2022 Alumni Awards

Outstanding Graduate Award was given to Duane Olson (Class of 1958)

Duane Olson was a 1958 graduate of Taylors Falls High School where he was greatly involved in extracurricular activities and in particular, sports.

While in high school Duane earned thirteen varsity letters: three in football, four in basketball, two in baseball and four in track. In 1958, he was runner-up for the Minnesota High School Athlete of the Year award. Leading up to this honor, he earned six All-Conference awards and six All-State Honorable Mention awards.

Duane had over 4000 combined net yards as a running back and quarterback on the football team. In basketball, he averaged twenty-two points per game from his sophomore through senior year, held the record of forty-two points in a single game until 2005, averaged fifteen rebounds per game, and had a shooting percentage of 50% his senior year, ending his career with 1180 points.

After high school, Duane Olson attended St. Cloud State University where he earned a Bachelor of Science Degree and three athletic letters as a sprinter on the track team. Following college Duane was a teacher and basketball coach in St. Paul, Floodwood and St. Cloud. He retired in 1980, from St. Cloud Cathedral as the Activities Director and began his own investments firm.

After retiring, Duane moved back home to Taylors Falls and built his dream home near the farm where he grew up. During retirement, Duane continued his great love for Taylors Falls School by founding the Taylors Falls School Foundation in 2008. Since its inception, the foundation and its alumni have awarded annual scholarships to former students of Taylors Falls Elementary who are graduates of Chisago Lakes High School.

Additionally Duane was an active member of the Taylors Falls Lions Club, his church, the First Lutheran Church of Taylors Falls, and The Taylors Falls Historical Society. He loved feeding the birds, gardening, deer hunting, and most of all he loved his family who were very important to him.

Sadly, Duane passed away in February, 2020, but left this world a better place than he’d found it.

Outstanding Citizen Award was given to Wade Vitalis (Class of 1980)

Wade Vitalis was an outstanding student before he became an outstanding graduate and an outstanding citizen of Taylors Falls. He is the very definition of “outstanding” wherever one finds him.

Some of his many accomplishments in High School include:

Varsity Football: 4-year Letterman, freshman “Rookie of the Year,” Team Captain, All Conference, All Area, Team MVP
Varsity Basketball: 3-year Letterman, Team Captain, and Senior Honorable Mention
Varsity Track: 4-year Letterman, Team Captain, Captain of District 25 Conference Championship team. Competed three years at Sectional
Student Council: 3 years, President Junior year. Outstanding Student Council Award
Chorus Baritone: 2 years, Minnesota State Competition Men’s Chorus and Barbershop Quartet with performance at the State Fair bandshell music competition
All School Play
Family Resource Center (now Family Pathways) Student Representative
Class of 1980 Graduation Speaker

Lakewood Community College (AA) and played footballUniversity of St. Thomas (BA) Graduated Cum Laude in Business Management
Real Life Education in New Zealand, Australia, and Hawaii

1988: He bought The Drive-In and over 34 years transformed it into a landmark institution that provided employment for generations of TF students as well drawing tourists and helping his community thrive. Wade claims to have married his business in April of 1988, and the love of his life, Carol, in September.

Wade Vitalis has spent his adult life as a contributing citizen and community leader:

Taylors Falls Chamber & Falls Chamber: Longtime Member and President (5 years)
Governor’s Design Team: Spearheaded & Coordinated work by partnering with MN/DOT and NPS to create the beautiful Bridge Underpass in 1992 (securing $280,000 grant)
Taylors Falls Planning Commission: Lobbied TF City Council to create
Strategic Guide Committee met and formed the Economic Development Committee/ Commision-1998 tasked with writing grants & consulting design professionals
Strategic Guide Plan (2001) Spearheaded “River Walk Phases I & II” and the timber-frame Bridge Project & Overlook Deck
Chairman of the Comprehensive Design Task Force
Member of the America Best Communities Committee – Finalist in the National Competition
2016 Business Person of the Year by the Falls Chamber of Commerce
2017 St. Croix River Valley Stewardship Award by Taylors Falls City Council
Testified before the Minnesota State LCCMR to fund $2.254 million dollars to complete the 1.8 mile walk/bike trail into Taylors Falls (Swedish Immigrant Trail)

Ever humble and always sharing his accomplishments with community volunteers, Wade feels incredibly honored and blessed to be selected for this award. He wanted to be a businessman or a teacher and to remain a “kid,” and believes he was able to do all three. Coming home and buying The Drive-In Restaurant, at 26 years old, gave him the opportunity to do the work he loves in the community he loves.

Extra Curricular Award was given to Ted Greene
(Class of 1956)

Theodore Joseph Greene was born May 4, 1938, the last of six sons to Bernard Peter Greene and Veronica Tice Greene. As the youngest, he was adored and looked after by all of his big brothers on their family farm in rural Franconia. As a resident of that particular school district, Ted attended first-sixth grades across the St. Croix River in Osceola, WI. Wanting Ted to receive a parochial education, his parents packed his bags and sent him to live with his older brother’s family and attend St. Leo’s Catholic School in St. Paul.

By the time high school rolled around, Ted wanted to move back home and attend Taylors Falls High School. He was able to ride with his sister-in-law, Mary Greene who was a teacher there.

Teddy, as he was known at TFHS, jumped in with both feet. He was involved in many extracurricular activities. Among these were Future Farmers of America, Speech Club, Student Council, Junior and Senior Class Plays, Junior Prom King, and Homecoming Royalty Court. Theodore Greene was tall and athletic and played important roles on the high school Football, Basketball, and Track Teams.

Upon graduation in 1956, Ted attended St. John’s University where he received a degree in economics and mathematics. He also served his country by enlisting in the Minnesota National Guard for eight years. Theodore began his stellar career working as an engineer for Northern States Power (later named Xcel Energy) from 1961-1996. While he is extremely modest, Mr. Greene was instrumental in many projects that moved electric utilities in the Midwest forward to meet the needs of its citizenry.

During these years, Ted married the love of his life, Luella Goeser, and together they built their dream home on the cliffs overlooking the scenic St. Croix River Valley. It was there that this loving couple raised three amazing and powerful daughters, Corinne, Camille, and Andrea. Today they have six equally amazing grandkids. He also served on that particular Franconia School District School Board that has no school, but assesses and collects taxes to pay for its students to attend school in either Osceola, Forest Lake, or Taylors Falls (now Chisago Lakes) School Districts.

When asked about his High School Memories, Ted offered the following quotes:

“Sports was the reason I went to high school.”
“E. Holger Moberg was the best and most influential teacher in my life.”
“We seniors had the entire week of prom off to decorate the gym.”
“Principal Walker had a (disciplinary) rubber hose until some of us cut it into pieces.”
“Mrs. Ruth Cedergren always telling me to ‘use your release’ on the manual typewriter.’”
“Our shop teacher would give us boys the keys to his car so we could drive over to the Dairy Queen, as long as we brought him back a treat.”