Another was known for her dedication as a nurse, and later, health care administrator, for 39 years.

A third was one of the first Peace Corps volunteers before becoming the preeminent historian of Fort Dodge.

The tie that binds all of them together? Iowa Central Community College.

Space program expert Tim Hanneman; the late Elizabeth Morrell, whose health care career began with the Iowa Central nursing program; and historian Roger Natte were inducted into the college’s Hall of Fame Saturday night.

-Messenger photo by David Borer
The Iowa Central Community College 2008-2009 softball team was inducted into the Iowa Central Hall of Fame Saturday night.

They were inducted along with basketball standout Terrell Parks, baseball and softball coach Rick Sandquist and the 2008-2009 softball team.

Additionally, Don and Dianne Decker were honored with the Triton Humanitarian Award for their longtime support of the college. Saturday evening’s induction ceremony marked only the second time the Triton Humanitarian Award has been presented.

“It is a privilege and an honor for Dianne and I to be recognized this evening,” Don Decker said.

Don Decker, who graduated from Iowa Central in 1968, said the college prepares people to be “excellent employees and members of society.” He noted that Iowa Central graduates work in every aspect of his family’s business, Decker Truck Line Inc.

“There would be a hole in our community without Iowa Central Community College being here,” he said.

-Messenger photo by David Borer
Tim Hanneman, Distinguished Alumni Award winner, speaks to the audience after being introduced.

Also on Saturday, Jennifer Dutcher, assistant professor of humanities and art coordinator, was recognized as the 2023 Outstanding Faculty Member.

Stacy Mentzer, vice president of instruction, was recognized as the Outstanding Staff Member.

And volleyball coach Sara Horn was recognized for her 300th career victory.

The Hall of Fame induction ceremony was held in the Triton Cafe on the Fort Dodge campus.

Tim Hanneman

-Messenger photo by David Borer
A large crowd was in attendance for the 2023 Iowa Central Hall of Fame Banquet on Saturday.

Hanneman earned his associate degree from Iowa Central in 1977. He then taught mechanical drafting at the college for three years.

He got a job with Rockwell Collins in Cedar Rapids, then moved to California to work for Rockwell-Rocketdyne. There, he worked on the main engine for the space shuttles.

Having worked on those engines, he said it was a “rush” to watch the space shuttles launch.

“It just leaps off the ground,” he said. “It was power unlimited. It was quite a sight.”

He moved from space shuttle engines to working on the International Space Station. He said he had a major role to play in certifying elements of the space station for flight.

-Messenger photo by David Borer
John Morrell accepts the Distinguished Alumni Award posthumously on behalf of his wife, Elizabeth Maiwurm Morrell, who passed away on Feb. 21, 2023.

He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Redland in California. He was named a fellow in the American Institute for Astronautics and Aeronautics, and is one of only 350 people to hold that title.

Now retired, he has returned to Fort Dodge and is active with the Fort Dodge Choral Society.

Elizabeth Morrell

Morrell died of cancer in February and was inducted into the Hall of Fame posthumously.

“She would find it just absolutely gratifying,” her husband, John Morrell, said Saturday evening.

-Messenger photo by David Borer
Don and Dianne Decker, receive the Humanitarian Award from Iowa Central President Dr. Jesse Ulrich at Saturday’s Iowa Central Hall of Fame 2023 induction ceremony.

He said she should be remembered for “her kindness, her ability to develop lifelong friendships and her professionalism in the field of nursing and hospital administration.”

She graduated from Fort Dodge Senior High School in 1979, then earned her associate degree in nursing from Iowa Central. She attended the University of Iowa in Iowa City before moving to San Diego, California, in 1983.

She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from the University of San Diego in California. Master’s and doctorate degrees in nursing followed.

At the time of her death, she was a senior director at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego.

Roger Natte

Upon being summoned to the podium and handed his Hall of Fame plaque by college President Jesse Ulrich, Natte summed up his feelings with one word: “Wow.”

Looking back on his service to Fort Dodge as the city’s unofficial historian, he said, “My volunteering was in response to a particular request, a particular need, a particular project, and I was willing to say yes.”

Natte grew up in Sibley and attended Iowa State Teachers College (today’s University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls) where he majored in history and social sciences. He was one of the first Peace Corps volunteers, serving from 1961 to 1962 in Liberia.

He joined the faculty of Iowa Central in 1965, when it was called Fort Dodge Community College and was located in the Fort Dodge Senior High School building. He said his first office was in the basement of the building, which most people did not know existed, and was frequently flooded.

He taught history and social sciences for 33 years, retiring in 1998.

Natte is a recipient of the Lions Club Community Service Award and received the Iowa Volunteer Hall of Fame Award in 1997.

He is the 2018 recipient of the William J. Peterson/Edgar R. Harlan Award, which recognizes an individual, group or organization that has made significant long-term or continuing contributions to Iowa history.

He has written more than two dozen articles and several books. His most recent book was about people from Fort Dodge who served in World War II.

Don and Dianne Decker

When Don Decker started classes at Iowa Central, it was located in Fort Dodge Senior High School. For his sophomore year, the college moved to its current location, but there was nothing but a couple of temporary buildings for a campus.

“It was a field,” he said Saturday evening before the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Since then, Iowa Central has been a part of his life and that of his wife for some 50 years.

The Deckers have created scholarships, donated various equipment to support departments related to truck driving and diesel mechanics, helped to start the college’s culinary and turf grass management programs, funded matching gifts to secure grants and donated funds to purchase the electronic scoreboard in Hodges Fieldhouse.

They recently donated $1 million to help pay for the new Performing Arts Center now under construction.

Ulrich said Dianne Decker played a key role in recruiting Chef Michael Hirst to move from Britain to Fort Dodge to head the culinary arts program. He said she also worked on the biodiesel initiative and campaigned to pass a bond issue that paid for numerous campus upgrades.

Terrell Parks

Parks was a member of the men’s basketball team. He was named an NJCAA Division II First Team All-American while setting records in career scoring with 991 points, single game rebounds (22), single game blocks (seven) and season rebounds (402).

After graduating from Iowa Central, he played basketball at Western Illinois University in Macomb, Illinois.

Rick Sandquist

In 1996, he became head baseball coach at Iowa Central after holding the same position for five years at Fort Dodge Senior High School. One year later, he was named the 1997 Two-Year College Coach of the Year.

He led the baseball team to the NJCAA College World Series five times. He won 390 career baseball games.

From 2006 to 2010, he was the college’s softball coach. He led the team to its only NJCAA tournament appearance. He won 425 softball games.

Sandquist received the 2008 Community Colleges for Iowa Outstanding Support Staff Award.

He was the college’s athletic director from 2010 until his retirement in 2018.

2008-2009 softball team

This team finished the year with the most wins in school history with 62.

Its overall record of 62-8 included the 2009 Region XI and District F championships. The team finished fifth in the college’s only NJCAA Division II Softball World Series appearance. It was named the NJCAA Academic Team of the Year.

Brittany Martin was named an NJCAA Division II All American.

Ashley Willard won a Golden Spikes Award for the most stolen bases in the country.

-Messenger photo by David Borer
Roger Natte, Distinguished Faculty and Staff Award winner, spoke about the history of Iowa Central Community College in his acceptance speech.