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‘Alpena’s still home’

Alpena High inducts three into Hall of Fame

News Photo by James Andersen From left, Randy Ladkau, Heidi Wiley, and James Marquardt pose at Wildcat Stadium on Friday.

ALPENA – The Alpena High School Alumni Hall of Fame grew on Friday by three members as Randy Ladkau, James Marquardt and Heidi Wiley were inducted.

The three were on Friday honored with a luncheon, spoke at the homecoming assembly, participated in the homecoming parade, and were honored before the homecoming football game against Petoskey.

LADKAU

Ladkau graduated in 1976. He started teaching private trumpet lessons at Alpena Music Center and working as a professional musician in high school.

“It’s a great honor and this is fantastic,” Ladkau said.

When Ladkau received news he was being inducted, he told his wife and they started plans to come to Alpena.

After graduating from the Oakland University Department of Music, Ladkau served as a U.S. Navy musician, first at Navy Band Great Lakes in Illinois, where he worked as a Ceremonial Band trumpet player. He also served as an applied trumpet instructor at the U.S. Armed Forces School of Music.

Ladkau served as a U.S. Navy Auxiliary Security Force Platoon Leader, where he presented security briefings to enlisted personnel and participated in Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek base security and force protection operations.

Ladkau said it’s nice to be back in Alpena and visiting the school.

“I haven’t been here since 1978, so there’s a little nostalgia,” he said. “This place is very well-kept. I’m impressed with how well the place is kept and that’s a real tribute to the staff, faculty, the school board, and the community at large.”

After his tour at the School of Music, Ladkau served as the U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Band Brass Quintet unit leader for nine years and served as the Fleet Forces Band Concert Master and trumpet section leader. He retired from the U.S. Navy Fleet Forces Command in 2006.

Ladkau is currently the Lower School Band Director at Norfolk Collegiate School in Norfolk, Va. He is the owner of Ladkau Music & Recording.

MARQUARDT

Marquardt graduated in 1963.

He has worked for the Alpena County Sheriff’s Department for 50 years. Marquardt was the first Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) officer for the sheriff and served as the county’s 29th sheriff. He was shocked when he received the news of being inducted.

“It’s humbling and an honor,” he said. “I never expected this and someone chose me. It’s a very humbling experience.”

Marquardt started the Law Enforcement Explorer Program for high school students and the Victim Advocate Unit to assist officers with victims of criminal acts, traffic accidents, and unexpected deaths.

“I feel proud that I’ve made an impact on kids and the community,” Marquardt said. “I’m still doing DARE because I still want to be there in front of the class and exercising my right to talk to them about choices. That’s what it’s all about.”

Marquardt has an Associate’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Alpena Community College and is a member of the Michigan Sheriff Association.

Being at the high school on Friday was different for Marquardt, because he went to the old high school building on Second Avenue when he was a student.

“It’s nice to be here, meet Heidi and Randy who are also being inducted, and the families, and it’s nice to have that camaraderie,” he said.

WILEY

Wiley is a 1990 graduate. During her senior year in high school, she was a foreign-exchange student and spent a year in Madrid.

Wiley said being in the Hall of Fame is something she thought was only for student athletes.

“It’s an honor and certainly unexpected,” Wiley said. “It was quite the surprise. It’s an honor.”

Wiley attended Michigan State University, where she studied international relations, Spanish and Mandarin Chinese at MSU’s James Madison College. After graduating from MSU, Wiley joined Besser Co. in the International Sales Department. Before leaving Besser, she executed the business plan and launch of Besser China Manufacturing outside Beijing.

In 2004, Wiley accepted a position as a vice president of sales and marketing with Dover Corp. in Kalamazoo, where she completed her Master’s in Business Administration in Global Management. She joined Target Corp. as a senior operations manager and human resources manager.

Wiley is currently the learning manager with Amazon Inc. in Kenosha, Wis.

Wiley said she feels humbled to be inducted with people she knows personally.

“It’s amazing, because so many of them I know, several of them I used to work with and work for, so it’s very flattering,” she said. “Alpena’s still home.”

Julie Goldberg can be reached at jgoldberg@thealpenanews.com or 989-358-5688.

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