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Meet the Class of 2022

Congratulations to the 2022 Alumni Hall of Fame Class. The class includes six individuals who have joined the ranks of many RQS distinguished alumni.

HOF Inductees

 

Cindy Fee

Cindy Fee, Raytown High School Class of 1973

Cindy Fee graduated from Raytown High School in 1973. She sang at World’s of Fun during the first year in the Tivoli Theatre. She is a member of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of TV and recording artists.

Cindy is most known as the performer of the NBC Golden Girls theme song, “Thank You For Being A Friend.”  In April of 2020, Hulu reported that people streamed 11 million hours of “The Golden Girls.” At the start of each episode you hear a few piano notes and then, like clockwork, the warm, sublime voice of Cindy Fee.

She received the Best Singer award in Los Angeles, California in 1985 and 1986. She is also the recipient of Clio Awards – an international award program that recognizes and honors the very best in advertising design, entertainment, and communication – for the Wheaties theme song “What the Big Boys Eat” and Hoover theme song “Nobody Does It Like You.”  Others include Chevy Trucks, Miller Beer, McDonalds, Chick-fil-A, Home Depot, Goodyear, Hot Pockets, Barbie, John Deere, NASCAR, Ford, Toyota, Purina, Avon, and American Airlines.

Cindy has solo recordings in “Swinging Songs for Kids of all Ages” and “What About Me” with Kenny Rogers.  She has sung background for Garth Brooks, Dolly Parton, Whitney Houston, Lionel Richie, Bill Medley, and Kenny Rogers.

She has toured with her own band, “Cindy Fee,” on and off for years, and while in Kansas City, sang in the original “Hotfoot.”  She has crisscrossed the United States many times as a band singer, a solo recording artist, belting for background sessions, helping to sell commercial jingles, you name it.  If it requires a really good singer, Cindy Fee has been doing it.

She continues to sing music for films and TV and headlined the very first Golden Girls Convention last April at Navy Pier in Chicago and most recently sang for the movie “Fresh.”

Barb Hale

Barbara Hale Koirtyohann, Raytown High School Class of 1964

Barbara Hale Koirtyohann graduated from Raytown High School in 1964. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English, with a minor in French, from Fort Hays Kansas State University in 1972. She attended Rockhurst College post graduation.

Barbara served as the first Raytown High School Jaywalker Captain. She was elected to be a Supreme Court Justice at Missouri Girls State in 1963 which sparked a lifelong interest in the political process.

In 1972, Barbara began her 39 year career at Hallmark Cards, Inc. rising to the position of Director of Public Affairs, using her talents as an effective communicator and her knowledge of governmental affairs. Her work in this arena prompted her desire to encourage more people to be involved in government.

As Director of Public Affairs, she was able to guide the postal legislative and regulatory strategy for Hallmark and the Greeting Card Association as the principal architect of the industry’s postal strategy. She is respected as one of the top public affairs professionals in Missouri and Kansas representing Hallmark in the many community endeavors the company supported.

Barbara served on the Board of Directors for various community organizations including Truman Heartland Community Foundation, Hope House, and the Independence Regional Health Center. She currently serves on the Mid - Continent Public Library Foundation Board of Directors and was integral in the successful campaign to approve a levy increase to ensure the library’s role into the future.

Barbara’s dedication to others is recognized by the following honors: Chamber of Commerce of Greater Kansas City Outstanding Service Award, The Examiner 2020 Women of Distinction Award, 2021 Shepherds Center 70 Over 70 Award celebrating adults who are 70 or older who help make Kansas City one of the most livable cities in the world. Barbara believes that it is what you do for others that enriches your life.  

Ralph M.

Ralph Monaco, Raytown High School Class of 1974

Ralph Monaco graduated from Raytown High School in 1974. He graduated from Rockhurst College, summa cum laude in 1978, with a degree in history and political science and a minor in philosophy, followed by earning his juris doctorate degree from University of Kansas City Law School in 1981.

Each year, the Phi Alpha Delta Law School Fraternity presents the Ralph A. Monaco award to the most outstanding 3L student of the year. He has practiced law for more than forty years and is a charter member of the law firm, Monaco, Sanders, Racine, Powell & Reidy, L.C.

Ralph has a long standing record of community and public service. From 1984-1996 he taught religious education classes at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. He also served on the Board of Directors of the Christy Henrich Foundation, Park Lane Foundation, Keith Worthington Chapter of ALS, Elmwood Cemetery Trustees, the Rice-Tremonti House, and the National Frontier Three Trails Museum.

Ralph served on the Raytown Quality Schools Board of Education as Board President from 1991-1997.  Following his term on the school board, Ralph served four terms in the Missouri House of Representatives, including serving as Vice-Chairman of the Civil Law Committee and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee from 1996-2002.He represented Raytown and Independence while serving in the Missouri Legislature.

Ralph has published six non-fiction books, including his book “Scattered to the Four Winds,” which was selected as the Jackson County Historical Society Historical Book of the Year in 2013.

