The Waterloo High School Legacy Wall honorees for 2024 include three former students, one longtime district staff member and one who is both. 

This year’s honorees are Jane Maag Hagedorn (Class of 1969), the first women’s softball NCAA Division I coach for the University of Iowa and pioneer of Title IX implementation; Kelly Lane Lerch  (Class of 1977), former WHS wellness coordinator and founding member of House of Neighborly Service in Monroe County; Nick Hopkins (Class of 2004), Illinois State Police Trooper; Shelby Nugent (Class of 2012), symphony orchestra musician; and Tony Miller, former WHS administrative secretary.

The WHS Legacy Society will host an open house to present awards and honor this newest class next Thursday, Oct. 3, beginning at 6 p.m. in the WHS foyer outside the auditorium. The public is invited to attend.

This is the 10th year of the WHS Legacy Society awards presentation. The organization was formed in 2013 with the purpose of honoring the legacy and history of WHS faculty, administration and graduates. No honorees were named in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Jane Maag Hagedorn

While a student at WHS, Jane Maag Hagedorn was a cheerleader, corresponding secretary for student council, member of the Wahisco yearbook staff, and vice president of the WHS Chapter National Honor Society, among other clubs.

After high school, she earned a B.A. in physical education from Colorado State University in 1972 and an M.A. in physical education from the University of Iowa in 1975. 

She then became a physical education teacher while also coaching softball at the University of Iowa.

In addition to being the first NCAA Division I women’s softball coach at Iowa, Hagedorn was instrumental in implementing Title IX law which prohibits sexual discrimination in any school or education program that receives funding from the federal government.

The impact of Title IX, passed in 1972, was being felt nationwide as Hagedorn was working toward her graduate degree.

After teaching and coaching for six years, she forged a path in the plumbing industry – at the time a male-dominated profession.

She began Bea Day Plumbers in Iowa City, and she owned the business from 1980-2019.

Hagedorn is also heavily involved with the Iowa Valley Habitat for Humanity organization. 

She was also project manager of the first Woman Build for the IVHFH in 2004. The build focused on educating women in traditionally male-dominated tasks and trades. 

Hagedorn has received many other awards, and she said her life passions are “to encourage, educate and empower girls and women to succeed in non-traditional roles and trades, to build a successful plumbing business using a non-traditional business model, to serve through volunteer opportunities and fishing for walleye, northern pike, bass, bluegill and crappie.” 

Kelly Lane Lerch

Kelly Lane Lerch joins the Legacy Wall as both an  alumna and former Waterloo school district employee. Lerch served as the WHS wellness coordinator for 20 years, impacting countless lives in the process.

When a student or a family of a student needed any kind of emotional support or assistance, Kelly could provide it. She organized the Rainbow Grief Support Group for children who had experienced loss, and she was dedicated to the Students Helping Out Waterloo (SHOW) group which gave high school students an opportunity to experience community service.

In addition to her work as wellness coordinator, she was responsible for creating WHS Post Prom, an annual prom after-party designed to help students celebrate in a safe and substance-free environment. 

Lerch is also a founding member and former vice president of the WHS Athletic Boosters Club, founding member of the WHS Legacy Society, member of the WHS school crisis assistance team, Wraparound team member and facilitator and recipient of the WHS You Make a Difference Award.

Lerch has also been recognized by organizations outside of the Waterloo school district.

She received the Illinois Education Association/National Educator Association Friends of Education Award in 2004, Waterloo Optimist Club International Outstanding Service Award in 2010, Waterloo Chamber of Commerce Outstanding Community Service Award in 2012, was a recipient of the East/West Gateway Council of Governments Outstanding Service Award and earned “Five on Your Side” recognition from St. Louis news station KSDK Channel 5 as well as “Pay It Forward” honors from KTVI FOX 2.

Lerch’s commitment to helping others was realized outside of the school when she helped create Monroe County’s community outreach organization House of Neighborly Service.

Lerch is also a member of the St. Paul United Church of Christ Board of Christian Education and Monroe County YMCA Board of Directors, and she was a Governor’s Hometown Award winner and finalist for the Governor’s Cup Award.

