Remembering Howard & Oscar Wren, Roy Mosier & Bill Hedges
By Jim Turner


Posted on January 1, 0001 12:00 AM



The weekend before Thanksgiving was especially painful for the Land of Logan as some of the best-known and often most-respected people in the county died. In addition to well-known Schochoh leader Betty Rouse, they included educators Roy Mosier and Howard Wren, former Auburn Mayor Oscar Ray Wren and Russellvillian Bill Hedges.

A couple of days later, the man who might have been Logan County’s most widely known resident, Brother Joe Carrico, also died. Please see a tribute to his memory on The LoJo at http://www.theloganjournal.com/Stories.aspx?Article=news189

We asked Facebook users to share their thoughts about these people and got several memorable responses.

 

Howard Wren

Howard Wren was a multi-sports star at Russellville High School. He was the designated passer on the 1950 Panther football team that went undefeated and was ranked second overall in the state. He may have been even better as a baseball player. He is a member of the school’s Athletic Hall of Fame.

 

I remember the first day of school in the fall of 1959. My seventh grade class had moved across the street from Logan Elementary to the high school building. Our p.e. class was in the high school gym just below Rhea Stadium. The newest member of the faculty was our gym teacher. “I know a lot of you have known me most of your lives, but you’ve got to start calling me ‘Coach Wren’ instead of ‘Howard,’” he said. All of us did.

 

After Waymond Morris coached the Panthers to their first Class A state finals in 1964, he accepted the coaching position at Daviess County in his hometown, Owensboro.  He took Coach Wren with him. Howard didn’t come home until the fall of 1976 when Russellville hired Ken Barrett to resurrect the football program. When Barrett accepted Superintendent Jim Young’s offer to come to the field that is now named for him, he stipulated that Howard Wren would be brought back to RHS as his assistant. That proved to be a winning combination, especially when they were joined by another RHS football legend, Buddy Linton. Even though he was a (physically) lightweight back, Wren became the line coach because that was what Barrett needed most.

 

Young certainly was willing to hire Wren to return home. They had been on the faculty together at RHS and were called up together along with several other Russellvillians as National Guard members during the Berlin Crisis in 1961. “The first time I met Howard was in the forties when I was a 16-year-old playing American Legion ball in Russellville,” remembers Young, who was a star athlete at Adairville. “He was only 14, so he was our bat boy.”

 

When he returned home, Wren brought with him his wife Janice, who became a teacher in the school system, daughter Jamie (Whitaker), who was a cheerleader, and son Clay, an excellent athlete who is now one of the top teachers of basketball officiating in the country.

 

As an educator, Wren served as RHS guidance counselor and middle school principal. As a businessman, he teamed with Barrett and Greg Owens to open Go Sports, Russellville’s sporting goods dealership. Wren and Barrett also served together as members of Russellville City Council.

 

Here’s what others had to say about Howard Wren:

 

Larry Johnson (star player of the earliest football teams Wren coached):  Howard Wren was one of the finest coaches I ever had and a true friend. We got to be real close for the last two years. I got to know the man and he truly was a true Democrat and a gentleman, and he and his wife Janice were meant to be together. Loved the guy.”

Jesse Woolridge (a starting lineman on one of Russellville’s state championship football teams): “He saved my life so many times in high school ! He will surely be missed!”

Oscar York (Woolridge’s cousin and a standout football and basketball player_: ”Coach Wren—they don't make 'em no better. Coach, Mentor and Friend.”

Ann Piper Pember: “Howard was in the 1952 RHS graduating class. My mother (English teacher Eleanor Piper) sponsored that class and she was very fond of him, and he of her. I, too, considered him a good friend.:

Jim Humphrey (RHS graduate and architect):  The death of Howard Wren stirred a lot of memories of him as an athlete, especially his passing skills on the football field. I'm pretty sure RHS was still running the ‘single wing’ formation and from the position of tailback Howard was the main passer. His delivery was something like a side-arm baseball throw, but boy was he accurate with the ball. I really think he could have thrown a perfect pass the full length of the field. He was a great athlete, coach and mentor for so many that came after him. I don't have a copy of the RHS yearbook from that era but names like Leon Douglas, Joe Johnson, Dickie Glenn, Tony and Frank Banfield, James "JB" Brown and others come to mind and made for some exciting football.”

