COLLECTING STORIES ABOUT COACH MARK HAMMEL for HIS BOOK

In the end of September, I called the local newspaper - The Post and Mail- in Columbia City, Indiana, where I spent my childhood from 9 years old through high school. I asked if I could write a letter to the editor or an article about my father. And Ruth Stanley, the Managing Editor was very receptive and said she would publish it as an article. She didn't care how long it was, she was more interested in the story. After I wrote my first draft, she was willing to print it, but I wasn't happy with it, so I offered to edit it. I cut out a lot and ended up with a more concise article.

From Indiana, Cindy Auer found me on Facebook, requested to be Facebook "friends" and said, "I saw your article about your father in the paper. It is nice to honor him in that way. I'm still around CC, but I live in..."

I hadn't been told when the article would be published, so I went looking online and found it. So I did some screen shots and it is below. The article is headlined at the top of the front page and the article is at the top of page of A4 under the topic of OPINION. You can get a free PDF version. I don't know how long this stays on their website. Download document as PDF This document is © 2010 by ryan - all rights reserved.

The Post and Mail
October 9-10, 2010

Click on images to enlarge

Click on images to enlarge

Click on images to enlarge

I received my first response via the email address I provided in the article.

COACH MARK HAMMEL - I AM LOOKING FOR HIS PLAYERS

Coach Hammel

Coach Mark Hammel coached basketball at Union Township School in Huntington, Indiana and starting in 1958, he was the head basketball coach at the new Columbia City Joint High School. I am looking for players, students, student teachers ~ who have a story about Coach Hammel. I am Sandra Hammel, his daughter. You can join us at Facebook Coach-Hammels-Players-Columbia-City-Indiana

My father passed away May 10, 2007. He wanted to write a book called Why Coach? which centered around the reason for coaching being to make a difference in young people's lives. So, I am looking for stories that would make this point. If possible, a collection of stories would then be a tribute to him and make his dream come true. The Columbia City Indiana Post and Mail newspaper has accepted the idea to publish an article about this as soon as I write it.

You may email me at CoachHammel1924@aol.com

See this previous post for some pictures of CCJHS basketball
Coach Hammel had lasting impact

COACH HAMMEL HAD A LASTING IMPACT

Coach Hammel
Columbia City, Indiana
To enlarge ~ click on the pictures
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Back Home Again in Indiana

sung by Straight No Chaser

Uploaded by mikado95

1959-60
Columbia City Joint High School
Sectional Winners

From the back of 1959-60 poster picture
Coach Hammel's writing

1960-61
Columbia City Joint High School

My dad left planet Earth May 10, 2010 at 10:05 a.m. while he was on the telephone with me - he in Indiana, me in Rhode Island. I would have been there, had I known he was waiting to die soon. My dad gave me a close up look at someone who lived with authenticity. So, I hold him dearly in my heart.

Dad wanted so much to write a book and have it published. He had a title and had written some of it. The title was to be "Why Coach?" He wanted to tell stories about the importance of making a difference in young players lives, not by teaching them techniques and skills of ball playing, but by utilizing the sport to get to the heart of the players.

I recorded his memorial funeral service. And I hope to get it in a format to be able to share. The community newspaper sportswriter, Roger Metzger, who wrote during dad's career and a basketball player,

Keith Doudt (pictured above with Dad) spoke and made moving contributions to the ceremony.

I feel so blessed to have been the one to be "present" with dad when he let go. I have that connection and it is so precious to me. I consider this a gift that he gave to me.

Months ago I was googling and went to the high school website where I attended high school.

Dad was a teacher and coach there. And I found this alumni page, which had an email address for one of dad's basketball players. I wrote and he wrote back. I share his email below with his permission.

1962-63
Columbia City Joint High School

Sectional Winners

A Tribute from Mike Barnes

A Flying Golden Eagle

Coach Mark Hammel

Sent: Mon, Jun 28, 2010
Subject: Coach Hammel

...When I saw the pictures of your dad, it brought back a flood of wonderful memories.

Columbia City Joint High School gymnasium

now called Columbia City High School

Photo taken in 2007

Photo taken in 1959

First tip off in the new CCJHS gym

Your dad influenced my life for eternity. He is the primary reason I became a teacher and a coach. I would like to share an experience with you that I had with your father. I came home from school and basketball practice one evening, and my dad was very upset with what people in the bleachers were saying about me during games. He planned on never coming to anymore of my games, because he was being embarrassed. I didn’t try to reason with my dad, but your dad had told me that if I ever needed him I was supposed to call him. I talked with my mom. Dad was not somebody that I “talked” with. That is not a criticism of my dad that is just the way it was.

