Sgt. Cline, Hassler, Thompson inducted into new SPHS Alumni Hall of Fame

South Putnam High School Alumni Hall of Fame inductee Troy Thompson addresses the audience.

An American war hero and two highly successful and accomplished professional engineers comprise the inaugural class of the South Putnam Alumni Hall of Fame, announced earlier this month.

Randy Cline, Kyle Hassler and Troy Thompson are the charter members of the Alumni Hall of Fame.

U.S. Army Ranger Sgt. Randy Cline was one of 18 American soldiers killed in the invasion of the Caribbean island of Grenada (known as "Operation Urgent Fury") on Oct. 25, 1983.

He was inducted into the alumni Hall of Fame as his daughter Randi Cline Jackson of Ellettsville -- who was still three months from even being born when Randy Cline died for his country -- somberly accepted his South Putnam Alumni Hall of Fame certificate at the dinner.

Randy Cline, a 1973 graduate of South Putnam, was the 28-year-old son of Richard L. ("Joby") and Betty Cline. He had also served Putnam County as a Sheriff's Department deputy before entering the Army.

Meanwhile, the mother of Kyle Hassler accepted the honor on her son's behalf as he was unable to attend his induction into the SPHS Alumni Hall of Fame because of a prior commitment.

Hassler, a 2002 SPHS alumnus, graduated from Rose-Hulman Institute and received his master's degree at Purdue University while being employed as an engineer at Rolls Royce in Indianapolis. Hassler is very active in his church work as well.

Randi Cline Jackson accepts the South Putnam High School Alumni Hall of Fame certificate on behalf of her father, the late Army Sgt. Randy Cline, who was killed in the 1983 invasion of Grenada.

Fellow professional engineer and alumni honoree Troy Thompson was in attendance, coming from his home near Washington, D.C., to receive his induction into the South Putnam Alumni Hall of Fame.

Thompson, a 1982 SPHS graduate, works as a design engineer and has completed projects all over the world. He is currently working on a number of endeavors in Washington, including the White House visitor center, Arlington Cemetery, The Smithsonian and a number of other projects.

More than 80 South Putnam alumni and guests attended the inaugural banquet April 7 at the Dixie Chopper Conference and Business Center at the Putnam County Airport in Greencastle.

Mike and Diana Callahan presented a power point slide show of the early days at South Putnam, while SPHS counselor and former football coach Mark Wildman served as the keynote speaker, discussing a variety of events in the history of South Putnam.

Plans are under way to make the banquet an annual event for all graduates of South Putnam from 1970 to the present.