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 A crowd packed the gym early to partake in the cocktail hour and
engage in casual conversation while catching up with old friends.
Rick Samuels, Vice-President for Enrollment Management and Student
Services for Lincoln College, then kicked off the formal evening by
introducing the 22nd president of Lincoln College, Dr. David Gerlach.
President Gerlach, who was expecting family members and several
out-of-town guests for the busy weekend, spoke about this being an
exciting time for Lincoln College. "This is the beginning of the
transformation back to its roots as Lincoln University," President
Gerlach noted as he mentioned the bachelor's and master's degree
programs that will be offered to the students in the future.
Next former president, John Blackburn gave the invocation. Following
a delicious meal of beef tenderloin and chicken breast complete with
all the trimmings, the packed crowd settled down to enjoy the
evening's speakers and honor the newest members of the Lincoln
College Athletic Hall of Fame.
 Coach Allen Pickering, a 2014 inductee into the Lincoln College
Athletic Hall of Fame, served as the Master of Ceremonies. Coach
Pickering was an excellent choice as he knew the "lingo of this
place" referring to the old gymnasium. "It's nice to be in PJ's
living room," he said jokingly, drawing laughs from in the crowd.
Seriously he would go on to add, "We are some of the most fortunate
people in education to be associated with Lincoln College."
Next Pickering would introduce a person who without a doubt Lincoln
College is fortunate to have, and that man is Paul Beaver. Beaver
would provide a historical presentation of Lincoln College sports
that featured photos throughout the years, and prompted Beaver to
even crack a joke about the 1908 basketball team, "Al didn't coach
this team and neither did Tom," referring to Pickering and
Zurkhammer.
Bill Zimmer
Beaver also had the honor of introducing the first inductee of the
evening, Bill Zimmer. Zimmer was a member of the Class of 1958 and
was a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court. Zimmer was
a two-year member of the Lincoln College Letterman Club and
co-captain of the team his sophomore year.
Zimmer, a graduate of Hartsburg and a farmer in the Delavan area,
was very appreciative of the honor and emphasized the importance of
his education at Lincoln College and his relationship with Coach
Norm Kaye. "Norm cared about his athletic students. If you didn't go
to class, he knew about it. If you were messing around with your
grades, he knew about that, too," Zimmer said of Coach Kaye. "When I
came here as a freshmen I was not a very good student. I did the
least amount of work as possible. I just thought I was here to play
basketball. My sophomore year Norm Kaye had a big influence on me to
hit the books and start studying."
He also thanked Reverend John T. Burns in his speech. Reverend Burns
helped to bring him back to his faith while at Lincoln College, he
said. "The Lord has really blessed me in the things that have
happened in my life,"
Coincidentally, Zimmer met his wife Janet Shirley, while she was a
cheerleader at Lincoln College. They have been married 57 years and
have four children, ten grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Next Chuck Lindstrom, a 2013 inductee into the Lincoln College
Athletic Hall of Fame took the podium, and prior to announcing the
next recipient he mentioned that the Lincoln College baseball field
is named for Galen and Roberta Shirley, the parents of Janet Shirley
Zimmer.
Lindstrom, of course, a talented baseball player and coach in his
own right, comes from good baseball stock himself, as his dad is
Fred Lindstrom. Fred is a member of the Baseball Hall of Fame in
Cooperstown and still holds the record for being the youngest player
to play in a world series at 18 years and 10 months of age.
Rex Branum
Chuck spoke of his father as he began to introduce the next
recipient, wrestling coach Rex Branum. "He, and I put him in pretty
good company when I say, like my dad, had as his number one goal
influencing people to become better people."
Branum also joked about coaching the baseball team for one game when
Chuck's dad passed away and the team won that game in Missouri
against a team that had previously beaten Lindstrom's team. So,
Branum boasted an undefeated 1-0 record in baseball, and therefore
he was confused when he got the call for the Hall of Fame. "Am I
getting inducted for wrestling or is it because I am the undefeated
baseball coach?" The crowd roared.
Branum came to Lincoln College in 1977 and took over a wrestling
team that three years later was close to being dropped from the
program. Branum, a current resident of Reno, Nevada, had nothing but
love and respect for Lindstrom for believing in him and the program.
While Branum was at Lincoln College the program began to thrive and
the Lynx earned national recognition as wrestler Robert Gray won the
National Championship in 1981. Branum went on to coach eight other
National Champions, 40 Individual NJCAA All-Americans and five NJCAA
National Team placings, including Team National Championships in
1989 and 1991.
Branum was invited back to the stage following his speech to
introduce the parents of Robert Gray, the third inductee.
