1983 Distinguished Nebraskans Award Recipient Richard E. Spelts Dick Spelts made his business as co-owner of Spelts-Schultz Lumber Co. and then president and chief executive officer of Grand Island’s First National Bank, but he left his indelible mark on Grand Island through community activism. Spelts oversaw creation of the Grand Island Community Foundation, and served as chairman of the Hall County Housing Authority, which developed the Golden Age Towers. He also aided in the St. Francis Medical Center’s construction and its merger with the former Lutheran Hospital. Active in politics, Spelts was the Nebraska Republican Party state chair during the late 1950s. Back to list

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