‘Who is Gym?’ Airpark’s Scott Hanson shares stories behind high school sports venues By Alison Bailin Batz
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preparing to officiate the school’s varsity football game,” Hanson says. “The field was named M.L. Huber Stadium. Not familiar with Huber, I asked a couple people at the school who he was. To my surprise, they didn’t know who Huber was either. Then a week later, our football crew was at Independence High School and I asked about the story behind their Tolmachoff Stadium. I got the same answer. It was then that I was motivated Who is Gym? “Who is Gym?” is the result of three to action.” His first action—a years of research and interviews with Arizona’s high school athletic directors, conversation with Arizona administrators, alumni, librarians, local state historian Marshall historians, long-time school employees, Trimble on the topic. Who is Gym? book cover “We got to talking, and relatives of those honored, the honorees collection for our state. Those were themselves and others who may have Marshall was quick to point out there powerful words.” known the people whose names adorn was no one place where all of this Once the book was in process, the buildings and fields across Arizona. history lived. No collection. No official Hanson turned back to Trimble, this “The idea for the book started three records,” Hanson says. “He told me time for more than just advice—to ask years ago on a Friday night at Cactus right then and there I should take it Trimble to write the official foreword. High School as my football crew was upon myself to create a record and A passage from his foreword: Among my fondest memories growing up in northern Arizona during the 1950s is playing high school sports in a small town along Route 66. Ash Fork was one of the smallest schools in the conference that included Williams, Flagstaff, Winslow, Holbrook, Snowflake, St. Johns, Round Valley and a host of others. We were the Spartans. I like to think we were wellnamed because like the 300 Spartans at Thermopylae, we were always outnumbered. Unlike the original Spartans, we lived on to fight and lose again and again. We got beat so often our cheerleaders were trained as grief counselors. If lessons are to be learned in defeat, we got a dang good education… Scott has gathered a plethora of stories and historical information about Arizona’s high school gyms and ball fields. This is a book I’m sure you’ll all enjoy. Scott Hanson umpiring national tournement. o you recognize the names Jerry Loper, Jim Wall, John Wrenn or “Bill” Austin? You’ve probably seen their names on the football fields of your local high school, but have you ever wondered what they did to gain such recognition? If not, don’t worry because Airparkarea resident and 30-year high school football and baseball official Scott Hanson does—and he wants to share them with the world with his new book focused on all of the stories behind Arizona’s high school sports venues, “Who is Gym?”
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