North Platte, Neb. - The North Platte Public Schools Foundation announces its Distinguished Alumni group for 2024. Traci Dugan, 1981; Ryan Mueller, 2001; and Dr. William “Bill” Palmer, 1966 (posthumously), have been selected for their outstanding accomplishments.
The North Platte Public School Foundation and North Platte High School honor a group of Distinguished Alumni each year. These awards recognize the accomplishments of North Platte High School's most notable graduates.
A committee of Foundation directors, NPHS administrators, alumni and community review applications that are good for three years. Nominations are accepted year-round.
The “Flappers & Gents, A Night at the Speakeasy” will take place on July 26 at Venue 304 in North Platte. Tickets are available on the Foundation website at nppsf.org/alumni/education-after-hours.html
Traci Dugan
Dugan began her aviation career as a young girl. She accomplished her first solo flight at 16 years of age, before receiving her driver’s license. Her father, Gary Trego, a flight instructor, taught her and others how to pilot an aircraft at the family cattle ranch.
In an industry with primarily male jet pilots, Dugan earned her Airline Transport Pilot license and made a name for herself in the business. In her letter of recommendation, Jane Wilkinson said Dugan is respected by her colleagues as one of the best in the business.
Dugan helped grow the family’s company, Trego Dugan Aviation, into a business with aviation services, including private jet charters, airline ground handling on nationwide airlines, airline maintenance and avionics services at their fixed base operations.
The company has grown from a group of eight employees to thousands of team members across the country. Trego Dugan Aviation Cargo handles over 80 million packages a year, TDA Ground Handling manages 50,000 commercial flights, and TDA Charter handles thousands of private jets.
Dugan and her husband Vince joined Trego Dugan Aviation in 1996 and returned to North Platte. They have two children, Mathew and Mia.
Ryan Mueller
Mueller received the 2022 Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History Award for the state of Utah for his work at Mount Logan Middle School.
In a nomination letter, Larry Lang, Pastor, mentor and friend, said Mueller strives to make an impact in the lives of the students he teaches. Ellie McClymont, former North Platte Public Schools teacher and school board member said she has fond memories of Mueller’s wit and sense of humor.
Mueller graduated as a valedictorian from North Platte High School in 2001. After high school, he attended the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. In 2006, he graduated from UNL with distinction, earning a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education Social Sciences. Mueller also earned his master’s degree in educational administration from UNL in 2012.
His father, Al Mueller, introduced his son to Boy Scouts and was his Scoutmaster for eight years with Troop 291. Mueller earned 31 Merit Badges and held several leadership positions including Senior Patrol Leader and Order of the Arrow.
He received his Eagle Scout award in 1998 and told his dad that the lessons he learned in Scouting helped in his leadership roles.
Mueller graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and worked for four years at the State Attorney General’s Office while a student.
He began his teaching career at Wahoo, Nebraska, before taking the job in Logan, Utah. Mueller lives in Smithfield, Utah with his wife, Jessica Rivera-Mueller, an English professor at Utah State University, and their two sons, Luke and Ethan.
Paul Wagner, principal at Mount Logan Middle Schools, said Mueller is a “master teacher who is passionate about his craft, his influence among the students and helping young people understand the importance of American history.
“(He) has a natural presence and ethos that students respect and respond to from the first day that they enter his class.”
Susan M. Heine, director of learning at Wahoo Public Schools wrote, “Mr. Mueller facilitates students in their journey toward seeing themselves as a continual part of history and further conceptualizes that what they learn in the classroom will help them develop into engaged citizens capable of participating fully in the world as 21st Century citizens.”
Dr. William “Bill” Palmer (posthumously)
Palmer graduated as a valedictorian at North Platte High School in 1966. He then graduated from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln in 1969 and then from medical school at the University of Nebraska-Omaha in 1973.
He completed his Internal Medicine Residency with Board Certification in 1976 and his Rheumatology Fellowship with Board Certification in 1978 at the Albany, New York, Medical Center, where he met his wife, Leslie.
Palmer died on Aug. 5, 2021.
Palmer was the first board-certified rheumatologist in Omaha and was in private practice for over 43 years. He actively participated with the University of Nebraska Department of Internal Medicine for 25 years in the education of medical residents.
Marge Beatty wrote in her letter of recommendation that Palmer was supported and nurtured in a loving, Christian home during his childhood. His father was a state patrolman and his mother was the church organist at Our Redeemer Lutheran Church in North Platte.
She said “His positive attitude toward life, his commitment to others and his leadership abilities were very apparent from a young age.”
Childhood friend Gary Westphal said his friendship with Palmer “deepened through the years” and “he was a warm, thoughtful and dependable person who remembered birthdays, anniversaries and everything else.”
Colleague and friend Joel M. Kremer, MD, said in an article written for the publication Rheumatologist in 2021, that Palmer was respected, admired and loved by all who knew him. “He was the genuine article, unencumbered and undiluted by what really doesn’t matter in this life.”
Palmer received numerous awards over his lifetime and in 2014 was awarded the American College of Rheumatology Masters Awards of Distinction Presidential Gold Medal. It is the highest award the ACR can bestow and is awarded in recognition of outstanding achievements in rheumatology over an entire career.
He is survived by his wife, Leslie, and their three children; daughters, Lindsey (Marc) Milanowski, Lauren Palmer, and son David (Maggie) Palmer.
Please join us to celebrate these Distinguished Alumni and 30 years of NPPS Foundation on July 26th in North Platte at Venue 304. Tickets are available on the website nppsf.org or call 308-696-3325.