1963-64
Columbia City Joint High School

Sectional Winners

The names provided by Mike Barnes ~

The cheerleaders from left to right: Judy Manter, Sylvia Binkley, Judy Johnson and Joanne Bates. The mascot cheerleader: Rhonda Johnson. The first row of players from left to right: Randy Cook, Mike Barnes, Rich Mills, Mike McCoy and Tony Smith. The second row of players from left to right: Tom Smith, Harry Staley, Jeff Culp, Tom Roe and Jack Stellhorn. The managers are Danny Worrick by Coach George Kind and George Hertzel by Coach Mark Hammel. Mike Barnes number was 22 for home games and 23 for away games. Thank you, Mike!

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To make a long story short, although we had a phone, I went next door to the neighbors and called your dad. As it turned out, he wasn’t home. I talked with your mother, and coach was at a meeting, but she would give him the message. Your dad came to my house that night around 9:30, and he sat at the kitchen table, and talked to my mom and dad about how important and valuable I was to our team. It was close to midnight when coach left. My dad never missed a game. When I walked out to the car to say goodbye to your dad, I thanked him and I told him that I loved him. That very night I decided what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. Also, your dad planted seeds about the Lord that opened my eyes about a personal relationship with Jesus as Lord and Savior of my life.

The last time I saw coach was at my father-in-laws funeral in Columbia City in May of 2001. It was great to see him. I will never forget the positive impact your dad had on my life......

Please give my best to your family, and thank you Sandy for sharing your dad with us.

Sincerely,

Mike (Barnes)

CCJHS class of ‘64

Photo taken in 2007

Second email ~

When I was writing about your dad’s influence in my life, I had tears in my eyes. If you want to post my story about your dad, you have my permission to use my name. ……I had a very surprising call from your mother several years ago. She put your dad on the phone, and we talked about the book he was writing or going to write. He told me I would be in the book. One of the greatest compliments I ever received came indirectly from Dewayne Kline, who had played for your dad. Dewayne said that coach ranked Mike Barnes as one of the 5 best players he had ever coached. I know Bill Schwartz was # 1, but I was shocked to learn that your dad thought I was one of his best players. I don’t think I have shared that information with anyone else. We had a great talk that Sunday evening after your mom turned the phone over to coach. That was the last time I heard his voice. Becky’s mom sent me his obituary. I would have loved to have been at any funeral or memorial service honoring “Coach Hammel.” As a coach for 30 years, my last sentence in the previous e-mail is a gigantic “thank you”, because I know the time away from family coaching requires. Your dad will always be in my heart.

Sincerely,

Mike

I tried to find pictures which included Mike Barnes but after a few hours of searching, I have had to give up as it is nearly 2:00 a.m. Maybe, they were in the external hard drive that died.

Update ~ Found the pictures! These are pictures actually of poster-size pictures. It is likely that the actual posters have since been thrown out. So I am so excited to share them here.

Columbia City Joint High School

Basketball Varsity Team

Photo credit: South Bend Tribune

I believe this picture is of 1964 Regional Champions

Previous posts about dad - Coach Hammel

slingin-sammy-baugh-and-my-dad-played...

This post has several links to others of my posts about dad at the very bottom
though-my-dad-died-he-lives-on

The lake dad created and the house he built
while still coaching basketball
at Columbia City Joint High School

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Louis Armstrong plays

Back Home Again in Indiana

Uploaded by pinkieldred

Dad

BEING MAD IN MARCH IS A GOOD THING - I LOVE COLLEGE BASKETBALL!

I LOVE BASKETBALL

WELL HIGH SCHOOL & COLLEGE anyway

It’s March Madness for college boys and girls basketball. I LOVE IT! To me, there is no sport (keep in mind, I am from the USA and don’t know soccer) like the sport of basketball. It takes athleticism, but it is full of artistic grace, the movement is poetic all done with the impromptu of the improvisation of jazz music. Technically, the moves and plays are by design and come more naturally to some, but practice makes it all work like a well-oiled machine. But to have the instinct of what to do in split second and hair-raising times is just special and art in motion. Not to mention the mind’s quick wit and cleverness that is so beautiful and enjoyed by the spectator. To be able to see the floor, the players’ in their places and know where they will move in an instant is just a blast.

