22 Feb 2016 Sacred Heart recognizes Berkemeyer, Wiedower

Sacred Heart Catholic School recently announced the recipients of the 2015-2016 Alumnus and Honorary Alumnus of the Year awards. Both were recognized during the Homecoming ceremony in January.

This year’s recipient for the Alumnus of the Year Award is Ray Berkemeyer, a member of the Class of 1953.

Ray is a tireless behind-the-scenes volunteer for Sacred Heart School and Church, but his work does not go un-noticed.

Ray married his high school sweetheart Pat Oswald, a 1952 SH graduate. In 1956, the couple moved to the West Coast.

In 1962, Ray and Pat returned to Arkansas and lived in Little Rock. He worked for Riggs Tractor Company. While with the company, he worked on diesel engines, serviced tractors and towboats, and worked in power generation. In 1990, he moved out of the field and became a technical communicator until his retirement in 1997.

In 2003, Ray and Pat moved back home to Morrilton. Since then, Ray has been the “go-to” guy for grounds work on the Sacred Heart campus. His first project for Sacred Heart was the Drilling House renovation, followed by the expansion of the parking lot to include the pine tree covered “little playground.”

In 2009, Ray built new custom midway stands for the bazaar. Each year, he helps with midway logistics.  

Over the years, Ray has helped work funeral dinners, the school’s Cajun Fete event and a variety of Knights of Columbus fundraisers and bingo nights. An active member of the Knights of Columbus, Ray recently helped build new bathrooms at the KC Hall.  

For the past five years, Ray has been integral in campus improvement projects for the school.  His many hours spent on a tractor for the Rebel Plaza and concrete drive projects helped the school best use limited funds in other areas. His expertise is highly sought for all grounds projects.

The Honorary Alumnus of the Year award was created to recognize individuals who, although they may not have at¬tended and/or graduated from Sacred Heart, have shown great commitment and dedication to the school over the years. This year’s Honorary Alumnus of the Year is Mary Kay Wiedower.

Mary Kay began her service at Sacred Heart as a parent volunteer in 1984 when her oldest child started kindergarten at the school. She served as school board president and in 1994, she became school secretary and began teaching religion classes.  

Mary Kay took a break from her career at Sacred Heart and went back to the insurance business, while still teaching religion on her lunch break. Then, in 1999, she was named the Sacred Heart Director of Religious Education or DRE, the position she still holds today.

Over the years, she has been on countless committees, such as one that began the after school care program at Sacred Heart. She has been involved with the Bazaar in many ways.  

Mary Kay has also been involved in the booster club, has helped with many proms and has assisted in many other ways. Current and former students call her Mrs. Mary Kay, but to the Sacred Heart Pre-K where she teaches music and her granddaugther attends, she is known as “Nana Kay” to a new generation of SH students.