Athlete. During the last years of World War II, a young man at Avoca High School in Cass County was stirring up sportswriters and basketball fans with his high-scoring basketball talents. This was Jack Hallstrom, a 1946 graduate, who had a remarkable record during high school of 1,840 points scored on the hardwood. All-state from his sophomore year onward (1944-45-46), he led the Avoca Cardinals to the state tournament with good success such as 27-1 in 1944 and 30-3 in 1946. After an excellent college career at Peru College, he became an outstanding educator in Douglas County, Nebraska, and is remembered as a founder of the Omaha Metropolitan Conference Holiday Basketball Tournament. Also instrumental in the development of the Nebraska High School Hall of Fame.
