Huntington County Honors announces Class of 2026
An inventor whose work changed the way the world learned to fly, a championship drag racer, a basketball standout and leaders in business, broadcasting and education are among those who will be recognized as part of the 2026 Class of Huntington County Honors.
Created in 2014, Huntington County Honors brings to light the achievements, work and service of those with ties to the community who have influenced life in Huntington County and beyond. Honorees are recognized in one of five categories — athletics and recreation, business and professional, community and public service, humanities and cultural, and historical. The inaugural class of Huntington County Honors was inducted in 2016.
“What continues to amaze us is how many remarkable stories have roots here in Huntington County,” said board member Paul Siegfried. “The paths these people have taken are all very different, but each has contributed to this world far beyond themselves. Huntington County Honors gives us an opportunity to preserve those stories and make sure they are remembered and shared.”
This year’s class will be honored in a ceremony at 2 p.m. Saturday, November 7, in the rotunda of the Huntington County Courthouse. The event is free and open to the public.
Edwin A. Link changed aviation with an invention that grew from the mechanical principles he learned through his family’s piano and organ business. His Link Trainer became an essential tool for teaching pilots, training more than 2 million airmen, including 500,000 during World War II. Link later turned his inventive mind toward underwater exploration and rescue technology.
Two Huntington North graduates will be recognized in the athletics and recreation category.
Josh Hart transformed a youthful passion for speed into a career at the highest level of National Hot Rod Association racing. Hart and his wife, Brittanie, left Huntington for Florida in 2009 with their last $300 and went on to build Burnyzz into a successful automotive business while Hart rose through the ranks of drag racing. They have remained connected to their hometown through support of youth, education and other community programs.
Sean Kline established himself as one of the greatest basketball players in Huntington North history, finishing his career as the school’s all-time leader in points and rebounds. Recruited by many of the nation’s top programs, he became the final player recruited to Indiana University by legendary coach Bob Knight. Kline was selected to the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team in 2026.
Bernard and Clara Bir turned experimentation with scraps of Plexiglas into Bircraft Plastic Products, one of Huntington’s most distinctive businesses. Their internally carved and colored creations were sold throughout the United States and around the world, with the company’s signature red rose becoming familiar in many Huntington homes. Bircraft operated in the community for nearly 60 years.
Mike Seashols took the confidence instilled in him by Huntington High School teacher Oscar Naab into the emerging computer industry. After working for IBM, Seashols became one of the earliest executives at Oracle and helped guide the company toward its public offering. He later helped build more than a dozen companies and, with his wife, Suzanne, has worked to empower communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
John Tippmann Sr. has made sharing the cornerstone of a life shaped by his parents and Catholic faith. He and his wife, Jackie, established the Mary Cross Tippmann Foundation in 1998, providing thousands of grants supporting education, health care, housing and other needs. The foundation also purchased and restored Huntington’s historic St. Felix Friary, returning it to use as the St. Felix Catholic Center.
Former Huntington North teachers Brady and Kristina Smekens used their classroom experience to create Smekens Education Solutions in Warren. Founded in 2005, the company has grown from its Huntington County roots to provide literacy training and resources to educators in more than 20,000 schools and more than 100 countries.
Scott Uecker began his broadcasting career as a Huntington North sophomore calling Viking basketball games on WVSH-FM. He went on to become a leader in Indiana broadcasting, helping grow Network Indiana and creating its long-running Indiana Sports Talk program. Uecker later spent three decades developing future broadcasters at the University of Indianapolis and continues to serve the profession as executive director of the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters.
Huntington County Honors will also present two Dr. John David Carnes Awards for Community Service. The award honors the life of the late Huntington physician and his compassion and love for his community. Dr. Carnes was also one of the founders of Huntington County Honors.
Huntington County Baseball, now known as Huntington County Little League, is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2026. Founded by Donald Gemmer in 1951, the organization grew from three teams to serve generations of boys and girls from throughout Huntington County. Supported throughout its history by hundreds of volunteers, it continues to provide young athletes opportunities to learn baseball and softball while developing teamwork, sportsmanship and confidence.
