JOANN MARIE KYRAL

Class of 1969
​Inducted in 1993

JoAnn was inducted into the SHSAA Hall of Fame in 1993.

She earned her BA degree from UNO in 1973, majoring in French, with a minor in English, (with teaching certificate).  She became interested in the National Park Service while at SHS working as a student aid, Clerk Typist in Omaha.  After completing college she joined the NPS full time, rising through the ranks to become Superintendent at parks in Arkansas, Nebraska and Minnesota.  Her community service involvement in Fort Smith, Arkansas included memberships in Business & Professional Women, Soroptmists International, and the Mental Health Association Board of Directors.  She chaired telethons and fundraising events for United Cerebral Palsy, and was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Keep America Beautiful and of Playground for All Children, Inc.  She also chaired the 125th anniversary special events for the Fort Smith Rodeo Committee.

In Gering/Scottsbluff, Nebraska she was a founding member of the Board of Directors of Leadership Scottsbluff; Scottsbluff Kiwanis Club member of the Board of Directors, and was appointed a member of the Scottsbluff County Visitors Advisory Committee.

She received numerous awards from the NPS for service during the 2nd World Conference on National Parks; Equal Opportunity Outstanding Achievement Award, and Special Achievement for Performance Award.  She was a member of the first women’s group study exchange team to New Zealand through a Rotary Foundation Award.  JoAnn received the Sertoma Service to Mankind Award.  She received a Special Tourism Achievement Award presented by the Governor at the Conference on Tourism.  She was named Citizen of the Year by the Star Herald newspaper in Scottsbluff, NE

She said her SHS attendance provided her with the opportunity to take a variety of courses including business courses (office practice, typing, shorthand) enabling her to work in a part-time clerical position while attending high school and college to help pay for her education.  The flexible scheduled they established for her allowed her to work while in high school.  She said Sally Fellows was her most memorable teacher with her enthusiasm in the classroom and in student council activities.