High school hall of fame adds inductees

Several past Green River Wolves are being added to the Green River High School Hall of Fame. 

The Class of 2021 Hall of Fame Inductees are Don Van Matre, Dr. Marlene Tromp, Glen McLean and the 1976 GRHS football team. 

Don Van Matre served over 20 years as a US Army Lieutenant Commander for various Army and Army Aviation units in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He also commanded the Albrook Army Airfield in Panama.

Van Matre was elected as Mayor of Green River in the 1980s, and was appointed as head of the Southwest Wyoming Veteran Services Offices by the Sweetwater County Commissioners. Van Matre passed away on May 2, 2019.

Dr. Marlene Tromp is the current president of Boise State University, and also served as the Campus Provost of the University of California at Santa Cruz and the Dean and Provost of Arizona State University College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences Department. 

Glen McLean was a Vocational Education Teacher at GRHS for over 20 years. He was also a successful basketball coach and Driver’s Education teacher. GRHS students earned 17 championships at the Wyoming State Industrial Arts Fair under his leadership. McLean passed away on Oct. 22, 2020. 

The 1976 GRHS football team was the Wyoming High School State Football Champions. Several players from this team also coached the 2004 GRHS State Championship football team. Several players from the 1976 team still live in Green River and give back to the community through involvement in youth sports. 

This year’s Hall of Fame inductees were chosen last year. However, the Class of 2020 Hall of Fame Induction was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and it was decided the inductees would be honored as the 2021 Class. 

The Green River Hall of Fame exists to “recognize the esteemed individuals and teams that have made a significant contribution to GRHS and the community - this means prior to and following their graduation from our campus; establish a place to remember former students, teachers, coaches, administrators, staff members, community individuals, businesses, or organizations; and preserve the rich history of Green River High School,” according to the GRHS website. 

The Hall of Fame football game will be at 6 p.m. on Friday, September 17 with the Wolves playing Worland at Wolves Stadium. The Hall of Fame Banquet will be at 5 p.m. on Saturday, September 18 at the high school, followed by a social at 7:30 p.m. at the Green River Bowling Center.