TERRE HAUTE —
The legacy of Bluestreaks past could live on into the future thanks to modern technology.
Members of the Bluestreak Heritage Committee have announced the launch of a fundraiser to establish a virtual trophy case at Martinsville High School (Ill.) yet this year. School officials estimate the cost of the project to be about $3,000.
Belinda Roddy, chair of the BHC, said the idea arose when school officials announced plans to auction off old trophies. Lacking room for proper displays, the trophies and assorted plaques of high school and junior high school teams have been in storage for years, she said.
“Right now, we have 350 that are not being displayed in the trophy cases,” the 1983 graduate of Martinsville High School said.
Alumni, friends and family protested the idea, formed a committee and presented a petition with 350 signatures opposing the plan.
“That’s pretty good for a town like Martinsville,” she said. “We have a tradition we want to keep up, and we don’t want our older generations to feel like their endeavors aren’t important anymore.”
The virtual trophy case will involve a large computer screen and program that will enable visitors to scroll through various years and see the trophies, she said. The computer itself is expected to cost $2,000 while software and maintenance will add another $1,000.
“Right now, we’re trying to raise the funds for one, but if we get lucky and our alumni come through, we could get two and split the trophy cases between the junior high school and high school, which is something we’d like to work toward,” she explained.
While a Bluestreak, Roddy played volleyball and competed on the scholastic bowl team. Her niece also graduated a Bluestreak, and her nephew played basketball on the state-ranked junior high school team of 1988.
The BHC has established a Facebook page and is actively seeking donations and members.
Jeff Veach, Class of 1985, said hundreds of signatures came in within hours of his establishing the online petition and Facebook site.
“We start active fundraising on July 9 (today) at the Martinsville Fair,” he stated in an email explaining the project.
The group will have a booth set up every evening from tonight through July 14, between 5 and 8 p.m. School yearbooks dating back to the 1930s will be at the booth, as will old several trophies.
Debbie Peel Musielak, Class of 1982, said the project emanates from a positive spirit of community pride.
“When our group heard that the school had created an auction link on its website to take bids on some of the trophies, we went into protect mode,” she said. “Rather than point fingers or place blame, we wanted to offer an alternative. The alumni and community response was amazing. We gathered alumni signatures on our petition from California to Massachusetts, Michigan to Texas, and Canada to New Zealand.”
Roddy said the trophy case will feature the awards of scholars and athletes alike, with groups of all kind represented. The raising of funds has already begun, and the group hopes to have the virtual trophy case in place by the fall.
“We’d like to have it done tomorrow, but we’re really working toward homecoming, which is in October,” she said.
Brian Boyce can be reached at 812-231-4253 or brian.boyce@tribstar.com.
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