Moorhead Public Schools 

Moorhead Area Public Schools is pleased to announce the induction of five new members into the Moorhead High School Hall of Honor in 2025, all MHS alumni: Jeff Bangsberg, Nancy Evert, Matt Gilbertson, Mark Manney and Grant Weyland. These inductees join 96 members previously inducted into the Hall of Honor, bringing the total to 101 members.

The Moorhead High School Hall of Honor recognizes alumni, faculty, staff and other community members who have demonstrated notable accomplishments or provided significant contributions to their school, community or society.

The 2025 MHS Hall of Honor Inductee Luncheon will be held on Friday, September 19, at 11:00 a.m. at the MAPS Operations Center, 1313 30th Ave. S. Tickets can be purchased online at moorheadschools.org/tix, by calling 218-284-2345 or emailing mwendt@moorheadschools.org.

“This year’s Hall of Honor class goes to show all the different ways that Spuds impact our community and the world,” said Dave Lawrence, Hall of Honor coordinator and MHS administrator. “From influential leaders right here in Moorhead, to regional executives—and even the former captain of Air Force One—these inductees are fine examples of what Moorhead High grads can go on to be.”

Jeff Bangsberg

In 1974, a year before he graduated from Moorhead High School, Jeff Bangsberg suffered a severe spinal cord injury that resulted in paraplegia. Following his 1975 graduation, he would go on to graduate from the University of Minnesota with a Bachelor of Arts in Human Services and Industrial Relations. Jeff completed his undergrad while living at home with a personal care assistant, which inspired him to become an advocate in support of home care for seniors and people with disabilities. His advocacy started with the Metropolitan Handicapped Coalition in the late 1970s and continued with the Twin Cities Area Labor Management Council starting in 1985. Over the past 30-plus years, Jeff has served as a committee or board member for over a dozen advocacy or advisory groups, including being a governor-appointed member of Minnesota’s State Rehabilitation Council—which he chaired in 2011 and 2012. Currently, he is a board member of Trellis (formerly Metropolitan Area Agency on Aging), UCare and the Minnesota Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities.

Nancy Evert

A 1980 graduate of Moorhead High School, Nancy Evert went on to graduate with a degree in psychology from St. Olaf College before attending Columbia Law School in New York. Prior to enrolling at Columbia, Nancy served the community in New York City with multiple organizations including the City Volunteer Corps, Youth Service Opportunities Project and William F. Ryan Community Health Center. After earning her JD, she served as a judicial clerk for the District of Columbia Court of Appeals. She returned to Minnesota in 1998, at which point she began to serve as counsel for non-profit health systems, starting with Allina Health in Minneapolis. She joined HealthPartners as Associate General Counsel in 2005 and worked her way up to Senior VP and General Counsel for the organization in 2019—a role she continues to serve in today.

Matt Gilbertson

Dr. Matt Gilbertson is a 1989 graduate of Moorhead High School, where he played hockey and football; he was a junior on the 1987 state champion football team. He attended NDSU and then MSUM for undergraduate before earning his Doctor of Chiropractic from Palmer College in 1995. Matt is a chiropractor and owner of Downtown Health & Wellness in Moorhead and a co-owner of The Clubhouse Indoor Golf Lounge. He has also served as CEO of the local company Thunder Seed. His family founded the Scott Tobolt Foundation in 2003 to honor Matt’s late brother in law; this foundation purchases youth hockey equipment and provides college scholarships to two MHS hockey players each year. He was a driving force in founding the Spud lacrosse programs at MHS. In 2020, voters elected Matt to the Moorhead City Council. He remains a regular fixture at Spud football, hockey and lacrosse games.

Mark Manney

Mark Manney graduated from MHS in 1978. He was the captain of the 1977-78 Spud hockey team and went on to play Division I hockey at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado. At the Air Force Academy, Mark trained to become a pilot. From 1984 to 1991, Mark flew C-141B Starlifters at Norton AFB in California—including in Operations Just Cause, Desert Shield and Desert Storm. In 1991, he was assigned to Andrews AFB in Maryland, where he flew VIPs including General Colin Powell. Mark earned a promotion to the Presidential Pilots Office, whose sole responsibility is to fly the President on Air Force One, in 1999. He flew presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush in his time at the helm of Air Force One. He retired from the Air Force as a Captain in 2004. Mark and his family returned to Minnesota in 2007 and he became the head coach of the Andover High School boys hockey team in 2009, a role he continues to this day. In his time behind the Huskies’ bench, he has a record of 272-152-17 with five Class AA State Tournament appearances. In 2022, he led Andover to the Class AA State Championship.

Grant Weyland

Grant Weyland graduated from MHS in 1968 as part of the first class to graduate from the newly constructed high school. Shortly after graduating, he was inducted into the US Army—serving one tour of duty in Vietnam. Upon his return, he enrolled at MSUM, where he earned a degree in criminal justice. In 1975, he joined the Moorhead Police Department as a dispatcher. Through the years, he rose through the ranks at MPD to eventually become Chief of Police in 1994. Grant was one of the leaders that spearheaded the establishment of the Red River Regional Dispatch Center to unify the area’s emergency response dispatch—a system still in use in Clay and Cass Counties today. Following his 2006 retirement from MPD, voters elected Grant to the Clay County Commission to represent District 5. As a county commissioner, Grant championed the Red River Diversion Project, which remains a major undertaking for the safety of the region. Grant eventually retired from the County Commission in 2020 after four and a half decades of public service to Moorhead and Clay County.