Remembering Patty Pease…. one of county’s sports pioneers
Union County lost a true high school sports pioneer a couple of days ago with the passing of Patty Pease.
Patty had already been a teacher and coach at Fairbanks High School for several years when I began my career at the Journal-Tribune back in 1977.
She was the head coach for the volleyball squad and the girls track and field team.
For a handful of years prior to my arrival, she had also coached the girls basketball team.
One of the first things I learned from Patty was that she was very devoted and serious about the promotion of girls athletics. She was a huge proponent of Title IX and felt females should have as many athletic opportunities as males.
She was absolutely correct about that.
Patty accomplished quite a bit for girls athletics at Fairbanks High School. She was a championship-winning volleyball coach through the mid-1990s.
The Lady Panthers won numerous West Central Ohio Conference titles and the highlight of her career was a Class A state championship.
Ironically, the Lady Panthers won the state title exactly 40 years ago to conclude the 1977 season.
The first state track and field meet at The Ohio State University that I covered was the previous spring.
Lora Chappelear was a standout sprinter for Fairbanks at that time. I can’t remember where Lora placed in the meet, but I do recall how terribly hot it was for the first part of June.
Temperatures were near 90 and the OSU training staff worked hard to keep all of the athletes as hydrated and cool as they could.
Patty demanded hard work and attention to detail not only from her players, but also from a certain young sports editor.
She was exact with her coaching work and demanded that from me over the years while I was reporting on her sporting events.
Patty, in fact, made me better at my job.
Girls athletics have played a big role in our area’s high school sports history.
For instance:
-Jonathan Alder’s girls won a Division II state basketball title in 2006;
-The Triad softball team claimed a state crown even earlier in 1992;
-North Union’s softball team has made several trips to the state Final Four, as did the NU girls hoop squad in 1990;
-Marysville’s Chris Nichols won a state 3200-meter run title many years ago, while MHS’ Carly Truitt was a state championship golfer.
-Fairbanks’ Margo Geer won eight state swimming championships.
-An FHS girls relay team of Mary Bouic, Kim Ingram, Melanie Dheel and Brenda Dellinger won a state title.
Female athletes and coaches in the Union County area over the past four decades owe a huge debt of gratitude to Patty Pease.
Without her persistence and guidance, I’m not sure what girls sports would look like in Union County.