TERRE HAUTE — It seems fitting that the gymnasium at Otter Creek Middle School was dedicated Thursday evening to a former coach and teacher following one basketball game and immediately before the start of another game.
Immediately after the Otter Creek seventh-grade boys basketball team defeated the visiting West Vigo squad, there was a short ceremony to unveil a large sign under the gym’s west scoreboard reading “William Thornton Gymnasium” in the school’s purple-and-gold.
“I’ll always remember this,” said William Thornton, who was a teacher, coach and athletic director at Otter Creek from 1963 to 1994. “I’ll always remember Otter Creek.”
Thornton, speaking at a reception in the school’s band room after the dedication of the gym, also said he recalls walking through the halls of the northside school while it was still under construction in 1962.
The school still looks as good as it did the first year it opened, he said.
Dozens of former students, colleagues, friends and family attended the reception, which featured a cake with Thornton’s picture on it. Former Otter Creek Principal Fred Heine and current Principal Scott Moore also spoke at the reception.
“I owe a lot to this man,” said Rick Petty, a former student and current teacher at Otter Creek. Then-coach Thornton convinced Petty to join the Otter Creek track team despite his reluctance, Petty said. “He changed my life because he got me involved in school.”
Several 1960s-era members of the Otter Creek basketball team were also at the dedication and reception Thursday evening in honor of their former coach.
Thornton instilled a determination to overcome difficulty in his players, said Randy Stevens, who was a member of the Otter Creek ninth-grade basketball team under Thornton in the 1966-67 season. Stevens still remembers with pride a five-overtime team victory over a heavily-favored Sarah Scott team. “We showed up with the idea we could beat anybody,” he said.
Thornton could often be found spending countless hours in the gymnasium or in his office working, former principal Heine recalled. The gym that now bears his name was Thornton’s “second home,” Heine said.
Thornton was the sort of coach and teacher who took a strong interest in the success of his students and players, recalled Tom Barth, a manager of the 1966-67 basketball squad. Thornton would stay at the school after a game until the last student was picked up and taken home, he recalled.
“I can’t think of a man in my life that’s more deserving” of the honor given Thursday night, said John Wessol, another member of the 1966-67 team. Wessol, who won the school corporation’s prestigious Eddie Connors Award while at Otter Creek, said many of the teachers and others at Otter Creek had a big impact on his later life. “Now I realize how much of an effect it had on me. … I’ve got a lot of good memories here.”
Several other members of the 1966-67 team showed up to honor their former coach, including Lon McDonald, David Black and Steve Howard.
“I’m really proud of the accomplishments of many” former students and players, Thornton told the people gathered Thursday evening to thank him for his decades of dedication and service. Thornton taught Otter Creek students that school was more fun when they got involved. And, he said, the students who played for his teams “learned the lessons of life.”
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Longtime coach taught ‘the lessons of life’
Otter Creek Middle School renames gym in honor of William Thornton
- Local & Bistate
-
-
UPDATE: Fatal semi accident closes eastbound I-70 in Hendricks County
A fatal semitrailer accident and resulting material spill earlier this morning resulted in the closing of eastbound Interstate 70 at the 57-mile marker in Hendricks County, according to an Indiana State Police news release. The roadway remained closed as of 2 p.m.
-
Valentine's Day a rosy business
Red roses, mixed bouquets and even a bonsai tree or two are being delivered today on perhaps the nation’s sweetest holiday.
-
Downtown gets Wi-Fi ‘hotspot’
Frontier Communications has reached an agreement with city officials to create a Wi-Fi “hotspot” covering much of downtown Terre Haute.
-
Board OKs $5.4M in work at schools
The Vigo County School Board has approved borrowing $5.4 million for an expansion of DeVaney Elementary School and energy-related projects at 15 other schools.
-
Stella’s Cafe downtown plans to close March 2
Not long after changing its name from Bit of Britain Tea Room to Stella’s Cafe, a downtown restaurant has announced plans to close its doors.
-
Bill would ease college credit transfers
Indiana college students worried about whether their credit hours will transfer to another university may get some relief if a proposed higher-education bill passes.
-
Court alters trial date for man accused in 1979 death case
A trial date has changed for a Riley man accused of a 1979 homicide.
-
Shift to online raises school cost concerns
Legislation that would require high school students in Indiana to take at least one online course is meeting resistance from some school administrators who say they can’t afford any more mandates from the state.
-
Cops nab man after squad car struck
A West Terre Haute man was arrested Monday after a police pursuit that began after his vehicle collided with a Terre Haute police car.
-
Victim unhurt when robbed by gunman
Terre Haute police were searching late Monday night for a suspect accused of using a gun to rob another person at about 7 p.m.
-
Man face gun charge after woman shot in leg
A Terre Haute man faces a misdemeanor firearms charge following an accidental shooting during the weekend.
-
Packing the hall
If you didn’t come early, the seats were hard to find.
-
Alternative-fuel project has Rose, ISU students all charged up
The future of Earth’s auto industry is intertwined with the career prospects of local university students, and a world-class team shined with green energy Sunday.
