Within the past few years Avard Whitman, Billy Maxwell and Steve Thomas have been formally nominated for the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame.
It’s said absence makes the heart grow fonder. But, absence makes people forget, too.
All three—Avard, Billy and Steve -- are deceased and those who knew them and their impact are dead or closer to the grave than many people walking this earth.
This is certainly an "out of sight, out of mine" situation.
Ken Williams walked in the footsteps of Avard Whitman (Nov 3, 1899-Oct 14, 1964) as Linfield registrar and NWC/Northwest Conference faculty athletic rep. Ken is in the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame. Avard, who graduated from Linfield (then McMinnville College) in 1921, is not.
Billy Maxwell (July 22, 1902-Feb. 9, 1976) operated Linfield football and basketball scoreboards. Billy was a consummate Linfield football and basketball fan driving to what seemed to be every road game. Ez Koch and Norm Goss followed him in his scoreboard duties. They are in the Linfield Athletics Hall of Fame. Billy, a 1924 Linfield graduate, is not.
Steve Thomas (April 13, 1918-Oct. 18, 1977) worked tirelessly as a one-person groundskeeper to assure the Linfield campus were top notch. He took loving care of Maxwell Field, where Linfield plays baseball, and the Linfield baseball field which preceded the current Helser/Wright complex. Steve toiled on the Linfield campus from 1948, the year he graduated from Linfield, until he died on the Linfield campus on the job in 1977
=AVARD WHITMAN
http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2021/01/e-avard-whitman-should-be-enshrined-in.html
=BILLY MAXWELL
http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2021/01/please-endorse-this-nomination-billy.html
https://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2008/05/billy-maxwell-long-time-linfield.html
=STEVE THOMAS
http://wildcatville.blogspot.com/2019/05/remebering-steve-thomas-linfielder.html
