This Year's New Hall of Honor Members

Gregory Company
Community Partner Award

The Community Partner Award recognizes businesses or individuals whose generous support and partnership have strengthened Mountain Home Public Schools. Since its founding in 1971, Gregory Company has stood as an integral part of building and shaping the Twin Lakes area as it leaves its mark on the landscape of Northern Arkansas. Gregory Company’s accomplishments are visible all around us: libraries, factories, hotels, fuel stations, restaurants, healthcare facilities, schools, fire stations, and country clubs. Each one is a reminder of the skill, vision, and teamwork that have guided this company across three generations of leadership, starting with Jack Gregory and continued by his son, Will Gregory, and Will’s sons Chance and Banks and son-in-law Raymond Guasco.

But Gregory Company’s contribution extends far beyond bricks and mortar. They have invested in the future by mentoring Mountain Home High School students with an interest in the trades. Each semester, Gregory Company takes ninth graders under their wing, sharing not only technical knowledge, but also the values of hard work and pride in craftsmanship. Each year, they provide students with both instruction and materials for hands-on building projects. These experiences encourage the next generation of skilled tradesmen and women who will continue to build our community.

Gregory Company has been a steadfast supporter of Bomber sports and a variety of MHPS extracurricular activities, reflecting their commitment to and care for community spirit.
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As we honor Gregory Company, we honor not just a business, but a legacy of building, teaching, supporting, and strengthening the community we all call home. MHEF is proud to honor Gregory Company with 2025’s Community Partner Award.

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Bob Bodenhamer
Bob Knight Bomber Spirit Award

The Bob Knight Bomber Spirit Award was established to recognize those who exemplify pride in our schools through volunteerism, service, and community support. Few individuals represent these qualities more fully than Bob Bodenhamer.

A proud alumnus of Mountain Home High School, Bob’s connection to our community began long before his many professional achievements. As a student, he was actively involved in sports and the Future Farmers of America. After completing his education, Bob chose to return home to Mountain Home to raise his family and to invest in the community that shaped him.

Bob served the people of Mountain Home as a registered nurse at Baxter Health, where his compassion and skill impacted countless lives. His dedication to service extended beyond his career, as he became a vital part of the Baxter County Election Commission, working diligently to uphold the integrity of our democratic process.

Bob’s commitment to Mountain Home Public Schools has always been evident. Whether through his constant presence at sporting events, his encouragement of MHPS students, or his ongoing support of educational initiatives, he has remained a loyal advocate for the next generation of Bombers.

His faith community has also been a cornerstone of his service. At the First United Methodist Church of Mountain Home, Bob serves on the Board of Trustees and volunteers through the Backpack Program, ensuring that children in need receive support and care.
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Beyond his professional and civic contributions, Bob Bodenhamer is known for his character. He is a familiar face across Mountain Home, where he remains connected to friends and neighbors. It is for these reasons—his lifetime of service, his unwavering Bomber spirit, and his steadfast dedication to community and education—that MHEF proudly recognizes Robert “Bob” Bodenhamer as the 2025 recipient of the Bob Knight Bomber Spirit Award.

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Senior Chief Ray Gonzales
Outstanding Faculty Award

The Outstanding Faculty Award honors retired educators who made a lasting impact through exceptional teaching, mentorship, and dedication to student success. Senior Chief Ray Gonzales’ NJROTC story did not begin in Mountain Home, but the work he accomplished here has made a lasting legacy.

After 22 years of active duty in the U.S. Navy and five years of experience teaching NJROTC, Senior Chief Gonzales applied to open a new program in Mountain Home. Starting from scratch, he poured his heart and vision into building what quickly became a thriving program. Under Senior Chief Gonzales’ leadership, NJROTC students embraced the program with energy and enthusiasm.

Senior Chief Gonzales’ commitment went far beyond the classroom. Year after year, he preserved the history of the MHPS program by purchasing yearbooks for the unit as a permanent record of his cadets’ achievements. His impact was so profound that during his years teaching in Mountain Home, he was honored five times in Who’s Who Among America’s Teachers. Senior Chief Gonzales volunteered with countless organizations, but his favorite by far was the Special Olympics, where his joy in working with young athletes was unmatched.
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Senior Chief Gonzales is also responsible for acquiring the A7 Corsair that sits proudly on Mountain Home High School’s campus. After months of persistence, paperwork, and coordination with the Navy, the City of Mountain Home, and the National Guard, the day that the CH-47 helicopter flew in with the Corsair was one that the Mountain Home community will never forget. But Senior Chief Gonzales didn’t stop there. He rolled up his sleeves alongside the cadets, sanding the old metal of the plane and preparing it for a fresh coat of paint. The bomber now stands as a permanent symbol of what determination, teamwork, and vision can achieve.