Robert Gray
Gray, a member of the Class of 1982, won the NJCAA Individual
Wrestling Championship as a freshman in 1981. "That's when our team
and really our program turned around," said Branum. "One person can
make a difference and Robert Gray was that person," he continued as
Robert's parents came to the stage.
Robert's mom, Dr. Florozeen Rand Gray spoke first, saying "We
appreciate, and we are honored, and our heart is just bleeding that
Robert's not here, but we know that he's up here," her voice
breaking up. Mr. Gray then acknowledged the warm welcoming from
Branum and the faculty of Lincoln College and noted that he really
felt like he was a part of the Lynx family.
Robert was a very successful businessman and passed away in 2004 at
age 42.
Donna Bonebrake
Next up was Marla Sheley, who had the honor of introducing the
fourth honoree, Donna Bonebrake, who currently resides in
Bloomington, IN. Bonebrake was a woman who Sheley both played for
and coached along side.
Bonebrake came to Lincoln College in 1981 to coach softball and
women's basketball and to serve as Associate Athletic Director.
Sheley emphasized that "Coach Bonebrake was great at balls and
strikes and X's and O's, she really is, but there's another area
that she's truly outstanding at, and that area is that she cares
about each and every one of her players. She cared about those kids
as a student, she cared about them as an athlete and she cared about
them as a person. Every player that came through here on Coach
Bonebrake's watch graduated."
Sheley continued to praise Bonebrake and deservedly so, "As an
athlete she did everything she could to make you stronger, quicker,
more fundamentally sound all the while doing that to get you ready
to go to the next level. And she still wanted you to love that game
as you moved on. As a person she just taught us all those life
lessons that all of us continue to use today: honesty, respect,
teamwork, how to be humble in victory, gracious in defeat, work
hard, never give up and always believe in yourself."
The huge crowd of female athletes that played for the respected
coach and mentor stood on their feet cheering loudly when Sheley
finally presented the evening's fourth inductee, Coach Donna
Bonebrake.
"I paid them well, too," Bonebrake, joked as she took the stage.
She also congratulated all of the fellow inductees on this evening
and those that came before them. She was also very appreciative to
Lincoln College for the honor and establishing the hall of fame.
"I am extremely humbled and honored and I would like to thank those
who were instrumental in getting me to Lincoln College." She
recalled getting a call from Joni Comstock, and that was the first
step in her college coaching career at Lincoln. "But I do thank Joni
for that because it was the first step of my career and a great
career and one that I really cherish here at Lincoln College."
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She also thanked Cindy Slayton for leaving her with great people and
great athletes that first year. She also thanked Pickering for all
his good advice, whether she wanted it or not. She was also thankful
for the support she received from Lindstrom, who was responsible for
building the first women's softball field.
Finally, she offered a big thank you to the Lincoln
College family. "The people here in this room understand when I say
'Lincoln College family' because that's what it was. We didn't
always get along but we sorted out our problems and made it work."
As Bonebrake reflected on the memories of 1981-1991 at Lincoln
College she drew laughs from the crowd as she recalled experiences
on away trips and other "inside jokes" that the team shared.
Bonebrake continued to recognize her supporters and shared this
advice from her father, "My dad once told me always surround
yourself with good people. So I didn't take this journey alone."
Bonebrake also thanked a tremendous coaching staff that included Jan
Cusac, Marla Sheley, Jan Bowers, and Val Scott.
Last but not least, she recognized her student-athletes, all
successful and strong women.
"As I look out at these student-athletes and I think of those who
couldn't be here this evening, I see mothers, executives,
administrators, nurses, law enforcement, teachers, business owners
and coaches. I see the strong young women they have become. So to
you I say thank you for allowing me to be a small part of your
life."
 Those fine young women thanked her for her mentoring and influence
in their lives. Janice Williams, Class of 1990, was emotional when
she said, "The way we feel about Coach Bonebrake is not just
something that comes up during an event like this. It's something
that we feel on a daily basis. It's something that we share with
people over the years - our family, our friends, people who want to
play sports. We tell them what kind of coach they should look for.
Someone who is going to mentor you and influence you. Coach made us
mentally strong, but humble. She had us focus on the right things,
our education first, and look at how we are all together as a team
still to this day; so I think that all is a testament for the woman
she is. I mean she has been a strong mentor for us and I can't even
put into words...I'm getting emotional now because I can't put it
into words how she makes us feel." Williams, of Madison, IL
concluded by saying, "So everything you see or you feel here
tonight, it's all real. She's awesome."
