The Lawrence Lions Alumni Association has announced five alumni who will be inducted into the Hall of Honor this year.
The honor recognizes graduates of Liberty Memorial High School and Lawrence High School “who have distinguished themselves in their professions and/or made significant contributions to society on a state, national, and/or international level,” according to a news release from the association. “Honorees may also include individuals who, while not alumni, have contributed significantly to the success of the two schools and their graduates.”
Here’s information about each inductee, as provided by the alumni association:
• Kim L. Murphree (LHS Class of 1976) – “A Lawrence original whose career spans broadcasting, music, law enforcement, and community leadership. Kim served as News Director and Morning Show Host at KLWN and later KISS 105.9 FM and 92.9 The Bull from 1998 to 2013, winning multiple Kansas Association of Broadcast Awards, and returned to radio in 2023 to host According to the Record. She is a six-time Best of Lawrence winner as front woman for bands including Black Pearl, The Wags, and Kim and The Quake. Kim spent 23 years with the Lawrence Police Department in roles including Records Manager, Public Information Officer, and Terminal Agency Coordinator, retiring in 2025 with a Meritorious Service Medal. She initiated Lawrence’s first Veterans Day Parade in 49 years in 2017 and has served on boards including the Douglas County American Red Cross, Lawrence-Douglas County Crime Stoppers, and the Lawrence Martin Luther King Jr. Executive Committee, among many others.”
• The Honorable Judge John B. Nalbandian (LHS Class of 1987) – “A United States Circuit Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, appointed in 2018. Judge Nalbandian grew up in Lawrence, attending Broken Arrow Elementary and South Junior High before graduating from LHS. He earned his B.S., magna cum laude, from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law, where he was inducted into the Order of the Coif and served as managing editor of the Virginia Law Review. He began his legal career as a law clerk to the Honorable Jerry E. Smith of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, then practiced in the appellate section of Jones Day in Washington, D.C., before becoming a partner and lead appellate lawyer at Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP in Cincinnati. He has also served as a Special Justice of the Kentucky Supreme Court and as a board member of the State Justice Institute.”
• Jim “Punkin” O’Connell (LHS Class of 1966) – “Beginning in 1978, Jim volunteered as an athletic trainer for the Lawrence High football program for nearly three decades, serving as a steady presence on the sideline through six state championships and providing mentorship and care to generations of student-athletes. He co-founded Red Dog Days alongside fellow Hall of Honor member Don Gardner, a summer conditioning program that grew from off-season football training into an enduring community institution serving athletes from both Lawrence High and Free State as well as residents of all ages across the city. Jim also spent 33 years in public service with the Lawrence Police Department and Douglas County Sheriff’s Department, including 27 years in 911 communications, where his calm and decisive response to crises, including a train derailment, a 1989 shooting, and the tornado that struck the K-Mart at 31st and Iowa, earned him repeated recognition.”
• G. Craig Weinaug (LHS Class of 1970) – “Over a 43-year career in local government administration beginning in 1975, Craig served as City Administrator in Scott City, Kansas; Zion, Illinois; and Ardmore, Oklahoma, before serving the citizens of Douglas County as County Administrator from 1992 until his retirement in 2018. His leadership helped bring to life a wide range of community facilities whose dedication plaques bear his name, including the Douglas County Crisis Intervention Center, the Peaslee Technical Training Center, the Bert Nash Mental Health Center, Douglas County Jail, and Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical Station 5, among others. Craig mentored 25 University of Kansas graduate students through his office, earning the national LP Cookingham Career Development Award, and also received the Edwin O. Stene Award for managerial excellence, the Independence Inc. Hero Award, the Bert Nash Pioneer Award, and the 2019 Citizen of the Year Award from the Lawrence Chamber of Commerce.”
• Dr. Quentin Lamerle Rials (LHS Class of 1995) – “A Lawrence native who came back to his hometown school as its principal, Dr. Rials excelled as a student-athlete at LHS, helping lead the Chesty Lions to the Kansas Class 6A State Basketball Championship his senior year. He earned a B.S. in Elementary Education from Baker University, a Master of Science in Educational Administration from the University of Kansas, and a Juris Doctor from Washburn University School of Law. He began his career as an attorney before following his deepest calling into education, teaching secondary math and coaching in Fort Worth, Texas. He joined Lawrence Public Schools in 2017 and was named Assistant Principal at LHS in 2018, serving as Interim Lead Principal of West Middle School before being appointed Lead Principal of Lawrence High School in 2023. Colleagues and students knew him for his calm leadership, student-centered philosophy, and genuine compassion. Dr. Rials passed away on May 19, 2026. He is remembered as a devoted father, humble leader, and faithful servant whose influence reached far beyond the school walls.”
“We are honored to recognize five remarkable individuals whose lives and careers reflect the very best of what it means to be a Lion,” alumni association President Jessica Larsen said in the release. “From the courtroom to the classroom, the sideline to the airwaves, each of these inductees has made a lasting impact on our community and beyond.”
The inductees will be recognized during a ceremony set for 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 11 in the Lawrence High School cafeteria, 1901 Louisiana St. Doors will open at 1:45 p.m.
The event, set during Homecoming weekend, is free to attend and open to the community.
“All Lawrence High School alumni, students, staff, and members of the broader community are encouraged to attend and show their support for this year’s inductees,” according to the release.
See a list of previous inductees online at lawrencelionsalumni.com/hall-of-honor.
If local news matters to you, please help us keep doing this work.
Don’t miss a beat — get the latest news from the Times delivered to your inbox:
Click here to learn more about our newsletters first
This post is by the Lawrence Times news team.
If you have news tips, questions, comments, concerns, compliments or corrections for our team, please reach out and let us know what’s on your mind. Email us at [email protected] (don’t forget the KS!), or find more contact info and a quick contact form at LawrenceKSTimes.com/contact.
Follow us so you won’t miss the local news that matters most to you:
Latest Lawrence news:
Molly Adams / Lawrence Times
Wulfe Wulfemeyer/Lawrence Times
