Ten pillars of Salem-area high school sports were named “Beacons” last week at a ceremony at the Elsinore Theatre.

The annual event, put on by the Salem-Keizer High School Sports Booster Club, honors people who are pillars and guiding lights for local sports. They include outstanding athletes, officials, coaches and more.

The club raises money through the event to help cover costs for athletic participation at local high schools for students who would otherwise face financial barriers.

Here are the 2024-25 Beacons recognized at the June 10 event.

Bob Flood, Community Beacon

Flood was a longtime teacher and coach at Judson Middle School, who began his 33-year career at the school when it opened in 1958. He served as activities director and coached basketball and football before retiring in 1991. The school’s football field bears his name.

He officiated high school and college football and basketball for over 50 years and spent a decade as commissioner of the Salem Football Officials Association

Organizers selected him in part because his name kept coming up as an influence for previous Beacon honorees.

“His is a lifetime of activity, moving, doing things. He has influenced generations of students

and student-athletes. He has provided opportunities, both athletic and otherwise, that have

enhanced lives and changed lives. He has given back to his community and made it stronger,” read his award biography.

Randall Goree, Community Beacon

Goree served as a high school and college sports official for 35 years, working basketball, football and baseball games and taking on leadership roles in local officials organizations.

He served as a trainer for other officials and was twice honored as the Oregon Athletics Official Association’s Official of the Year, for basketball in 2023 and baseball in 2012.

“Before he retired from officiating football, basketball, and baseball in the Salem-Keizer area, each time Randall stepped on a field or court, coaches and athletes were going to get an excellent official and a man of integrity,” Goree’s biography said. “He was an example, a role model, each time he stepped on a field or court. He became what all adults should aspire to – a person of significance.”

John Horn, Community Beacon

Horn was a dedicated wrestler in high school and college, then coached in Colorado before work brought him to South Salem High School in the late 1960s. The program soon flourished, winning district championships two years in a row.

“His coaching style—demanding but fair, intense yet deeply personal—resonated with his wrestlers. He pushed them hard, expecting nothing less than their best, but he also gave them something in return: a belief in themselves,” Horn’s award biography said. “Wrestling was never just about competition for John; it was about teaching young men to be accountable, to embrace struggle, to work for something bigger than themselves.” 

His influence extended beyond South to creating the Capital City Mat Club to develop high school wrestlers, and organizing tournaments for young wrestlers, including an international exhibition. He then went on to coach at Sprague and North Salem high schools. After retiring, he came back as a volunteer and even served as an assistant coach under his own son at North for three years.

“He was a builder, a visionary. He wasn’t content to just win matches; he wanted to grow the sport, to create opportunities, to elevate the level of wrestling in Oregon,” Horn’s biography said.

Jason Unruh, Community Beacon

Unruh is the force behind the annual Hoopla basketball tournament which fills Salem streets each July. He played the sport at South, making it to state three times. In college, he began leading youth basketball programs.

He helped start up “The Hoop,” Salem’s leading basketball training facility (now known as The PAC), and ran it from 1995 to 2003. During that time, he founded Hoopla, which is now the second largest 3×3 basketball tournament in the U.S., drawing nearly 1,100 teams. The event also returns proceeds to dozens of clubs, teams and organizations that volunteer.

The tournament will return to Salem July 22-27 for its 26th year.

“Jason Unruh’s journey has been shaped by dedication, relationships, and a commitment to making a difference in the community. He has used his love of a game that he learned in his youth and excelled at during his high school years and become a game changer for his community,” his biography said.

Kim Roth Geelan, Sprague High School Beacon

Before she was a respected anesthesiologist, Geelan was a star distance runner at Sprague. From 1978 to 1982, she raced cross country and track, setting state records and earning national recognition.

