The “Days of Yore” column a couple of weeks ago noted that several county men had been inducted into their college’s Halls of Fame.” Mentioned were Larry Stednitz, Falls City, football, in Midland Lutheran College; Don Overfield, Humboldt, football, Chadron State College, and Doug “Hoot” Gibson, Falls City, Peru State. Afterward it came to my mind that Wayne Riggs of Shubert also was in Peru’s Hall of Fame. He starred at Peru in the l930s, was an all-around athlete and I believe he excelled in track.
The latest addition is Tom Carey, Ph.D., Ramesy, MN, an outstanding, in the finest sense of the word, athlete at Sacred Heart, graduating in l955. He took his talents to St. Benedict’s College in Atchison, KS, playing football and baseball. On Saturday, Oct. l9, he was inducted into Benedictine, (formerly St. Benedict’s) College’s Hall of Fame.
Tom’s resume, both in academically and athletically, is quite impressive. Right out of college he coached three years at St. Joseph’s High School of Beatrice, did the same at Pius X in Lincoln for four years, went on to Hennepin Community College in Minneapolis MN, as a counselor and coordinator of International Education for 35 years, then on to the University of St. Thomas, also in Minneapolis, for l0 years as the Director of International Education. In his work in the later field, he has visited l00 countries, including a year spent in Tanzania. Tom retired two years ago after 53 years in Education. He set a pretty good example with his dedication to education, including his Master’s and Doctorate from UNL. His son is an M.D. and his three daughters all have earned Master’s Degrees.
Include Tom Carey among the many Richardson County high school graduates who have gone on to make their mark in our world in many fields of endeavor. It’s impossible to tell you how much pleasure it gives me to write about them and what they’ve done with their lives.
Going elsewhere, the other day I received a belated 95th birthday card.
In his congratulatory message, the sender wrote in plain words: “I have a B.S. Degree.”
I’ve been aware of that for at least 50 years.
Sacred Heart’s merciful 73-0 blasting of Deshler last Thursday (if Coach Doug Goltz hadn’t called off his main troops early in the ball game it could have been oodles of TDs more) stirred a long-dormant memory of the Falls City Tigers’ worst-ever pasting.
I found the l927 Orange and Black yearbook at the Library & Arts Center and there was the proof of what I was told decades and decades ago. Here’s how it went:
The Tigers rode the Burlington down to St. Joe to play St. Joseph Central and got skunked–big time. The final score was l08-0. I can’t imagine the trip train back to FC was too joyous.
I picked this out of the yearbook: “This team was one of the outstanding teams in Missouri and when our boys were put against such a wall of strength as this the worst could be expected…Falls City played pluckily and throughout the game did not give up hope although beaten by a large score.” The score was not mentioned. Coach M. M. Obermeier obviously was not a defensive genius.
They also got skunked badly by Pawnee City, Sabetha and Tecumseh but defeated Humboldt, Horton, Peru and Hiawatha and tied Nebraska City.
The memorable quote after the St. Joseph debacle came from Red Hilgenfeld, center and captain-elect, who was praised in the yearbook as a defensive stalwart.
“We ain’t much on the road,” Red was to have said, “but we’re hell at home.”
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