GRHS introduces 2020-2021 Hall of Fame class

1976 football team:

In the past 70 plus years, Green River has only won 5 state championships in football. The 1976 team was the 4th one to grace this achievement following the 1949 and the 1950 GRHS Hall of Fame teams and 1973 and eventually the 2004 team followed.

Team coaches and members include: Head Coach Duane Freeman who was voted coach of the year for Western Class A Conference, Assistant Coaches Tom McCullough, Frank Stevens, and Jerry Lohrenz. Team players are: Ted Barney, John Boevers, Keith Bramwell, Danny Branch, Scott Buschelman, Chris Carson, Ernie Celli, Ted Cook, Jim Dean, David Drinkle, Kenny D’Spain, Greg Eaton, Jack Edwards, Jesse Giesenhagen, Kevin Goglio — All Conference and All State, Roy Hager, Dale Hansen, David Hansen, Ken Harsha — All Conference, Todd Harsha, Craig Horton, Danny Jackson, Ted Kalivas, Steven King, John Koch, Ron Koch — All Conference, Richard Kvidahl — All Conference and All State, Scott Lee, Gary Leonard, Mike Lindstadt, David Lovato, Arthur Maestas, Jerry McGee, John Maldonado, Rick Reid, Chris Reyes, Jerry Reyes, Steve Richmond, Steve Roberts, Mike Romango, Ron Ryan, Richard Schuck, Gary Schultz, John Searcy, Blaine Siddoway — All Conference, Terry Siddoway, Wade Smith, Alan Sterns, Gregg Teets, Robert Wilson, and Mark Wirch — All Conference.

Although they did not carry an undefeated record, they won the state championship in one of the most competitive seasons in Wyoming High School Football history. The 1976 team ended its season with a 6-3 record.

Green River defeated the Evanston Red Devils by a score of 30-6 giving them the West A Regional Title. The Wolves met the Buffalo Bison in the Class A State Championship with a win, 23-13. This would be Green River’s last championship as a Class A team since they moved up to Class 2A the following year.

Marlene Tromp:

Marlene Tromp grew up in Green River. She loved school and excelled in academics, athletics, and participated in many clubs and organizations. Neither of her parents were college graduates, but, they supported their daughter’s college aspirations. She went on to earn a Bachelor’s Degree in English, came home to the University of Wyoming to complete a Master’s Degree, and then completed her Doctorate Degree at the University of Florida.

Dr. Tromp has built a distinguished career in higher education, earning Phi Beta Kappa and Phi Kappa Phi Academic Honors while also serving as Department Chair, Chair of Faculty, Dean, Vice Provost, and Provost. Marlene was named President of Boise State in 2019. Her Wyoming roots inspired her to establish the Community Impact Program, providing educational opportunities to Idaho’s rural communities, and the Hometown Challenge, which helps students return home to give back in their communities.

Dr. Tromp created an endowment for the Presidential True Blue Scholarship to help more Idaho residents attend college. Bronco Gap Year also has provided students with a low-cost flexible and individualized college learning experience.

In 2020, she propelled Boise State as a national thought leader in supporting student engagement and wellbeing through the Project Launchpad Summit, a collaborative national effort to respond to the challenges students are facing.

Don VanMatre:

Don Van Matre was a 1960 Green River High School graduate. While in high school, Don excelled as a student and an athlete in track, basketball, and football.

In 1964, he graduated from Idaho State with a degree in Business Administration. Don entered the US Army as a commissioned officer in 1964, where he served 20 years before retiring as a Lieutenant Colonel. He commanded various Army and Army Aviation units in Korea and Vietnam. Don was an aide to the commanding General in Virginia and commanded Albrook Army Airfield in Panama.

Earning a master’s degree in education at Hampton University in Virginia, he went on to teach Management and Military Science courses at the University of Texas and the University of Wisconsin.

In the mid 80’s, Don was elected Mayor of the City of Green River. He served on the Green River Personnel Board, the City Board of Adjustment, the Sweetwater County Joint Powers Water Board, and the Sweetwater County Library Board.

Don was appointed in 2009 by the Sweetwater County Commissioners to head the Southwest Wyoming Veteran Services funded by Sweetwater, Sublette, and Lincoln counties. His task was to restructure and update access to services needed for some 1,000 veterans in the area. Today, the State of Wyoming Veteran Services Office has adopted the model that was initially set up in Southwest Wyoming.

In 2010, he was appointed to the Sweetwater County Board of Commissioners to fill an unexpired term. He was then re-elected to serve two terms on the Commission and served until his death in 2019 after losing a battle to prostate cancer, which was related to agent orange in Vietnam.

Glen McLean:

Glen McLean was born on July 26, 1947, in Evanston, Wyoming. He graduated from the University of Wyoming in May of 1970 with a major in Industrial ARts and a minor in Driver’s Education and Physical Education.

In June of the same year, he was hired by the Sweetwater County School District No. 2 and began teaching Industrial Arts that fall at Monroe Junior High where he expanding the program to plastics, leather, basic electricity, lapidary, and woods. After three years, Glen made the move to the high school in Green River with teaching assignments in woodworking, plastics, metals, and drivers’ education. He also continued coaching and taught adults for Western Wyoming Adult Education in woodworking and fiberglass.

Other accomplishments for Glen while during his tenure at the high school included Instructor for the State Department of Education for Plastic Certification Class, numerous club and class sponsors, member of the Green River Fire Department, as well as the Green River Search and Rescue Boat Patrol. He spent countless hours at the high school shop. He sometimes kept the shop open until 2 or 3 a.m. He would make the students sign in and they had to call their parents when they were leaving so the parents knew they were on their way home. He even allowed parents to come in and help the students sand on their projects.

No projects that came out of Glen’s shop were a kit. All projects had to bed designed and built from scratch. He spent the next 17 years teaching Industrial Arts and his students earned 17 championships at the Wyoming State Industrial Arts Fair under his leadership.

After retiring in 1990 from teaching, Glen moved on with a career in Life Insurance and as a Financial Advisor. In 2014, Glen was dealt some devastating news that he had Alzheimer’s, he lost his battle with this disease on October 20, 2020.