My love of this game, called basketball may have something to do with the fact that I grew up in Indiana, where basketball is admittedly a passion. We call it “Hoosier Hysteria”. The “Hoosier” part is what anyone from Indiana is called. What else would you call us, “Indianaians”? Doesn’t work, does it? The “Hysteria” part comes from our spirited passion and love of this art called game. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hoosier_Hysteria

http://www.in.gov/visitindiana/trip_ideas/hysteria.aspx

My father also was my high school’s basketball coach. We were the Golden Eagles.

School colors: maroon and gold. My dad, Coach Hammel, was highly respected for his coaching, as well as for his humanity. Dad was friends with Bobby Knight and as I said n an earlier post, in the summertime my dad had a business where he sanded, finished and painted the logos on the gym floors, around the state, including Indiana University, Notre Dame, Purdue Univsersity and many others.

“H –H-Ham, M-M-Mel, Hammel, Hammel, Hammel” was one of the cheers. We even had cheer block practice where we sat in the bleachers and practiced cheers and card turning. In junior high, I was cheerleader. That was fun. Really. I always felt kind of special, going to all of the high school basketball games and getting certain privileges being the coach’s daughter. But one of the drawbacks was being the daughter of my father, the basketball coach. He had rules for the boys. And one was that the boys had dating restrictions during basketball season. So, of the bb boys, who in their right mind would go out with the coach’s daughter? None of them. Imagine my surprise when I went off to live on campus in college and I was highly sought after by the males who were highly respected on campus.

Also, there were disadvantages because when the team lost, the house was a “suck-the-life-right-out-of-you place. When we lost to my dad’s alma mater, we didn’t go to church because dad would get ribbed by his uncles mercilessly. The pressures of being the losing team was felt personally through a kind of osmosis.

Anyway, we are in the middle of March Madness right now here in the States. And granted the boys’play gets all the hype and attention and the girls’ play gets relegated to a footnote, even though today the girls can play just as well as any of these boys and they have the moves, the grace ant the skills equal to the shining stars of the boys’ teams. Geez, when I was in high school we had “girls’ basketball rules” – some silly half court play… And girls that I saw play shot the ball with some two-handed grip that looked silly. I always gripped the ball like the boys. Now – that would be no distinction.

Over the years, the shorts have gotten to be baggy knee pants. It’s strange to see the clips of years ago, when the shorts were really shorts. And back then there weren’t the tattoos we so often see scar the beautiful godly skin of these beautiful athletic bodies. But still, these guys are not only beautiful to watch for their art, grace of movement, beauty of their plays and improvisational dance-like moves, but they are also beautiful to look at because the body is a beautiful thing.

Georgetown's Jeff Green puts a nifty move on Vanderbilt ... (AP)

Joakim Noah and Taurean Green survive another close call. (AP)

Save your tears boys, you had your chance to win the game. (AP)

Oregon's Tajuan Porter whispers sweet nothings to Wink Adams. (AP)

... and hits the game winner for an Elite 8 berth. (Getty Images)

This are not my captions, but the ones from the website:

http://sportsline.com/collegebasketball

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2003 NCAA Tourney - Highlights with One Shining Moment

In the beginning, the whole left side is the rolling credits, but WAIT then it goes into full screen and Luther Vandross sings!

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See Ioan Gruffudd in the movie Amazing Grace

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As a human rights activist, I bring to your attention the four year old genocide in Darfur, Sudan.

Genocide flourishes when there is no accountability.

WE CAN’T SAY THAT WE CARE ABOUT JUSTICE

WHEN WE DO NOTHING TO STOP THE INJUSTICE

THAT SINCE THE HOLOCAUST

HAS BEEN called - GENOCIDE.

We each have a voice.

W each have a presence.

Let us not be silent.

We have been called to be human

 in the most basic way

 on this subject.  

Where there is a will - there is always a way.  

And where there is no will - there is no way.

Silence is necessary for genocide to go on.  

Our collective silence is a weapon used by the genocidaires.  Silence kills.  

And we are responsible for our personal silence.

One World.

One humanity.

One Human Race.

One.

• http://www.Savedarfur.org
• http://www.ajws.org/
• www.sudandivestment.org/
• http://www.genocideintervention.net/
• http://www.standnow.org/

Please, consider supporting the movement to abolish slavery and human trafficking in the United States of America

and around the world.

It still goes on today, while we go about our lives.

“Not For Sale” videos on the Amazinggracemovie.com website

http://www.notforsalecampaign.org/Trailer01.aspx

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PLEASE, sign the petition of Amazing Changes Campaign
http://www.theamazingchange.com/abolish.html

Zach Hunter is a fifteen year old, who wants to put an end to world-wide slavery
Zach’s website:
http://www.myspace.com/amazingchange

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