July 2003


NHS ALUMNI ASSOCIATION	*July 2003*

Special Interest Articles:

Page 2 NHS Alumni Scholarship
Recipient Announced

Page 2 NHS Makes San Francisco
news

Page 3 Homecoming Activities

Page 4 Alumni Update

Have Alumni News?
Send the information
to:
NHS Alumni Assn.
Attn: Tammy Franks
PO Box 400
Neosho, MO 64850

LANE'S NAME TO ADORN FIELD HOUSE
On October 3, 2003, NHS will honor Coach Calvin Lane by naming the high school field house, The Coach Lane Field House. The designation is a result of requests from NHS Alumni that played football for Coach Lane. Please join the NHS Alumni Association and NHS Booster Club for a reception from 4 to 6 p.m. prior to the October 3 football game in the high school gymnasium for Coach Lane and his football players. Below is an article written by Mr. Dean Keeling and reprinted with permission from the Neosho Daily News. The article is a wonderful highlight of Coach Lane's sports career. LANE ENTERS MISSOURI COACHES HALL OF FAME Story by: Mr. Dean Keeling Success is measured in different ways and when you look back on the career of Calvin Lane, you will see that he obtained success in every way. Lane was the head football coach at Neosho for 23 years and during that time his Wildcat teams won 10 conference championships and they recorded five undefeated seasons (1941, 1954, 1957, 1958, and 1964). Lane was honored for his many years of outstanding accomplishments and success on July 18, 1992 in Jefferson City as he was inducted into the Missouri High School Football Coaches	Association Hall of Fame along with 20 other Missouri coaches. Each honoree was presented with a plaque to acknowledge their achievements. "It was a real honor to receive this kind of recognition and I was very happy that my family was able to attend the ceremonies with me," said Lane. "This is something special that I will remember forever." Lane was born in Belton, Arkansas and he grew up in the small Southwest Arkansas town of Dierks. "There were only 43 students in my graduating class and it seem like most of the men played football," added Lane, who was an All-State selection in football his senior year as a single-wing tailback. Upon graduation from high school, Lane headed for the University of Arkansas on a football scholarship. He was the starting quarterback for the Razorbacks as a freshman and a sophomore. "We ran the T-formation and we used the short punt a lot," said Lane. "I was the lead blocker on outside plays." After graduating from the University of Arkansas, Lane served as an assistant coach at North Little Rock High School under Sam Cook, Lane's high school coach. "Sam Cook was a fine man and	Lane stayed at North Little Rock High School only one year. He went back to the University of Arkansas as a graduate assistant in physical education and he also completed his master's degree while he was there. Lane moved on to Horatio High School as head football coach for one year. Horatio won 11 games and lost only one under the leadership of Lane. Lane heard that Neosho High School was looking for a head football coach and he talked to Bob Anderson about the job and in 1951, Lane and his wife Mary Beth headed for Neosho, Missouri. The Neosho football program had been down a little and the Wildcat supporters didn't realize what an impact that Lane was going to make. "When I came to Neosho in 1951, the program was a little down and we only had two starters returning from the previous year," said Lane. "They had been running the spinner series and we immediately changed Continued on page 3

PAINTING
NHS SENIOR HILL
MAKES
SAN FRANCISCO
NEWS

NHS 2003
senior Chris Friend
was recently
pictured in the
San Francisco Chronicle.

The photo, taken by Joplin Globe photographer T. Rob Brown, of Chris trying "to dodge fellow senior Jake Busby's brush" was featured in the San Francisco Chronicle trying "to dodge fellow senior Jake Busby's brush."

The photo, taken by Joplin Globe photographer T. Rob Brown may be viewed at: http://www.sfgate.com/
cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/
gate/archive/2003/05/13/dip.
DTL
Our thanks to
Griff Humphrey,
San Francisco resident and 1951 NHS graduate
for sharing this
news with us.

2003 NHS Alumni Scholarship Recipient

The 2003 NHS graduate Andy Wilkinson is this year's NHS Alumni Association Scholarship Recipient. Andy will be attending Southwest Missouri State University where he will be enrolled in the Sports Medicine Program.

Andy ranked eighth in the 2003 graduating class, was a member of the National Honor Society, Jazz Band, Wildcat Band, Crowder College Upward Bound Program, played soccer, and represented NHS at Missouri Boy's State.

Andy is the son of Catherine Wilkinson.

Retirement Announced

Mr. Doug Irvin (NHS Class of 1954) retired on May 27, 2003 after serving 46 years with the Wichita (KS) Police Department. Doug shared the following story with us. Shortly after Doug went on the force, he traveled to Neosho to show Neosho Chief of Police Walt Montgomery his new badge. Walt used to be at all of the home football games and had taken Doug home after practice a few times (clear out to Racine or Frog Pond School). Chief Montgomery looked at Doug's badge and said, "Son, right now the badge is the size of a wash tub and you think you're carrying a cannon; but, you'll never make a policeman until that badge is the size of a dime and you're carrying a pea shooter." Doug never forgot what Chief Montgomery said to him that day and now knows what he meant. Congratulations Doug!

