Written by Rachel Little, SHS Media Digital News staff
Salem High School alumni will be coming back to SHS on Friday, Nov. 13, to share their story and careers with students as part of this year’s Lion Legacy event, sponsored by the Salem Education Foundation (SEF).
Lori Hazelip, who is the school librarian and a member of the SEF, said, “A Lion Legacy is a person who is a graduate of Salem High School and has made an impact on others and throughout their career, or through contributions they have made to their own community.”
Hazelip added that “These alumni serve as role models for future Salem graduates.”
With so many outstanding SHS alumni members, choosing the ones to spotlight can be a challenge.
“Once they are nominated, we have a pool of names they are put into, once that is done we try to choose from different decades so we can have multiple people share how they are a Lion Legacy,” said Hazelip.
Lion Legacy has been in place since 2010 and was created to give students the opportunity to learn about alumni who are major role models. It also lets students get an idea of what they want to do with their future, by learning and hearing from the graduates.
“While they are here, they will be escorted by student volunteers who will give them a tour around the building, they will get to talk to classes and teachers, and just be around SHS again,” said Hazelip.
The honorees will also be recognized Friday night at the Lady Lions home basketball game against Orleans.
The student volunteers helping with Lion Legacy are student council members. They are: seniors Landon Irwin, Jordan Pham, Sydney Wilson, Lauren Clodfelter, Donevan Zinser and Abby Elliott; juniors Abby Spaulding, Olivia Davidson, Claire Motsinger and Jocelyn Elrod.
This year there are five special alums coming to share their careers along with one posthumous.
Roy Robertson graduated in 1928 from Little York's Gibson Township schools and built his life around work, service, and inequity. Robertson collaborated with a Purdue Professor to develop a process for producing 2% milk, at the Salem Creamery. He is an Honorary Lion Legacy being honored by his son, Gary.
Gary Roberston is the son of Roy Robertson. He graduated Salem High School in 1965. His career was built around creating and improving organizations, with computer technology connecting his early work as a test engineer to his leadership as Chief Technology Officer. He was Chief Information Officer at Delco Electronics and built the internal IT organization. He was also Delphi’s Chief Technology Officer, there he directed global IT infrastructure, including a new network serving 350 locations.
Next is Drew Wright, who graduated from SHS in 1963. Wright is a semi-retired attorney who has been a lawyer since 1971. Then in December of 1972 Wright had opened his solo law practice and represented many public entities throughout his career.
Carey Huls graduated in 1984. Huls served with the Indiana State Police for 31 years, served as a Trooper, Squad Sergeant, six years in the United States Navy as a Missile Technician, Indiana National Guard Infantry Squad Sergeant and as the Public Information Officer for the Indiana State Police Sellersburg District.
Kristiy Purlee, a 1997 graduate, and is the CEO of the Washington County Family YMCA. She started at the YMCA in 2012 and made her way up to CEO. Purlee earned a Bachelor’s degree in merchandising and a minor in marketing from Indiana University. At the YMCA Purlee leads a group of volunteers working toward a $4million YMCA expansion to create new opportunities for the community and to support families.
The last Lion Legacy is Michael Baird, who graduated from Salem High School in 2009 and then graduated from Purdue University in 2013. Baird earned a degree in Horticulture Production, Marketing, and Agribusiness Management. Baird also helps run his family’s farm, Cornucopia Farms.