The 13th Oneida County Hall of Fame induction has been scheduled for Thursday, May 23 at the Oneida County Event Center at 6:00 p.m.  This year’s inductees are Gloria Jean Thomas, for her contributions in the areas of Education and Public Service, and Spence and Debbie Horsley for their contributions in the fields of Public Service, Business and Education.  The Oneida County Hall of Fame recognizes individuals who have contributed to the history and improvement of the county during their careers. At last year’s ceremony, Terrill Schwartz and M. Joe Davis were inducted.  The ceremony was the first after a disruption in the annual event due to restrictions put in place during the COVID 19 events of 2020 and subsequent years.  Tickets can be purchased at the door for $25, however, event organizers would prefer that guests RSVP with Susan Wittman at 208-709-6888 or City Hall at 208-766-4010.  Biographies of the inductees are presented below:

 Gloria Jean Thomas

Gloria Jean Thomas was born in 1950 in Malad, Idaho, the oldest child of Boyd and Edith Jones Thomas.  She graduated from Malad High School in 1969 as co-valedictorian and a National Merit Scholar. To everyone’s surprise, she won the MHS Betty Crocker Homemaker of Tomorrow award and placed second in the state competition.

After receiving the INEL (now INL) four-year academic scholarship awarded to the two Idaho high school graduates with the highest ACT scores, Jean went to Idaho State University where she was first chair clarinet in the band and the Idaho State Civic Symphony. She was a member of the women’s service/honor clubs, including Mortarboard. She was voted “Student of the Semester” by the ISU Student Senate during her senior year. She graduated with Highest Honors in 1974 with Bachelor of Arts degrees in English and music.

Jean received a Master of Science in College Student Services Administration from Oregon State University and worked in residence life at Wichita State University and Marquette University before earning a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from Colorado State
University.

Jean graduated from Brigham Young University with a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration (emphasis in school law) in 1988. Her dissertation, “Teacher-Employer Relations: A Legal Reference Guide for Public School Educators,” won the 1989 Edgar L. Morphet Dissertation Award from the National Council of Professors of Educational Administration and was published by WestLaw.

Jean began her career as a professor in higher education at the University of North Dakota in the Graduate Department of Educational Administration, teaching all school law courses. She was elected to full membership on the Graduate Faculty in 1989 and was granted tenure in 1993, becoming 1 of 11 female tenured professors from a college other than nursing. 

In 1995 Jean’s father suffered a stroke, and she resigned from UND to move back to Malad.  She taught algebra at Malad Middle School for one year while the regular teacher was recovering from having a baby.

In 1997 Jean began teaching at Idaho State University as a professor in the Graduate Department of Educational Leadership where she taught K-12 and higher education law and finance. She served as the coordinator for the department’s assessment process for 10 years. She was awarded emeritus status when she retired from ISU in 2016.

While in higher education, she authored or co-authored 11 books, book chapters, or monographs and 12 articles published in professional journals; she presented research at 21 national professional
conferences.

Jean was inducted to Beta Gamma Sigma (National Business Honor Society), Golden Key National Honor Society, Phi Kappa Phi (National Arts and Humanities Honor Society), and Phi Delta Kappa (National Education Honor Society). 

After coming back to Malad, Jean concentrated her writing efforts on grants for her community because “if the money is out there, Malad ought to get its share.” From 1998 through 2023, Jean wrote 438 grants valued at approximately $4 million. She has written grants for all schools in Oneida School District, Malad City, Oneida County, the Oneida County Hospital, and several other organizations in Oneida County. 

Jean received the Boy Scouts of America Grand Teton Council Community Service Award in both 2004 and 2016. She was named the Malad City/Oneida County Community Volunteer of the Year for 2004 and received the Samaria Days Volunteer Award in 2017. She received the Malad Elementary School Volunteer Award in 2003 and a Special Recognition Award from MathCounts in 2011. In 2023 she received the Esto Perpetua Award from the Idaho State Historical Society for her work in preserving the history of Malad Valley.

Jean has co-chaired the Malad Valley Welsh Festival since its inception in 2005. She is chair of the Oneida Education Foundation and the Oneida Pioneer Museum Board. She was a member of the Oneida County Veterans Memorial Committee and organized the memorial dedication ceremony. She was an original member of the Oneida County Hall of Fame Committee. She is the president of the Malad Valley Welsh Society and serves on the Oneida County Hospital Foundation. Until recently she taught private piano and organ lessons and worked with participants in the Junior Miss (now Distinguished Young Woman) program. She is a volunteer reporter for The Idaho Enterprise.

