A New Way to Honor Athletes
The new Hall of Fame under the archway to the high school stadium. (Photo by Lauren Flum)
As you pass through the brick archway of the Talawanda football stadium and take in the scent of popcorn, grills, and turf, you will probably notice the brand new, shining Hall of Fame plaque to your right.
Talawanda has recently installed a brand new athletic Hall of Fame in the entrance to the stadium. It was fully funded by a former Talawanda graduate, Jeff Pulley, from the class of 1976.
Holli Morrish, Director of Communications and Public Relations for Talawanda, said the credit goes to Pulley. “Mr. Pulley approached the district nearly 2 years ago very interested in developing something that would honor our school, our students, and honor many of the past administration, teachers, and coaches that have positively impacted the lives of so many students.” said Morrish.
Mr. Pulley himself says, “Even though I am not living in the Oxford area, I wanted to do something that would pay tribute to the new school and honor those coaches who have given so much to so many.”
His family has been going to Talawanda for generations and generations. “My Uncle Tom was in the first class at Talawanda and on the first football team, and I had three younger cousins attend as well, so our family spanned a lot of the history of the original High School.” said Pulley
The Hall of Fame committee, Joe Pyfrin, Marvin Wilhelm, Denise Zimmerman, and John Trump put together the structure with the help of Pulley and a graphic designer. Also, the company Laser Imaging & Design was contacted over this previous summer to help finalization of the graphics. The committee decided on the layout and the pictures to go above the names.
As for Pulley’s role in designing the structure: “I researched the for the best materials to complement the school and be practical for a long period of time.” he says. “We decided on granite etched with lasers and colorful metal signs that would be interchangeable and inclusive to all the athletics sports, as well as the band, cheerleading and school spirit clubs.”
Yearbook coordinator Andy Zimmerman said, “Mr. Pulley came to me for the images, since I had all the pictures from previous years.” As for the actual picture put in, “The pictures above the engravings are interchangeable,” he says, “so we will be able to switch pictures out about twice a year.”
As for the engraving itself, the slabs of granite were engraved in Lebanon, Ohio, then shipped back to the high school for installation. Local companies like CKC Construction and Triad Construction were hired for the installation progress.
The names in the Hall of Fame were carried from the very first in 1999, and the inductees from this previous year were added.
It seems that the new addition of the Hall of Fame is something that the entire Talawanda community is proud of. “Everyone at THS has a special gift to offer and high school is a good time to discover that gift.” Pulley said, “It takes courage to try out for a sport or maybe even to walk through that door the first time to join a club, but it is critical to one’s emotional growth to take risks.”
The Hall of Fame represents athletes and students from the beginning of Talawanda until the present. Pulley continued, “On the center plaque of the Hall Of Fame is a quote my football coach, Bill Bowers, taught me that not only applies to sports, but life’s challenges. It says, ‘When the going gets tough, the tough get going.’”
From 1999 until now the Hall of Fame has represented Talawanda and its students. It has been, and still is a goal for athletes as something to be a part of.
