Note – this is the second part of a two-part story.
Robert “Coach” Lichtenwalter, along with his daughter Judy, taught for 39 years under the umbrella of the Warsaw Community School system. Judy retired just this last school year. Ironically, Coach didn’t attend Manchester College to become a teacher. Instead, his focus and goal was to get into the Boys Club field with youth. “I taught 39 years, and didn’t have the slightest idea on how to do it,” he said. I’m pretty sure there are plenty of people who would disagree with that statement. Coach got his first taste of Boys Club in 1936, becoming a member at the age of 10. Twelve years later, he became a staff member under then-director Pete Thorn. Thorn would head out west and tend to his farms, while leaving Coach in charge of the club while he was gone during spring break. As coach got more experience in the field, Louie Breeding and Carl Burt called coach to Lake City Wholesale. “They threw me the keys,” Coach said. “The only rule was to open when it was cold, and close it when it was warm.” So in 1963, Baker’s Boys Club had its second executive director in Robert Lichtenwalter. Chances are, if you grew up in Warsaw, you spent some time at club when Coach was in charge. Rarely was there a day when club was open, that coach wasn’t there to greet you with an egads and a handshake. Speaking of egads ... self admittedly, Coach used to curse a lot. “Suzie pulled me aside and let me know she was fed up with my cursing, and I needed to figure it out,” Coach said. Believe me, egads was used plenty inside those club walls when dealing with some of us, including the current director, Tracy Furnivall. Furnivall recalled one time when he and his brother, Troy, were going at it. Coach got on them, and told them to throw the gloves on. Back then, it wasn’t unusual to settle disagreements by letting the two angry parties box. It also wasn’t unusual for club to be open at odd times, including holidays. Up until that point, club would be closed during school breaks and holidays. Coach allowed high school kids to be key holders and come to club whenever they wanted. “Gyms are made to be played in,” he said. “The best part was the gym was always cleaner when they left than when they came in.” While Coach was the director and an incredible leader, he couldn’t do things by himself. Over the years, Boys Club has enjoyed the help of some of the best leaders of youth you could find in any city. From Bing Johnston to Keith Cook, there was never a time when a role model for kids to look up to wasn’t available. Sometimes, though, we might have been a bit more difficult than need be. “I remember Keith Cook chasing Elliot Enders from pool table to pool table one day,” Coach said. You never forget the first time you stepped foot inside those doors, and I certainly haven’t forgotten mine. Following my first day in first grade, my dad took me directly to club. As we walked into the Pete Thorn Youth Center, there sat Coach. He was ready to sign up new members, and I was going to be his first. So after a firm handshake and an introduction, I was handed my membership card. That membership card had more history and more meaning then I could comprehend at the time. Kids had been handed those cards every year since club had opened in 1926. Back then, they would pay a $1 membership fee in order to enjoy the facilities, but that dollar bought more than that. It gave you a pass to be involved with people that wanted to be there and be a part of your life. It allowed you to be around role models, and guys to look up to throughout your years of developing into a man. I for one owe Coach, and Baker’s Boys Club, a ton for what it’s given me. So after 77 years of being a member/staff/and director, Coach retired from working at club in 2012. Seventy Seven years of teaching the proper way to shake hands, or playing chess with kids when they came to club. Seventy Seven years of involvement with the youth of our community. Anyone that has crossed his path is a better person because of it. The lessons he taught us will be passed on for many generations to come. I don’t speak alone when I say, “Thank you Coach.”
