“I taught there from 1960 until it closed in ‘64. In 1966, it was razed.”
Arriving at 1:30 and staying until 5, the men “went down memory lane,” said Price. “He was our coach and our idol, with his Converse shoes. Central didn’t have a gym, so we practiced at the Salvation Army across the street. We were all fascinated that we attended the same school as one of the Wright brothers and Dunbar.
“We called ourselves the ‘Over the River Gang,’ because we all lived in the same neighborhood downtown, and the schools we played were outside of downtown, across the river.”
“Mr. Wheeler was a great influence on our lives,” added Lucious Plant, 73. “You meet people along the way, but he took a big interest in us and offered the guidance we needed. He wants us to call him ‘Jim Wheeler’ now, but he’ll always be Mr. Wheeler to us — he goes back as far as anyone since our parents, and we care a lot about him.
“We try to get together with him every five years, but the pandemic got in the way in ‘21.”
Tony Currington, 72, said of the group, “We all grew up together in our small neighborhood — many grew up on Zeigler Street, I grew up nearby on the corner of Perry and Washington. Most of our neighborhood belongs to Chaminade-Julienne now. After the school was razed, CJ bought up a lot of the land, and the interstate took up more of the neighborhood.
“There are so many tales, and Mr. Wheeler has a great memory, I think he remembers more than we do. It’s so unique to have someone like him in your life.” Currington played in the same seniors’ softball league as Wheeler at Kettering Field until leg issues made him step back a few years ago, but Wheeler still plays.
Darrell Wright, 70, said, “Mr. Wheeler was like a second dad to us. I had him two days a week and really looked forward to them. He taught me tricks on the trampoline, which was on the third floor. We put together a show that we did for the school, and the kids loved it, so we were able to take it to Gorman School for the disabled.
“During our stints, I faked an injury and hobbled off behind a curtain, where I changed into a clown’s outfit, and we’d do tricks on the trampoline.”
Wheeler laughed as he recalled the “acts.’ “I’d jump up on the trampoline and try to catch him — but he’d run under my legs or jump over me — it was fun, and the kids always got a big kick out of it.”
“We’re all just good friends who respect Mr. Wheeler,” said David Cooper, who also grew up on Zeigler. “He helped us a lot.”
The group also shared memories of Terry Raglin, a member who passed away at 66 in 2016. He was a city employee, director of Princeton Recreation Center, and a basketball coach.
“He was the fastest of us all, no one could touch him,” said Plant. “Mr. Wheeler spoke at his funeral and impressed everyone, even though he didn’t know he was on the program until he arrived at the funeral home, where the remaining ‘Over the River Gang’ members sat by him. That was the last time the group was together.”
“As they left the gathering,” said Wheeler, “we got in a circle, put our arms around each other, and Tim said a prayer, which included a ‘thank you for giving us Mr. Wheeler’ — I had tears in my eyes.”
Contact this writer at virgburroughs@gmail.com
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