Reflecting on her sophomore year state meet, Geelan wrote in a biography, “The state meet was especially memorable for me. I was behind two other girls and I distinctly remember Coach Adams at the start of the back turn telling me with his unmistakable voice ‘You have a

lap and a half to go so get moving!!!’. That spurred me on and I was able to catch one girl on the back stretch on the last lap and then caught the other girl at the top of the final straightaway and didn’t look back. I knew I had won, but didn’t understand why the Hayward Field crowd was so excited.”

Geelan had just set a state record for the 3,000 meter with a time of 9:54.86. The Oregon high school records she set for the 3,000 meter and 1,500 meter stood for more than 30 years.

Dave Haggerty, McKay High School Beacon

Haggerty coached McKay’s volleyball team for 15 seasons as head coach, keeping a winning record for 12 of them. At 80, he’s still officiating games.

“He uses a bit of humor and a willingness to listen. He sees the good. He brings out the best in people. As a teacher and coach, his students and athletes knew they were in the hands of a compassionate and empathetic man,” Haggerty’s biography read. “But Dave has also approached all of his roles knowing he has had a job to do. He enjoys a challenge, taking his responsibilities seriously, passionately doing his best.”

Eric Johansen, South Salem High School Beacon

Johansen’s tenure as South’s head boys soccer coach has spanned seven U.S. presidential administrations — and he hasn’t yet retired after 44 years. His career record as a coach is 358-211-96, with nine league or conference championships and a state win in 2009.

He’s retired from his primary career as a public defender, but continues to coach at South.

Johansen helped start the district’s junior varsity and later middle school soccer programs.

“His influence in the lives of young people will be felt far beyond the time he is no longer coaching,” his award biography said.

Lou Littlejohn, North Salem High School Beacon

Littlejohn, who coached football and basketball at North starting in the late 1960s, was honored posthumously at the event.

“Lou inspired and encouraged students to be better and do better. And when they needed a helping hand, Mr. Littlejohn just naturally provided it, however he could, which included ensuring an underserved athlete’s needs were addressed and covered,” his biography read.

He served for years as North’s athletic director and was known for thanking volunteers at games and ensuring things ran smoothly behind the scenes. He served North for 28 years.

“Lou also hired students to work at ball games, do field maintenance, clean up, or

complete other necessary tasks. Their earnings all went to help pay for the sports equipment they each needed to be more competitive but couldn’t afford. These work lessons provided his students dignity and allowed them a sense of investment. They were not given something, they earned something,” his biography said.

Littlejohn died in 2014 following complications from dialysis, the Statesman Journal reported. 

The football field at North bears his name.

Joanne Pfau, West Salem High School Beacon

Pfau played a crucial behind-the-scenes role as West’s athletic secretary for 20 years, starting when the school opened in 2002.

Coaches described her as a steady presence and friendly face at the school and noted how she went above and beyond to support students, coaches and families.

“If there was a game that needed an extra set of hands, she was there—working the ticket booth, managing the scorer’s table, or simply offering a reassuring smile to nervous athletes before they took the field. Her work wasn’t measured in wins and losses. It was measured in the quiet moments—the way she could calm a frantic coach who had lost a roster, the way she reassured a parent who was struggling to navigate the high school sports system, the way she noticed the student who seemed lost in the shuffle and made sure they felt seen,” her biography said.

Denny Pieters, McNary High School Beacon

After a decorated football career at Oregon State University, Pieters came to McNary in 1965 to help build the school’s athletic programs. He served as the school’s athletic director for 25 years.

“As a coach, he was more than just a strategist—he was a mentor, a guide, and a role model. His football teams were tough and disciplined. His wrestlers were relentless. His golfers played with precision. And in track and field, his athletes excelled, winning at the district and state levels,” his biography read.

“His influence reached beyond the school walls. Through his tenure … he was responsible for hiring some of McNary’s most decorated coaches—many of whom would go on to receive Beacon Awards themselves, a testament to the caliber of the program he helped build. His ability to recognize talent, both in players and in fellow coaches, ensured that McNary remained a powerhouse for decades,” his biography said.

Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.

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