Athletics
Wooden Shoe Softball Team - This photograph was taken in Irving Park with the Zion German Congregational Church appearing in the background. Known players: Front row - far right = Sammy Aschenbrenner. Front row - second to the right = Ed Miller. Front row - second from the left = Solly Hergert. Front row - far left = Benny Miller? Back row - far left player = Heinie Miller.
Ray Koch - Center for the Oregon State University Football team in 1946. Ray is a past President of the Oregon Chapter of AHSGR.
Ray Koch playin for the Oregon State football team in 1946
Richard Lawrence Wagner was born Oct. 20, 1926, in Toppenish, Wash. He moved in 1943 to Oregon City. During World War II, he served in the merchant marine. From 1945 to 1953 he was a professional boxer; his opponents included Jake LaMotta and Floyd Patterson, whom he fought twice. He also helped establish the Multnomah Community Center Boxing Club.
Trading card of Arnold Weinmeister with the New York Giants
Arnold Weinmeister - Enshrined in the Pro football Hall of Fame in 1984. Weinmeister is from Portland, Oregon. Weinmeister attended Jefferson High School. He attended the University of Washington and played for the NY Giants from 1950 to 1953.
Roy Helser - was a top pitcher with the Beavers from 1942 to 1952 and was a member of Portland's 1945 Pacific Coast League pennant winning team.
Later, Helser coached at Linfield for 21 years, then served as athletic director at the school for four years before retiring in 1972. The baseball field at the college was named after him several years ago. “He was one of God's gifted people,” said Paul Durham, who was a classmate, coaching colleague and friend through the years. “I can't say enough wonderful things about him. I'm limited.”
The Beall Brothers
Bob Beall - His senior year at Hillsboro Union High School (Hilhi), Bob was named "Baseball Player of the Year" for the state of Oregon (Hilhi won the state championship that year, 1966) and was offered full rides to UO and OSU. Bob was a first team all-Pac-8 all-star first baseman and captain of the baseball team at OSU; he also made a splash his sophomore and junior seasons by being the first left-handed third baseman in Pac-8 history. Upon graduation with a degree in mathematics in 1970, Bob signed with the Philadelphia Phillies organization, was assigned to that team's "low-A" Northwest League affiliate in Walla Walla, WA. He hit .389, the highest average that year in "organized baseball" and led the league in virtually every offensive category. He spent the next season in the "high-A" Carolina League (Newport News, VA), the following year with the "double-AA" Eastern League team at Reading, PA and the following season in "Triple A" with the Eugene Emeralds. He was traded to the Atlanta Braves and spent the rest of his baseball career, except for his final year, with the Braves Triple A (Richmond, VA) and major league teams. He spent all or parts of 4 seasons in the major leagues. He was traded to Pittsburgh and spent his final season as a player-coach for the Portland Beavers (the Pirates' Triple A team in the Pacific Coast League), before being pulled up to the major league club for their September stretch drive. Bob retired in 1981 and joined Nike Corporation where he remains today. He is married to wife Nancy and has one son, Bob, also a graduate of Hilhi and OSU.
Gene Beall - Gene graduated from Hilhi in 1969, having served as class president and captain of the football (quarterback) and baseball (catcher) teams. He won many school awards including a coveted Tektronix math/science scholarship that could be used at any university. He attended Yale University his first two years, majoring in biology and playing baseball and handball. He then took some time off from school, eventually finishing at OSU where he played baseball for part of one season (short tenure, long story) and graduated with a degree in Zoology. He later earned a masters degree in Education at the University of Washington. He taught science, math and computers at the Best Alternative High School in the east Seattle metro area (Lake Washington School District) for nearly 10 years, then became a computer software trainer and later joined McCaw Cellular Communications in Kirkland. He currently is a Vice President for AT&T Wireless. He and wife Sally live in Sammamish, WA and have two children, Richard (a graduate in Architecture from the University of WA) and Sarah (a graduate of Bellevue Community College) who lives in Spokane and is planning her wedding to a fellow computer geek.