Jean began playing the organ for the Malad First Ward of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was in 8th grade and has been a church organist for nearly 60 years. She played the piano for weekly services at the Malad Presbyterian Church for 1 year and helped organize that church’s 140th anniversary program. She currently plays the organ for Mass at Malad’s St. Paul’s Catholic Mission Church. She taught Relief Society for 30 years and served as a counselor in one stake and two ward Relief Societies. She served as president of the Malad Stake Relief Society for 5 years. 

Jean is very grateful that she was able to move back to Malad and is honored to be selected for the Oneida County Hall of Fame.

 Spence and Debbie Horsley

Spence Horsley was born in 1946 in Malad, the son of E. Raymond and Maxine Petersen Horsley. In 1959 the Horsley family moved to Downey where they purchased Downata Hot Springs. Spence attended school in Downey and was a 1964 graduate of old Marsh Valley High School. In high school, he was active in sports, participating in basketball, baseball, football, and track and also teaching swimming at Downata. 

He attended Ricks College for a year before serving a mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the East Central States Mission.  After returning from his mission, Spence married Deborah Field in the Idaho Falls Temple.  He continued his education at Ricks and then Idaho State University, where he received a bachelor’s degree in speech pathology and audiology.  He worked in the public schools in Montpelier in the special needs programs for
three years. 

Seeking a new adventure, the Horsleys moved to California where Spence attended the California College of Mortuary Science. He received highest honors and received the Ma Green Award for excellence in the profession pursuit. The family moved to Malad in 1976, where Spence was employed with the Benson Funeral Home. Spence and Debbie purchased the funeral home in 1978 and then built the Marsh Valley Funeral Home in 1979. 

A love of service led Spence to run for Malad City Council, where he served for two years before running for Mayor. He served as Malad City Mayor for 19 years. Through the years, Spence has served on the Oneida School Board, Chamber of Commerce, Malad Lions Club, and several civic committees. He was the Master of Ceremonies for the Malad Junior Miss program.  He has always considered serving on the Oneida County Veterans Memorial Committee as a crowning accomplishment.  (Being in the funeral home business, he saw how the veterans were honored when they passed away, so it was a special honor to be involved in completing the beautiful monument in downtown Malad.)  He was a charter member of the Oneida County Hall of Fame Committee and of the Oneida County Deputies. He served on the Malad Middle School Building Committee.  Spence was elected as Oneida County Coroner, a position that he held for over 30 years. 

Debbie Field Horsley was born in 1949, the daughter of Harvey and Daisy Amonette Field.  She grew up in the small farming community of Grant, Idaho, just west of Rigby.  She graduated from Rigby High School in 1967.  She was active in student government and was a member of the Rigby Troyettes.  

She attended Ricks College, where she received her associate degree, majoring in elementary education, Twenty years later, she returned to college to obtain her bachelor of science degree.  She then began her love of teaching at Malad Elementary School, where she taught hundreds of students over the next 19 years.  

While a teacher, Debbie began the Malad Elementary School Veterans Program to honor the men and women of our community who had given their all. She loved working with the veterans and combining the children’s talents with the touching stories of our veterans. She also began a Rendezvous Day, where students learned and participated in mountain man activities. 

Debbie served on the Utah Power and Light Advisory Board and the Oneida County Hospital Board and Foundation.  She was the charter chairman of the Malad Junior Miss program in 1981.  She was involved in the Malad High School Senior Recognition Night.  In her spare time, she enjoys writing and has written two books.

Spence and Debbie have been active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have served in many leadership callings. They served as missionaries in the Cleveland Ohio/Kirtland Mission, the Rochester/Palmyra New York Mission, at the Joseph Knight/Josiah Stowell Homesites in Pennsylvania, and as site guides at the Kirtland Temple. They also served for two years at the Brigham City Temple.  Debbie served at the Church Conference Center in Salt Lake for four years. They are currently serving as missionaries at the Church History Museum in Salt Lake City. They were selected by the Malad City Chamber of Commerce as the Grand Marshals for the July 4th Parade in 2022.

Spence and Debbie are the parents of five sons and one daughter:  Dr. Brett (Amy) of Logan, Utah; Dr. Scott (Shelly) of Arvada, Colorado; Dr. Bryan (Jennifer) of Alpine, Utah; Dr. Erik (Julia) of Herriman, Utah; Brad (Kristen) of Malad, Idaho; and Heidi (Dr. Marcus Harris) of Hyrum, Utah.  They have 29 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren with one more on the way. 

We both feel we have been blessed beyond measure to live in this beautiful valley and to associate with the very best people. To have raised our family here and to have worked and served this community will always be our greatest success.