by center Dennis Pace. He averaged 25.6 ppg during their 30-2 season. He was the state tournament’s leading scorer, and earned All-State and All-American honors. After graduating in 1965, Pace took his skills on the court to the University of Illinois where he excelled in the classroom, too, earning both All-Big Ten and All-American academic honors. After college, he returned to Collinsville High School as a physical education instructor and coach.
Tom Parker (Athletic Achievement): Basketball player Tom Parker graduated from Collinsville High School in 1968. At 6 feet 6 inches tall, Parker was a three-year starting center for Kahok Basketball. During his record-setting career at CHS, he scored 2,041 career points and set many school records. In high school, he earned All-State honors twice, and was named an All-American his senior year. At the University of Kentucky, his standout performance continued: All-SEC First Team, Academic All-SEC Team, and co-SEC Player of the Year. Parker was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers in the 1972 NBA draft.
John A. “Jack” Renfro (Distinguished Achievement): Jack Renfro dedicated his career to public education. Renfro, a 1950 graduate of Collinsville Township High School, was a multisport Kahok; a four-year contributor in basketball, track and baseball, including captain of the 1950 basketball team that took 4th in state, and the record holder of both 100- and 220-yard dash. After graduating from SIU Carbondale and service in the U.S. Army in South Korea, he began his career as a teacher and coach in several Illinois communities. In 1970, he returned to his hometown, where he was an educator for several years before serving as superintendent for 22 years. John A. Renfro Elementary is named in his honor.
John M. Renfro (Distinguished Achievement): John Renfro is a 1978 graduate of Collinsville High school where he was a member of National Honor Society and science club, officer of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, and captain of the cross country and track teams. Next, he followed the path of several relatives who earned degrees at SIU Carbondale. There he earned the business degree that would become the foundation of a career that has included senior executive roles at Zenith, Gateway, The Walt Disney Company, HP, AECOM and Capital Group. He is currently an executive advisory board and founding member of SemperVirens Venture Capital in California.
Everett Singleton (Distinguished Achievement): Everett Singleton was a pioneer in ending racial discrimination and segregation in the Collinsville public school system. Singleton was born in 1914 and raised in Collinsville during segregation. He attended Lincoln School for Blacks in the community, but graduated from high school elsewhere because Collinsville Township High School was not desegregated until 1940. He earned a teaching degree from Illinois State Normal University and returned to Collinsville where he would serve as a teacher, and eventually, the final principal of Lincoln School for Blacks. Singleton’s leadership and character helped convince the Board of Education to close the school and integrate its students and staff into other schools. Singleton taught at Summit Elementary and Webster Elementary until his death in 1970.
Kevin Stallings (Athletic Achievement): While growing up in Collinsville, Kevin Stallings developed a passion for basketball. Stallings played guard at Collinsville High School for four years under legendary coach Vergil Fletcher. When he graduated in 1978, the Kahoks had collected three conference championships and two appearances in the state tournament; and Stallings had set records in career assists, season assists and season steals. He went on to play basketball at Purdue University for American Hall of Fame basketball coach Gene Keady. After college, Stallings became an assistant coach at Purdue, then University of Kansas. Over the next 25-years, he served as head basketball coach at Illinois State University, Vanderbilt University and University of Pittsburgh.
Collinsville CUSD 10 Kahok Hall of Fame
For more information about the Kahok Hall of Fame, including previous inductees, visit: www.kahokhalloffame.org
Collinsville Area Community Foundation
The Collinsville CUSD 10 Hall of Fame is supported through the Collinsville Area Community Foundation.
CACF works to enhance the quality of life for the communities of Collinsville, Maryville, Caseyville, Fairmont City and surrounding areas by promoting impartial, unbiased and ethical philanthropy, with a commitment to inclusiveness and diversity, by bringing together people and resources that identify and address present and emerging school and community needs.
CACF is a public charitable organization as defined by Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. All contributions and gifts are tax deductible. To learn more and make a donation, visit the Collinsville Area Community Foundation website.