The Southern Local School District Hall of Fame inaugural class was inducted at Friday’s basketball game. Inductees or those accepting on their behalf were Carol Adams, accepting for the late James Adams; Kathryn Hart; Connie Enslen; Carl Wolfe; and Tate Hayman, accepting for the late Charles W. Hayman.
Southern Local Superintendent Tony Deem, High School Principal Daniel Otto, and Elementary Principal Kent Wolfe presented plaques to inductees during Friday’s ceremony.
RACINE — The Southern Local School District inducted its first class into the Southern Local School District Hall of Fame at Friday evening’s basketball game.
In January, the Southern Local Board of Education approved the establishment of the hall of fame.
According to Superintendent Tony Deem, the purpose of the Southern Local School District Hall of Fame is to recognize Southern Local School District graduates, employees and major contributors who have distinguished themselves by their individual contributions in scholarship, athletics, career, community service and/or society as a whole. The permanent honor of being elected to the SLSD Hall of Fame will represent individuals who, through their individual actions, have contributed to the established vision of the Southern Local School District.
Individuals can be nominated by anyone, but must be approved by the selection committee.
The committee voted on the confirmed candidates and selected five individuals for the inaugural induction. A plaque in their honor will hang in the new high school, outlining their accomplishments and contributions.
The 2013 Hall of Fame inductees include:
Charles W. Hayman
Charles W. Hayman graduated from Otterbein College in 1925 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in French. He would later complete his master’s degree at Ohio State University. He was the head basketball coach at Racine High School from 1931-1934 and from 1940-1951. His coaching record for those 14 ½ years was 234 wins and 82 losses. He accumulated nine county championships, one sectional-district championship and one trip to the state tournament in 1933.
He served as the executive head/superintendent of Racine/Southern Local Schools for many years. He also served Home National Bank as the director and chairman of the Board of Directors from 1953 until his death in 1988. He was a member of the Racine Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons. In April of 1982, the Southern Local Board of Education passed a resolution honoring Hayman by naming the high school gymnasium after him.
According to Deem, during the presentation of the award,
“He is known and respected as a great administrator, teacher and coach.”
Accepting on behalf of Hayman were his cousins Tate and Damia Hayman.
Carl Wolfe
Carl Wolfe graduated from Racine High School in 1958 and from Marietta College in 1963 with a bachelor of arts degree in history, physical education and health. He holds two records as a player at Racine — single game scoring record of 51 points and season scoring record of 698 points, averaging 29 points per game. He played basketball at Marietta College where he scored 1524 points (third in all-time scoring) and was named to the second team All-Ohio Conference in 1959-60, and the first team All-Ohio Conference 1960-61. He was also named Honorable Mention Small-College All-American. He was inducted into the Marietta College Hall of Fame in 1986 and the Naismith Hall of Fame in 2000.
He has been a varsity basketball coach for 48 years, coaching Middleport, Meigs, Racine Southern, Waverly, Portsmouth Clay and River Valley, and has accumulated 551 wins. During his 12 seasons at Racine, he compiled a record of 214 wins and 51 losses. His teams won 11 league championships, 14 sectional championships, three district championships, two regional championships, a 1980 State Tournament appearance and 1982 State runner-up. He was selected to be inducted into the Ohio High School Coaches Hall of Fame on April 20, 2013.
According to Deem, during the presentation of the award,
“He has been a great mentor to his players, as 14 of them have gone on to become head coaches. Wolfe has dedicated 50 years to the teaching profession — 48 years as a head basketball coach, 28 years as an athletic director, four years as a varsity baseball coach and six years as an assistant football coach.”
Wolfe currently resides on Rocksprings Road with his wife of 28 years, Della. They have a son, Carl Michael Wolfe, a professional magician, and a daughter, Catie Cox, currently serving in the United States Air Force. Wolfe also has three daughters, Wendy Creed, a nurse at Ohio State Heart and Vascular Center, Tricia McNickle, curriculum director for Southern Local, and Megan Cleland, a clinical research assistant for Ohio State University. Wolfe has six grandchildren, Taylor, Bryson, Morgan, Trey, Weston and Asa.
James R. Adams
James R. Adams graduated from Racine High School in 1959. He was part of a group known as the “Unbeaten 5” as they won the County Championship, Sectional Championship and District Championship. He graduated from Ohio University in 1964 with a bachelor of science degree in math and a minor in physical education. He also earned a master’s degree in administration from Ohio University.
