The Delphos St. John’s Hall of Fame got four new members Sunday. Chuck Bertling found his calling to be a missionary while attending the school. He is currently ministering to children in the mountains of Thailand. His family excepted the honor in his behalf and say his time as a Blue Jay helped shape his future to serve others.
“Coming through a Catholic education is to not be doing things for yourself, but more for what you can be doing for others to make this world a better place,” says Glenn Bertling, Chuck’s Brother who was inducted for his Service to Mankind.
Tom Lane may have not have graduated from St. John’s, but for the last 25 years he has helped the school’s athletes with every sprain, cut and other medical emergency as the school’s athletic trainer. He has enjoyed being welcomed into the Blue Jay community.
“They are please and thank you people which I appreciate,” says Lane the 2020 Service to St. John’s inductee. “They help your neighbor out, they are just great people all together, I just can’t say enough good things about them. Me personally, I have seen a lot of athletes, and in my opinion they are better people then they are athletes. That tells you how good the community is here.”
Dan “Beeze” Grohouse came back to his alma mater to coach basketball. Serving as the junior varsity girls coach for four years, before taking over the varsity job for 28 years. He guided the girls team to the three state championship appearances and won the whole thing in 2002. While he couldn’t be there in person, but his family knows what St. John’s means to him.
“Wow, the foundation at St. John’s is so important,” says Karen Grothouse, Dan’s Wife. “St. John’s is just a special place for us, for all of our kids. So many kids that come here to Delphos St. John’s without the foundation, may not be able to come and may not have as good as an education that we do today.”
The professional achievement inductee Dan Kimmet credits his St. John’s education for his success as an engineer and eventually as vice president for Eaton.
“First of all wonderful teachers, great priests, the sisters of Notre Dame were spectacular,” says Dan Kimmet the 2020 Professional Achievement Inductee. “I was blessed to be in a wonderful class, people that are still friends today. So we have lots to be thankful for and I met my wife at Delphos St. John’s as well.”
Because of the pandemic the school couldn’t induct a class in their Hall of Fame last year, which has had a class every year since 2004.