Desi Davis, Class of 1989, is the softball coach for the middle
school and high school in Riverton, IL and she credited Coach Donna
Bonebrake for influencing her career. "I got into coaching because
of Coach Bonebrake. She not only taught us about the game of
basketball and softball, but so many lessons about life like hard
work, respect, integrity, discipline, loyalty and family. I try to
instill those same values in my players. I remember all the times
when we would go out to eat on the road and we always were talked to
about how to act in restaurants and be respectful of other people.
To say 'please' and 'thank you' that so many kids today forget to
do. We always had to clean the dugouts and make them look better
than when we got there. To sum up Coach Bonebrake, when we got to
Lincoln as scared little freshmen, we left better people and better
citizens.
Those that played for Coach Bonebrake are family and would do
anything for each other after 25 years of being away. She recruited
players of diverse backgrounds and turned us all into a big family."
Adele Bannister, Class of 1989, traveled all the way from Stafford,
VA to honor the beloved coach and she simply said, "Best coach I've
ever had. She did not only coach us in softball but she coached us
in life."
Bethany Kolb-Romer, Class of 1989, is a PE teacher at Oakland
Elementary in Bloomington, IL and was once the softball manager for
Bonebrake. "She asked me to be the softball manager and she told me
if was ever going to be a coach one day I would have to learn how to
tape ankles, and I might have to coach softball, so I better learn
how to keep score."
Romer did end of up coaching for 15 years of her career and she
said, "I know that I emulated her in my coaching techniques and I
know many of her players did as well. The lessons we learned went
way beyond the court or the field. She truly is and continues to be
a role model for all of us." Acknowledging how the team has remained
friends and still gets together from time to time, Romer added,
"It's funny because we have all remained friends throughout the
years and the few times we have gotten together revolved around
either an award for Coach Bonebrake or the fact that she was going
to be in town. So even years later, she continues to help create a
team bond for us. It was a wonderful weekend."
Dawn Kutz-Crawford, Class of 1989, played softball for Coach
Bonebrake, despite having never played softball before. Crawford
explains the unusual story, "She saw me play volleyball at Lincoln
College and said, "Hey, how about if you play softball for me? You
are a big girl. I bet you can hit!" I said okay, why not? It's a
free trip to Florida!"
Crawford, who turned out to be an outstanding softball player, said
Bonebrake was a very encouraging coach and always pushed her players
to be the best. "She believed in you as a person and a player," said
the current Lincoln Community High School volleyball coach.
The fifth and final honorees of the evening were introduced by
Bridgett Thomas, and they were Mike and Jan Stephenson. The
Stephensons were inducted into the athletic hall of fame as Friends
of Lincoln College. For fifteen years, Mike and Jan were two of the
biggest fans of Lincoln College sports. In her introduction of the
couple, Thomas noted the support, mentoring and love that they gave
to the student athletes.
Jan was also a member of the Lincoln College faculty and saw many of
the athletes in her classes. Jan spoke first and quoted Major League
Baseball Hall of Fame pitcher Randy Johnson, "I'm very humbled to
receive this award. I just did what I loved to do and tried to do
the best I could." Jan said she loved Lincoln College and loved
teaching. She also thanked the leaders and faculty that made Lincoln
College a great place to work. "I loved coming to work everyday and
most importantly I really enjoyed the students. Students at Lincoln
College were special."
Jan told of places that she and Mike had traveled to support all the
Lincoln College sports teams. She also told of having the players
over to their house to eat, play games, just to relax or even study.
"I have many great memories and thank you for adding one more
positive memory with this award tonight," Jan said as she closed her
speech and offered husband Mike the microphone.
Mike took the podium and immediately mentioned the late Dr. Jack
Nutt. "Hearing Dr. Gerlach reminded me of Jack Nutt because he
shared that similar goal 25 years ago and he would be so excited to
see that." Mike then quoted Bob Hope when he said, "Thanks for the
memories." He then told a story about stomping on Dr. Jack Nutt's
golf ball out on the course one day and that was his introduction to
the Lincoln College president.
Dr. Nutt would eventually ask Jan to teach at the college and as
Mike says, "Well that started a fifteen year love affair with
Lincoln College. That was with the faculty, the staff, the
administration and especially the kids." Mike admitted, "We were
everywhere it seemed watching those kids."
The couple now reside in Scottsdale, AZ and they have two children
and two grandchildren.
In closing, Pickering reminded everyone that next year's ceremony
will be November 4, 2016. Mark your calendar, folks, as I assure you
it will be another fun evening full of laughter and great food and
drinks among some truly amazing and inspirational people.
Last but not least, congratulations to the Lincoln College Athletic
Hall of Fame Class of 2015!
[Teena Lowery]
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