Glenwood High School to hold Hall of Fame induction on April 30
Glenwood High School will honor a number of former students and athletes at its Hall of Fame induction at the GHS Commons and Auditorium around 2 p.m. on April 30.
It includes a posthumous recognition of Frank and Cinda Edwards, who died in a plane crash en route to Springfield from Florida on Jan. 28, 2020.
Selected for the Hall of Fame were singer/songwriter Ben Bedford for achievement and former football coach and athletic director Dan Rourke for service.
Voted in for their athletic accomplishments were Kip Provines, Tricia Criswell and the 2013 state championship girls soccer team.
Inductees were selected "whose actions or achievements in their chosen fields bring honor and distinction to the heritage of the Ball-Chatham school district."
The selection committee was made up of school administrators, educators, coaches, school board members and alumni.
Frank and Cinda Edwards
The Edwardses were both Glenwood alums known for their community service.
Frank Edwards served in the Illinois National Guard and retired from the Springfield Fire Department as chief in 2002. He served as Ward 1 alderman on the Springfield City Council from 2003 to 2015 and briefly as mayor following the 2010 death of Mayor Tim Davlin. Edwards also ran for mayor in 2019.
Cinda Edwards served as Sangamon County coroner from 2011 to the time of her death. Edwards had been a nurse before becoming coroner. She was a member of the Lincoln Land Community College board of trustees from 2007-2013 and served as chair for two years.
Ben Bedford
Bedford, a 2000 graduate of Glenwood, has established himself as a rising star in the world of folk music. In 2010, Rich Warren of WFMT-FM in Chicago listed Bedford as one of the “50 most significant folk singer-songwriters of the past 50 years,” a list that included Bob Dylan, Townes Van Zandt and Joni Mitchell.
Bedford has widely toured the U.S. and Europe. In January, he released his sixth studio album, Valley of Stars.
Dan Rourke
Rourke compiled a 159-88 coaching record in 23 seasons with the Titans. Under his helm, Glenwood advanced to the playoffs 18 times, including 1998, when that team defeated Kankakee Bishop McNamara 28-21 in the Class 4A state championship game to cap off an undefeated season.
Girls and boys soccer, baseball and softball teams also won state titles while Rourke was athletic director.
Kip Provines
Provines was one of the most decorated athletes to come through Glenwood, earning 10 varsity letters in four sports. During his senior year, the 1994 graduate earned All-Central State Eight Conference honors in football, soccer, basketball and baseball. The culmination of his high school athletic endeavors was being voted the first State Journal-Register CS8 Conference Athlete of the Year in 1994.
Provines played baseball at Indiana State University, setting the single-season batting average mark of .414 in 1998. Provines also set a number of single-season and career defensive records. He also played for the Springfield Capitals of the Frontier League.
Tricia Criswell
Criswell, a 1987 graduate, was a member of the boy's soccer team and also played basketball and ran track & field. Criswell was a four-year starter on the women’s soccer team at Methodist College in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
Criswell served in the U.S. Air Force before joining the Los Angeles Police Department. She spent 10 years as a detective investigating homicide, abuse and sexual abuse against children.
2013 Girls Soccer Team
The 2013 girls soccer team capped a 21-1-1 season with a 4-1 win over Crystal Lake Prairie Ridge in the championship game in Class 2A. Abby Klintworth scored two goals in the game.
It marked the first time a girls team sport had won a state title. The 2012 team fell to Wheaton St. Francis 2-1 in the Class 2A championship.
Ticket information
Tickets are $15 for adults and $5 for students in kindergarten through 12th grade.
The event begins with a lunch at 1 p.m. followed by the ceremony around 2 p.m. and free for younger children.
For tickets and more information, visit the Glenwood Hall of Fame website.
Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788, sspearie@sj-r.com, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Glenwood will hold Hall of Fame induction ceremonies on April 30