He began his teaching career winter semester 1964 at Pomeroy High School. He then taught the next two years at Rutland High School and coached varsity basketball. In 1967, he accepted a math teaching position at Southern High School and the varsity basketball coaching position. He would serve in this capacity for the next three years. In June of 1970, he was hired as the Southern Local High School principal. He would hold this position for the next 23 years.
“Due to the tragic diagnosis of a terminal illness, he retired in 1993. He would serve as a mentor to over 1,500 students during his tenure. He took great pride in his school, and he attained and maintained North-Central Accreditation. He was deemed as “Dean of the SVAC”, as he was the longest tenured principal in the league.
According to Deem, during the presentation of the award,
“Adams, known as ‘Big A’ to many, was firm in his discipline and was a role model of integrity, honesty and fairness. He helped many students, not only in the confines of the school, but on his farm. He would employ many students throughout the years, teaching them the value of hard work and modeling tremendous work ethic. His strong Christian values were always present.”
He was a member of the Trinity Congregational Church in Pomeroy and was a member of the Carleton College Board of Trustees. Adams died February 8, 1997. He is still survived by his wife of 29 years, Carol J. Sights Adams; children, Todd Adams (class of 1986), and Kim Adams Harris (class of 1987); and four grandchildren, Nicholas James Harris, Carlie Alexandra Harris, Tyler James Adams, and Julia Marie Adams.
Accepting on Adams’ behalf was his wife, Carol Adams.
Kathryn Hart
Kathryn Brace Hart graduated from Southern Local Schools in 1962. After high school, she married her husband Dale Hart and spent 20 years traveling with him as he served in the United States Navy. After Dale retired from the Navy, the couple returned home to the Racine area where she began a long tenure of community service to Racine and the surrounding areas. Hart worked 27 years for the Ohio Jobs Service and retired in 2001.
Her service to the Southern community included membership and the establishment of the Racine Area Community Organization. Through RACO, Hart presents over 30 different scholarships each year totaling over $20,000 per year. Since its inception in 1993, RACO has provided over $132,000 to graduating seniors from Southern Local. She is a member of Racine Park Board, Sonshine Circle, Bethany Church and was former president and board member of the Meigs County Senior Citizens Center. She established the Edison Brace Memorial Scholarship in 2000 in her father’s memory.
According to Deem, during the presentation of the award,
“Hart provides community service opportunities for the students of Southern Local by enabling them to work at the RACO area community yards sale twice a year. She works with the school to recruit volunteers for this service and delivers the completed applications to the various organizations that choose the scholarship winners. She does this all with great excitement and a smile on her face.”
The Harts have been married 50 years and reside on Yellowbush Road in Racine. On October 25, their Golden Wedding Anniversary, Kathryn and Dale were honored as Racine Hometown Heroes by the Village of Racine. The couple has one child Legina, a 1987 graduate of Southern who now lives in Ormond Beach, Florida.
Constance “Connie” Enslen
Connie Enslen graduated from Rutland High School in 1964. She attended Morehead State University and received a bachelor of arts degree in physical education in 1968. She also earned a master’s degree in educational administration from the University of Dayton in 1984. She was hired by the Southern Local Board of Education in 1968 to teach health and physical education.
According to Deem, the award’s presenter,
“Enslen was a pioneer for girl’s athletics at Southern Local Schools. She coached all girls’ sports from 1968 until 1983. In the beginning, the Girls Athletic Association (G.A.A) was a completely separate organization, and girls’ athletics was not recognized. Enslen would mentor young ladies as the cheerleading chancellor and majorette advisor. She touched many lives through her 35 years of teaching at Southern Local.”
She coached volleyball from the inception up until 1980 and basketball until 1983 only missing one season. She accumulated three league championships, two sectional championships, and one district championship. In 1978, her girls basketball team had a 53 game regular season winning streak. She also coached the first girls track team in 1978 and the first girls softball team in 1979. Her dedication to the advancement of girls’ athletics was an inspiration that led to the parity of girls’ sports at Southern Local.
Enslen retired in May of 2003. She currently resides on Reifer Road in Racine. She has a son, Clay Enslen and wife, Ashlee, and two grandchildren, Eva Grace and Mya.
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