Hall of Fame Nominations
MSCI hosts the Michigan Speech Coach Hall of Fame. This Lifetime Achievement Award is based on an individual's coaching experience, success in coaching, and service to the Michigan speech community. Coaches are nominated annually. The MSCI Executive Board reviews nominations and determines the coach or coaches inducted based on merit. The recipients receive their award at the annual Spring Tournament and Conference at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island.
Deadline: January 31
Nominated coaches being consider have the following qualifications:
A member of the Michigan Speech community may be eligible for the Michigan Speech Coaches Hall of Fame if the person meets certain qualifications. Nomination qualifications are in the areas of service, coaching and longevity.
Time in Service:
The candidate shall have demonstrated the following:
• minimum of 10 years coaching in the field (minimum 4 years in head coach role)
• minimum of 7 years as a member of MSCI
Success in Coaching:
• Having shown significant success coaching speech/debate/theatre within the state of Michigan. (Ex.: coaching multiple state champions in any MIFA or MSCI state championship series event OR having coached a substantial amount of finalists in any combination of MSCI or MIFA state championship series events)
• Having coached teams that have won trophies at any combination of MIFA or MSCI state championship series events.
• Having coached decades of individuals and teams that have scored high at MIFA or MSCI events including Theatre, Debate or Individual Event competitions.
Service to Community:
The candidate shall have demonstrated a record of service to the speech community through any of the following:
• Having held state-wide office in any of the following organizations: MSCI, MIFA, or comparable state-wide organization
• Having hosted and directed numerous speech/debate/theatre events from the following list:
-Invitational high school speech/debate/theatre tournament or festival
-MSCI tournament
(Poetry Slam, JV State Debate, Lincoln Douglas State Debate, Novice State IE, Audition Scholarship or Mackinac Spring Tournament)
-MIFA tournament
(Student Congress, Middle School IE, Original Interpretation, Novice Debate Preliminary, Novice Debate State, Varsity Debate District, Varsity Debate State, John S. Knight Scholarship, One Act Theater District, One Act Theater Regional, One Act Theater State, IE District, IE Regional, IE State, Regional Discussion Festival)
• Having served on at least two statewide committees organized under the aegis of MSCI, MIFA or comparable state-wide organization
A plaque with all MSCI Hall of Fame members sits in the lobby of the historic Grand Hotel.
A member of the Michigan Speech community may be eligible for the Michigan Speech Coaches Hall of Fame if the person meets certain qualifications. Nomination qualifications are in the areas of service, coaching and longevity.
Time in Service:
The candidate shall have demonstrated the following:
• minimum of 10 years coaching in the field (minimum 4 years in head coach role)
• minimum of 7 years as a member of MSCI
Success in Coaching:
• Having shown significant success coaching speech/debate/theatre within the state of Michigan. (Ex.: coaching multiple state champions in any MIFA or MSCI state championship series event OR having coached a substantial amount of finalists in any combination of MSCI or MIFA state championship series events)
• Having coached teams that have won trophies at any combination of MIFA or MSCI state championship series events.
• Having coached decades of individuals and teams that have scored high at MIFA or MSCI events including Theatre, Debate or Individual Event competitions.
Service to Community:
The candidate shall have demonstrated a record of service to the speech community through any of the following:
• Having held state-wide office in any of the following organizations: MSCI, MIFA, or comparable state-wide organization
• Having hosted and directed numerous speech/debate/theatre events from the following list:
-Invitational high school speech/debate/theatre tournament or festival
-MSCI tournament
(Poetry Slam, JV State Debate, Lincoln Douglas State Debate, Novice State IE, Audition Scholarship or Mackinac Spring Tournament)
-MIFA tournament
(Student Congress, Middle School IE, Original Interpretation, Novice Debate Preliminary, Novice Debate State, Varsity Debate District, Varsity Debate State, John S. Knight Scholarship, One Act Theater District, One Act Theater Regional, One Act Theater State, IE District, IE Regional, IE State, Regional Discussion Festival)
• Having served on at least two statewide committees organized under the aegis of MSCI, MIFA or comparable state-wide organization
A plaque with all MSCI Hall of Fame members sits in the lobby of the historic Grand Hotel.
Pictured 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees (left to right) Joel Thursam, Charlie Rinehart & Ashley Bowen
2023 Hall of Fame Inductees
Charlie Rinehart, Oakland University
Ashley Bowen, Portage Central High School
Joel Thursam, West Bloomfield High School
MICHIGAN SPEECH COACHES HALL OF FAME
2023: Charlie Rinehart, Ashley Bowen, Joel Thursam
2022: Dan Jacobs, Beth Campbell
2021: No inductees. 2020 Nominees received recognition this year because of the pandemic.
