The sixth class of the Hastings College Fine Arts Hall of Fame features six visionary artists who will be recognized during a reception and ceremony held in conjunction with Hastings College Homecoming on Friday, September 26 at the Jackson Dinsdale Art Center.
Inductees include:
- Juan Hamilton ‘68 of Santa Fe, New Mexico, (posthumously) for art
- Rick Beck ‘82 of Honomu, Hawaii, for art
- Lin Warren ‘82 of Hastings, Minnesota, for music
- Mark Wherry ‘82 of Las Vegas, Nevada, for music
- Chris Flanders ‘91 of Los Angeles, California, for theatre
- Chris Scott ‘04 of La Vista, Nebraska, for theatre
The Fine Arts Hall of Fame recognizes Hastings College alumni who have made a difference in their communities. It recognizes their extraordinary contributions to the arts and the lasting impact on culture and society.
The reception for inductees begins at 5:30 p.m., with the ceremony beginning at 6:00 p.m. at the JDAC (700 E. 12th Street). Tickets for the event are $30 for adults, $15 for children ages 4-12 and free for children ages 3 and under. They may be purchased by contacting the Hastings College alumni office at 402.461.7363 or visiting hastings.edu/homecoming.
Inductee Biographies
The late Juan Hamilton ‘68 is remembered as a dear friend and talented artist whose ceramic and sculpture works are in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Smithsonian and many others, including the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum in Abiquiú, New Mexico.
Born John Bruce Hamilton in Dallas, Texas, he grew up in Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela, the son of Presbyterian missionaries Alan and Claire (Kitzmiller) Hamilton. During this time, he adopted the name Juan and began learning how to work with clay from local potters.
Following his graduation from Hastings College, Hamilton later studied sculpture at Claremont Graduate University in California.
When Hamilton arrived in New Mexico in 1973, he had an undeniable presence in Georgia O’Keeffe’s life, serving as a companion, studio assistant and trusted administrator of O’Keeffe’s business affairs for the last 13 years. He served as a special consultant to the museum’s board of trustees since the museum’s inception in 1997. After the death of O’Keeffe, Hamilton became an ardent steward of her legacy, generously gifting many of her personal belongings to the museum. These objects remain in the collection, and many are on view at the museum and the home and studio in Abiquiú, helping shape O’Keeffe’s story as an artist and person.
In 1980, Hamilton married Anna Marie (Prohoroff) Erskine, and they had two sons, Albert and Brandon. Hamilton passed away in February 2025 at age 79.
Rick Beck ‘82, in collaboration and support with his wife, Valerie (Thomas) Beck ‘82, has created hundreds if not thousands of unique pieces of blown glass and cast sculptures for the past 40 years. Most of his time at Hastings College was spent in the glassblowing studio maximizing his understanding and honing his skills of manipulating the unforgiving medium of glass.
Following graduation, Beck earned his MA and MFA in glass at Southern Illinois University under the tutelage of Bill Boysen in 1989. He creates large-scale cast glass sculptures, which he describes as a “synthesis of human and mechanical form, with an emphasis on formal aspects.”
Beck has been featured on many covers and in articles in the most well-known glass publications, including New Glass Review, American Craft, Glass, Neuse Glas, American Style, Tools for Creativity, and Arts and Activities. He has also had biographies and articles published in Rick Beck Sculpture (regarding his Denmark exhibits); Rick Beck It Figures and Rick Beck Now by Ken Saunders Gallery in Chicago, Illinois; and Rick Beck Form by North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina.
A National Endowment for the Arts and North Carolina Arts Council fellow, Beck has taught at Penland School of Crafts in North Carolina, Pilchuck Glass School in Washington State and the Appalachian Center for Crafts in Tennessee. Beck’s solo shows include the Glassmuset Ebeltoft in Denmark, Kentucky Museum of Art and Design, Kentucky Art and Craft Foundation, Montgomery Museum of Fine Arts (Alabama), and The Museum of Nebraska Art in Kearney, Nebraska. His work is held in the collections of the Mint Museum in Charlotte, North Carolina; North Carolina State University in Raleigh, North Carolina; the Pally Collection; Lowe Art Museum in Miami, Florida; Wustum Museum of Fine Arts in Racine, Wisconsin; Seven Bridges Foundation Collection in Greenwich, Connecticut; and at Dutton-Lainson Company in Hastings. Beck also donated a sculpture to his alma mater that is on display on the second floor of the Morrison-Reeves Science Center.
Throughout much of his career, Beck and his wife, Valerie, lived near the arts district in North Carolina; they now work and reside in Honomu, Hawaii.
Lin Warren ‘82 retired from Hastings (Minnesota) High School in 2017 after 32 years of teaching vocal music. During his tenure, he directed Select Chorale, the tenor-bass choir and Riverside Company, the school’s varsity show choir. Warren received a bachelor of music degree from Hastings College and a Master of Arts degree in music from the University of Wisconsin–Eau Claire.
Throughout his career he received several honors including: Outstanding Young Choral Director from the American Choral Directors Association of Minnesota (ACDA-MN) in 1988, and Teacher of the Year in 1989 and Employee of the Year in 2009 for Hastings Public Schools. In 2014 he was named the Minnesota Choral Director of the Year by the ACDA-MN.
Warren’s choirs have appeared at the Minnesota Music Educators Association Convention, the ACDA-MN Convention, the Divisional Music Educators National Conference, the Dorian Festival at Luther College and the 2010, 2015 and 2017 Choral Arts Finale. He was also very active in organizing conferences for the ACDA at both the regional and national levels from 2005 to 2017.
