SIDNEY — The Fairlawn Local Schools Alumni Association will be inducting its newest members on Saturday, June 4into the school’s Hall of Honor. The theme for this year’s celebration is “Chalkboard Memories” The ceremony will take place after dinner at the Fairlawn Local School’s cafeteria at 6:30 p.m.
The honorees this year are Lowell and Rita Borland, Jim and Sue Hetzler and Steve Partington.
Lowell and Rita Borland were married in 1945. Lowell attended Pemberton School in the 1920s and later was hired as a bus driver for the district. Lowell was later employed as a custodian for the school district. Lowell and Rita farmed and owned the ground surrounding the current Fairlawn Local Schools building. Lowell passed away in 1994 and Rita passed away in 2015. Upon their mother’s death, the children, Craig and Wayne Borland and Rhonda Keister, all Fairlawn graduates, sold the remaining 84 acres around the school to the Fairlawn BOE.
Jim and Sue Hetzler resided in Fairlawn School District since 1946. Neither were Fairlawn Local School graduates, but all three of their daughters were, Janet Worthington, Linda Conard and Sharon Fair. Jim and Sue were both bus drivers for the district for 20 years. Sue was also involved in the PTA, was a room mother and classroom volunteer. Both Jim and Sue were long-time residents of the Fairlawn community and their involvement with students impacted their lives significantly.
Steve Partington is a 1966 graduate of Fairlawn Local School. He has been an advocate for amateur baseball his entire life. He has been a scout for the Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays for over 30 years and coached Sidney American Legion Post 217 from 1984-1989. Partington has been a collegiate umpire since 1976 and is presently the coordinator of umpires for the Ohio Athletic Conference along with 16 other Division III schools and five Division I schools. Steve began the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida in 2008, which is the largest Division I college baseball tournament in the United States.
