advertisement:
At least 47 members of the class, which totaled 88 students, are planning to take part in activities on Friday, Sept. 19 and Saturday, Sept. 20.
The reunion will kick off with an informal assembly of classmates and their families at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19 on the Courthouse Plaza, then on Saturday, at 6 p.m. a dinner will be held at the Camelot in Vera Cruz.
Also planned as part of the 50-year anniversary is a special presentation by members of the 1958 Bluffton varsity basketball team, which won sectional and regional championships that season before finally being stopped in the semi-state tournament by eventual champion Fort Wayne South Side during the days of single class basketball.
Players on the 1958 Tiger team will be donating 150 brand new basketballs to be used by boys and girls basketball programs in Bluffton-Harrison schools.
The special basketballs will feature the Tiger logo and labeling which says “Wear Me Out.”
BHS Athletic Director Steve Thompson and Coach Wayne Barker were appreciative of the donation by the former Tiger players.
“It’s a great idea on their part,” said Thompson. “It says a lot about the character of the people on the ‘58 team to give back to the community like this,” Thompson said. “I have heard so much history about this team and am really anxious to meet them,” Thompson said.
The returning players from the ‘58 team are scheduled to meet with BHS boys and girls basketball players at the close of school on Friday, Sept. 19 to present the basketballs and also to share with the students some of their life experiences.
“It really means a lot to me what these men are doing for the Bluffton programs,” said Barker.
“I think it’s great that they are going to meet and talk with our players about their lives,” Barker added.
The ‘58 Tiger team featured 10 seniors, six of whom are coming back for the reunion.
Senior members of the squad were Tom Tangeman, Byrl Bowman, Fred Murray, Don Leonard, Bob Henry, Ron Kemp, Harold Creed, Gene Bierie, Ronnie Cupp and Richard Foster.
Bierie, Cupp and Foster are now deceased, as is head coach Virgil Kirkpatrick.
Rounding out the varsity squad that year were two standout sophomore players, Mike Milholland and Ted Collins, who are also returning to be present for the presentation of the basketballs.
The 1957-58 Tiger squad, posted a record of 20 wins against seven losses, including four victories in the Bluffton sectional tournament over Lancaster Central, Rockcreek, Ossian and Jackson Center.
At the Marion regional the Tigers defeated Bryant by a 57-46 score in the afternoon round then came back that evening to take out Marion by a 58-44 score to claim the regional crown. It was the last time a Wells County team defeated Marion at the regional tournament level.
The following week, Bluffton was knocked out of the tournament by Fort Wayne South side.
Two years later, Milholland and Collins were leaders of the 1960 Tiger club which also won the Marion regional and knocked off Kokomo in the opening round of the semi-state tournament.
joe@news-banner.com
Read this story in our E-Edition, Click Here
Talk about this story in our forums!