Heilers
HOUSTON — Three people will be inducted into the Hardin-Houston Wall of Honor on Saturday, Dec. 9. The ceremony will be held between the junior varsity and varsity boys basketball game against Ansonia.
Joining the Wall of Honor will be the late Barb Heilers, Coleen Lumpkin and Henry Ernst.
Barb Heilers dedicated her life to serving the youth of Shelby County. Nowhere was this more evident than her 23 years working in the Hardin-Houston School District. Heilers worked as the secretary of Hardin-Houston Elementary and also devoted numerous years coaching cross country and track within the district. She became an “expert” of sorts applying band aids and soothing bee stings for students sent to the office from mishaps on the playground, in addition to sending hundreds of teeth home in zip lock bags.
Heilers also had countless interactions as a secretary that helped numerous little ones get through the school day. Aside from the school environment, Heilers had an enormous impact on the students who were involved in 4-H. She was the adviser for both the Starting Farmers and Scissors to Sheep Clubs for 15 years. Heilers was a woman of faith and passed this faith on by teaching religion classes at Saints Peter and Paul Catholic Church in Newport.
Her legacy continues to live on today with her husband Ron and in her three children, 10 grandchildren, and thousands of previous Hardin-Houston students and athletes.
Teaching is truly a rewarding experience. The saying “To teach is to touch a life forever” is a motto that Coleen Lumpkin followed over her illustrious 43 ¼ years in education, with 40 of those years as a teacher at Hardin-Houston Elementary. Over the years, many of her past students requested that Lumpkin be their child’s teacher, which speaks volumes to the admiration parents had for her as an educator. She had a great influence on her students’ lives and these same parents wanted her to impact their children’s lives as well. Characteristics such as passionate, unwavering, caring, accountable, and tough define who she was as a teacher and as a person. Within her classroom, Lumpkin was known for her treat closet where she would give treats for 100% papers. At one time, 4th graders were asked, “What would you do if you had to stay at school overnight?” One student quipped, “Not a problem, we will go to Miss Lumpkin’s room and survive on her treat drawer.”
Although she retired at the end of the 2008-09 school year, Lumpkin has remained active with the retired teachers from the Hardin-Houston community and the Delta Kappa Gamma sorority. To this day, Lumpkin still receives personal letters from past students detailing the influence she had on their life. Whether she wants to admit it or not, her legacy is being continued by numerous past students who currently teach in the Hardin-Houston School system.
Henry Ernst, often referred to as Hank, graduated from Fort Loramie High School in 1965. Ernst served his country in the late 1960’s, by completing two tours in the Vietnam War. In 1972, Ernst created Piqua Concrete Company, which included four plants between the Piqua and the Dayton area. Ernst owned and operated this very successful concrete company for 46 years. Shortly thereafter in 1975, Ernst and his wife Linda took up roots in the Hardin-Houston School District and became an instrumental part of the school community for many years.
Ernst was a Hardin-Houston School Board of Education member from 1990-1998, serving in the capacity of board president for seven of those years. It was during these times when Ernst’s skills as a business leader enabled the school district to regain a solid financial footing after years of financial strain. Unbeknownst to most, Ernst’s philanthropy benefitted countless numbers of student groups, athletic teams and provided support for many athletic facility improvements for the district. To this day, Ernst continues to be a humble and generous person, who prefers not to be given any additional public accolades.
