January 26, 2023- The Boerne Independent School District has announced the Boerne’s Best Distinguished Alumni Class of 2023. This year’s honorees are Dean Radla (BHS, ‘74), Dr. Kenneth Herbst (BHS, ‘57), Christina Bergmann (BHS, ‘93), and Kenneth Nickel (BHS, ‘63), with the Benefactor Award being presented to Ann Tibbett. 
This is the fourth class of Boerne’s Best inductees, with the first being enshrined in the class of 2020. Boerne's Best inductees are individuals who have graduated from Boerne ISD at least 10 years ago or later, have achievements that set them above and beyond the standard in their profession, and have achievements that set them above and beyond the standard in community service.
“This year’s Boerne’s Best class is absolutely exemplary,” said Boerne ISD Athletic Director and Boerne’s Best Chair Stan Leech. “This year’s honorees show the very best of our community, and their accomplishments are extraordinary. We couldn’t be prouder to recognize these outstanding pillars of our community.”
DEAN RADLA
Dean Radla is currently the Vice President and General Manager at Sinclair Broadcast Group in San Antonio. Radla was the Director of Sales for Fox 29 and MY 35 TV from 1999 to 2012. He was General Manager from 2012 to 2019 of the Sinclair Group before being named Vice President in 2019, a position he currently holds.
Known and respected for his involvement in the San Antonio community, Radla currently serves as the Chairman of the Board of SA Sports. He just completed a three-year term as Director of the Board of Directors for the San Antonio Chamber of Commerce.
Radla graduated from Boerne High School in 1974 and is a 1979 graduate of Texas State University with a degree in Public Relations, Advertising and Applied Communication.
DR. KENNETH HERBST
Dr. Kenneth Herbst served in the U.S Army as a Captain and was a chief of the veterinary division of the 1st U.S Army Medical Laboratory. While in the service, he played halfback on the Ft. Meade football team.
Before opening his veterinary practice in Boerne, Dr. Herbst had practiced in San Antonio for several years. The Herbst Veterinary Hospital was established in August 1968.
Dr. Herbst served on the Boerne ISD Board of Trustees, as well as Chairman of the 1970 Kendall County Community Chest.
Dr. Herbst, a 1957 graduate of Boerne High School, was an All-District football player for the Greyhounds and was also All-State in Band. He earned a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree from Texas A&M University.
CHRISTINA BERGMANN
As a lifelong Boerne resident and businesswoman, Christina Bergmann serves the community as Kendall County Commissioner Precinct 1. Bergmann’s public service includes serving as a Boerne City Council member in District 5, a position she held from 2012 to 2014.
As a local businesswoman and public servant, Bergmann managed the family business, Bergmann Lumber, both an iconic and historic downtown Boerne business, serving the Kendall County community from 1957-2017. Additionally, Bergmann has served on the Boerne Volunteer Fire Department for 27 years, making history as the first female firefighter for the department.
Bergmann is a 1993 graduate of Boerne High School and a 1999 graduate of Texas State University with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration.
KENNETH NICKEL
Kenneth Nickel served in the Air Force for 26 years, attaining the rank of Colonel. At the height of his military career, he served as commander of the White House Communications Agency under Presidents Reagan and Bush.
Nickel grew up on the family ranch east of Boerne. After retirement, he returned with his family to his beloved home. He put their ranch, which was homesteaded in 1870, in a conservation easement. Nickel served on the Cíbolo Conservancy Board for 12 years.
He began his schooling at the Pleasant Valley One-Room School during 1st-4th grade, at which time it closed. Nickel graduated from Boerne High School in 1963.
A devout Catholic, for decades Nickel was a Deacon serving St. Joseph Honey Creek and St. Peter’s in Boerne. Nickel also led other parishioners in support of the Prison Ministry Program.
ANN TIBBETT
Ann Tibbett dedicated much of her life to Boerne ISD as she spent over 40 years as a teacher and librarian at BISD. She opened the first elementary campus library in Boerne ISD at Boerne Elementary. Tibbett then went on to design and help open libraries at Curington and Fabra Elementaries. She also wrote plays for all grade levels as well as for UIL competitions for students to perform. She received the Rotary Outstanding Teacher of the Year Award in 1997.
Tibbett was one of the founding members of the Boerne Berges Fest, where she originated the Queen’s Contest. Prior to that, she helped with the Kendall County Queen’s Contest for many years. She was also a founding member of the Boerne Benefit Theatre. She received the Boerne Chamber of Commerce Citizen of the Year Award for 1973-74. In 1992, she received the Beta Sigma Phi Woman Woman of the Year Award and the 2002 Humanitarian Award of the Sons of Hermann of the State of Texas from the Order of the Sons of Hermann and Paul Vogt.
The Class of 2023 will be inducted at a luncheon on Friday, April 21st at The Club of Cordillera Ranch at 11:30 a.m.
