Talented grads shined at ASU
American Legion salutes heroes PAGE
peoriatimes.com
15
INSIDE
This Week
PAGE
City opens libraries, but not pools or splash pads
May 21, 2020
Peoria’s Hometown Newspaper
‘There will never be another Zach Hoffpauir’ BY TOM SCANLON
Peoria Times Managing Editor
NEWS..............6
27
Talented young athletes often dominate several sports in elementary school and even high school. But even the most gifted focus on just one sport in high school. Not Zach Hoffpauir. Like a modern-day Jim Thorpe or local Bo Jackson, Hoffpauir refused to stick to one sport: After graduating from Centennial High School, he excelled in baseball and football at Stanford University. He was good enough to be drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and played parts of two minor-league seasons. He left baseball and returned to foot-
ball, in February landing an assistant coach job at the up-and-coming University of Northern Colorado, coached by Ed McCaffrey—a former pro and father of Christian McCaffrey, Hoffpauir’s close friend and former Stanford teammate. The next promising chapter in his life ended suddenly May 15, when Zachary Thomas Hoffpauir, a Glendale native who became a Peoria sports legend, died in his sleep. He was 26. The passing of this extraordinary talent was devastating to his wide circle. SEE HOFFPAUIR PAGE 3
Glendale native Zach Hoffpauir, who played baseball and football at Stanford University after a brilliant athletic career at Peoria’s Centennial High School, died in his sleep May 15. He was 26. (Photos courtesy Stanford University)
Wife helps veteran climb out of depths BY TOM SCANLON
Peoria Times Managing Editor
FEATURES..... 23 Big changes at Lake Pleasant anger some
OPINION.................14 BUSINESS...............17 FEATURES...............21 RELIGION................25 YOUTH....................27 CLASSIFIEDS...........29
In recognition of her passionate care before, during and after her husband Sean Shields’ crisis, Breanna Shields was recently named one of 30 Elizabeth Dole Foundation Caregiver Fellows selected across the country. (Photo courtesy Breanna Shields)
Memorial Day was called Decoration Day when it was first celebrated, May 30, 1866. It first honored soldiers who died during the Civil War, then American soldiers who died in any war. Sean Shields is an American soldier who served in Afghanistan. Though he was involved in multiple firefights and a Humvee accident, he didn’t die there. He came home and settled in Peoria, where he decided he was going to end his life. According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs’ most recent report, “The number of veteran suicides exceeded 6,000 each year from 2008 to 2017.” Depressed and haunted by memories of
battle, feeling life was nothing more than a losing battle between physical pain and mental anguish, Shields got drunk and decided to end it. Fortunately, he told his wife about his plan. And, fortunately, Breeana Shields was prepared for the moment. She had seen her once-joyful husband spiral into the depths of despair after returning from deployment. When he was in Afghanistan, they would talk, but only in general terms. “He would share, ‘Yes, I was in a firefight,’ or, ‘Yes, I was in a Humvee accident.’ But deployment wasn’t the time to hash things out,” Breanna said. SEE PRISONER PAGE 4