The late Dan Flannery and Wayne "Hank" Hansen will be honored Saturday at AHS dedication

A pair of educational icons will be honored Saturday as Ames High School dedicates its newly constructed performing arts center and pool.

The local school district will celebrate the Wayne "Hank" Hansen Performing Arts Center at 10:30 a.m. Aug. 12.

The school will also unveil the Dan Flannery Pool during a ceremony at 4 p.m. Saturday. The late Flannery led the local swim program for nearly 20 years. The late Hansen taught in Ames for more than 30 years. The $137 million Ames High School, located between 20th Street and 16th Street, opened in the fall of 2022. The new pool can seat 485 spectators, while the state-of-the-art auditorium will hold almost 950 audience members.

Hansen had a unique love for performing arts

Hansen, a Manilla native and University of Northern Iowa graduate, founded Ames High's theater program while teaching speech and English, according to his obituary. He passed away in 2020 at 80 years old.

Hansen taught from 1971 to 2003, according to an Ames High School tribute video, directing more than 300 plays and musicals.

Nearly 200 people petitioned Ames High in a campaign drive to name the facility after the former teacher.

More: Ames dedicates high school auditorium to late Wayne 'Hank' Hansen, theater program founder

At least 125 letters were from AHS alumni, while administration and faculty also voiced their support.

Sandra DeLuca, a 1992 Ames graduate, voiced her support of Hansen at a 2022 school board meeting.

"We learned from Hank social skills, the benefits of a strong work ethic, self-confidence, problem-solving, emotional intelligence, collaboration and communication skills — all vital tools for really anything we end up doing in our lives," she said during the April meeting.

The local school board took note and officially recommended naming the auditorium in Hansen's honor in March. The school district later published a tribute video for Hansen and his legacy in May. It can be viewed at youtube.com/watch?v=jmaMx8Tdsg0.

Flannery excelled at a championship level

The late Dan Flannery was a winner.

The highly-regarded swimming coach powered the AHS girls' program to eight state championships. He also led the boys' program to a state title in 2018, securing nine titles across a nearly two-decade career.

Tragically, Flannery passed away from a brain aneurysm in July 2020 at the age of 44.

Flannery graduated from Urbandale High School and swam at Iowa State from 1994-98. He took over as the Ames boys' swimming coach upon graduating from ISU in 1998. He became the girls' coach four years later in 2002.

More: Ames coaching legend Flannery selected to Hall of Fame; Flummerfelt also honored in girls' swimming

Flannery's swim teams were nearly unbeatable, leading the Ames girls to a record of 140-11-1 in dual meets from 2010-19. He helped the Little Cyclones capture eight state titles during that 10-year span, finishing second twice in the non-championship years.

A Change.org petition was also created to push Ames to name the pool in Flannery's honor, garnering more than 6,500 signatures. The Ames school board voted to name the new pool after Flannery at a meeting in June of 2022.

Ames head swimming coach Joe Fisher, an assistant under Flannery dating back to 2013, felt his former boss deserved plenty of recognition for his success and his ability to tap into quality relationships.

"Dan, in my humble and biased opinion, is one of the greatest swimming coaches in the history of the state," Ames head coach Joe Fisher said in a previous interview with the Ames Tribune. "It is not the countless Coach of the Year awards, the nine state titles he won, or the countless runner-up finishers and dual-meet wins. It was his connection with the kids. His love of teaching them and building them up. His passion for the sport of swimming and the kids he felt so lucky to coach was an incredible thing to see. I was so fortunate to be on deck watching a true master at work."

Flannery's family will also be honored at Saturday's 4 p.m. dedication.

Brandon Hurley is editor of the Ames Tribune and the Iowa City Press-Citizen. He can be reached at bhurley@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: AHS will host dedication ceremonies Saturday for pool, auditorium