Condolences
We extend our condolences to the families and friends of the following NHS Alumni

Former NHS teacher, Elizabeth Palmer, age 86, died August 6, 2003 after a brief illness. Mrs. Palmer served as sponsor for many school clubs and activities, retiring from the school district in 1980. Her husband, Dale, daughter Dalana Wilson and son, Ken Palmer, survive.

JoAnne Bowman Berglind - Class of 1961 Frank Tipton, Class of 1948 Shirley Prater, Class of 1953 Denzil Ball, Class of 1953 Larry Thurman, Class of 1958 Don Turner, Class of 1947 Arlene Roberts Land, Class of 1929	April Lane Hall, Class of 1981 Steve Helvey David Young, Class of 1950 Minneta Lewis Emge, Class of 1940 Bettie Stauffer, Class of 1931 Christina Parks, Class of 1988 George Gibson, Class of 1957
We wish to express our appreciation to JoAnne Bowman Berglind's family for requesting memorial donations be made to the NHS Alumni Association in JoAnne's memory

Homecoming Activities -- October 3 and 4

Friday, October 3rd
           4 to 6 p.m. a reception in the high school gymnasium will be co-hosted by the NHS Alumni Association and the
           NHS Booster Club in honor of Coach Lane and former football players.
           5 to 7 p.m. Rotary Club Annual Chili Supper. Tickets available at the door or Rotary Club members.
           7 p.m. Homecoming football game between the Wildcats and the Seneca Indians
Saturday, October 4th
           Noon to 2 p.m. Visit with classmates and former teaches as the NHS Alumni Association hosts a reunion on
           Neosho's historic downtown square.

Community Activities

Saturday, October 4th
           8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thomas Hart Benton Art Competition in the Haas Building located one block off the northeast
           corner of the square.
           8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Early Bird ticket entry to the 1st Annual Antique and Collectibles Fair & Boyd's Bear
           Celebration. Tickets available at the door.
           10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The 1st Annual Antique and Collectibles Fair & Boyd's Bear Celebration.
           Join us in the Neosho Municipal Auditorium filled with booths of antiques for sale or bring your family heirloom for
           evaluation. Admission is free.
           Noon Antique Car Show on the square.
           6 to 10 p.m. Neosho Gifts Etc. is hosting a street dance on Main Street in front of the auditorium
Sunday, October 5
           10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The 1st Annual Antique and Collectibles Fair & Boyd's Bear Celebration.continues in the Neosho
           Municipal Auditorium.

Lane, Continued from page one
things over to the T-formation, which Buddy Brothers used at Tulsa University. The toughest thing that I had to teach at Neosho was developing a winning attitude in the players." Neosho lost three out of their first four games in 1951 and the next game on the schedule for the Wildcats was at Monett, which was a football powerhouse. "I remember watching our players at the Monett team filed on to the field," said Lane. "Our players just stood and looked at them in awe and I said to one of my assistants that I hoped we could survive long enough to realize that we could play football as good as they could. We were down 21-0, when Kenneth Cope fired into the Monett backfield and took the handoff from the quarterback and raced down the field to give us good field position.	From that point on our kids realized that they could play with them and we went on to win the game 22-21. That play turned the season around for us as we didn't lose another game that year." The Wildcats bounced back in 1952 and went undefeated as Neosho let everyone know that they were ready to play some football. "I feel Bob Anderson was the main person responsible for improving the Neosho sports programs," said Lane. "He did everything that he could to support the coaches and the sports program. Lane compiled a record of 157 wins, 71 losses and four ties during his football coaching career and he was a very successful track coach as well. The Wildcats won 12 conference championships in track under	Lane quit coaching football in 1972, and he retired from teaching in 1985. He has two children, Jim and Betsy. Calvin Lane brought more than just a winning record to Neosho in 1951. He instilled in the minds of the players he coached that success was not only in winning the football game, but to strive to be the best person that they could be on the field and in whatever they encountered in life. The honor that Coach Lane received put a smile on the face of a man that deserved one more round of applause for a very successful coaching career. RECEPTION FOR COACH LANE OCTOBER 3, 4 TO 6 P.M. NHS GYMNASIUM

PO Box 400
Neosho, MO 64850

E-Mail Address:

alumnicommittee@
neoshoalumni.org

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Alumni Update

You may submit this form on the web by going here
If you would like to be notified of specific alumni activities, please complete this form and return to: NHS Alumni Assn., PO Box 400, Neosho, MO 64850

Name:___________________________ Year of Graduation: ____________
Address:______________________________________________________
City, State and Zip Code:_________________________________________
E-mail Address:________________________________________________
(Address and e-mail information will not be released without prior permission)

Organizations involved in during high school

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or Attendant
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Attendant
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I am interested in�..	__________Being a member (penny per year, class of 1951, $19.51/year) __________Having my e-mail address listed on the alumni web-page
Membership revenue is used for scholarships, to cover the publishing and postage expense of the quarterly newsletter and alumni acitivites. Please make your check payable to the NHS Alumni Assocation. Annual membership fees are due by September 1.