KENTON
VOLUME 2, ISSUE 41 — SEPTEMBER 13, 2024
THE VOICE OF NKY
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At 100, William Donnermeyer reflects on life of service By Haley Parnell
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illiam Donnermeyer fought Germans from the deck of the USS Weber during World War II and fought for Northern Kentuckians from the floor of the Kentucky House. Donnermeyer has lived many lives in almost 100 years – a milestone he’ll reach officially on Sept. 19. Donnermeyer grew up just on the Dayton side of the Dayton-Bellevue line, on Fourth Avenue between O’Fallon Avenue and Walnut Street. He attended grade school at St. Bernard’s in Dayton, where his daughter-in-law Ann Marie Donnermeyer said he would occasionally get in trouble for talking too much and be sent to the rectory. There, the priest would give him a Coke and play a hand of cards with him before sending him back to class. Donnermeyer graduated from St. Bernard School in 1938 to Newport Central Catholic High School – though he said he convinced his parents to send him to Dayton High School so he could play football.
“When I played, I only weighed about 145 pounds, soaking wet,” Donnermeyer said. “I played the different guard positions, where they pulled out and blocked and got the heck beat out of you. I loved it.” Donnermeyer was still at Dayton High School when the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor brought World War II to the United States. “I was laying on the floor in the living room [on Dec. 7] 1941 when Pearl Harbor came about,” he said. “Right after that, I kept pushing [my parents], pushing them. Finally, I talked my mom and dad when I was getting ready to become 18 to let me go and join the service.” Donnermeyer enlisted in the U.S. Navy at a war bond sale on Fountain Square. He was sworn in right before Christmas in 1942. It wasn’t until after the new year that he found himself at boot camp in Great Lakes, North Chicago. Donnermeyer was given a test during boot camp and told he would be a radio operator. The Navy sent him to Northwestern University to attend radio school for seven weeks, where he learned U.S. and German Morse codes. Continues on page 3
William Donnermeyer on Jan. 12, 1970, left, after being elected to the Kentucky House in the 68th District, and in August, just weeks before his 100th birthday. Provided | Donnermeyer family
Coach reinventing Scott volleyball for state run By Marc Hardin
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t’s a bright, sun-drenched Tuesday in Taylor Mill, and the disposition of the Scott High School volleyball team is just as sunny. But the Eagles aren’t outside enjoying the weather. They’re indoors, of course, hammering volleyballs. “Our team is very motivated,” said junior hitter Milyn Minor, a two-year captain. “We’re moving around more, working on new shots.”
Eagles standouts Milyn Minor and Ryann Griggby joined exclusive clubs in the same match last season as they continue racking up career accomplishments. Provided | Scott volleyball X account
Coach Andrea Sullivan, an art teacher at Scott, strolls into practice. Three days earlier, the Eagles wrapped up a six-match schedule while hosting the September Slam, an annual Labor Day weekend tournament. The Eagles played 11 matches in the first 12 days of the season, and that’s not a bad thing. In fact, it’s by design.
That’s because Sullivan is in the middle of a project with the volleyball team. Not unlike her art classes, where she teaches sculpture, ceramics and crafts with creative flair, the coach is the resourceful architect of a consistently successful volleyball program. In more than two decades as coach, she has built the Eagles into a regional power, rebuilt them, reshaped them and reaped the rewards. This season, the Eagles are reinventing themselves. “We graduated just one senior, but our lineup looks different than what it normally looks like,” coach Sullivan said. “We’re changing up some things, and playing a lot early in the season helps us evolve. Working hard in practice helps us get better.” At this particular practice, Sullivan overContinues on page 14
MEET
County OKs government center garage agreements p7 News in brief from your county and community p8 Head to Galley for great grub at Newport on Levee p12
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