Women honored at history banquet

Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Surrounded by the evening's honorees or their representatives, Mayor Tom Rist signs a proclamation during Saturday's women's history month banquet. Photo by Brian S. Orban

Family, friends and community leaders paused last week to honor six Mountain Home women for their lifelong commitment to promoting sportsmanship, teamwork and athletic talent in others.

The 11th Annual Women's History Banquet on Saturday highlighted these "women of strength" and their perseverance against overwhelming odds to achieve greatness.

Hosted by the Mountain Home Historical Society, those honored at the banquet included athletes, coaches and career women who "shared their passion and support for sports" here and around the world, according to event organizers.

Maurice Townsend, who served as the evening's emcee, credited people like these for helping transform the community's sports scene over the past 40 years and pioneering programs specifically for women.

For example, the district saw its first girls volleyball and basketball teams in the late 1960s and early 1970s. Later generations of girls sports teams at the high school went on to earn district and conference titles and became known as the "finest players of their time," Townsend said.

Meanwhile, girls softball programs in Mountain Home were transformed from summer recreational outlets into an effort that went on to produce two state high school championship teams.

"The people selected here tonight had such a huge impact on this community," said Karen Kohring, who accepted the posthumous honor for recipient Joy Memmelaar. A former high school softball and volleyball coach, Memmelaar went on to become a two-time coach of the year recipient before her death in 2007.

Kohring credited Memmelaar and her work that led the girl's high school softball team to its back-to-back state titles in 2009 and 2010, she said.

Among the others honored Saturday evening was Barbara Buchan, the high school's former track and field coach. When a cycling crash left her permanently disabled in July 1982, she persevered to earned a gold medal during the 2008 Paralympics Games in Beijing, China. In fact, she set a world record while competing against athletes half her age, said her sister, Darlene Allen, who accepted the award on her behalf.

"In her words, it's not about weathering the storm but being able to dance in the rain," said Allen, who highlighted Buchan's belief in turning adversity into opportunities to excel.

Meanwhile, people like recipient Erin Hicks held onto that same level of determination during her three years with the high school's women's basketball team. Determined to play despite a sprained ankle, Hicks "played her heart out" on the court as she led her team to a conference championship in 1998.

During her comments at Saturday's banquet, Hicks lauded people across the Mountain Home community, from her family to her coaches, that helped inspired her to reach that goal.

It's this type of community support that propelled recipient Angela Taylor to become a high school basketball all-star. Fueling her lifelong passion for sports, this type of support eventually lead her to play on two nationally ranked college teams.

"Mountain Home is a tremendous community" that helped inspire and encourages others to achieve their goals, said Taylor, who co-founded the Chance Foundation, which provides positive outlets for at-risk youth. During her comments at the banquet, she thanked all the teachers and coaches "who made a difference in my life."

But not every challenge highlighted at the banquet was met on a track or athletic field. Recipient Sher Sellman faced fierce opposition in her quest to improve the city's golf course. She was later credited as the "driving force" that helped turn a section of land near the interstate into the second nine holes at the Desert Canyon Golf Course.

However, the project faced a series of challenges that sought to derail the initiative. After two bonds failed to gain the necessary votes to pass, she rallied local community leaders and golfers to get that section of the golf course built by the use of certificates of participation. At the same time, she faced significant opposition by those who felt the golf course was not something the city should manage.

Eventually, this battle made its way to the state supreme court, which ruled in favor of the project.

During the evening, several banquet guests found ways to repay their gratitude to recipients like Nikki Cruser. The principal at Hacker Middle School, Cruser spent the past 16 years teaching soccer to local area youth.

Wanting to repay her years of hard work, several of her players stepped forward to present her with hugs as well as a bouquet of flowers.

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