Trojan Stadium press box naming set tonight

The Trojan Booster Club gained the Fairfield school board?s approval this morning to go ahead with the naming of the press box in honor of Bill Strawhacker.

Activities director Jeff Courtright said the dedication would be held between the freshman and varsity football games against Keokuk this evening in Trojan Stadium.

The freshman game begins at 5 p.m., and the varsity game is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. Courtright said, between the two games, senior students who participate in football, cross country and cheerleading and their parents will be introduced and ?Bill will be honored.?

?Bill has been very, very important to our programs the past 20 years,? former Trojan head football coach Mike Schenck told the school board this morning.

Schenck said Strawhacker has been a strong supporter of Fairfield school sports programs. He has served as Trojan Booster Club president several times when no one else would. Plus, the organization has been named booster club of the year in its division in Iowa several times.

?That reflects on Bill?s leadership,? said Schenck.

Schenck said Strawhacker also was a mentor of students, explaining that the businessman had often asked him which athletes most needed employment, and he would hire them on schedules to work around their school and sports commitments.

Schenck also said Strawhacker always gave to athletes who went to him while fundraising.

?Bill was always quite generous,? said Schenck. ?Our community would benefit if we had more Bill Strawhackers.?

?I agree with Mike 100 percent. If anyone deserves this, [Bill Strawhacker] does,? said board member Ralph Messerli. ?But I feel pressured into it.?

Board member Doug Flournoy also had mixed feelings about allowing the naming of the press box.

?Usually we write policy and then decide,? he said. ?This has happened a couple of times, and we need to get a handle on it.?

He asked that the policy committee look into writing an updated policy about naming rights.

Board member Bob Waugh said the recognition had apparently been in the works several years, but had never been brought to the board.

?Under the circumstances I think it should be done,? he said.

Board member Jennifer Anderson and board president Gail Miller both felt rushed into a decision.

?But if we don?t put it up tonight, he might never see it,? said Miller.

Courtright told the board if Strawhacker?s health wasn?t an issue, ?we could?ve taken more time.?

For the complete article, see the Friday, Oct. 22, 2010, printed edition of The Fairfield Ledger.