Story - The Meade County Messenger


Vol. 117, No. 06	February 11, 2009

INDUCTED:
Four selected for inclusion in MCHS Athletic Hall of Fame

By LARRY SEE JR.
Messenger Staff

Four additional community citizens have had their names etched into the history books at Meade County High School.

Principal Bill Adams said the program began in 2005 and serves as a time to recognize the men and women who have served the school through their athletic achievements and to allow others to see what great role models they are.

Photo by Larry See Jr.
The four newest inductees into the Meade County High School Athletic Hall of Fame took time after the ceremonies Feb. 6 for a picture. From left are Erwin Roberts, the Class of 1990, Jeanna Cornett Turner, the Class of 1988, Ramona Ditto Johnston, the Class of 1988, and Ann Rake, representing William “Uncle Bill” Austin Rake, the Class of 1952 of Flaherty High School. These join an elite group who have brought significant recognition to the school through their service, accomplishments, contributions or support.

Following are their comments during the ceremonies, held during halftime of the the Feb. 6 Greenwave/Ohio County basketball game.

Jeanna Cornett Turner:
“You don’t know how humbled I am to be here,” said Turner, one of two Class of 1988 inductees.

“Meade County is a great place to grow up and I hope someday that the team will go back to the state tournament,” she said.

Turner is MCHS’s second all-time leading scorer, and is the all-time leading rebounder for the Lady Waves basketball team.

After high school she attended Bellarmine University on a basketball scholarship.

She thanked her family, friends and coaches and especially acknowledged former superintendent Stuart Pepper for his support.

Ramona Ditto Johnston:
Turner’s teammate said she was less nervous after a basketball game in the gym than she was addressing the audience.

Johnston was also a member of the basketball and tennis teams.

After high school, she attended Brescia College on a scholarship and earned the distinction of being the only athlete from the college to have her jersey retired.

“I am terribly honored to be inducted into the Meade County Hall of Fame and I know it is not possible without the help of so many people,” she said.

She acknowledged her coaches and teammates for their support.

Erwin Roberts:
Roberts was selected as Greenwave basketball team MVP in 1990, and was the team captain for two years.

After graduation, he attended Transylvania University where he was the male athlete of the year and the team’s MVP.

“There are so many folks here tonight and I am very proud of the community,” Roberts said.

He also thanked the coaches and his family for their support and brought his children out onto the floor. They included son, Eli, daughter, Embry and two 3-year-olds, Cecilia and John Robert.

William Austin “Uncle Bill” Rake:
A graduate of Flaherty High School, Class of 1952, Rake retired from the U.S. Air Force after serving 20 years, including service in the Korean and Vietnam wars. He was a coach, umpire and maintenance man for the Flaherty Community BallPark, where he helped develop it into the “pride of the community.”

He was an avid fan of MCHS sports and traveled near and far to support them, missing games only when he was sick. Following his death in 2003, a monument was erected at the ballpark in his honor, and his ashes were scattered there.

Accepting the plaque in his honor was family member Ann Rake.

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