2019 Hall of Fame Inductees
Claude “Butch” Chavez, class of 1964,
has long advocated for military veterans throughout Pueblo County. A U.S. Air Force veteran hired after his discharge by Martin Marietta, he worked on the Titan IIIC missile, a Multi Docking Adapter and the first Viking Mars Lander. A Vietnam veteran, Butch was founder and a leading proponent to build the POW/MIA Memorial by the Riverwalk. Vice president of the American Legion Riders, he organized motorcycle rides to raise money and awareness of veteran issues. Active on the Greater Pueblo Chamber of Commerce’s 40 Organization Military Council, Butch worked with the numerous state and local officials, and the Veterans Administration and Colorado’s 3rdCongressional District representatives and staff on health care concerns – including Agent Orange -- and legislation to help vets, as well as a Veterans Court with District Attorney Jeff Chostner. As a VA peer counselor, Butch worked with VA counselors and veterans on PTSD and drug addiction concerns, and has continual contacts with the GI Forum, TREA, American Legion, DAV, Marine Corps League and VFW posts. He has traveled statewide to help Colorado vets and has assisted many in other states. His current concern is Puebloans missing in action in Vietnam and Korea as well as the POW/MIA issue in general.
Stephanie Poole-Byrd, class of 1980,
was a South High cheerleader, gymnastics and track athlete, sang in two choirs, was chosen Remuda queen and Miss Pueblo Pageant’s second runner-up, then Girls State lieutenant governor. She earned her English studies undergraduate degree from Atlanta’s Spelman College for English (1984), then an MBA from Harvard Business School (1990). She then worked in retail jobs for Dayton Hudson/Marshall Fields in Chicago, then health care with Blue Cross/Blue Shield. Since 2013 she has been Academic Assessor at the University of Chicago. She has been on the board of Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago since 2005, including vice-chair of the Women’s and Children’s Committee and treasurer. She is a church board member in Flossmoor, IL, and serves on a school strategic planning committee. She and her husband Bradley Byrd have two children. Her mother, Marty, a 40-year kindergarten teacher, still lives in Pueblo. Her father, Jim, is deceased.
Tom Lash, class of 1965,
went from being a talented multisport Colt athlete to Southern Colorado State College, then the Marine Corps. After his discharge, Tom worked for American Airlines’ food division in New York City and rose to senior supervisor and manager roles at JFK Airport, before leaving to open and operate a five-star restaurant in the city. He later joined Adecco, the largest human resources firm in the world, and took on regional and senior-level managerial roles. Tom was chosen 21 years ago to head up an Adecco subsidiary, TAD PGS Inc., as president and CEO. His leadership skills have helped TAD PGS become a major staffing and recruiting firm in the U.S. for Fortune 500 companies, private clients and governmental entities. A resident of Columbia, S.C., Tom’s nomination stated his “resourcefulness, philanthropy and dedication has made a difference in the lives of thousands of people in the twenty-one years he has led TAD PGS. His amazing support for our veterans has resulted in thousands of veterans and their spouses gaining employment and the help they need.”
Steve Chavez, class of 1982,
played football and ran track at South, where he and his teammates set the 4x400 relay record in his senior year. Steve played a year of football at Evangel University and developed his motivational speaker skills. He attended Trinity Bible College in Ellendale, N.D., in 1985, for biblical studies before earning a bachelor’s degree in social work at USC-Pueblo (1991). A lifelong learner and former counseling supervisor at El Pueblo Boys Ranch, Steve was ordained a minister with the Assemblies of God (1999), and received a master’s degree in expository preaching from Trinity Seminary (2017). On staff for 28 years at Praise Assembly, one of Pueblo’s largest churches, he has been lead pastor since 2014. Steve has been active in feeding Pueblo’s homeless and helping those suffering, and spoken inside the walls to federal prison inmates on character and integrity as they graduated with a GED degree. He also has held chapel services for the Denver Broncos and CSU-Pueblo football, and advocated for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes. He also went on Praise Assembly mission trips to Mexico City, Chile and the Dominican Republic, to build orphanages, provide family medical care, and train and equip pastors. He and wife Bonnie have three sons.
Carol Magda Reinert, class of 1967,
earned her bachelor’s degree from Arizona State University (1971) and a master’s from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs (1981). She is a Certified Divorce and Child Custody Mediator (1988); then received Diplomate Status (1999) and was offered Fellow Status (2008) from the American Psychotherapy Association. She has owned her family psychotherapy business in Colorado Springs since 1981, been a crisis counselor at Pikes Peak Mental Health, and taught counseling skills at UCCS for 13 years. She has overseen 1,500 parent coordination cases the last 20 years. A member of many state and local boards, including a charter board member of the State Interdisciplinary Committee since 1998, Carol also has been a charter board member since 1991 with the El Paso County Association of Licensed Professional Counselors, where she also served as president. In 1986, she and her late husband, Bob Telmosse, were the driving forces behind the annual Christmas Giveway named for him. They conducted countless fund drives to pay for toys, bicycles, clothing and food. She has led the effort since 2006 and helped develop a board of directors while serving as its president and vice president.
Mona Petrocco Klein, class of 1970,
has been a leader by example since she was in Girls’ Cabinet at South, a Gold Cord senior and a National Honor Society member, Pep Club executive board member, marching band and the All-City Honor Band. She earned a math undergraduate degree at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas, then was awardeda National Science Foundation award and earned a master’s degree in math and science teaching in 1975 from the University of Wyoming.Married to Bill Klein since 1975, she taught at the middle-school level three years in Sheboygan, Wisc. Mona worked as a bookkeeper for Colorado Springs Supply Company for three years, then taught two years at Peyton Junior/Senior High School before joining Mountain Bell/Century Link in 1982, as IT programmer and project manager. She later earned an MBA from the University of Northern Colorado and a Project Management Certification from the University of Denver. She held several offices with US West Women and volunteered by the Colorado Women’s Foundation, and the Project Management Institute—Mile Hi Chapter.Long active with Catholic Charities in Pueblo, Mona became co-founder in 2013 of the Pueblo Division for the Alliance to Combat Human Trafficking, because of her concern for children and lack of public awareness about human trafficking. She is a certified trainer in Human Trafficking 101 and was among the first to receive a U.S. Department of Justice grant on the issue. She also was nominated for the YWCA’s Community Service Award during its 16th Annual Tribute to Women.