Tom Noe (former RHS athlete and county attorney:  “I went back to look at the old RHS yearbook from 1960 and 1961 to see the pictures of Coach Wren. I wanted to remember the young, hard-working assistant coach who was always a friend of the student athletes. Howard had a deep and sincere love for this community.”

Veronica Johnson  (Russellville teacher and coach):  I am reminded of how Coach Howard Wren hugged me and told me how proud he was when I got my Master's degree. But the best was when I told him this past summer that I was going back to school for another degree in school counseling! He laughed and then told me I was crazy...however, he then hugged me and told me that it would be the best and most rewarding job of my life (and he should know since he was my guidance counselor in high school)! I just hope that I'm half as good of a counselor as he was.”

Roy Mosier

“Inspiration” and “role model” are terms often used to describe Roy Mosier. He was a familiar sight at RHS and at ball games, wherever young people were gathered. He had muscular shoulders and arms, bulging from short-sleeved shirts. Those muscles had been built by carrying his body on crutches for six decades or so. Usually a camera was hanging from his neck.

 

Roy developed polio when he was 12 years old, shortly before Dr. Jonas Salk developed a vaccine to combat the crippling disease. Maybe it was Salk’s work that made Roy interested in science as a youngster and as a teacher who emphasized science projects as an adult. He repeatedly had students at Bardstown and Russellville schools qualify for the International Science & Engineering Fair all over the country.

 

After graduating from Austin Peay, he taught eight years at Todd Central High School. There he met and married a young Todd woman, Ann Potter. She has spent her adult years as Roy’s wife and loyal companion, as the mother of Karen and Shawn, and as administrative assistant for a myriad of superintendents in the Bardstown and Russellville schools.

 

In 1971 the Kentucky Jaycees named him Outstanding Young Educator in the state. The next year, the National Association of Biology Teachers selected him as Outstanding Biology Teacher in Kentucky. Then in 1980, RHS student Susan Apple (Fox) wrote about him in an essay contest with the theme “Speaking Out—Voices of Disabled People.” She finished second in the state in the contest, and Kentucky’s champion went on to be the national winner. Christine Evans of the Bowling Green Manpower Service read the article and nominated him for an award. As a result, Roy Mosier was named Handicapped Kentuckian of the Year by the Department of Human Resources. Gov. Martha Layne Collins presented him the award at a ceremony in Frankfort. “I don’t consider myself to be handicapped, but if my receiving this award helps inspire someone to overcome disabilities, then I’m glad to accept it,” he said.

 

I knew Roy in many ways. My mother, Marie Turner, urged Superintendent Young to hire him for the RHS science department she headed. I helped move the Mosiers into their West Seventh Street home before they relocated to C. Dodson Lane as our neighbors. Roy was one of our key photographers at the News-Democrat & Logan Leader when I was in editorial positions. He also took group pictures of the many teams our children played on. Most importantly, we worshiped together and served as deacons together. Add to that is Ann Mosier is one of our favorite people in the world.

 

Following are comments some others had to say about Roy Mosier individually and about him and Howard together.

 

Dr. Larry Winn (retired head of the WKU Communication Department):  I was fortunate to have Roy Mosier as a teacher right after he graduated from college. At Clifty Consolidated School, I took his science class my freshman year and his biology class my sophomore year.  His high character was obvious from the start, and from his first day on the job, he was an excellent teacher.  He wanted us to learn, he knew how to teach us, and we did learn. 

“Even now, I remember specific information from his classes. I remember his teaching about hydrotropism (plant roots grow toward water); this thought crossed my mind when I started watering trees deep and just outside the drip-line to encourage the roots to grow deep and long.