-
Montford Point Marine
In 1943, 19-year-old Ezell Odom was on the sandy beach of a tiny South Pacific island about 7,000 miles from his parent’s home in Terre Haute.
-
K-9 officer Shadow honored as a hero
A Terre Haute K-9 officer injured in the line of duty has been honored as a hero by the Indiana Veterinary Medical Association.
-
Freezin’ for a Reason
Hundreds lined up outside Hulman Center amid frigid air to participate in a warm-hearted cause.
-
Even as law, right-to-work dominates crackerbarrel
The flames of the right-to-work debate were gone, but the coals still seemed to smolder.
-
Vigo School Board to give OK on bonds for DeVaney project
The Vigo County School Board will meet at 6 p.m. Monday in the administration building, 686 Wabash Ave.
-
Bridging the gap to ‘forever’
They can be taken from their homes by strangers for reasons they may not understand, with no possessions other than the clothes they are wearing.
-
Students showcase keen problem-solving skills at Rose-Hulman
For the 16th straight year, Honey Creek Middle School students came out on top in the Wabash Valley MATHCOUNTS competition at Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology.
-
Ivy Tech to celebrate Black History Month
Ivy Tech Community College will celebrate Black History Month with a series of events at its campuses statewide.
-
Whitney Houston, superstar of records, films, dies
Whitney Houston, who ruled as pop music's queen until her majestic voice and regal image were ravaged by drug use, erratic behavior and a tumultuous marriage to singer Bobby Brown, has died. She was 48.
-
Giant welcome home for Steve
Terre Haute was suddenly home to thousands of cheering New York Giants fans Friday as residents welcomed Super Bowl champion Steve Weatherford back home for a parade.
-
‘One for Terre Haute,’ Steve tells crowd at North
“This one was for Terre Haute,” native son Steve Weatherford proclaimed Friday as he shared his Super Bowl victory with the community that helped send him on the path to a world championship.
-
Hometown support vital to success, Weatherford says
Steve Weatherford said Friday he wouldn’t be celebrating a Giants’ Super Bowl victory if not for the support he’s received from his hometown, his parents and mentors in his life.
-
Craning for a rare glimpse
A visitor from the Far East has naturalists flying to Linton, hoping some good comes from one bird’s bad directions.
-
Vigo’s primary election filings complete
The slate is set for the May 8 primary election, with the race for three at-large seats on the Vigo County Council drawing the largest pool of candidates at the county level.
-
Documentary on electric vehicles plays Sunday at Rose
The rising popularity of electric vehicles and their impact on the world eco-system is the focus of a documentary, “Revenge of the Electric Car,” being presented at 3 p.m. Sunday in Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology’s Hatfield Hall Theater.
-
Man gets 10-year sentence in battery case
A West Terre Haute man received a 10-year prison sentence Friday after pleading guilty to aggravated battery for beating a friend caught in bed with the man’s wife.
-
Asian hooded crane lands in Greene County wildlife area
Bird watchers are flocking to a southwestern Indiana wildlife area to try to catch a glimpse of a crane usually spotted only in Asia.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-
UPDATE: Fatal semi accident closes eastbound I-70 in Hendricks County
Raw Video: Kim Jong Il Statue Unveiled
Authorities: Houston Found Underwater in Tub
Raw Video: Houston Body Flown From L.A. to N.J.
Raw Video: Hearse Arrives at N.J. Funeral Home
Arm Wrestler Not Guilty Plea in Wife's Death
Trial Opens for Ala. Man in Bride's Diving Death
Baltimore's 'Crime Stopper' Is a Basketball Star
First Person: Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show
Obama's New Budget: The Winners and Losers
Raw Video: Whitney Houston's Last Performance
Bacteria Keep Swimmers Off Some Fla. Beaches
Police: Houston Found Under Water, Unconscious
Gregoire: Marriage Equality Is Right for Wash.
Reaction to Houston's Death at Clive Davis Party
Coroner: Don't Know Houston's Cause of Death Yet
Sandusky Can See Grandkids, Have Local Jury
Attempted Bomb Attack Stopped in Georgia
Israeli Diplomats Targeted in India, Georgia
And the Winner for Best Super Bowl Ad Is...
Raw Video: Israeli Embassy Car Attacked
Sports Illustrated Cover Leaked
Swimmer makes surprise marriage proposal in Mo.
Whitney Houston Funeral Arrangements Set
Scarlett Johansson's Bikini P-D-A
Bayne ready to defend 500
Man Allegedly Drowns Wife While Scuba Diving
The 'Celebrity Apprentice' Cast Meets Donald Trump
Wash. becomes 7th state to okay same-sex marriage
Romijn's 60 Pound Weight Loss
Kissing contest heats up
Hugh Hefner's Son Arrested
Jacqueline Kennedy's personal papers released
Did Tyler Perry Have a Secret Wedding?
Iran denies Israeli embassy bombings
'Bachelor' Free Falls into the Ocean
Facebook Parenting: Father Posts Video Responding to Daughter's Post
Bobby Brown on Houston's Death
