Weisbarth, Crotteau nominated for NHS Alumni Hall of Fame

NEWPORT – Two Newport High School graduates have been nominated to the Newport High School Alumni Hall of Fame, Micki Weisbarth and Craig Crotteau. The two will be inducted into the Hall of Fame Saturday, Oct. 5, at Newport High School at 11 a.m.

Larry Shaw nominated Craig Crotteau (class of ’72), for the honor.

“I am nominating Craig Crotteau for the NHS hall of fame due to the excellence he has achieved in his lifetime and the benefit that the nation has received based on his leadership and service,” Shaw wrote.

Shaw, a retired teacher who taught Crotteau for four years, wrote Crotteau was involved in football and band, among other things.

“Craig played as first chair in our high school band and sat next Steve Shaw, my son – but Craig was the President of the “72” NHS Band,” Shaw wrote in the nomination. “Craig was also the President of the Associated Student Body, which speaks to his leadership qualities. That year, 1972, he was our most outstanding student.”

His high grades spoke well for his capability to earn not one but three degrees from three universities, Shaw said. He received a B.S. in Civil Engineering from Gonzaga University, then an MBA from the University of Denver and finally received a J.D.

(Doctorate of Law) from George Washington University.

Crotteau served 21 years in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

“As a retired Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and a professional engineer, Craig led combat engineer units in Europe and crafted Army budgets in the Pentagon,” Shaw wrote. “He practiced as a trial attorney with the Corps of Engineers in Washington D.C. and Germany, specializing in architect-engineer and construction litigation. His many projects at the Corps included managing $1.2 billion in hazardous waste remediation at hundreds of DOD, BRAC, and EPA Superfund sites nationwide. Craig was project manager for the Corps’ cleanup of a WW1 Chemical weapons testing facility in Spring Valley, Washington, D.C.

“I feel he is well deserving of recognition in the Newport High School Hall of Fame,” Shaw wrote.

Norma Rickman nominated Michelene O’Neill Weisbarth, or Micki, as she was known to her friends, a class of ’71 graduate.

“My husband and I started coming to Diamond Lake for the summer about 12 years ago when we met Micki and George Weisbarth,” wrote Norma Rickman in her nomination. “As I began to get to know Micki, I realized the things she was doing very quietly and humbly in the area.”

Weisbarth’s true lifelong love was for Soroptimist International of Americas. She joined the Newport Chapter on Dec. 1, 1990, Rickman wrote.

“She felt it was truly a place she could make a difference in the lives of women and girls. Although Micki in her younger years was quite shy, she completed a leadership class through Soroptimists and quickly stepped into leadership roles,” Rickman said in her nomination.

Weisbarth held every office in the club except treasurer. She was president for 15 years, organizing the popular Crab Feed for nine years.

“She loved crab and was disappointed her allergy to shellfish did not allow her to even touch it, let alone eat any,” Rickman wrote. “She recruited her ‘Soroptimisters’ to help,” referring to the husbands and other men who helped the Soroptimists.

Weisbarth was chairperson of the Soroptimists’ Live Your Dream awards. “Over half of “Live Your Dream Award” recipients are survivors of domestic violence, trafficking or sexual assault. Nearly all of the women and families we serve have overcome obstacles including poverty, teen pregnancy, and drug or alcohol addiction,” Rickman wrote. “Live Your Dream Awards Recipients may use the cash award to offset any costs associated with their efforts to obtain higher education, such as books, childcare, tuition and transportation.”

Weisbarth was also involved with the United Church of Christ, serving as president of the Women’s Fellowship and interim pastor.

She also was a member of the Pend Oreille County Fair Board and was a judge for the Spokane Interstate Fair in clothing because of her work in Pend Oreille County.

“Micki was a quick learner and doer in all she did,” Rickman wrote. Weisbarth passed away in June 2022. “She is missed by so many of us. I am proud to have known Micki and submit this Nomination for the Newport High School Hall of Fame in honor of her.”

Weisbarth and Crotteau will join 10 others in the NHS Alumni Hall of Fame, including Cheyenne Jackson (class of 1993), Kevin Waterman (class of 1984), Lola Rickey (class of 1975), Dale Chamberlain (class of 1948), Jim Sewell (class of 1933), OB Scott (class of 1947), Shawn Sundseth (class of 1987), John Hall (class of 1960), Don Ellersick (class of 1956) and Lyle Balderson (class of 1949).

The NHS Alumni Hall of Fame was established in 2017 to recognize the achievements and accomplishments of Newport High School graduates and give current and future students an example of what is possible for graduates of Newport High School.