Springfield, MO Local Pride

The longtime executive producer for Meet the Press, a NASA project manager and a Tuskegee Airman all got their starts in Springfield Public Schools.

The three, who soared to the top of their chosen career fields, will be inducted as the 2012 class of the Springfield Public Schools Hall of Fame.

The ceremony honoring Betty Cole Dukert, Charles Armstrong and Stewart Fulbright will be 11:30 a.m. Thursday at the White River Convention Center.

I won't be able to attend, but I am proud of our little area.  For such a small and isolated place, we have hatched more than our share of celebrities and recorded some key moments in history.  These are all role models that show we can be intelligent and hardworking people.  We can be driven and we can be surprising.  We are more than just Brad Pitt.