Garden City High School Hall of Fame To Honor Two Former Graduates
The Garden City High School Hall of Fame Committee has selected Rosemary (Huschka) Corbett, in-town inductee, and Dr. Julie (Ohmes) Stoner, out-of-county inductee (awarded posthumously), to be introduced into the Garden City High School Hall of Fame on Friday, May 15, 2026, at 7:30 p.m., in the Garden City High School Commons Area, 2720 Buffalo Way Blvd. The public is invited to attend the ceremony.
Tours of the high school will be offered at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, May 15th and a buffet dinner will be served promptly at 6:30 p.m. in the high school Commons Area, prior to the induction ceremony. Reservations for dinner are required. The cost of each dinner is $15.00, payable in advance. For dinner reservations or more information, call Roy Cessna, Garden City Public Schools at 620-805-7014.
The local inductee for the Garden City High School Hall of Fame is Rosemary (Huschka) Corbett. She is a 1978 graduate of Garden City High School. She has an Associate’s degree with High Honors in Secretarial Science from Garden City Community College.
This 1978 GCHS honors graduate has devoted 12 years to getting 5,000 Southwest Kansas veterans to Washington D.C. through the Kansas Honor Flight Program. On each of her 34 trips escorting veterans to the nation’s capital, the former soldiers and sailors have visited the World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War memorials.
In addition to continued membership on the Kansas Honor Flight board and as a flight volunteer, she has promoted the program tirelessly since 2012.
She has also served on the Finney County Historical Society Board of Directors since 2013, including three years as president; as an officer and volunteer for Garden City’s VFW post, beginning in 2011; as an American Legion Auxiliary member and volunteer since 2016; and as a member of the 35th Division and Battle of the Bulge Associations, both since 2014.
She is a life member and volunteer at St. Dominic Church, the Daughters of Isabella, St. Mary’s Adoration Chapel, and the St. Vincent de Paul Conference that provides attention to those in need. She delivers Meals on Wheels and assists in numerous historical society programs each year. She and her husband, Rick Corbett, earned the 2021 Knights of Columbus Family of the Year award. They have been involved in supporting the Finney County Fair, Emmaus House shelter, GCHS Band Boosters and additional organizations, also maintaining membership in the Tumbleweed Festival, Garden City Arts and Friends of Lee Richardson Zoo. In addition, Rosemary has employed her secretarial science associate degree and bookkeeping skills not only with St. Dominic Catholic and Trinity Lutheran Churches, but for Giardino Restaurant, American Warrior, Inc., Presta Oil, Finney County Extension and Great Plains Chemical.
She has exemplified the concept of the servant leader in the community. Her dedication to serving the citizens of the community in many capacities and making a better community for all.
The out-of-county inductee for the Garden City High School Hall of Fame is Dr. Julie (Ohmes) Stoner posthumous induction. She is a 1991 graduate of Garden City High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and statistics from Kansas State University in 1995. She then completed her PhD in biostatistics at the University of Washington.
After completing her PhD, Julie joined the University of Nebraska Medical Center as an Assistant Professor in Biostatistics. She and her family moved to Edmond, Oklahoma, where she joined the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center and continued to rise through roles of increasing responsibility. She served as an Associate Professor, was later promoted to Professor, and ultimately became Department Chair of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. She was also the Associate Dean for Research, where she led the growth of research efforts and strengthened partnerships with the Stephenson Cancer Center and the Harold Hamm Diabetes Center.
She held the Edward E. and Helen T. Bartlett Chair in Public Health and received some of the institution’s highest academic honors, including recognition as both a Presidential Professor and a David Ross Boyd Professor; distinctions reserved for faculty who demonstrate exceptional achievement in research, teaching, and service.
As a researcher, Dr. Stoner authored or co-authored over 60 peer-reviewed articles in major scientific journals. Her work focused on the design and analysis of clinical trials, particularly in childhood and adolescent oncology, diabetes, and periodontal disease. Her expertise in regression modeling for correlated data helped advance medical understanding in these critical areas.
She had the rare ability to make high standards feel achievable because she paired rigor with kindness. She invested in students with the seriousness and respect they deserved—helping them learn to think clearly, work carefully, and believe they belonged in demanding spaces. She also elevated her colleagues and fellow professors by modeling generosity, calm leadership, and a commitment to the mission of public health.
She passed away on June 18, 2020, at the age of 47, after battling cancer. Her legacy continues through the Julie A. Stoner Scholarship in Biostatistics, established to support the next generation of researchers.
GCHS Hall of Fame Background
In 1984, an idea was conceived among administrators and Board of Education members of the school district, to recognize past graduates of GCHS who had gone on to distinguish themselves through outstanding accomplishments. This idea was brought into action the following spring, when the first members of the Garden City High School Hall of Fame were inducted. The purpose for the formation of this select group is twofold: It is to honor past graduates of the school for their accomplishments in their chosen professions. It is also to present positive role models to the current graduating seniors as well as to the rest of the student body.
The Hall of Fame’s purpose is to communicate to Garden City residents and the rest of the world that Garden City High School produces graduates who are second to none.
Each year two distinguished graduates of Garden City High School are added to the Hall of Fame. To date, 80 people have been inducted into the Garden City High School Hall of Fame.
To see all of the past inductees, go to the Garden City Public Schools website at www.gckschools.com. Go to the Menu button, the District drop-down link, and then the Garden City High School Hall of Fame.
