Passed away November 15th 2005

Brad Hill Inducted into Brainerd High School Distinguished Achievement Hall of Fame



The late Brad Hill will be inducted into the Brainerd High School Distinguished Achievement Hall of Fame on October 7, 2011 in the high school cafeteria.

By Roy Miller
Editor

Remarkable careers in medicine, special education, music and the nonprofit field will be highlighted with the induction of three more graduates into the Brainerd High School Distinguished Achievement Hall of Fame.

Selected for this year’s hall of fame class were the late Brad HIll, Gayle Ober and Dr. Basil C. LeBlanc.

• Brad Hill, valedictorian of the Class of 1969, is being honored for his achievements in the field of special education. Summer employment at the former Brainerd State Hospital ignited Brad’s passion for better treatment and training of residents.

He developed a professional assessment test for developmentally disabled individuals. Known as the Scales of Independent Behavior, the test was co-authored with, Dick Weatherman, Richard Woodcock and Robert Bruininks. The test is widely mandated by states across the country.

Bruininks is the former president of the University of Minnesota who said in a letter to Brad’s parents upon Hill’s death in 2005, “We are proud to be able to claim your son as an alumnus. His research and devotion to the deinstitutionalization of people with developmental disabilities improved lives throughout the world. His work left an enduring legacy of tremendous importance.”

Hill, who died from Marina’s Syndrome, studied economics and special education at the University of Minnesota, eventually earning a master’s degree in special education.

Hill’s brother, Bruce Hill, accepted the award in his honor while his other brother and two sisters and their families also attended the banquet. Their father, Kermit Hill, said he was thrilled that his late son was being recognized for his achievements.

“It means a lot to me,” Kermit Hill said of his son’s induction into the Hall of Fame. “It’s a great honor for our family. I think it’s wonderful.” Hill, valedictorian of the Class of 1969, was honored for his achievements in the field of special education. Summer employment at the former Brainerd State Hospital ignited Brad’s passion for better treatment and training of residents.