He recently received the 2022 Preeminent Rated AV Peer Review Award, the pinnacle of professional excellence, highest rating given to attorneys. Today he is also a member of the Elected Officials Compensation Commission for the City of Raytown, and he continues to serve as a board member of the Jackson County Historical Society, where he served as a former president.

Kirt M.

Kirt Mosier, Raytown High School Class of 1981

Kirt Mosier is a 1981 Raytown High School graduate. He earned a Bachelor of Music and Performance Education degree from the University of Missouri in 1985, and a Masters in composition in 1995.

Kirt taught at Raytown Quality Schools for nine years. During his time teaching in Raytown, his program grew from 13 to more than 100 string players, and his Raytown South High School string orchestra performed at the Missouri Music Educators Convention in 1988. The 1993 RSHS orchestra won the Outstanding Performing Group at a National Festival in San Antonio, Texas. He became nationally known for composition with his piece “Baltic Dance,” winning the National School Orchestra Association Composition Contest in 1993.

From 1995-2016, Kirt taught music in the Lee’s Summit School District. He founded the Digital Media Technology program at Summit Tech Academy in 2003, which allows students to learn studio multi-track recording as well as video editing software and techniques. His students have won national recognition.

He won the Merle J. Isaac Composition Contest in 2004 for his composition “American Reel.”  The Kansas City Symphony and other orchestras worldwide have performed his pieces. In 2007-2008, the National Federation of State High School Association named Kirt the Outstanding Missouri Music Educator.

Kirt conducts with the Youth Symphony of Kansas City and the Lee’s Summit Symphony. In 2015, he performed at the International Strings Festival in Bangkok, Thailand. He was a quarterfinalist for the 2016 Grammy Music Educator of the Year Award and conducted the National High School Honors Orchestra and Junior Honors Orchestra at Carnegie Hall.  Kirt continues to conduct throughout the United States, Singapore, Netherlands, South Korea, and Sydney, Australia, to name a few.

In 2019, Kirt was awarded the Joanna Nichols Artist in Residence position at the Taipei American School, where he travels to conduct and work to develop their music technology and direction for their future music department.

Kelly R.

Kelly Ristedt, Raytown High School Class of 1981

Kelly Ristedt graduated from Raytown High School in 1981. Her entire life has been spent volunteering for her worldwide community as a military spouse. She and her husband served 32 years in the military impacting thousands of soldiers, family members, or military retirees seeking care.

Kelly served as the Senior Advisor on the Board for the Fisher House on Fort Gordon, raising money to provide no-cost lodging and supplies such as blankets, toiletries, and counseling for families who had service members or retirees recovering from illness and injury in the hospital.

From 1991-1995, Kelly served as both Army Spouse Leader for Uniform Services University of Health Sciences and Assistant Treasurer of the Martin Army Community Hospital Auxiliary, which provided fundraising for needs of community hospitals.

On April 11, 2013, she earned the prestigious “Yellow Rose of Texas Award” presented by Governor Rick Perry for over 500 volunteer services in various capacities. Most notable during this time, Kelly served as a Senior Spouse with the 4th Infantry Division while the unit was in Baghdad, Iraq, between 2007 and 2009. For 15 months, Kelly attended every memorial service for a soldier killed and accompanied the Commander’s spouse to Brooke Army Medical Center every month during the deployment to visit soldiers and families that were wounded while serving in combat. Her continuous support and compassion provided comfort and support for soldiers and their families during a time of significant uncertainty.

Kelly has retired from the military, but remains involved with military medical concerns, working with a non-profit organization to improve the quality of life and recovery of those who experienced a traumatic brain injury (TBI) while serving the nation. This effort has the potential to substantially alter care for all patients with TBI regardless of cause.

Andrew Wishy

Dr. Andrew Wishy, Raytown South High School Class of 2000

Dr. Andrew Wishy graduated from Raytown South High School in 2000. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in biology from University of Missouri in 2010, and four years later, was awarded a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

Dr. Wishy left the University of Arkansas early to accept an offer into the Major League Baseball draft and joined the Texas Rangers minor league farm team. He later played professional baseball with them and a few other teams before retiring to pursue his goal of medicine.

His first year attending the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences, he accepted a commission into the USAF as a 2nd Lieutenant and was recommissioned as a Captain upon graduation. He was assigned an integrated Vascular Surgery Residency at the UC Davis Medical Center in California.

Dr. Wishy was promoted to Major after spending six years in training at the UC Davis Medical Center.  He was later sent to Brooke Army Medical Center for his first duty station.  He was the Director of Vascular Surgical Education for two years.

He is the published author of multiple scientific papers and the Vascular Surgery Oral Board Review Book, Behind the Knife Premium.  Two of his research presentations received competitive awards, the E. Eugene Moore Resident Prize for Basic Research and the Excellence in Research Poster Presentation Award.

Dr. Wishy recently changed duty stations to Keesler Air Force Base in  Mississippi, where he joined a practice that needed energy, motivation, and skills to grow and train surgical residents.  He is a dedicated surgeon and Air Force officer.  He is grateful to his wife and two sons and strives to maintain balance between his professional career and family.