Each one of the five newest members of the Catawba County Sports Hall of Fame were quick to thank each one that helped get them there. The keynote speaker had to remind them just how long it took.

    The Hall formally inducted its newest class during a banquet at the Multi-Purpose Complex on the campus of Catawba Valley Community College on Monday, bring the total number of athletes in the Hall to 33. Those inducted were Richard "Dick" Foster, Jennifer Howard Wolgemuth, the late D.C. "Pud" Miller, Don Patrick and the late Albert T. Spurlock.

    The keynote speaker for Monday's ceremonies was Rick Beasley. Beasley is currently the associate athletic director at Appalachian State University, and has served as City Manager of Conover. He was a three-time All-Southern Conference Award winner as a wide receiver for the Mountaineers, and holds several records for them as well.

    Beasley used the Appalachian State football program's message of success — that if you work hard in the beginning, good things will come in the end — and applied it to each of the inductees.

    By showing video clips of the Mountaineers shocking upset of Michigan last season, and a video of head coach Jerry Moore making a speech to his players, Beasley showed what a love for what you do and hard work and sacrifice can get you in the end. "It all starts early," Beasley said of ASU's success. "Just like it did with the inductees tonight."

    A video of coach Moore preparing his team with a pre-game speech showed what surrounding yourself with good people can do. "It began with a strong foundation," Beasley said of the Mountaineers three straight FCS national titles. "As with a common purpose."

    As each of the members of the Class of 2008 took the stand, none would, or could, brag on themselves. Rather, it was all about those who helped build that foundation, and helped build it long ago.

    Foster, a Caldwell County native who spent 48 of his 52 years coaching high school football in Catawba County (Bandys, Fred T. Foard, St. Stephens), began by telling his story as a freshman at Lenoir-Rhyne. A knee injury had forced Foster to the sideline, but only during practice for a short period, not for games. His head coach then didn't want him to practice at all, but for two years, he did anyways. He went on to tell stories of former teammates at L-R, then told stories of his time while a high school football coach in Catawba County. But not once did he mention the words "I" or "Me." "At each school that I was at, there was always somebody who was just a great person to me that helped the football team," he said.

    Jennifer Howard Wolgemuth, who scored more than 2,000 points while playing basketball at Fred T. Foard and went on to play for N.C. State, spoke of her relationship with her family, friends, and her faith in God as things she has used to excel in not only basketball, but life. Now a mother of two, Howard Wolgemuth said life has changed since becoming the Atlantic Coast Conference's all-time leader in 3-point percentage (44). Now she's the one doing the teaching. "We've lowered the goal to 7 feet so my husband and I can teach our 4-year old to shoot," she said. "It's a lot of fun — it's so different now."

    D.C. "Pud" Miller's son, Greg, received the award in his father's honor. Greg Miller told retold stories that he has heard over the years of what a great minor league baseball player his father was. D.C. Miller held a career minor-league average of .350, and a season-high of .425. He hit 268 home runs, 248 doubles, had 809 hits and drove in 1,037 runs. As player-manager of the Hickory Rebels, he earned the Silver Slugger Award by holding the highest average in all of the minor leagues. Greg Miller had the bat on hand — a dazzling bat made out of sterling silver and engraved with his father's statistics. "Everyone who knew him would always tell me, 'Pud Miller sure could hit that ball,'" Greg said.

    Newton-Conover athletic director Don Patrick took a different approach to recognizing those he felt needed it — he named off one-by-one different positions people held, and asked those to stand up if they qualified. Nearly one-third of the room was standing, when Patrick announced, "This is my network," in reference to the Verizon Wireless cell phone commercials, because that's what makes him work. Patrick has been at Newton-Conover since 1974, and has won 198 games as a head football coach. In 2003, he was selected as National Athletic Director of the Year at the NASPE National Convention in Philadelphia. "I couldn't have done any of this without those of you who are standing," he said.

    Clark Spurlock, the son of the late Albert T. Spurlock, accepted the award on his father's behalf. Albert Spurlock was a star two-sport athlete for Lenoir-Rhyne from 1925-27. As a member of the track team, he won numerous awards and was a one-man team at the time. Clark retold the stories of how his father excelled as a one-man track team, and read an excerpt from a book published with his father's story published. "Thank you," Spurlock ended. "Thank you for those who helped my father become what he was, and still is."

    The commission also awarded a male and female from each high school in the county as a Student Athlete of the Years. The awards went to: Bandys, Carlee Carpenter and Zack Hamby; Bunker Hill, Chelsey Gilbert and Chase Patterson; Fred T. Foard, Monica Wright and Jon Teague; Hickory, Karsyn Jarrett and Ryan Hill; Hickory Christian Academy, Julia Sayers and Kyle Abernathy; Maiden, Risa Chavez and Dexter Shelton; Newton-Conover, Amy Whitaker and Alex Burchins; St. Stephens, Katie Hoyle and Josh Kerley; and Tabernacle, Kari Cordell.