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Alumni

Hall of Honor

Nominations for the Grand Island Senior High School Hall of Honor are accepted throughout each year. Nominations are reviewed each year and inductees are named. We are excited to announce the Hall of Honor Banquet & Celebration is projected to be held again in 2024.

The Hall of Honor, inaugurated in 1983, recognizes Grand Island Senior High School alumni who have made a significant and lasting contribution to the betterment of society. Nominees must have graduated more than 20 years ago from the high school. Each year, at least one person is inducted into the Hall of Honor.

 

Nomination Form

Online nominations are encouraged using the online form below. Email foundation@gips.org with questions.

Paper nominations also accepted using the PDF below. Paper nomination forms must be returned to the Grand Island Public Schools Foundation, Attn: Kari Hooker-Leep, 123 S. Webb Rd., PO Box 4904, Grand Island, NE 68802.

 

Online Nomination Form

Nominee Information

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Nominator Information

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Bob Sorensen

Class of 1944
Hall of Honor 2011

Bob Sorensen is a “Grand Island Guy.”  Born and raised in Grand Island, Sorensen has spent more than 60 years contributing to his community. After graduating in 1944, Sorensen attended Greeley Teachers College before going to work for his father at Sorensen’s Body Shop. Sorensen worked there for 55 years.

With inspiration from Grand Island Coaches Vic Ashley, Jerry Lee and Iner Toff, Sorensen began his coaching career in 1943, while still in high school. He continued to coach throughout his life with his main focus being girls’ sports. 

Together with Bill Smith, Sorensen started the Amateur Softball Association (ASA) in Grand Island. Later, Sorensen managed the ABCDD Girls Softball League in Grand Island. In 1985, Grand Island Mayor Bill Wright dedicated the softball fields at Ryder Park as the “Bob Sorensen Softball Complex.” In 2012, Sorensen will celebrate 50 years in Grand Island softball.

Sorensen received the Jim Lewis Softball Award in 1978 and was inducted into the Nebraska Softball Hall of Fame in 1982.

Sorensen’s community involvement reaches far beyond sports. He has been a Mason for sixty years, he served 16 years on the Grand Island City Council, served on the Board of Health, and is a member of the Board for the Grand Generation Center. 

His community involvement brought him several accolades including the Citizen Award in 1981, the Service to Mankind Award in 1996 and 2007, the Golden Apple Award in 1996, and the Life Time Community Builder Award in 2006. 

Sorensen and his wife Marge (Seymour), have three daughters, Susan, Nancy and Janet, five grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren. They live in Grand Island, where Sorensen continues to support the youth and senior citizens of this community. 

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