Jim Beall - At Hilhi, was president of his class, quarterback of the football team and a starter on the basketball and baseball teams (Hilhi also won the State Championship in baseball his senior year, 1968). Jim also played on the 1966 State Champion football team. Attended OSU on a baseball scholarship, graduated in Liberal Arts in 1972, spent a year abroad and then attended law school at the University of Oregon. Upon graduation in 1976, Jim served as a natural resource attorney at the Department of Interior in Washington, DC. He then served as Legislative Director for Representative Al Ullman (D-OR) and then as Staff Coordinator for the Chairman of the House Committee on Ways and Means, focusing primarily on issues relating to taxation, trade and natural resources. He also has a graduate law degree from Georgetown University (corporate taxation). Jim has been in private practice since 1981. He currently manages the Washington, DC office of Ball Janik LLP and commutes between his homes in Portland, Oregon and Arlington, Virginia. Ball Janik has the largest federal practice of any Oregon based law firm or consulting firm. Ball Janik represents numerous cities, counties, ports, defense contractors, timber companies, shipyards and other heavy industries throughout the Pacific Northwest. Jim's wife Sharla, a native of Junction City, Oregon, just retired from her position as Staff Director of the Senate EPW Subcommittee on Fisheries, Wildlife and Water. She and the Bealls' two children, Anna-Sophia and Alexandra-Skye, now reside in their Portland home and help maintain the family farm outside of Junction City. Anna-Sophia, 3, is newly enrolled in the Portland French School and sister Alexandra-Skye, 1, hopes to follow in her footsteps.
John "Nig" Yeager - Johan Adam Yeager was born in Norka, Russia on February 26, 1898. His father was Henry Yeager from Norka. His mother was Lena (nee Starkel) Yeager, also born in Norka.
From The Oregonian newspaper in the late 1930's or early 1940's:
"That boy Yeager had a thunderbolt punch. He weighed around 175, was tall, rangy and lithe in build, and when his right fist struck a chin it usually meant knockout. His first professional fight, in 1922, brought him $28.00, a spectacular knockout over an opponent of considerable experience, and so enthusiastic a fan welcome that his third ensuing ring appearance was as a main eventer, in the big money – and “big money” is right, for they really drew big money in that heydey of boxing . . . ."
"Gorgeous" George Wagner - Was a highly popular professional wrestler and is widely credited with bringing professional wrestling into the mainstream. Wagner was inducted into the Professional Wrestling Hall of Fame.
The Albina Juniors Championship Football team of 1926. Contributed by Roy Conrad Derring.
The Albina Juniors Football Champions - There were many Volga German boys on this team.
The Schmidts'
Johannes and Anna Margareta (nee Hartung) Schmidt immigrated to the United States from Brunnental, Russia in 1907. Several of their children became standout athletes in the Portland area.
M & M Woodworking Co. Softball Team 1935 - Front Row, second from the left is Fred Smith (Schmidt). Can you identify other German Russians on this team?
George Smith (Schmidt) - played softball and semi-professional baseball.
Henry and Esther Smith (Schmidt) - Henry was a standout player for the Local 1090 softball team. His athletic career was cut short when he was killed in action during World War II. Esther played for the New System Laundry team that won the 1940 City of Portland Women's Softball Championship.
Erv Lind - Mr. Lind was a very well known Portland florist and softball sponsor. The Erv Lind Stadium located in Normandale Park was built in 1948 and named in honor of Lind in 1965. Lind was the coach and manager of Portland's best known women's major fast pitch softball teams, the Erv Lind Florists, for 28 years, leading it to two Amateur Softball Association (ASA) National Championships (1944 and 1964). Under Lind, the team compiled a record of 1,113 wins and 324 losses. Many German-Russian's played for his teams. Erv Lind stadium has been the home softball field of Portland State University for 20 years. Erv Lind was inducted into the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1988.
Erv Lind Florist 1964 A.S.A. Women's World Softball Champions. Coach Erv Lind shown at far right.
Lind & Pomeroy Florist 1944 A.S.A. Women's World Softball Champions. Coach Erv Lind shown at far right. Both photographs were contributed by Carolyn Fitzwater, a member of the 1964 championship team and the A.S.A National Softball Hall of Fame.
Jacob Hergert
Jacob Hergert, the son of Rev. Elias Hergert, was born in Fort Collins, Colorado. He attended Jefferson High School in Portland where he was an All-State basketball player. He attended Oregon State University and the University of Portland. From 1945 to 1949, he was the head coach for all sports at Vernonia High School. He died in December 1983 at the age of 65.