By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
Highland Park will hold its 2021 Hall of Fame and Sports Wall of Honor induction ceremonies on Saturday at Highland Park, inducting three individuals into the school's Hall of Fame and two former Scot standouts into the Sports Wall of Honor.
Social time will begin at 3:30 p.m., followed by the 4 p.m. ceremony in the Highland Park Media Center.
Highland Park will induct Lowell Dicke, Bill Gahnstrom and Angela Cervantes into its Hall of Fame and Terry Douglas and Danny Kingcannon into the Sports Wall of Honor.
Highland Park Hall of Fame and Sports Wall of Honor inductee capsules:
Lowell Dicke
LOWELL DICKE
A 1957 Highland Park graduate, Dicke served as senior class president and received the Bausch Lomb award as outstanding student in science. He received his Bachelor of Arts degree in economics with honors and a minor in history, philosophy and French from the University of Kansas in 1961. He received the Arthur Boynton scholarship given each year to the outstanding student in economics.
Following graduation Dicke attended Yale University and received an M.A. in economics with first honors and an LLB in international law from the Yale Law School with second honors.
Dicke worked for the U.S. Department of State assigned to the U.S. Mission to the United Nations. Following that service he worked for the Douglas Aircraft Company, Litton Industries, the Fluor Corporation, the Bechtel Group, operations partner at Montgomery Securities, and president, board member and chief financial officer of diversified Investors Corporation and Energy Recovery, Inc.
He also served as a board member for multiple organizations.
Bill Gahnstrom
WILLIAM (BILL) GAHNSTROM
Gahnstrom graduated from Highland Park in 1966 after attending East, West and Southwest Avondale Elementary schools and Jardine Junior High.
Gahnstrom was active and successful in debate and forensics, the music program, including robe choir, madrigals, and musicals, and played on the golf team.
He attended Kansas for two years before enlisting in the United States Navy in the nuclear power program. As he completed nuclear power training, Bill was selected for the Naval Enlisted Scientific Education Program (NESEP) and returned to KU to complete a bachelor’s degree, receive a commission and do graduate work in computer science.
After college Ensign Gahnstrom was assigned to the aircraft carrier USS Independence as the Naval Tactical Data Systems Officer. In the years that followed, Gahnstrom’s additional sea assignments were aboard the USS Barbey, USS England and USS Brooke, where he served as the ship’s final Commanding Officer.
He was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal, the Navy Commendation Medal with Gold Star and numerous other medals and citations. Following retirement from the Navy, Bill returned to Topeka and taught in the mathematics and statistics department at Washburn University for 24 years, retiring in 2017 as a lecturer emeritus. In 2015, Bill and his wife, Emilie, received the Washburn Alumni Association’s first Honorary Ichabod Award. Last year the Washburn softball complex was re-named Gahnstrom Field in recognition of the Gahnstrom's support of new Washburn softball facilities.
Angela Cervantes
ANGELA CERVANTES
A 1988 Highland Park graduate, Cervantes served as a member of the Scotsman Choir and performed in several school musicals. Cervantes also was a reporter and news editor of the Bagpiper school paper and later became its editor in chief.
After Highland Park Cervantes went on to receive her English literature degree from the University of Kansas. Upon her graduation from KU, she moved to Brownsville, Texas and later to Guadalajara, Mexico to teach creative writing and English. After a three-year stint in Guadalajara, Cervantes returned to Kansas City to obtain her MBA at Avila University.
Cervantes is the published author of several children’s novels. Her latest releases include "Lead With Your Heart'' and "Encanto: The Junior Novel.''
Cervantes also wrote the junior novelization of Disney Pixar’s animated film, "Coco.'' All of her novels have been translated to Spanish for the Spanish-speaking market.
Terry Douglas
TERRY DOUGLAS
A 1984 Highland Park graduate, Douglas participated all four years in football as a nose guard, wrestling and track and field in various events such as the 100-meter dash, 4x100 and 4x400 relays and long jump. Douglas wrestled at 138 pounds both his junior and senior year placing fourth in the state meet as a junior and winning the Class 6A state championship as a senior.
His senior year was very successful and included placing first at the Highland Park Invitational, first at the Bonner Springs Invitational, second place at the 6A regional and first place at the 6A sub-state tournament, ending the year with a record of 23-1-1.
Douglas was a member of the 1984 undefeated dual wrestling team that was inducted previously in the Highland Park High School Sports Wall of Honor in 2004-2005.
Douglas served as an assistant wrestling coach for Topeka West and Hayden while serving as a youth wrestling coach with the Topeka Tornados for over 26 years.
Danny Kingcannon
DANNY KINGCANNON
Kingcannon, a 1985 Highland Park graduate, participated all four years in basketball and was named Mr. Kansas Basketball his senior year among other awards and recognition.
Kingcannon helped the Scots post a 16-6 record and advance to the Class 6A state tournament as a sophomore and was selected to the All-Centennial League first team and named the city sophomore of the year and received All-City honorable mention. As a junior, Kingcannon was the was the leading scorer for 15-5 Highland Park as they placed second in the Centennial League and placed second in a 6A basketball sub-state, losing to Danny Manning and Lawrence. He earned All-Centennial League, third-team All-State and first team All-City honors.
His senior year Highland Park posted a 12-9 record and Kingcannon was the city’s leading scorer, helping the Scots win the Topeka Invitational and place second in a 6A sub-state Tournament. He was named first team All-City and first team All-State.
Following high school, Danny attended Barton Community College and Texas A&M University.