“What I have learned throughout my life is that things happen for a reason,” Lerch said. “If you look at the ups and downs carefully they can guide you to do what you were meant to be. Giving back is a responsibility we should all honor, as you will gain far more than you give.” 

 Nick Hopkins

During his time at WHS, Nick Hopkins was on the academic honor roll, was named Athlete of the Year and was recipient of the Top Dog Award, the annual honor during which each high school teacher selects one student to be recognized for a variety of reason.

After high school, Hopkins earned his criminal justice degree from McKendree University and then enrolled in the Illinois State Police Academy, where he studied special weapons and tactics and completed tactical explosive breacher school.

As an ISP trooper, he worked as an investigator in ISP District 12 and on the Metro East Police Assistance Team for District 11.

In 2016, Hopkins received a Department Unit Citation Award in recognition of his work in an extensive manhunt following the shooting of a Mahomet police officer. 

Outside of his work, Hopkins was the owner and operator of Gator Construction, LLC, through which he owned and operated a hay business.

Hopkins was also active in his church and its foster ministry and he helped launch a church security team.

Hopkins was known as an active outdoorsman. He could usually be found preparing for his next hunt or construction project. He loved being with his family and honored and treasured each relationship he had. 

On Aug. 23, 2019, Hopkins was killed after being shot while exercising a search warrant with an ISP SWAT team in East St. Louis. 

Hopkins posthumously received the Purple Heart Medal and Illinois Law Enforcement Medal.

He lived by the Ralph Waldo Emerson quote given to him by his grandfather Charles Hopkins, “You cannot do a kindness too soon, for you never know when it will be too late.”

The stretch of Route 3 from Kaskaskia to GG roads in Waterloo is named in his honor.

Shelby Nugent

With her induction into the Legacy Wall, Shelby Nugent will become the youngest recipient of the honor to date.

After graduating from WHS in 2012, Nugent earned a bachelor’s degree in musical performance from Northwestern University in 2016.

After earning her degree, Shelby held the second horn position with the Phoenix Symphony Orchestra from 2017-2021 before playing second horn with the Sarasota Orchestra for one year4, then heading to the Dallas Opera Orchestra in 2022, where she remains currently as fourth horn with tenure pending.

Shelby has also showcased her musical talents elsewhere. She has played with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra, the Florida Orchestra, Naples Philharmonic Orchestra, Richmond Symphony Orchestra, Charlottesville Opera Orchestra, Des Moines Metro Opera, St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, Omaha Symphony Orchestra, Brit Festival Orchestra and Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

Nugent also performed at the Grant Park Music Festival, Grand Teton Music Festival and Arizona MusicFest.

Nugent lives by the words in the movie “August Rush” uttered by the character played by the late Robin Williams, “Music is God’s little reminder that there’s something else besides us in this universe: Harmonic connection between all living beings everywhere, even the stars.”

Toni Miller

While not a graduate of WHS, Toni Miller’s organizational skills demonstrated during 29 years as an administrative secretary in the Waterloo school district along with her heart for volunteerism has earned her a spot on the Legacy Wall. 

It has been said that anyone who ever worked at WHS agrees that Miller’s job titles do not reflect who she was or what she meant to the school community.

She has been described as the “heart and soul” of the administrative building, although she was also responsible for major logistic operations for all students.

Miller was in charge of assigning identification numbers for all students in the district and handling all district transportation requests, but to a great deal of high school students, she was like a second mom.

Upon retirement, she took the skills acquired in the school office and applied them to House of Neighborly Service.

Miller has logged over 1,000 hours as the lead for the HNS food collection and distribution programs. She also organizes the HNS summer lunch program and oversees delivery of approximately 150 Thanksgiving baskets each year.

She also manages the annual collection, sorting and storage of approximately 10,000 food and personal hygiene items distributed throughout the year through organizations such as the Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts and United States Post Office.

Miller also lends her skills to local food pantries, and she is currently on the board of directors for HNS and its Back Porch store on West Mill Street in Waterloo. She is also a member of the WHS Legacy Society.