Stella welcomes home native son, hoops icon

    The Village of Stella will celebrate small town America, dedicate the addition of thousands of donated dollars worth of new playground equipment and welcome home a celebrated native son Saturday, May 21.
    The festivities, which begin at 7 a.m. with a 5K run, will provide a sort of homecoming for recently retired legendary junior college basketball coach Jim Morris, a Southeast Consolidated graduate and 500-game winner. At Iowa Western, where he just last winter coached his 21st and final Reivers team, Morris led 17 teams to 20 or more wins. He retired as the program’s all-time winningest coach and one the folks in Council Bluffs hated to see go.
    “Jim Morris has been a first-class individual throughout his entire coaching career,” Iowa Western President Dr. Dan Kinney said. “I do not believe you will find one athlete our coaching colleague that will argue that Jim is a great leader of young men. He will be missed.”
    Iowa Western Athletic Director Brenda Hampton echoed those sentiments.
    “Beyond wins and losses, Jim has always been an advocate for the student athletes on our campus. He is a great person and coach.”
    Morris started his coaching career in the high school ranks at Chester-Hubbell and Pawnee City in Nebraska, and also in Prairie Gowrie, IA.
 and one at the two parks in Stella on Saturday, May 21, and in the process also welcome home a celebrated native son.  
    The ceremony will include the honoring of college basketball coach Jim Morris, a 500-game winner, and the celebration of small town America.    The performance by the group, The String Beans, has ties to the community through the Bright family of Shubert. The activities will be held on May 21, 2016 in Stella, Nebraska and will follow this agenda:

7-8:00 a.m.  Registration for 5K Run

8:00  5K Run and 1-Mile Run sponsored by Jana Anderson. Proceeds to go to the Richardson County Cancer Fund and  The Mary Kay Foundation

9:00 Trolley tours of the parks and Arboretum

10:30  Dedication and honor ceremonies at the downtown Mini-Park

11:00 The String Beans performance at the Mini-Park

12-1:00  Lunch provided by the Stella Volunteer Department and the Stella  Community Church at the Stella Fire Hall