When Loren Stauffer graduated from Rockford High School in 1928, he was twenty one years old. As was very common at that time and before, many outstanding athletes  at most high schools participated into their twenties because there were no rules regarding age or number of  years of participation. Loren’s success as a four sport athlete at R.H.S., and his accomplishments later in life served to get him elected to the Rockford Athletic Hall of  Fame in 1996.

            After high school he married Theo Platt in 1933, lived as a farmer in the Grattan area, helped to raise two children, Meradell and Alan, worked at Rapistan and never lost his interest and enthusiasm for Rockford athletics. Before his death at age 91 in August of 1998, he often took the time to answer my questions and to encourage my athletic research. His wife Theo, also was a Rockford graduate (1926). She participated in girl’s athletics and also is a member of our Hall of Fame (1999). As readers know, Theo recently made available to me her scrapbooks,  several pictures, some school newspapers (Rockford Rocket) and many of her husband’s athletic awards. This column will focus on the track and the monogramed letter awards of Loren Stauffer.

            In our early high school athletic history, athletes often appear in photos with a monogrammed R.H.S. on their sweaters. The letter “R” is usually larger than the others and located in the middle intertwined with the “H” and the “S”. Sometime later, only the letter “R” was used, but that letter was confusing because many high schools issued an “R” to players who were on the team but did not play enough to earn a varsity letter. The letter “R” meant “reserve” at most schools and apparently was bothersome to Rockford athletes and to Coach Henry LeMoin.

            Coach LeMoin stated in 1924 that Rockford would discontinue giving an “R” as an award to varsity athletes and that a monogramed H.R.S. would be presented to football letter winners instead. He went on to say that different styles of the monogram would be given for other sports. This information, found in a copy of the “Rockford Rocket”, helped to explain why Loren Stauffer’s monograms were not all the same. I am not sure which style of monogram went with a given sport, but as readers can see from the picture accompanying this column, the difference is obvious.

            I do not believe the monogram idea lasted very long because pictures taken of athletes in the late twenties and early thirties show a letter “R’ being used again.

            What about Loren Stauffer’s other athletic awards that Theo found. In the same photo as the monograms are  three track medals and ten ribbons with the earliest being a second place ribbon from the June 4, 1926  Kent County Track and Field meet. Loren won it in the running broad jump, an event he would place in at the annual meet, not only in 1926, but again in 1927 (fourth) and 1928 (first). The county meet was usually held at Comstock Park.

            In 1927 Loren placed second in the state regional meet in the running broad jump, and in 1928 he  finished third at the regional track meet in the low hurdles. His medals from these events are also shown as are four ribbons that he won on May 5, 1928 in a triangular track meet with Union and Creston. Rockford traveled to Garfield Park in Grand Rapids for the three team competition. Loren won the running broad jump and placed second in the 100 yard dash, the 220 low hurdles and ran on the 880 relay team which was second also. I spent many days as a youth at Garfield Park in the forties and fifties, and no track was there at that time, so it was surprising to find that Rockford used to run meets at that location.

            To finish the information, I should mention that the monograms appear to be cut out of felt. They are all orange in color, and I am told that some athletes had them sewn on sweaters. The ribbons are shiny material and are colored depending on the place they represent. Two are blue (first), five are red (second),  one is white (third) and two are yellow (fourth). The thirteen awards are the first that I have seen from a Rockford athlete from the twenties. It is very fortunate that Mrs. Stauffer still had them, and that she wants them to be kept as part of Rockford’s Athletic Hall of Fame display.

            People, like Loren and Theo Stauffer, are representative of many who care about our school district. They also care about others and have made a positive impact on our society. I extend my personal thanks to Theo Stauffer for all of her help. What a positve lady!!