The Albion High School Alumni Association is kicking off Albion’s Festival of the Forks Weekend with a Distinguished Alumni Award Ceremony and Dance at the Opportunity High School on Watson Street on Thursday, September 18 starting at 7pm. The community is invited and encouraged to attend.
The Distinguished Alumni award ceremony includes presentation of individual Distinguished Alumni Plaques which hang outside the High School Auditorium, proclamations read by Albion’s Mayor, and speeches by each of the recipients. The AHS Alumni Association has been presenting Distinguished Alumni awards for over twenty years.
Following the Awards Ceremony which will be held in the High School Auditorium, there will be a dessert reception and dance until 10pm in the high school cafeteria with Albion’s Larry Williams as DJ. Admission to the reception and dance will be $10. This will be the second ‘High School Dance’ sponsored this year by the AHS Alumni Association, which also held a dance on Valentine’s Day.
3 Albion High School alumni have been selected as 2025 Distinguished High School Alumni Award recipients: Jim Behling, Mike Hill and Willie Tabb. This year’s award winners have all contributed significantly to Albion.
Jim Behling, AHS Class of ’59, has a B.A. from Albion College and a M.A. in Education. He was a teacher and principal at Washington Gardner Junior High School and also taught Adult Education and Driver’s Education classes. He was Assistant Superintendent for Business for Albion Public Schools from 1992 to 2002. He has served the community as a member of Albion Jaycees, the Albion Civic Foundation Board, and the Albion District Library Board. He was the winner of an Albion citywide slogan contest with the slogan, “Albion, An Honest Slice of Life.” Jim is married with children.
Mike Hill, AHS Class of ’73, has a B.S. in Business and a B.A. in Economics from Western Kentucky University. He was Captain of the Albion High School Swim Team and is a Hall of Fame water skier. He worked for Union Steel, Albion Malleable and City Bank and Trust and spent forty years in automotive sales. He has served as Board Chairman of the Albion Economic Development Corporation, as Treasurer and President of Albion Rotary, as Secretary of Duck Lake Country Club, and Past President of the Michigan Water Ski Association. He is currently President of the Charlotte Landing Association. Mike is married with two children.
Willie Tabb, AHS Class of ’67, served in the U.S. Navy and earned a B.A. in Business from Olivet College. He has had many occupations in Albion and elsewhere including as a Director of Quality Control. He has been a leader in a number of Albion Community organizations, serving as Vice-President of the Albion Community Garden, Vice-President of Vision of Life; President of Albion Men of Vision, and Chairman of the Albion Economic Development Corporation. He has received the NAACP Community Service Award, the Jackson Community College Alumni Award, and the Orchard Children’s Champions for Children Award. Willie is married with two children.
For further information, contact Kathy Wyrick at kathywyrick61@gmail.com.
Albion Life Today 