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Introducing the Class of 2013
Lancaster-Lebanon League set to induct four inaugural Hall of Fame members. By Kevin Freeman, Sports Writer kfreeman@lnpnews.com
When Terry Kauffman was about to leave the office, he would phone his wife, Jeanne, to let her know he was on his way.
"We live about a block from the school," Jeanne Kauffman said. "Two hours later, he would come in.
" 'What happened?' I would ask. 'Well,' he'd say, 'somebody stopped me and they needed to talk.' "
This type of conversation probably played out many times with many married couples, where one spouse or both had a connection to scholastic sports. We're talking coaches, athletic directors, officials and athletic administrators.
Terry Kauffman, the former Warwick High School athletic director, who died in 2009, is one example of a person who spent a lot of time involved in scholastic sports.
This year, the Lancaster-Lebanon League has established a Hall of Fame to honor those individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the organization.
The inaugural class, which includes Kauffman, Bob Rill, Lucy Snavely and George Gerber, will be formally inducted on Feb. 16 at halftime of the Lancaster-Lebanon Girls' Basketball League championship game, slated for 1 p.m. at Manheim Township High School.
Kauffman coached the varsity softball team at Warwick -- and, prior to that, junior high wrestling and football -- and officiated wrestling. He became the Warwick AD in 1991 and held that job for 14 years.
As AD, Kauffman served on several L-L League committees, including chairman for baseball, softball and the Brackbill scholar-athlete awards. He also served as game manager when Warwick hosted district tournament events in field hockey, basketball, softball and volleyball.
"I can attest to the caring attitude he had," Jeanne Kauffman said. "He never thought it an imposition to help other people."
Snavely knew she wanted to be involved in the game of field hockey before she graduated from college. It was while at school that she became an official and then rose through the sport's ranks as the years passed. That included officiating at all high school levels and college games in all three divisions.
But she spent much of her time officiating in the L-L League and spent many years -- 1970 to 1995 -- as president or secretary of the L-L League's chapter of field hockey officials.
"I'm honored and humbled after all these years, after doing things that I really enjoyed," Snavely said of being inducted. "I'm thrilled."
In 2005, Snavely received the Betty Shellenberger Service Award, presented by the United States Field Hockey Association, for her long involvement in the sport.
"I just really liked the game," Snavely said.
While serving as the principal at Conestoga Valley, Rill was the secretary of the Conference of Roses, which predated the Lancaster-Lebanon League. He moved on to become the superintendent of CV schools and helped in getting the L-L League started.
After retiring as CV's superintendent, he was named the L-L League's second executive director, taking over for A. Landis Brackbill.
"Bob was an excellent leader," said Dick Balderston, who is the current executive director of the league but was Lampeter-Strasburg's AD when Rill headed the league. "He took charge of things.''
Balderston said Rill was particularly helpful in resolving differences between Lancaster and Lebanon schools and for advancing new sports in the league.
"When there were issues to be resolved, we took them to Bob Rill and they were resolved," Balderston said.
Rill, 91, said he enjoyed all of the cooperation he received from the league's principals and athletic directors.
Gerber coached the boys' track and field team and the boys' and girls' cross country teams at Annville-Cleona for 41 years. His Little Dutchmen cross country teams won four state titles. He coached 11 teams to undefeated seasons and won seven District Three team championships. Gerber initiated both the boys' and girls' cross country teams at A-C.
Of all the teams he coached over his 41 years, none ever had a losing record.
"When I started teaching, I wasn't planning to be a coach," Gerber said. "I got into coaching by helping another guy and then they asked me if I take over a team. I said I would take a team for a year but I have other plans. Well, one year became 41.
"But it gets into your blood and working with kids is a lot of fun. There are some headaches but you take the bad with the good."
Annville-Cleona was among the smaller schools when Gerber was coaching, but his teams never minded competing against bigger schools.
"We played on that a little bit," he said.
But it was seeing improvement in athletes of all talents that kept him coming back year after year.
"You'll always have great athletes and you need them for a great team but to fill out a team, you need some with borderline ability and you work hard with them," he said. "Sometimes, you're prouder of them than the champions you produce. And the kids get so much satisfaction out of it."
The L-L League's Hall of Fame committee, headed by Pequea Valley AD Greg Fantazzi and including Balderston, Garden Spot AD Todd Reitnouer, L-S AD Branden Lippy and Lebanon Catholic AD Mike Miller, sifted through nominations before coming up with the four inductees.n
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