Special Olympics Iowa inducts inaugural class into Special Olympics Iowa Hall of Fame

Grimes, Iowa – Special Olympics Iowa will induct the 2022 inaugural class, 9 individuals, into the Special Olympics Iowa Hall of Fame on December 15th.

The Hall of Fame class includes Bobby Johnson (Waterloo), Deb Eldred (West Des Moines), Jody Sheriff (Greenfield), Joe and Eileen Wilson (Cedar Falls), Kim Lively (Ames), Randy Spurr (Norwalk), Ron Miller (Muscatine), and Suzie Moorman (Corydon). The introduction ceremony will take place at West48 at Blue Compass.

The mission of Special Olympics is to help persons with intellectual disabilities to participate as productive and respected members of the community. Hall of Fame inductees are individuals who continually strive to reach this goal by being leaders and innovators in the Special Olympics movement.

Johnson has competed with Special Olympics Iowa for over fifteen years. He participates in bowling, basketball skills, track and field, bocce, Motor Activity Training Program, and softball throw.

Eldred has volunteered with Special Olympics for over 30 years. She served as an area director for many years, where she led a Games Organizing Committee. She also served as an event director at the Summer Games and State Bowling Tournament and served on the Special Olympics Iowa Board of Directors.

Sheriff has been involved with Special Olympics for 34 years. She has competed in bowling, cheer, bocce, athletics, cycling, basketball skills, volleyball, equestrian, and team softball. She is also a Global Messenger and has had several opportunities to compete on a national and international level. She competed in bowling in several competitions, including the World Games in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1992, Shanghai, China in 2007, and Orlando, Florida for the USA Games in 2022. She also competed in athletics at the 2010 USA games in Lincoln, Nebraska.

The Wilsons volunteered for Special Olympics for nearly 50 years. They held several roles, including serving as area directors in the Northwest area, volunteers at both the Summer and Winter Games, and Joe served as the Special Olympics Iowa board secretary. Joe Wilson passed away in March of 2020.

Lively first competed in Special Olympics over 25 years ago. Since then, she has participated in Unified Sports, Global Messengers, and several sports including track, bowling, softball, and bocce. She has competed in dozens of competitions over the years and had the opportunity to compete in bocce at the 2022 Special Olympics USA games in Orlando, Florida. She was also named the 2015-16 Special Olympics Big 12 Female Athlete of the Year.

Spurr, a retired Deputy from the Warren County Sheriff’s Office, has been involved with Special Olympics Iowa and the Law Enforcement Torch run for 23 years. He has planned and executed the Warren County Polar Plunge since 2007, and participates annually in the Plane Pull, Norwalk Dodgeball Tournament, and various fundraisers. Randy represented Special Olympics Iowa and LETR at the Special Olympics USA Games in Los Angeles in 2015, and he received the Scott Bryant Memorial Award from Special Olympics Iowa in 2018. He currently serves as a Law Enforcement Torch Run Committee Director.

Miller volunteered as a coach with Special Olympics Iowa, where he worked closely with the Muscatine YMCA to develop a Special Olympics delegation that became one of Iowa’s most active and well-respected programs.

Moorman joined Special Olympics when she was eight years old. Suzie competed for eight years as an athlete in track and field and cheerleading, and she was also a Global Messenger. Suzie passed away in August of 2020 at the age of 16 years old.

About Special Olympics Iowa

Special Olympics Iowa provides high-quality training and competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities in all ninety-nine counties of Iowa. Twenty-one Olympic-style sports are offered to more than 14,500 athletes and Unified partners year-round. Through Special Olympics’ athletic, health, school, and leadership programs, individuals with intellectual disabilities reach their full potential and experience inclusion in their communities every day. Engage with us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. Learn more at www.soiowa.org.