Nominations for the Grand Island Senior High School Hall of Honor are accepted throughout each year. The Hall of Honor Committee will review all submitted nominations and honor inductees every other year. We are excited to announce the Hall of Honor Banquet & Celebration will be held again on Tuesday, March 12, 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.
Nomination Form
Online nominations are encouraged using the online form below. Email foundation@gips.org with questions.
Nominations due November 1
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.
William J. Wheeler
Class of 1979
Hall of Honor 2002
William J. Wheeler is a member of the Islander Class of 1979. His high school career included serving as a co-captain of the 1978 Class A State Football Championship Team, a member of the State Championship Semi-Finalist Debate Team in 1979, a member of the track team, and Vice President of the Senior Class. Following his graduation from Grand Island Senior High, Mr. Wheeler attended A. B. Wabash College in Indiana. He graduated Magna Cum Laude from Wabash College in 1983. He was a member of Phi Beta Kappa fraternity and was also co-captain of the undefeated football team of 1982 at Wabash. Today, he serves as member of the Board of Trustees of Wabash College. In 1987, Mr. Wheeler graduated from the Harvard Business School with a MBA degree.
While attending Harvard, Mr. Wheeler worked summers in the New York office of Donaldson Lufkin & Jenrette Inc., an investment bank. He joined the firm right after graduation, raising money for companies by issuing stock or debt securities. He gained experience in helping companies transition from mutual to public ownership. He has advised numerous companies involved in restructuring efforts that include Equitable, Guarantee Mutual Life Insurance, Ameritas Mutual Insurance and Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. He is presently Senior Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer-Institutional Business for MetLife of New York. While at MetLife, he helped engineer the sale of one of the world’s largest life insurance companies to investors for $4.6 billion.
William Wheeler and his wife Carol have two children, Katherine and James. They now reside in Scarsdale, New York.