Following his retirement from teaching, he began a new career in sales with Gateway Music Festivals and Tours. During his free time, he enjoys working as a clinician, competition judge and accompanist for ensembles and soloists.
Dr. Mark Wherry ‘82 is the director of vocal music at the College of Southern Nevada (CSN), where he conducts the CSN Chamber Chorale and Jazz Singers and teaches voice and Jazz Appreciation. He recently completed his 30th year at CSN, where his ensembles have enjoyed memorable experiences, including a second place finish at the Reno Jazz Festival and performances with artists like Barry Manilow, Hugh Jackman and Game of Thrones composer Ramin Djawadi.
Born in Pawnee City, Nebraska, the son of a mortician and a voice teacher, Wherry chose music over the family funeral business. After graduating from Hastings College, he explored a variety of musical paths — from delivering singing telegrams and playing in funk bands to singing opera. He later joined the prestigious BMI/Lehman Engel Musical Theatre Workshop in New York, which sparked his passion for writing for the stage.
Wherry’s original musicals include It’s Only Business, Mister Wives, We’re Here for You and Baritones of Love (Best of the Vegas Fringe Festival, 2019), as well as the comic opera What a Wonderful Year 2020 Will Be, inspired by his family’s pandemic experience. All of his major works have been fully produced and enjoyed by the Las Vegas community. His textbook Jazz: Starts Here was published by Kendall-Hunt in 2024.
A recipient of the Nevada Regents’ Award for Creative Activities and a GRAMMY Music Educator Award Nominee, Wherry is also the longtime director of music at Mountain View Presbyterian Church. He is a frequent performer at The Composer’s Showcase at The Smith Center in Las Vegas, where his comedy songs are a highlight.
He holds a doctorate of arts in choral conducting and jazz pedagogy from the University of Northern Colorado, a master of music from the University of Miami, and a bachelor of music from Hastings College. He continues to find joy in creating, teaching and sharing music and laughter.
Chris Flanders ‘91 has spent the last three decades immersed in live performance and creative endeavors. He began his performing career at the age of five in Kailua, Hawaii, as one of the three little pigs in a kindergarten production of The Big Bad Wolf. After a long hiatus from performing and a move to Nebraska, he rediscovered his love of acting in high school and went on to appear in 17 stage productions while earning his degree at Hastings College. He continued his studies at the University of California, San Diego, where he received his MFA in Acting and taught undergraduate acting courses for three years.
Flanders has built a diverse career in stage, television and film. His professional journey has spanned coast to coast — from performing in theatre in New York to screen work in Los Angeles, California. He has appeared in more than 60 stage productions across the country. His transition to screen led to more than 50 guest appearances on television, including recurring roles on Parenthood, Brothers & Sisters, 24 and Grounded for Life. Film credits in Escape from Polygamy, Aftershock: The Nicole Bell Story, and Coyote, and appearing in the groundbreaking video game L.A. Noire. TV highlights include roles on Criminal Minds, Hawaii Five-0, Young Sheldon, Bosch, Brooklyn Nine-Nine and others.
Since 2005, Flanders pursued artistic endeavors while working at Paramount Pictures, where he oversees content metadata and title management as a director for the studio’s global digital releases.
He also founded and serves as the lead guitarist for Hard Shine, a blues-infused rockabilly swing band. The band writes and records original music, playing primarily throughout the Southern California region.
Flanders stays active by training and competing in triathlons. A four-time finisher of the Escape from Alcatraz Triathlon, he has spent the past 16 years racing and fundraising on behalf of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles through their Legacy Triathlon Series.
Of all his accomplishments, he is most proud of being a father to his 19-year old son, Vaughan. He remains grateful for the friendships, experiences and training he gained at Hastings College, which continue to shape and inspire his life and work to this day.
Chris Scott ‘04 is an educator and theatre maker in Omaha, Nebraska. A “mostly” native of Omaha, Chris holds a degree in theatre from Hastings College and a master of arts in directing and theatre criticism from Kansas State University, where he learned to direct plays and also to criticize them (even when they were his own). He also pursued additional training in mime at The Ohio State University under the guidance of Gregg Goldston — training that continues to inform his approach to performance and occasionally confounds his dogs.
Scott is an actor, director and passionate theatre-maker across Omaha stages. He has performed with many of Omaha’s theatre companies, including Omaha Community Playhouse, Brigit St. Brigit Theatre Company, The Rose, Anastasis Theatre Company and Shelterbelt Theatre. Recent memorable roles include Detective Sergeant Trotter (The Mousetrap), Dr. Watson (Baskerville) and Maurice (Beauty and the Beast), among others. His directorial work has been seen at Omaha Community Playhouse, Bellevue Little Theatre, Hastings Community Theatre and The Apollon.
Beyond the stage, Scott serves as the assistant director of academic advising in the College of Education, Health and Human Sciences at the University of Nebraska Omaha, where he brings the same passion and care to student support that he brings to his artistic work.
He is a dedicated member of Shelterbelt Theatre’s board of directors, helping lead the company’s exciting new chapter focused on original works by local and regional playwrights. He is also a co-conspirator with Old School Shakespeare Omaha, unleashing The Bard’s works in bars throughout the city.
When not working or performing, Scott enjoys spending time with his wife, Sara (officially crowned Best Theatre Widow Ever), his diva pug Penny, and his tiny chihuahua, Titan. He is also an avid tabletop RPG player and a collector of more dice than anyone reasonably needs.
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