Former Wayland Mayor Donald Shafer was chosen posthumously as the recipient of this year’s addition to the Wayland High School Alumni Hall of Fame.
Shafer, a 1940 WHS graduate, was a member of the City Council during the 1970s and he served as mayor until 1986.
Shown in the cover photo are members of his family, who were on hand to accept the award on his behalf at the annual Honors Night at the Fine Arts Center.
Shown below is a photo of two other Hall of Fame inductees Vickie Schwartz and Jennifer Moushegian. Schwartz graduated from WHS in 1971 and has been owner and operator of Wayland Do-It-Best Hardware for many years. Moushegian is retired principal from Pine Street Elementary. She graduated in 1989.
Ms. Moushegian attended the University of Michigan and graduated in 1994 from the School of Education with a major in social studies and science and minor in Math. She later earned her master’s degree in athletic administration at Western Michigan University.
Her education career began at Otsego Public Schools, where was a teacher and middle school girls basketball and volleyball coach from 1995 to 2002. She then became assistant principal at Wayland Middle School from 2000 to 2002, was assistant women’s basketball coach from 1996 to 1999. She later became principal at Pine Street Elementary from 2008 to 2019.
Vickie Schwartz graduated from Wayland Union School in 1971. She received her bachelor’s degree with a physical education major and business minor from Western Michigan University in 1981. She also acquired additional hours to maintain her teaching certificate.
Vickie has been a part of the Wayland School system since youth through high school. She was an adult education teacher for many years and served as the JV volleyball coach in the 1980s and ’90s while also being varsity assistant to Dennis Anguilm.
Schwartz also was jayvee and assistant varsity coach under Sharon Nelson.
She has been the owner of the local hardware store since 1992 and was the owner of Schwartz’s pool and Sports since 1985 before it was incorporated to Wayland Hardware and Rental.
“Vickie contributed to many school programs by advertising and contributing to the school, students, adult education students and has touched many lives over the years through coaching, guiding young lives, and providing jobs for the Wayland community,” said Assistant Supt. for Instruction Teresa Fulk.
After completing school at Wayland, Donald Shafer joined the Army in 1941 and finished in September of 1945. After serving in World War II, he, long with a few local servicemen, formed and built the VFW Post 7581 on South Main Streeti.
Shafer was on the committee and started the first little league program in Wayland.
Shafer married in 1947 and had five children, all of whom were graduates of Wayland Union. A local builder most of his life, he served on the City Council from 1967 to 1977 and was elected mayor from 1977 to 1985.
Fulk added, “He volunteered in many programs throughout his many years in the community that had a lasting positive impact on the Wayland community then and now. Donald received many awards and accomplishments in his lifetime and we are grateful for Donald’s years of service to our community.”
The following is a list of previous WHS Alumni Hall of Fame selections:
2001 — Claude Smith – 1928
2002 — Joe Miller – 1975
2003 — Daryl Fleser – 1955
2004 — Dorothy DeWeerd – 1946
2005 — Fred Hilbert – 1930
2006 — Francis Beuschel – 1955
2007 — Tom Tarnutzer – 1965
2008 — Clayton Jackson – 1966
2009 — Ethel Aubil – 1935
2010 — Art Johnson – 1968
2011 — Julia Smith – 1927
2012 — Hugh DeWeerd and Dr. Michael Deweerd, – 1945 and 1968.
2013 —Patrick Coughlin – 1989
2014 — Teresa Permoda- 1972
2015 — Norman Fifelski (1965) and Roger Merren (1967)
2016 — Cheri Ritz (1977) and Roger VanVolkinburg (1972)
2017 — Embriette Hyde (2006) and Mary Jane Merren (1967)
2018 —Beatrice (Rairigh) Smith and Dick Miller (1962)
2019— Jackie Straub (1965) and Frank and Marylin Bastion
2020 *Covid
2021 — Eric (1964) and William Hooker (1938).
2022 — Lisa Schroeder Banas (1980) and Joan Miller (1964).