2020: Doug Bevier, Danielle Tier, Ken Weinstein
2019: Barb Ebeling
2018: Phyllis Minor; Kathy Tar
2017: Theresa Mills
2016: Heather McKaig; Cindy Stevens
2015: Dawn Battice
2014: Jon Becker; Shiela Dunleavey Mund
2013: Ruth Kay
2012: John Rutherford
2011: John DiLuca
2010: James Copeland
2009: Michael Scheidt
2008: Zoz Compagnari; Thomas Lietz
2007: Amy Bushey; Melissa Middleton
2006: Kirstin Carolin; Chad Daniels
2005: No Inductee
2004: Gayle Dawson; Laurel Scheidt
2003: No Inductee
2002: Marianne Kiefer
2001: Scott Warrow; Annetta Wellman
2000: Nancy Lauer; Joyce Morehouse; Steven Pfannes; Mike Terrill
1999: No Inductee
1998: Patrick Bates; Rebecca Knack
1997: Connie Ford; Jerry Hennessey; Denise Kling; Brian Snell
1996: Kevin Schneider; Sharron Smith; Lewis Vandermeer
1995: Debora Marsh; Bernard Nummer; Lou Price
1994: Kathryn Brown
1993: Patricia Clees; Bette Kashi; Nancy Shannon; Nancy Webster
1992: David Bassett; Kathy Mulay
1991: Mary Haab; Richard Worth
1990: Diane Feenstra; Mike Nolan; Richard Ryan
1989: Steve Marsh; Marcene Telfer
1988: No Inductee
1987: Peter Shaheen
1986: John McKendry; Carol Prestgard; Barbara Shaheen
1985: No Inductee
1984: Jerry Bluhm; Barbara Burmeister; John Lawson; Robert McBroom
1983: Dennis Anderson; William Colelius; Rick Horst; Jim Springston; Robert VanCamp
1982: John Klemme
1981: Marcia Kreger; Roger Mattens; Judy Rohm
1980: Charles Barr II; Robert Clements; Ethel Fleener; Adrienne Klemme; Joanne Pietscher; Dennis Raymond; David White
1979: George Croll; Jayne Greco; Bayard Gum; Jim Haeck; Janette Horst; Leonora McFarlin; James Menchinger; Margaret Miller; Wallace Mollema Jr; Raymond Monte; Cyril M. Pombier; Lloyd Smith; James Telfer; Peg Turner; Arthur Voisin
2022: Dan Jacobs, Beth Campbell
2021: No inductees. 2020 Nominees received recognition this year because of the pandemic.
2020: Doug Bevier, Danielle Tier, Ken Weinstein
2019: Barb Ebeling
2018: Phyllis Minor; Kathy Tar
2017: Theresa Mills
2016: Heather McKaig; Cindy Stevens
2015: Dawn Battice
2014: Jon Becker; Shiela Dunleavey Mund
2013: Ruth Kay
2012: John Rutherford
2011: John DiLuca
2010: James Copeland
2009: Michael Scheidt
2008: Zoz Compagnari; Thomas Lietz
2007: Amy Bushey; Melissa Middleton
2006: Kirstin Carolin; Chad Daniels
2005: No Inductee
2004: Gayle Dawson; Laurel Scheidt
2003: No Inductee
2002: Marianne Kiefer
2001: Scott Warrow; Annetta Wellman
2000: Nancy Lauer; Joyce Morehouse; Steven Pfannes; Mike Terrill
1999: No Inductee
1998: Patrick Bates; Rebecca Knack
1997: Connie Ford; Jerry Hennessey; Denise Kling; Brian Snell
1996: Kevin Schneider; Sharron Smith; Lewis Vandermeer
1995: Debora Marsh; Bernard Nummer; Lou Price
1994: Kathryn Brown
1993: Patricia Clees; Bette Kashi; Nancy Shannon; Nancy Webster
1992: David Bassett; Kathy Mulay
1991: Mary Haab; Richard Worth
1990: Diane Feenstra; Mike Nolan; Richard Ryan
1989: Steve Marsh; Marcene Telfer
1988: No Inductee
1987: Peter Shaheen
1986: John McKendry; Carol Prestgard; Barbara Shaheen
1985: No Inductee
1984: Jerry Bluhm; Barbara Burmeister; John Lawson; Robert McBroom
1983: Dennis Anderson; William Colelius; Rick Horst; Jim Springston; Robert VanCamp
1982: John Klemme
1981: Marcia Kreger; Roger Mattens; Judy Rohm
1980: Charles Barr II; Robert Clements; Ethel Fleener; Adrienne Klemme; Joanne Pietscher; Dennis Raymond; David White
1979: George Croll; Jayne Greco; Bayard Gum; Jim Haeck; Janette Horst; Leonora McFarlin; James Menchinger; Margaret Miller; Wallace Mollema Jr; Raymond Monte; Cyril M. Pombier; Lloyd Smith; James Telfer; Peg Turner; Arthur Voisin