The Huntington County Historical Society also marks a milestone in 2026 as it celebrates its 100th anniversary. Organized in 1926, the society has spent a century preserving the artifacts and stories of Huntington County. Its museum at 315 Court St. provides a permanent home for its collection and serves as a resource for preserving and sharing the community’s history.
A display featuring the 2026 Class of Huntington County Honors will be on view in the Huntington City-Township Public Library beginning in January. The Huntington County History and Education Center houses a permanent exhibit featuring all previous honorees, and the library maintains an archive of all those who have been honored.
Information on Huntington County Honors and all honorees is available at www.huntingtoncountyhonors.org.
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A brief look at the 2026 Class of Huntington County Honors:
BIR FAMILY / BIRCRAFT
Business & Professional
Bernard and Clara Bir turned a hobby into one of Huntington’s most distinctive businesses. While working at Scott Air Force Base, Bernard became intrigued by fragments of Plexiglas used in airplane windows and began experimenting with reverse carving. The creations became known as “Bir’s crafts,” eventually giving Bircraft Plastic Products its name. Returning to Huntington in 1949, they built a company whose internally carved and colored pieces, often featuring its signature red rose, were sold in gift shops across America and around the world, even reaching Graceland. Bircraft operated in Huntington for nearly 60 years before closing in 2008. Although the company is gone, its craftsmanship endures in the Bircraft pieces still treasured in Huntington homes and sought by collectors today.
JOSH HART
Athletics & Recreation
Known around Huntington as a teenager for his lead foot and frequent speeding tickets, Josh Hart transformed youthful recklessness into a life defined by determination, hard work and generosity. Organized drag racing gave Hart a place to channel his passion for speed, while he and his wife, Brittanie, struggled to build a life together. In 2009, they headed to Florida with their last $300 and eventually built Burnyzz into a 100,000-square-foot automotive business as Hart rose to the highest ranks of National Hot Rod Association racing. Today, the parents of two adopted children remain grounded by that journey and committed to giving back, supporting youth programs, education and community needs in their hometown of Huntington. Their remarkable path from struggle to success is reflected in the message carried on every dragster Hart drives: “Anything’s Possible.”
SEAN KLINE
Athletics & Recreation
Sean Kline established himself as one of the greatest basketball players in Huntington North history, finishing his Viking career with school records of 1,790 points and 811 rebounds. As a sophomore, the 6-foot-8 standout led Huntington North to its first regional championship since 1969. As a senior, Kline earned first-team All-State honors, finished third in the 2001 Mr. Basketball voting and played for the Indiana All-Star team. Recruited by many of the nation’s top programs, he committed to Indiana University and became the final player recruited to the Hoosiers by legendary coach Bob Knight. Kline played four seasons at IU despite a serious knee injury that altered his college career. Twenty-five years after his senior season, his basketball legacy was again recognized with selection to the 2026 Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame Silver Anniversary Team.
EDWIN LINK
Historical
Edwin A. Link changed the way the world learned to fly. Drawing on mechanical skills learned in his family’s piano and organ business, Link used organ bellows to develop an early flight simulator that became the famous Link Trainer. By 1958, he estimated his invention had been used to train more than 2 million airmen, including 500,000 pilots during World War II. The wartime “Blue Box” helped make ground-based flight simulation an essential part of aviation training. Link later turned his inventive mind toward underwater exploration, developing new diving and rescue technology while exploring the oceans with his wife, Marion, and their family. By his death in 1981, Link held 33 patents and had earned recognition from the National Academy of Engineering and other leading institutions. From organ bellows to aviation and ocean exploration, Link’s restless imagination left a lasting mark on both the sky and the sea.
