CLASS OF 1954
July 24, 2000
SEND NOTES OR CALL CLASS CONTACT PERSON:
Paul H. Luhrsen, Football
103 E. Farnham Ln.
Wheaton, IL 60187
(630) 858-8611
phluhrsen@msn.com
Dear FIFTY-FOUR from the Class of 1954!
Go Illini! What an ending to our 1952 Rose Bowl Championship Reunion! Yes, sixteen former members of that team gathered in Champaign for the annual Varsity "I" weekend of activities. Golfing on Friday and the banquet that night provided the opportunity to gather this group of champions one more time.
Saturday morning, before the game Stan Wallace '54 organized a breakfast for his teammates and their wives. Bill Tate '52 reviewed the plans for the 50th reunion of the team in Pasadena, California, in January 2002. The Illini and the Stanford teams are going to be guests of the Rose Bowl Committee for both the game and the parade. A New Year's Eve party and 50th anniversary banquet is also in the planning stages. If you were part of that 1951 Big Ten Championship team, and not on our mailing lists, please contact Bill Tate, or myself so that we can keep you informed of the reunion plans.
Mike Hatfield, the assistant director of development, gave us a very informative update on the status of the U. of I. athletic programs. Mike was very enthusiastic, and the team reinforced that attitude by whipping San Diego State 38 to 10 Saturday afternoon.
Stanley "Stan the Man" Howard Wallace (11/15/1931-12/6/1999)
Most of you remember Stan as the guy who intercepted Gary Kerkorian's pass in the second half of the 1952 Rose Bowl game. He is the guy that turned that game around into a 40 to 7 Illini victory. It is hard to forget the athletic powers of "The Man!" Twelve letters in four sports at Hillsboro High School was just a start. At Illinois, Stan anchored the defensive backfield for three years and out gained Caroline and Bates on average our senior year when we had to go both ways.
Papa Halas drafted "The Man" (the Bears number one draft pick and 6th in the league) for his Bears defensive backfield where he made All-Pro. He finished out his football career in the Canadian Football League with the Toronto Argronauts.
The guy that I remember was my sophomore roommate and fellow work-mate our first two years at Sigma Chi. Stan and I washed dishes together for our meals our first two years. Washing dishes after fall football practice was a real test of personal dedication.
Our freshman year we stoked the furnaces in both the house and the annex for our room fee. During the cold winter nights, that meant getting up one or two times during the night to make sure the stoker was full and the water would be hot for morning showers.
Our sophomore year we were promoted to the "Room" job of making beds. That consisted of making the annex beds on a daily basis and changing all of the sheets in all of three dorms once a week. Sunday afternoons, Stan and I did our best to remove the dirty sheets and replace them with clean ones. That was a backbreaking task of making the 85 beds in the poop, annex, and senior dorms. I only recount this history to reflect on the fact that Stan and I never had a disagreement, misunderstanding, or missed a beat in our house jobs. Why does it take 50 years to realize what kind of a guy he was?
Our sophomore year, we roomed together on the first floor of the annex. The former living room of the annex was quickly labeled the "Jock" room as Max Hooper (Basketball & Baseball '54), Stan, and I tried to stay awake long enough to make our grades. Can you imagine what it was like rooming with the high school legends of Mt. Vernon and Hillsboro? I was overwhelmed with these super athletes who had been "All-Everything" in multiple sports in their high schools.
Stan had a varied and fulfilling business life after his football playing years. Stan's Gridiron on Daniels Street was a popular "Campus Watering-Hole" for 17? years. He was also in the offset printing, electronics, agro-chemical, and sewage treatment chemical business during this same period. Firm names such as Anvil Press, American Electronics, Agra Labs, and Bear Chemical were the names used for these ventures. In 1974 Stan opened a sporting store across the street from the Chancellor Hotel. This retail business led to his current business of creative imprinting and embroidering using the same name, Stan's SportsWorld. He was proud of the many people he gave employment to over the years. Recently he sold off the production end of his business, and he and his son, Cameron, were enjoying the freedom and flexibility of being jobbers of the business. For a PE major, Stan made a terrific entrepreneur!
