2026 Hall of Fame Class
Our first Hall of Fame Class features individuals who invested decades into helping Panthers grow in academics, in character, and, for some, in athletics. Each left an indelible mark on students, families, and our community by shaping and supporting the next generations of Panthers.
2026 Class in Alphabetical Order
Sam Ball
Athletics
Coach Sam Ball served Riverton Parke and Montezuma for 35 years as a mathematics teacher while building one of the most successful softball programs in the region. As head softball coach from 1986 to 2010, he compiled a 254–109–1 career record, leading his teams to six WRC championships, seven sectional titles, three regional championships, one semi-state title, a state runner-up finish, and three appearances in the state finals. His coaching excellence was recognized with the 1998 Class A Coach of the Year award and five Banks of the Wabash Tournament championships. Across generations of athletes, Coach Ball was known for his steady leadership, competitive standards, and lasting impact both on the field and in the classroom.
Mike Hardesty
Arts
Mike Hardesty served as music director at Riverton Parke for 12 years, following five years on the music booster board, expanding the band and choral programs through performance, competition, and leadership. He led the school into ISSMA Division-class marching band competition and earned Riverton Parke’s first Silver Medal in 2009, while maintaining annual participation in WRC Choral Festivals and ISSMA solo and ensemble contests. Under his leadership, music students were a visible presence at community traditions and RP athletic events, where a basketball coach once remarked that while Indiana State claimed “the best damn band in the land,” that distinction belonged to Riverton Parke. His legacy includes creating memorable experiences for students and families, including taking more than 1,000 students and their families to Holiday World and strengthening the connection between school, community, and the arts.
Mike Lunsford
Educator
Mr. Lunsford devoted 39 years to teaching at Montezuma and Riverton Parke, choosing to remain in his rural community despite opportunities elsewhere, and earning deep respect for his innovative, student-centered approach to education. His excellence in the classroom was recognized with numerous honors, including the WTHI Golden Apple Award, the Indiana Rural and Small Schools Teacher of the Year Award, an Eli Lilly Teacher Creativity Grant, and the James Mason Service Award for natural resources conservation advocacy. Beyond the classroom, he built a distinguished career in writing and photography, receiving five Reader’s Choice Best Columnist Awards, honors from Hoosier Outdoor Writers, a Polaris Award for lifetime achievement, and multiple regional photography awards. Since retiring, he has continued to educate and inspire through ongoing instruction with Riverton Parke students, teaching at Indiana State University’s OLLI program, active service in community organizations, and presentations to nearly 250 groups over the past decade.
John Memmer
Athletics
Coach Memmer began his career in the late 1980s as Riverton Parke’s athletic director and Varsity Boys Basketball coach, later continuing his service as both an educator and coach at Montezuma and Riverton Parke. He achieved more than 400 career wins as the Varsity Volleyball coach, leading teams to numerous Banks of the Wabash Tournament championships, WRC titles, sectional championships and runner-up finishes, along with multiple invitational and tournament titles. In addition to volleyball and basketball, he coached Varsity Track and Freshman/JV Boys Basketball, becoming a widely respected figure in the region and across the state. Across multiple generations of students and athletes, Coach Memmer has been remembered not only for wins, but for his mentorship, resilience, and the life lessons he taught in the classroom, on the court, and beyond.
Wayne Stanley
Agriculture
Posthumously
Wayne E. Stanley devoted 43 years of service to the Southwest Parke School Corporation, beginning in 1955 at Montezuma High School, where he taught agricultural education along with a wide range of science and technical courses. As an FFA advisor and agricultural educator, he built one of the most respected programs in the state, coaching soils, crops, forestry, dairy, livestock, ag mechanics, and leadership teams to repeated state and national success, including eight appearances at the national soils judging contest and recognition as the nation’s top ag teacher in 1971. He also served the 4-H program for 57 years, one of the longest tenures in Indiana, mentoring generations of students through hands-on agricultural learning and natural resource stewardship. A supporter of bringing Montezuma and Rosedale together to form Riverton Parke High School, he believed a unified school would expand opportunities for students and demonstrated that collaboration across communities could succeed. He was in charge of the Land Lab Project when the school was opened. He helped lay out the new football field, built perimeter fence, poured the press box concrete and helped build an amphitheater, trails, and wildlife habitat areas in the woodland areas on the property. The most visible lasting legacy are the beautiful Redbud and Dogwood trees that line the entrance to the high school planted by Mr. Stanley in 1987. His lifelong commitment to education and service was recognized by Indiana's Governor, Frank O'Bannon with Indiana’s highest civilian honor, the Sagamore of the Wabash.