Two individuals and one team were inducted as members of the 2019 Arcadia Huskie Wall of Fame on Saturday, August 31, 2019 at the Arcadia High School gym. Bobby Hurlburt, president of the Wall of Fame Selection Committee made the presentations. Rolen Sell served as Master of Cermonies. Following is information regarding the Inductees and their accomplishments.
LINDA BOND
Linda Bond was a 1966 graduate of Arcadia High School. Following graduation, she attended North Platte Junior College for two years. She graduated from Kearney State College in 1971. She began her teaching career in English and Spanish at Wilcox-Hildreth High School. She returned to Arcadia as a substitute teacher during the 1974-75 school year. She then taught fulltime from 1975-1981. While here, she taught 7-12th English, Journalism, some Spanish, and sponsored both the Huskie Hotline and the School Yearbook. Mrs. Bond then spent time teaching in Traynor, IA, Wolbach, Bridgeport, and Oakland-Craig school districts. She returned once again to serve both Arcadia and Loup City in 2000. She became very involved in teaching Spanish and, through the internet, her classroom expanded to include several other area schools. She retired in 2011.
A couple of quotations from former students of Mrs. Bond were shared: “While we liked Mrs. Bond as a teacher, it wasn’t until after we left AHS that we recognized the true value of her teaching. In college, most of us didn’t need to take the second English writing class because we got a “B” or better in the first one…thanks to preparation by Linda. As we progressed in careers, we found our paths easier because we had the skill of grammar, punctuation, and written communication. To this day, when I read a Christmas letter or a Facebook post from a high school friend, and it is properly punctuated, uses good grammar, and has complete sentences, I recognize the value of what we had with Linda. Let’s face it…very few students are excited to go to English class. So it is admirable when a teacher sticks by her principles of teaching solid skills and rewards her student only when they rise to the occasion.” “In life, people will judge you by the way you communicate with them. Linda Bond gave her students the gift of nearly flawless written communication skills. That gift made her students stand out from the crowd, and gave them a boost toward future success.” Mrs. Bond was inducted under the Employ Category.
While Mrs. Bond has made a huge contribution to the lives of her students, she has also been very active in our community as a member of the Arcadia Community Boosters, helping with Red Cross Blood drives, and anywhere else as a volunteer. She, along with her husband, John Bond, raised a great family and Linda is very involved in the lives of all of her grandchildren, as well as her extended family.
BRUCE OHME
Mr. Bruce Ohme graduated with the Arcadia High School Class of 1962. He was active in football, basketball, chorus, and “A” Club. He is married to Helen and they have three children…Lisa, Cindy, and BJ…all graduates of Arcadia High School. Following high school, Bruce attended Milford Technical School and earned a degree in diesel mechanics. In 1965, Bruce was drafted into the United States Army. He served two years in Germany. Returning to Arcadia, Bruce became the sole owner of the Arcadia Service Center, a business which he ran for 49 years.
Bruce served the Arcadia community as a member of the town board during the 1970’s, serving as mayor in 1978 and 1979. He was also the Fire Chief in the 1970’s and 80’s and served as the American Legion Post #251 Commander for over 20 years. Other community activities included: Arcadia Community Booster Club where he was president in 1984-85; Co-Chair of the 1985 Centennial Threshing Bee; School board member; 4-H Club project leader; Arcadia Trail Dusters member; and a member of the Arcadia Board of Health. Bruce organized and managed countless concession stands for Labor Day celebrations and his business could always be counted on for entering a striking float in the parade every year.
Bruce has always been an avid spokesman for the Arcadia Community and has passed on his pride for our community to his children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews. He took great pride in marching with the American Legion Post in the various area parades through the years. He has always been one of the first to help with any community project when needed. Bruce was inducted under the Alumni/Attendee Category.
2004 ARCADIA HUSKIE FOOTBALL TEAM
The final inductees entered under the Team/Group/Athlete Category.
The coaches and members of the team were introduced: Head Coach, Brad Gabriel; Assistant Coaches Jason Phelps and Kevin Gabriel; Team members Tyler Kaps, Andy Chelewski, Cody Nelson (Cody could not be here tonight but he wanted to share that he and his wife, Brooke are in the Air Force based in California and were just blessed with a 9 lb. 15 oz. son, Gabriel Walter Nelson—Cody is a firefighter), continuing… Anthony McClary, Bradley Myers, Dustin Scott, Kylan Lonowski, Andrew Hill, Garrett Sheeks, Dustin Riggins, Sam Holcomb, Kevin Hickman, Jon Conner, Derek Myers, Harry Ritz, Preston Charles, Shane Scott, Michael Miller, Aaron Sell, and Jeff Luedtke; and Student Managers—Colton Trotter, Nick Gabriel, and Dalton Williams.
This group of young men and their coaches were the first ever in Arcadia High School history to attain State Champion status through the Six Man Coaches Association State Championship Playoff system. This accomplishment did not just happen as a freak set of circumstances. These young men bonded over a period of time into a hard-working, goal-oriented group of football players who had a goal in mind and didn’t quit until it was achieved. According to Coach Gabriel, they were raised by parents who taught them the importance of work ethic, teamwork, and dedication to a cause. Several of them overcame injuries and other adversities to stick with the job at hand, while at the same time being involved in classroom work and extracurricular activities. They had strong team leadership from not only the seniors but also from the underclassmen as well.
The Huskies came into the D-3 State Championship game at Owens Field in 2004 with a perfect season record of 9-0, the first by an Arcadia team since 1957. They outscored their opponents during the season by a margin of 447-129, for an average margin of win of over 35 points per game. In the championship game, they trailed early against Loup County by a score of 0-6 to but quickly took control of the game, winning by a commanding score of 73-26. Senior Tyler Kaps scored four touchdowns. Sam Holcomb scored three touchdowns. Garrett Sheeks scored on a 45 yard touchdown reception from quarterback Andy Chelewski, who threw for a total of 148 yards in the game, to end the contest by the 45 point rule five seconds into the fourth quarter. Cody Nelson and Dustin Riggins led the defensive rush for the Huskies. Many post-season individual honors were won by several team members.
A reception was held in the School Lobby for the new members, their families, and friends.