MIKE SEASHOLS
Business & Professional
Mike Seashols has spent a lifetime taking bold leaps based on a belief in himself and what he saw and felt. Inspired by Huntington High School math teacher Oscar Naab, he developed the confidence that would shape his life. A 1967 graduate of Manchester College, Seashols joined IBM in the burgeoning computer industry. After 13 years with IBM, he left to become one of Oracle’s earliest executives, joining the company as one of its first 40 employees and helping guide its growth toward a 1986 public offering. He went on to help build more than a dozen companies as a founder, advisor or investor. Mike and his wife, Suzanne, later co-founded CongoVoice and LOBIKO, initiatives empowering communities in the Democratic Republic of Congo through entrepreneurship, education, health care and economic development. Guided by faith, humility and a passion for lifelong learning, Seashols continues to seek new challenges and new ways to serve others.
BRADY & KRISTINA SMEKENS
Humanities & Cultural
Former Huntington North High School teachers Brady and Kristina Smekens turned their experience as educators into Smekens Education Solutions, a Warren-based consulting firm they founded in 2005. The company provides research-based literacy training and resources for K-12 educators, translating educational research into practical strategies teachers can use in their classrooms. From its Huntington County roots, Smekens Education has grown to serve more than 20,000 schools and reach educators in more than 100 countries through consulting, professional development, coaching, conferences and digital resources.
Together, the Smekens have built a nationally-recognized organization while remaining rooted in Huntington County, where they live and their company continues to make its home.
JOHN TIPPMANN SR.
Community & Public Service
John Tippmann Sr. credits his parents and Catholic faith for a lifelong commitment to sharing. The seventh of 16 children, he learned from his mother, Mary Cross Tippmann, that success in business carries a responsibility to share with others. That lesson inspired John and his wife, Jackie, to establish the Mary Cross Tippmann Foundation in 1998. Since then, the foundation has made thousands of grants supporting Christian education, health care, housing, recovery services and care for those in need. In 2010, the foundation purchased Huntington’s historic St. Felix Friary, investing more than $1 million to restore the property and return it to Catholic use as the St. Felix Catholic Center. Tippmann’s lifelong example of faith, generosity and service continues to strengthen lives throughout northeast Indiana.
SCOTT UECKER
Humanities & Cultural
Scott Uecker began his broadcasting career as a Huntington North sophomore, calling Viking basketball games on WVSH-FM 91.9. After earning a Radio and Television degree from Butler University, he became director of news, operations and programming for Network Indiana, helping grow the network from 35 affiliates to more than 100 stations and creating the long-running Indiana Sports Talk program. Uecker has called more than 30 Indiana high school state championship games and earned five Indiana Broadcasters Association Spectrum Awards for sports play-by-play. He later spent three decades developing future broadcasters at the University of Indianapolis, where he was named Assistant Professor Emeritus and inducted into the Department of Communication’s Wall of Fame. A former president of both IBA and the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters, Uecker continues to serve the profession as IASB executive director.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY BASEBALL /
HUNTINGTON COUNTY LITTLE LEAGUE
Dr. John David Carnes Award for Community Service
For generations of Huntington County families, spring has meant the start of another baseball and softball season. Founded by Donald Gemmer in 1951, Huntington County Baseball has grown from three teams into one of northeast Indiana’s premier youth sports organizations, serving hundreds of boys and girls from communities throughout the county. From Fara Field to Gemmer Field and now Homier Park, the organization has provided generations of young athletes opportunities to learn the game while developing teamwork, sportsmanship and confidence. Supported by hundreds of volunteer coaches, managers and board members, Huntington County Baseball has created lasting memories for thousands of families. Now known as Huntington County Little League, the organization continues its 75-year tradition of enriching the lives of Huntington County youth through baseball, softball and community.
HUNTINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Dr. John David Carnes Award for Community Service
The Huntington County Historical Society celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026, continuing a mission that began when Milo Feightner spoke of the importance of preserving the relics of Huntington County. Through periods of activity and dormancy, the society endured, reorganizing in 1953 and displaying its growing museum collection first at the Huntington City Library and later at the Huntington County Courthouse. In 1999, the society purchased a former auto parts store at 315 Court St., establishing a permanent home through the efforts of members, volunteers, grants and community support. An auditorium addition completed in 2008 provided additional space for programs and the expanding collection. A century after its founding, the Huntington County Historical Society continues preserving the artifacts and stories of the county’s past, ensuring that its history remains available for generations to come.