Ten Omaha Central alumni were inducted into the Hall of Fame by the Omaha Central Foundation on Oct. 19, 2023. The induction put on by the Central High Foundation was held at the Holland Performing Arts Center and included a dinner and award ceremony to celebrate the inductee’s accomplishments.
Susan Breding, Class of 1974
Breding worked as an Emmy Award-winning reporter and anchored in some of the largest TV markets around the United States, including Phoenix and Los Angeles. She won three regional Emmy Awards and a University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) journalism alumni award. While in Los Angeles, Breding worked with A-list celebrities ranging from Taylor Swift to George Clooney. Breding returned to Arizona in 2015, where she was hired as the communications director, providing leadership for the 2023 Super Bowl LVII and overseeing communications for the city of Glendale.
Hubert “Hub” Brown, Class of 1976
Brown made his mark in journalism working as a TV reporter, anchor and producer and now as an educator. Brown earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in journalism at UNL. Brown launched his teaching career at his alma mater, educating students for seven years before moving to Syracuse University, where he became the associate dean of research, creativity, international initiatives and diversity. Brown was named the dean of the University of Florida’s College of Journalism and Communications in 2021.
Gregory Erwin, Class of 1958
Erwin graduated at the top of his class from the UNL Law School before moving to New York to start his career. Erwin later returned to Omaha in 1974 and became the ninth partner at Kutak Rock. In 1984, he co-founded America First Companies, a publicly traded fund of government-backed mortgages. In 1991, Erwin won the contract for Omaha’s municipal lottery, enabling Big Red Keno to expand across Nebraska and become one of the nation’s largest Keno operators. Erwin passed away in March at the age of 82.
Dr. Edward Fogarty, Class of 1989
Once graduating from the University of Chicago, Fogarty returned to Omaha to receive his medical degree from the University of Nebraska Medical Center (UNMC) and to complete his residency in radiology at Creighton University. He is now the chair of radiology at the University of North Dakota, where he advances multiple innovations in clinical imaging and medical education. Some of his most significant work includes chronic neurological injury, including dementia. In 2020, Dr. Fogarty received a federal CARES ACT grant to implement countermeasures against COVID-19 based on the work of Central alumnus Albert Crum.
Bruce Hoberman, Class of 1965
Bruce Hoberman co-founded Homer’s record stores at the age of 24. After selling the business, Hoberman and his wife became volunteers with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), spending over a year living in Sub-Saharan Africa helping develop small and medium-sized businesses. In 1986, Hoberman graduated from Harvard Business School’s Owner President Management program for entrepreneurs. In 1988, he won the Business Excellence Achievement Award from the UNL Business School Alumni Association. In 1991, he was named Small Business Administration District II Businessperson of the Year. Later co-founding Proxibid, he served as chairman of the board until the company was sold in 2020.
Richard Kaslow, Class of 1961
Dr. Richard Kaslow played a major role in groundbreaking federal and academic research into infectious diseases such as HIV. Kaslow graduated from Harvard Medical School, attaining board certification in internal medicine, infectious disease, and preventative medicine. Working for 23 years with the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he conducted studies of HIV and other epidemiologic investigations. Soon after, he worked with the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where teams identified genetic determinants of HIV, Hepatitis B vaccine responses and other conditions. Dr. Kaslow currently serves as President of the American College of Epidemiology, and in 2009, the American Public Health Association recognized him with the John Snow Award for his incredible contributions to epidemiology.
Rachel Tomlinson Mindrup, Class of 1992
As a professional artist and art educator, Mindrup is using art to raise funds to fight the genetic disease Neurofibromatosis (NF). Mindrup earned her master’s of fine arts from the Art Institution of Boston at Lesley University and studied at the Art Academy of Los Angeles. When her son was diagnosed with NF, she realized the disease received little funding for research and started painting portraits of people who donated to related charities. Her “Many Faces of NF” collection has been shown internationally. In 2020, she was appointed by Dr. Richard L. Deming, the chair of medical humanities at Creighton University School of Medicine, to bring art and medicine together on campus.
Rodney Mullen, Distinguished Educator
Mullen made a prominent mark during his 24 years at Central as an award-winning history teacher. After the Omaha Public Schools and University of Nebraska at Omaha graduate joined Central in 1999, he showed dedication to both his profession and students, particularly about African American history. He helped uncover lost history in Omaha minority communities as part of the OPS Making Invisible Histories Visible program. Before retiring in 2022, Mullen was honored as Central’s Teacher of the Year in 2019, the Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award in 2020 and History Nebraska’s Excellence in Teaching Award winner in 2022.
Harold “Art” Reynolds, Class of 1958
Reynolds served in the United States Marine Corps before retiring to mentor youth in California. While a senior at Central, Reynolds was on the state runner-up football team, state runner-up basketball team and city champion baseball team, making for one of the most successful athletic careers at Central. Reynolds served for 23 years in the corps as a gunnery sergeant and drill instructor, along with being awarded the Purple Heart. Once retiring, he coached and mentored youth in Santa Ana, California, including serving as a volunteer probationary counselor for at-risk youth.
David Slosburg, Class of 1970
Slosburg graduated from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), returning to Omaha to expand his family’s real estate development company into one of the nation’s largest. With developments in six states, Slosburg has been an active contributor and advocate for significant civic developments including the Holland, Do Space, Steel House and the new city library. Slosburg currently serves on the boards of the Omaha Symphony (chairman), Heritage Omaha, Omaha Performing Arts (vice-chairman) and the national committee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
Richard Zacharia, Class of 1961
Zacharia has been a strong advocate for Central and a prominent figure throughout accounting circles in Omaha. After graduating from UPenn’s Wharton School, he returned to Omaha, joining the firm now called Frankel Zacharia in 1969. Zacharia served as managing partner for 25 years, growing it to one of Nebraska’s biggest independent firms. He became a volunteer and officer for several community organizations, including the Jewish Community Center Board of Directors and the Johnny Rodgers Jet Award Foundation.
