HOUSTON — Four new members were inducted into the Hardin-Houston Wall of Honor Friday night, Nov. 25 during the varsity/junior varsity boys basketball game against Fairlawn. The four new members are Bob Borchers, Gary Mayse, Joe Maier and Dr. David Knipe.
Borchers first made his mark in the classroom as a Hardin-Houston School math teacher, often tossing out candy to all parts of his seating charts, whenever he felt a student’s answer was deserving of a quick reward. Also a social studies teacher, Mr. B.’s annual ink pen fundraiser for a fifth-grade field trip to Cincinnati was the first Reds game for many, and the only one ever for some. After 18 years in the classroom, Mr. B. served the district as elementary principal for another 11 years. Known somewhat as a gentle giant, the 6-foot-3 Mr. B. had even more of a hulking presence to the kindergarteners and early childhood students. Mr. B. was a master motivator, often making friendly wagers with students. If he lost a bet due to students’ success, Mr. B. would pay for it, whether it be kissing a pig or dyeing his hair bright red!
He also put in countless hours coaching Wildcats. His specialty was baseball. He was highly involved in the Hardin Ball Association for several years, coaching both softball and baseball, on top of his role as Ball Association board member. Prior, Borchers led Houston’s varsity baseball team for eight years. He was also a familiar face in basketball, coaching junior high boys for seven years and later helping organize youth basketball at Hardin. In addition, Borchers was a member of the athletic boosters and simply a fan, especially varsity boys basketball, hardly missing a game during the better part of the 1980’s-2000’s.
“He was my favorite teacher.” It would be difficult to calculate how many times the Borchers’ family has heard that line over the years. Borchers was, and is, very much linked to Hardin-Houston Local School. His grandkids are often near the top of their respective classes and enjoy playing their chosen sports, thanks in no small part to the path chosen by their grandfather, Bob Borchers.
Accepting the award on behalf of Borchers was his wife Barb, children Jen, Kyle, Jill and Janelle, their spouses, and his 11 grandchildren.
Knipe graduated from Houston High School in 1968 as valedictorian after being president of the Science Club and the Future Teachers of America. Knipe is honored to be on the Wall alongside Mr. McKinney, his chemistry teacher and with whom he worked to start the science fair and Science Club. His Houston High School education prepared him well for college at Case Western Reserve University where he graduated summa cum laude in 1972.
He then went to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology for a PhD in biology and started his career studying how viruses infect cells. Knipe continued his postdoctoral research at the University of Chicago, and has been a professor at Harvard Medical School for more than 40 years, culminating in his election to the National Academy of Sciences in 2021.
Knipe, who resides in Massachusetts, has been married to his wife Suzanne for 49 years, has two daughters and four grandchildren. His oldest daughter is an assistant professor of medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and his younger daughter is a high school science teacher in New York City. One of his favorite activities is watching his grandkids’ soccer games and plays.
Knipe has many great memories from his years at Houston High School and being active in the Starting Farmers 4-H Club and showing sheep at the Shelby County and Ohio State Fairs. He is very grateful for these formative experiences, learning how to work hard, being persistent and continuing after setbacks, and completing tasks carefully without taking short cuts in life.
Knipe’s schedule would not allow his presence at the ceremony so accepting the award on his behalf was his brother, Lynn Knipe and family friend, Tony Ritter.
Mayse is a 1986 graduate of Houston High School. Upon graduation, Mayse attended the University of Dayton where he received his bachelor’s degree in Sports Management, Coaching, and Business Marketing. He has worked in the Sports Entertainment Industry, primarily as a Baseball Executive, with Mandalay Baseball Properties, The Dayton Dragons Professional Baseball Team, and CSE for the past 20 plus years. During his career in the sport of baseball, He has represented 10 different Minor League organizations and worked alongside some of the top Major League franchises such as the New York Yankees, Seattle Mariners and Cincinnati Reds.
Serving as the Executive Vice President of Mandalay Baseball Properties, Mayse managed the company’s operations for their Minor League business portfolio and acted as owner representative on three major new ballpark developments totaling more than $115 million. Prior to his responsibilities with Mandalay, Mayse was one of three key executives involved in the franchise start up for the Dayton Dragons. Following the 2003 baseball season, he was named “Midwest League Executive of the Year.” In 2004, Mayse was selected as a “40 Under 40” award winner by the Dayton Business Journal.
Mayse currently resides in Washington Township with his wife Diane and three children – Elijah, Hannah, and Silas. When not at a baseball game himself, Mayse enjoys being a spectator and cheering his kids on at their many sporting events at Xavier University, Alter High School and St. Charles.
Mayse recognized his family joining him Friday, his wife Diane, and their three children Elijah, Hannah, and Silas. Mayse also expressed his gratitude to his parents, Tim and Gerri Fitzpatrick and Jamie and Kathy Mayse.
Mayse encouraged each student and community member to “Run the Race” that God has set before you. “May God Bless the entire Hardin- Houston community and keep you safe on your ‘Journey in Life,’” he said.
Maier has been a staple in Hardin-Houston athletics for over 40 years. Maier and his wife Joan, along with Curt Hedrick, Roger and Sandy Snow created the Hardin Ball Association in the late 1970’s. They solicited donations from local businesses and ran the concession stand during the baseball and softball games to help raise money for the Ball Association. They refurbished the existing ball diamonds and added a softball diamond on the old Hardin-Houston Elementary property.
Many spring and summer afternoons you would see Maier dragging the ball diamonds, mowing and lining the fields in preparation for the Wildcats evening ballgames. As you can imagine, Maier would be the first to recognize and thank Hedrick and the Snows, and all the other coaches who were so essential in the first few years of existence of the Ball Association.
Besides his many years with the Ball Association, Maier spent countless hours coaching and mentoring hundreds of Hardin-Houston youth in various capacities. Over the years he coached Little League baseball, Acme baseball, fifth-/sixth grade basketball, and junior high boys basketball. Without a doubt, there were a countless number of positive memories imparted on many Wildcats Maier coached over the years, including a few stern redirections that Coach Joe was notorious for, especially at the expense of his five boys. Joe also found time during these busy years to donate his time umpiring baseball games and refereeing basketball games at all levels.
One constant with Maier throughout his many years within the Hardin-Houston School District is that he wanted what was best for all Wildcat kids. Maier not only wanted to give all the young Wildcats within the district the ability to participate in sports, but also teach them teamwork and give kids an opportunity to do something constructive with their time.
Accepting the award Maier was his wife Joan, and five sons Wes, R.J. Joey, Ryan, Bruce, their spouses, and his 13 grandchildren.
