Let's Boost Them
G. H. S. Coaching Work Merits More Money

BY BOB SWITZER

Galesburg High school is experiencing one of its most memor-
able years in athletic history.

The football team won all iis games save one, and that to a
champion Rock Island club. -The basketball team won five tourna-
ment and league trophies, and failed by a photo finish in the state
tournament to the state champions of Decatur. The intramural
program has been unparalleled in its excellence, including in

| Participation a huge majority of the boys in school.
The track program is coming up, and while the coaching staff
| isn’t planning on an outstanding career, things point up toward a
| building toward the 1947 season. In baseball, Galesburg High has
mapped a number of doubleheader contests, and has a good outlook.
These feats have been accomplished by the athletes, but they
have been directed by one of the most competent and closely-
| working group of coaches in Galesburg High school history. They
j are Gerald Phillips, athletic director and coach of basketball; Cliff
| Van Dyke, coach of football and track: and Charles Bednar, director
| of intramurals and the coach of sophomore basketball and varsity
baseball. Working with them has been John Aitchison as sopho-
more football coach and a generally competent assistant in all
i sports.

All these men deserve a raise in pay from the board of educa-
tion to make their standards conform with those of other high
school athletic coaches of the state who receive more money.

The best-suggested way of keeping these men in Galesburg is
giving them recompense for 12 months of work, instead of the
nine and one-half months for which they now receive salaries,
and thereby assign them to summer activities directing playground
work in Galesburg. :

“Playground activities” is a term which has almost a belittling
title. It means supervision of sports on the fine park system of
Galesburg; and a supervision which is sorely needed. The 101 club
sponsors the Knox County Hardball league at H. T. Custer park,
affording baseball interest to many. But it has many times wished
the help of a full-time worker to assure that games could be played
on what might be a wet diamond, and to find that adequate help
would be forthcoming for the conduct of the games.

Let’s look at the record. Galesburg High school won the Illini
and Northwest basketball championships. It came within a shud-
dering whisker of the Northwest football title, but gained the
Illini crown. At East Moline, it is reported that Ray Holmes has
ary annual salary of $3,500; at Moline, George Senneff drew down
a reported amount of $3,800, plus bonus: and, hold your hats, at
Rock Island, “Shorty” Almquist will get next year $4,800 as athletic
director, plus a $1,200 job as summer director of activities. See
what I mean! .

Let’s don’t go on generalities, but facts. Gay Kininer, the
Decatur High coach who received only $3,300 annually but won. his
third state basketball championship this year, is an example. Last
night, he was raised to $4,500. An East St. Louis coach pegs
$3,700 for a job involving coaching only one sport. Morrisonville |
pays its coach $3,400, and St. Elmo (you look at the map) is offer-
ing $3,000. Jack Lipe, one of Kintner’s pupils, gets $4,500 at
Thornton.

Athletic Director Gerald Phillips here has a contract for
$3,300 next year, plus $400 extra, for conducting summer swimming
classes. Coach Van Dyke last summer worked at the "Q” tie
plant; Coach Bednar had other work.

Why not pay these producing coaches, who work as smoothly
as any of the teams they produce, a salary commensurate of their
worth?

A SCHOOL BOARD ELECTION COMES UP SATURDAY,
APRIL 14. A WORD TO THE WISE IS SUFFICIENT!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dacia Coach
Gets Pay Boost
For Champ Club

DECATUR, Ill., March 27.—(P)
—Gay Kintner, who coached the
Decatur Heds to the state high
school basketball championship
a week ago, today had more than
headlines for his reward.

The city school board voted to
name the high school gymnasium
in his honor and to increase his
salary from $3,300 to $4,500 a
year.

 

 

 

 

 

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