Green River High School Student
2018 Inductee

Arthur Hinton Hale graduated with the Green River Class of 1941. After graduation, he
received his commissions at the Tuskegee Army Flying School in Alabama and became a
Tuskegee airman and flight instructor in World War II. Tuskegee Airmen consisted of
America’s first black military pilots. These units confronted racism at home in addition to the
enemy abroad. Despite the extra obstacles, they would go on to compile an exemplary record
in the Mediterranean and European theaters of World War II and pave the way for
desegregation of the military.
He enjoyed a lengthy career as an aerospace engineer with Lockheed Martin, an American
global aerospace, defense, security, and advanced technologies company with worldwide
interests.
Arthur passed away at the age of 89 in 2012 after a lengthy illness. He leaves behind
his wife Lucille Lee Hale and daughters Roxanne Hale and Cheryl Diane Carter, and his
namesake and grandson, John Arthur Hale.

Joseph L. Smith was Salutatorian of the 1965 GRHS class.  He graduated from the University of Utah, Magna Cum Laude, and Cornell University College of Medicine.  Dr. Smith completed residency training in Internal Medicine at Pennsylvania State University-Hershey Medical Center and postdoctoral training in Infectious Diseases at Stanford University Medical Center and Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine at LDS Hospital-University of Utah Medical Center. He is board certified in Internal Medicine and these three subspecialties of medicine.  He also earned a Master of Science degree in Health Evaluation Sciences from Pennsylvania State University.    

Dr. Smith served in the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS) at The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Public Health Service. During this service, he participated in research assessing hepatitis B exposure among healthcare workers and, when Saigon fell to North Vietnam, in relocating Indochina refugees.

During Infectious Diseases training, he worked on the team who were the first to treat patients with chronic hepatitis B infections with antiviral medicines.  For the past 35 years, 30 + years at Geisinger Medical Center in Danville, Pennsylvania, he cared for critically ill patients.  He worked in one of the first electronic ICU’s, participated in trials using medications to break up blood clots in the lungs and to modify a patient’s response to serious infections, trained medical students, residents and fellows (physicians training to be Pulmonary/Critical Care Medicine specialists), authored/co-authored articles published in medical journals and was a clinical professor of medicine at Geisinger affiliated medical schools.

He has been honored with an endowed lectureship in his name at Geisinger Medical Center and by induction into Geisinger’s Medicine Institute’s Wall of Fame.

Don Polson, Professor Emeritus with the University of Wyoming College of Engineering, and Senior Fulbright Scholar, graduated from GRHS in 1971. While there he was active in student government, band, varsity swimming and track.

    Don attended the University of Wyoming, where he earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Architectural Engineering and a Master’s of  Civil Engineering: Structures. During his final four years of school, he worked for the national award-winning architectural firm of Hitchcock & Hitchcock Architects.

     Upon graduation, Don worked for GEM Structural Engineers, where he obtained his professional registration and became a partner in the firm.

     Don accepted a call-back to the UW College of Engineering to teach courses In his areas of expertise, ranging from Engineering Graphics to Structural Timber Design. This quickly evolved into a full-time Professor of Practice position until his retirement from UW, some 34 years later.

     During his UW faculty years, he received over twenty awards, including the Mortar Board: Outstanding UW Advisor; Tau Beta Pi: Outstanding Engineering Teacher; ASCE: Outstanding Service Award. His development grants brought in the first CAD software for UW’s Civil & Architectural Engineering program.

     Don received a two-year leave from UW, to accept a faculty position with Purdue University, for their “Malaysia Project”.  There, he was instrumental in the development of University Technology Malaysia’s graduate program in Timber Resources and Design, and the awarding of 22 graduate degrees.

     His private practice included structural engineering work on the Wyoming State Capitol Building, Laramie High School, Wyoming Veterinary Sciences Lab, and numerous other Hitchcock projects.

The 1996-1997 girls’ basketball team continued with the success of the previous year by completing a second undefeated conference season.  At the class 4A south regional tournament, the first game win was against Cheyenne East 66-31.  The Lady Wolves won the honors of becoming 4A south champions by getting the win against Laramie with a score of 67-51.  For the second straight year, Coach Carroll received Coach of the Year for the south region.  Andrea Cannon, Heather Cannon, Cheryl Harmon, Kim Killpack, and Ana Ortega received All-Conference honors.  Heather Cannon received Conference Player of the Year.

At the 4A state championships, Green River got a win in round one by defeating Cody with a score of 73-45.  In the semi-finals, the Lady Wolves conquered Sheridan with a win of 69-57.  However, once again they found themselves matched up against Gillette for the state title.  Even though they fought hard, they again ended the season with one loss against the Gillette Camels, 88-68, and they took home the 2nd place trophy.  Heather Cannon, Kim Killpack and Ana Ortega were honored with All-State awards.