Stan's memorial service was held at Faith United Methodist Church in Champaign on December 9. The sanctuary was filled with family, friends, teammates, and Sigma Chi Brothers. Stan's Hillsboro teammate, Harry, "Bud" Kelley gave the eulogy and recognized Stan's other high school teammates in attendance as well as over a dozen of his Illini Rose Bowl buddies. As we walked out of the sanctuary, they softly played the Illinois Loyalty and the Chicago Bears song from the hallway.
Stan was laid to rest at the old cemetery just east of the stadium next to Ray Eliot, Bob Zuppke, Leo Johnson, and Bert Bertine. We all met for a light snack at the local Elks Lodge. Each of his teammates got up and told a story about Stan. It was a very touching day.
What many of you do not know is Stan - the husband, father, and grandfather. Midge and Stan were married on June 13 in Mattoon. Their two children, Cameron and Shauna, both worked with their dad for many years.
Cameron was still working with his dad and plans to continue on with Stan's SportsWorld. His four grandsons worshiped him! The thing that Stan was most proud of was his family. He was a quiet guy, with a big heart.
When I had both of my knees replaced last year, Stan was the teammate and Brother who made the monthly calls to check on my progress and give me his encouragement. We all have different memories of Stan. This was mine and I felt like sharing it with you.
The letters, e-mail, and phone calls are slowly increasing. I received a phone call from Carl Dilsaver (Golf '54) over the summer. He had some news about other Illini. Carl is on the board of directors of Jack Chamblin's (Football '55) Bradford Supply Company. Carl drives down to the quarterly board meetings in Robinson, Illinois. He says it is the meeting of the Presidents of the "I" Men's Club. Carl was president in 1954 and Jack followed him in 1955. That is a coincident. Do we have any other past presidents of the "I" Men's Club meeting regularly?
Carl usually stops in Champaign, when he is making his junket from his home in Palatine, Illinois to Robinson. There he used to visit with his old buddy, Stan Wallace (Football '54) and get the latest information on the Illini. Carl is excited about returning to Mattoon this fall for the 50th reunion of his high school class. Mattoon is the home of another Illinois gridiron great, Bill Tate '52.
Yes, Carl can go on about the former Illini that he still gets together with. He is still active as a Manufactures Representative with houseware and hardware product lines. As a member of nearby Inverness Country Club, he likes to kid his football buddies that he is still playing his varsity sport, why can't they? He won't divulge his handicap, but says he has a few more years to wait until he is shooting his age. That is one of the goals of this former Illini golf great. Oh yes, he and his wife, Lorraine, have five children and seven grandchildren.
Thanks for the call Carl! Let's hear from some more of you before the next issue of the Varsity "I" newsletter.
Hail to the Orange and Blue!
Paul Luhrsen - Football '54
FIGHTING ILLINI SALUTE in memory of William M. Shewchuk, Fencing `54. William was a part of the Illini fencing team from 1950-54 and lettered his last two years. The fencing team had some great years during William's tenure. During a three year period ending in 1954, the Illini fencing team won 36 dual matches in a row, won three Big Ten titles, and placed 6th, and 8th at the NCAA's. William's specialty was sabre and he was elected captain for his senior year. During his last year, he had a 38-5 record, won the Big Ten individual sabre title, and placed 13th in the nation.
FIGHTING ILLINI SALUTE in memory of Stanley H. Wallace, Football '54. Stan was a halfback for the Illini football team from 1951-53. He was a member of the 1951 Big Ten Championship team that played in the 1952 Rose Bowl and the 1953 Big Ten Championship team.
The Varsity "I" Association would like to locate the following people:
Robert Murray, GymnasticsIf anyone has any information on them, please let the class contact or the Varsity "I" Association staff [(312) 575-7851] know, so their records can be updated, and they can keep in touch with their classmates.
Philip Urso, Fencing
Donald Peterson, Cheerleading
