Westfield High School graduates Mitchell Finke and Daniel Willoughby will be named to the Westfield Washington Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame during the Sept. 24 WHS homecoming football game.
Finke graduated from WHS in 1996 and was commissioned in 2001 through Officer Candidate School in Pensacola, Fla., as a naval intelligence officer. A Navy captain, he has a master’s degree in national security and strategic studies from the United States Naval War College and a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Ball State University.
Finke deployed to the coast of Pakistan, the Northern Arabian Sea and the Arabian Gulf, as well as in a combat zone in Fallujah, Iraq. He has served on teams that have been awarded four Joint Meritorious Unit Awards, two Navy Meritorious Unit Commendations, two Battle Efficiency awards and a Navy Unit Commendation. He also has received the Bronze Star Medal, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Meritorious Service Medal, Joint Service Commendation Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, Joint Service Achievement Medal, Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal.
Willoughby graduated from WHS in 1984. In 1996, he established Willoughby Sales with his wife, Carol Hamer Willoughby, a 1986 WHS graduate, and still operates with the help of their son, Justin Willoughby, a 2012 graduate, and his daughter-in-law, Erin McKamey Willoughby, also a 2012 graduate.
In 2019, Willoughby was inducted into the Indiana Livestock Hall of Fame. The honor recognized the time and resources Willoughby gave to advancing the agri-business industry. He continues to support efforts on local, state and national levels with livestock and 4-H programs, such as hosting state FFA competitions.
The Westfield Washington Schools Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame award honors alumni whose deeds and character exemplify outstanding achievement in their life’s work and service to their communities.
Future nominations for the Westfield Washington Distinguished Alumni Hall of Fame can be made at wws.k12.in.us/Page/1794. The selection committee meets during the spring to consider all nominations.