Senior Chief Gonzales’ legacy lives in the cadets whose lives he’s shaped, the communities he’s strengthened, and the countless individuals who carry his lessons of honor, service, and perseverance with them. MHEF is proud to honor Senior Chief Renaldo “Ray” Gonzales with 2025’s Outstanding Faculty Award.

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Nancy Russell
Earnest Perry Outstanding Support Staff Award

The Earnest Perry Outstanding Support Staff Award celebrates retired classified staff whose behind-the-scenes dedication supported students, faculty, and the overall school community. Nancy Russell moved to Mountain Home the summer before her senior year of high school and quickly made it her forever home. She graduated from Mountain Home High School in 1966, where she had already begun forming lifelong friendships and planting the seeds of a life rooted in love, hard work, and community. That same year, she married Roe Russell, a 1965 Mountain Home graduate, beginning a partnership that would bless them with two daughters: Laurie Russell Cramton, born in 1967, and Paula Russell Burns, born in 1970.

In 1978, Nancy began working for Mountain Home Public Schools as a reading paraprofessional—a role that grew into a 29-year career of nurturing, teaching, and guiding children. Her passion for literacy and student success led her to work in a variety of roles: pushing into classrooms for small group interventions, leading pull-out reading groups, and supporting teachers with classroom management and reading instruction in grades one through three. While working with third graders, she helped manage the Accelerated Reader and Accelerated Math programs, ensuring that every student had the opportunity to thrive.

During her final decade of service, she found her professional home in the Nelson-Wilks-Herron CPS (alternative education) classroom alongside Joe Grabowski, where her kindness, structure, and calm presence helped guide students who needed it most.

Her legacy lives on through her daughters: Laurie became a teacher and principal within the Mountain Home district and retired in 2022, while Paula built a successful career with Walmart, becoming a store manager in three different states before stepping into her current role as GM Coach in Flippin. After Roe passed away in 2002, Nancy found love again with Joe Hicks in 2006. Together, they share a full and blended family: 5 grandchildren, 2 great-grandchildren, and Joe’s 2 children, 4 grandchildren, and 2 great-grands.
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After nearly three decades of serving innumerable children, families, teachers, and administrators, she retired with a heart full of memories and a life rich in impact—a legacy not just of career accomplishments, but of love, steadiness, and unwavering dedication to her family and community. MHEF is proud to recognize Nancy Russell as 2025’s recipient of the Earnest Perry Outstanding Support Staff Award.

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Clifton Rutledge
Outstanding Alumnus Award

The Outstanding Alumnus Award is presented to graduates of Mountain Home High School who have achieved distinction in their professional fields or through service to their communities. Clifton Rutledge’s career has not only spanned decades in the restaurant industry, but has also helped shape some of the most recognizable and successful brands in the nation, all while honoring the Mountain Home community.
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Throughout his career, Clifton has enjoyed over four decades in the restaurant industry, with more than 20 years in executive management. His career includes senior leadership positions with some of the most respected names in the industry—Jack’s Family Restaurants, Bojangles Chicken and Biscuits, and Whataburger. At Jack’s, he served as Chief Operations Officer. At Bojangles, he led as President and CEO. And at Whataburger, he served as Chief Operations Officer and Senior Vice President of Operations. Across every role, Clifton proved himself to be a leader who strove for excellence and positioned brands for long-term success.

Clifton joined Shipley Do-Nuts in 2021, where his contributions were pivotal during the process that led to Shipley’s sale to a capital management company, a moment of transformation for the brand. It was during this transition that Clifton stepped into the role of Chief Executive Officer, carrying forward Shipley’s legacy with the strength of his experience and the courage of his vision.

What makes Clifton truly remarkable, however, is not only the breadth of his professional accomplishments, but his impact on his family and community. His faith is evident in his active involvement in his church and through his impressive span of volunteer work, especially through the Children's Hunger Fund. As an avid fisherman, hunter, and golfer, Clifton’s hobbies are rooted in the Mountain Home area’s legacy.

In each of his roles—professional and personal—Clifton has demonstrated visionary leadership, unwavering dedication, and a legacy of excellence. MHEF is proud to honor Clifton Rutledge as 2025’s Outstanding Alumnus.

Hall of Honor Members

Each year, the Foundation recognizes exceptional alumni, retired faculty and support staff, dedicated community members, and generous partners whose influence extends far beyond the classroom. These honorees embody the values of excellence, service, and commitment that define the Bomber legacy.

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