Sarah Ehrman Wins
William Class Award

Bill Class came to Huntington in 1929 and set a standard for excellence that continues to this day in the Blue Devil athletic program. He retired 48 years ago and passed away in August 1984, but he will always be remembered in the community and at the high school he helped put on the map.

A scholarship in his honor was presented last week to senior Sarah Ehrman at the 43rd Huntington High School Senior Athletic Awards Banquet. Ms. Ehrman is a rugged competitor who plays hard from whistle-to-whistle and displays a "take-no-prisoners" attitude according to her coaches.

Coach Class was a giant in teaching and sports. He developed a modern physical education program at a time when few existed and his teams won county championships in both football and baseball. He believed to his core that every student should participate in athletics to provide them with a well-rounded education and to help create school and community spirit.

During last week's awards dinner, Mike Connell, Mr. Class' grandson, read a brief profile of the man who shaped the early development of Huntington's sports program as the district's athletic director. Mr. Class is a man who is still deeply respected by several generations of Blue Devil athletes living in the area 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.

Ms. Ehrman is headed to Stony Brook University in the fall on a lacrosse scholarship. She holds an academic average of 94 and has completed a variety of challenging courses. The teenager is a member of several honor societies, has been a peer mediator and was a finalist in the Long Island National History Day contest.

The senior has earned varsity letters in soccer, basketball and lacrosse. Ms. Ehrman won All-Division honors in lacrosse the past two years and has been grabbed Scholar Athlete Awards several times. Ms. Ehrman plans to study health sciences at Stony Brook and is interested in a career as a physical therapist.

"She has played an integral role in all three programs and the coaches and physical education teachers believe that she has given her all to Huntington academics and athletics," Mr. Connell said. Three different Blue Devil coaches said Ms. Ehrman will be missed in Huntington's classrooms and on its fields.

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. Ehrman 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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