Doug and Amy Skinner never forgot where they came from. Soon after their respective college graduations, Doug from Iowa State and Amy from Kansas Law School, the high school sweethearts married. Their careers kept them on the move with stops in Kansas City, Chicago (twice), Toledo, California, Dakota Dunes and Okoboji. In 2002, they together started Dakota Pack in Estherville, Iowa.
Dakota Pack grew quickly and in 2015 they decided to sell the business and retire – sort of.
Through the years Doug and Amy maintained their Heelan and family connections and returned often to the area. In 2016, they made it official and moved back to Dakota Dunes. They enrolled their daughter Ella and son Sam into the BHCS system.
The Skinners — both Class of 1984 graduates from Heelan — made their mark immediately. In 2017, Doug led the charge to transform the former lunchroom in Heelan’s CYO into a full gymnasium. Heelan can now hold double-header basketball games and host other school activities because of Doug’s leadership.
In 2018, Doug joined the BHCS Board of Education where he has served as chair and past-chair and as an invaluable member of the finance committee. He spent hours working with other board members to create a three-year tuition plan with the arrival of Iowa’s new Education Savings Accounts for non-public schools that benefit our students.
Doug and Amy are fixtures in the bleachers at the O’Gorman Fieldhouse. First cheering for their daughter Ella, who helped the Heelan girls win the 3A basketball state championship in 2020 and then Sam who helped this year’s boys team reach the state semi-finals.
Today Ella is a junior at Wayne State College while Sam is planning to attend the University of Wyoming. Their oldest son Michael lives in Minneapolis after graduating from Saint John’s University in Collegeville, Minnesota.
At Heelan, Doug was the fullback on the 1982 state champion football team and the 1983 state runner-up team. He was selected to play in the Shrine Bowl his senior year. He also earned All-State honors in baseball during the 1984 season. Amy was a varsity basketball cheerleader and served on the student council, yearbook, pep club and ran track and cross-country.
Today as the Skinners continue to be active with their alma mater, we pay tribute to them -- Doug and Amy Skinner, our 2023 Crusaders of the Year.