Kerry Hicks Wins William Class Award
Bill Class came to Huntington in 1929 and set a standard for excellence that still lives on today in the Blue Devil athletic program. He retired more than four decades ago and passed away in August 1984, but he hasn’t been forgotten.
A scholarship in his honor was presented to senior Kerry Hicks at the 41st Huntington High School Senior Athletic Awards Banquet. Ms. Hicks represented Blue Devil teams with pure class, playing hard and winning All-State honors, but never failing to show an exceptional degree of dignity and integrity.
Headed to St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Ms. Hicks is a two-time All-Division field hockey player, but she really made her mark on the basketball court, where she won five varsity letters and helped lead the Blue Devils to three straight county finals and the 2008 Suffolk championship. Named to the All-State team three separate times, Ms. Hicks is also a multi-time New York State Scholar Athlete Award winner. She will graduate as Huntington’s all-time leading scorer with 1,408 points.
Academically, Ms. Hicks is also exceptional. She’s been on the school’s high honor roll since her freshman year, holds a 92.8 grade point average, has completed a slate of challenging courses, is a member of the National Honor Society and has participated in the student government and the Habitat for Humanity club.
Coach Class was a titan in both teaching and athletics. He developed an innovative physical education program at a time when few existed and his teams won county championships in both football and baseball. He thought every student should be involved in sports in order to provide them with a well rounded education and to help create school and community spirit.
Mike Connell, coach Class’ grandson, read a brief biography of the man who helped shape the early development of the Huntington sports program as the district’s athletic director. Mr. Class is a man who is still highly respected by several generations of Blue Devil athletes living in the community and around the country.
The Class scholarship is awarded annually to a college bound male or female athlete who has participated in three varsity sports, demonstrated outstanding athletic achievement, character, leadership and sportsmanship qualities both in the playing arena and the classroom.
Coach Class graduated from Cortland State Teachers College in 1927 and in 1929 came to Huntington where he coached football, basketball and baseball, and started the wrestling program in 1937, coaching that team, too, for two seasons. Serving as the athletic director, Class put together the framework for a modern sports program.
“He won county championships in football in 1946, 1947 and 1948,” Mr. Connell said. “He won seven county championships in baseball from 1929 to 1952.”
In 1954 coach Class turned over his coaching duties to his trusted assistants and became the administrative head of physical education and health, special services and transportation, eventually overseeing the construction of a new Huntington High School. He retired from the district in 1963.
At a testimonial dinner held in his honor, high school principal Robert Cushman said “Coach Class never permitted himself to do less than his best, and he couldn’t tolerate slipshod habits among his boys. Another characteristic was to teach students to play the game and then let them use their own initiative and ingenuity. His methods of training were characterized by refinement, and he never used profanity.”
When asked once how athletics had affected his life, Mr. Class responded, “The opportunity to work with young men to improve their ability and knowledge of the game and to instill the desire and drive to be good in their chosen field has been both challenging and rewarding as a life’s work.”
Ms. Hicks was presented with a handsome plaque and the $750 stipend the scholarship carries. A separate, permanent plaque hangs in the main athletic showcase in the lobby outside Louis D. Giani Gymnasium with the engraved names of all the Class Scholarship winners through the years.
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