Donna Bonebrake, Robert Gray, Rex Branum, Bill Zimmer, Mike and Jan Stephenson added to Lincoln College Athletic Hall of Fame

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[November 09, 2015]  LINCOLN - The third annual Lincoln College Athletic Hall of Fame induction banquet was held Friday evening in the Davidson-Sheffer Gymnasium and highlighted yet another successful week of homecoming activities as the college celebrates its 150 year history.

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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