Larry Wolfe Remember the Beach Boys’ 1964 classic, number one hit song “I Get Around”? Well, that phrase could also describe Vern Rodgers’ work career. A native of Quincy, Mich., Vern attended Glen Oaks Community College and Western Michigan University before beginning his vocational odyssey. Vern first joined the Kroger Company in Coldwater, Mich., and…
Larry Wolfe Ask any of the guys at the Field of Dreams to describe Thom Stephens, and the most likely responses are, “really good player” and “really nice guy.” Thom’s probably prouder of the latter. A Santa Clara, Calif., native, Thom graduated from Buchser High where he played both varsity baseball and basketball for the…
Larry Wolfe Minutes after he smashed a long grand slam homer that iced a recent win for his team, I sat down to interview Jerry Hester. Jerry’s a modest guy and not one to boast, but teammate Larry Kaufmann walked by and said, “Tell him about the Vegas tournament when you hit 11 homers!” As…
Larry Wolfe Talk about a busy lady: From realtor to house renovator and “flipper” to professional singer to sports participant to working with charitable and church organizations, Suzy Steinmann does it all! And then wonders why her husband says she’s a “workaholic”! A native of Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, a mid-sized city on the southern…
Larry Wolfe A true North Dakotan, Terry Zeltinger was born in Minot and grew up in the small town of Tolley (population 50!) in the northwestern portion of the state near the Canadian border. Terry’s graduating class totaled nine, so he was involved in everything the school had to offer, including baseball and basketball. He…
Larry Wolfe John Castro was born in Caguas, Puerto Rico, but grew up in Chicago after his family moved there when he was just three years old. John graduated from Lane Tech High on the north side of Chicago where he was on the Indians baseball team. He also played Connie Mack baseball as a…
Larry Wolfe This article could have been entitled “Tales of the Hollywood Shoe Shine Boy,” because Tom Koshar could fill a book with stories about his teenage days as “shoe shine boy to the stars.” He worked on the set of various TV programs at Allied Artists, Columbia Pictures, and Paramount, among others, and shined…
Larry Wolfe “If the game involved a ball, I could play it,” says Tom Bersano. “My whole life has been devoted to sports and competition.” From his high school days in Lockport, Illinois, where he was a three-sport star at Lockport High, to today, Tom has been a “sports nut.” Although he was born in…
Larry Wolfe Wayne Newman (no, not Wayne Newton!) is a native of the “Show Me State;” he was born in Trenton, Missouri, and graduated from Chillicothe (MO) High. (Both towns are located in northwest Missouri not far from the Iowa/Missouri state line.) Soon after graduating, he went to work for the Rock Island Railroad, but…
Larry Wolfe A true Arizona native, Kelly Anderson was born and raised in nearby Maricopa. He graduated from Maricopa High where he was on the baseball, basketball, football and track teams. He was an All-Conference quarterback for the Rams and also excelled in the classroom, earning Salutatorian honors. He then graduated from the University of…