“I also remember that Mr. Mosier as an energetic and vigorous person (with those big arm muscles, he could beat any student at arm wrestling). He attended Clifty’s basketball games and cheered loudly for his (America’s?) team.   

“Although I’ve thought of him often through the years, I never saw Mr. Mosier after I graduated.   That’s a loss that I regret. I wish I’d let him know how much I appreciated him.” 

Travis Bryan (evangelist, radio personality and nursing home chaplain):  Mr. Mosier was my biology teacher at RHS. He never let a disability stop him, and I am thankful I got to know him. I recently got reacquainted with him during his short stay at Creekwood. He was an inspiration!”

Alicia S. Crawford:  “Mr. Mosier was a good teacher. He was intelligent, thoughtful and helpful to his students the best he could.”

Patrick Brown:  “Roy Mosier was a trusted friend and an inspiration to us all.”

Shelly Leigh Drake:  “Mr. Mosierwas always nice to me in school/”

Tony Brown (an RHS alumnus who reminds us that Roy was an adjunct instructor at WKU):  Mr. Mosier was a great teacher. He made microbiology so simple I could understand it. He one best teachers I had at WKU.”

Both Educators

James Baker (RHS graduate and son of late educators Stumpy and Fredia Baker):  I am definitely very sad to hear about Mr. Mosier and Mr. Wren. They meant a lot to our family over the years and were both shining examples of how much you can affect others by dedicating your life to being an educator. The efforts of teachers and coaches are often overlooked. but they have a profound effect on many people that they touch during their lifetimes.”

Ken Clouse (who coached boys basketball at RHS in the late 70s):  Howard Wren and Roy Mosier were both class acts in my book and certainly helped this rookie many years ago.”

Rob Williams (RHS graduate and ag leader):  “I wish I had been as interested in learning as they were interested in me learning. They both always expected the best. I guess my first day at RHS was Mr. Mosier's first day also. He was my homeroom teacher for four years and biology teacher for one.”

Chris Cooper Tanner (RHS graduate):  Iremember both Mr. Mosier and Coach Wren. They were great men! I had a lot of respect for each of them. Good memories! They had a heart for the students at RHS and it showed by the encouragement they gave us. I know they will truly be missed.”

Bob Birdwhistell (retired Lewisburg coach and LCHS principal):  “Old age shows me one thing, you can sure lose good friends fast. Roy Mosier was a good friend, and my friendship with Howard Wren goes back to the early 60s... Losing so many good people is making me look at my age a lot different than I used to.”

 

Oscar Rhea Wren

O.R. Wren was an old-time politician. He understood politics and knew how to play the game. Whenever any elected official or someone else in government visited Logan County, you could count on Oscar Rhea being there to welcome him, even if it didn’t directly affect him or his home town. He had several jobs in Frankfort before returning home to serve several terms as mayor of Auburn.

 

He worked to get grants for the city and was a leader in getting low-income housing on what is now Wrenwood Drive. He served as chairman of the Barren River Area Development District’s board of directors, a position he enjoyed immensely and took seriously.

 

His wife Louise quietly watched after him during the 71 years of their marriage. There were times I’m sure she would have enjoyed having him home more, and she may have wished he would have not been so talkative when they were out together, but she was always supportive in his efforts for the public good. A good citizen herself who was an avid quilter, Louise Wren surprising died before her husband, a year ago this week. The Wrens were proud of their children, Rhea Dean Wren and Faye Puryear, and their grandchildren.

 

I remember his climbing the steep steps to visit me at my second floor desk at the newspaper office instead of letting receptionists call me down to see him, even when he was suffering from broken bones while working at the rental property the Wrens owned, an old hotel in downtown Auburn. He was too thoughtful of others to summon me.

 

I have missed the man I called “the lord high mayor” of Auburn every since he stepped down from public office. I miss him even more this holiday season.

 

Tom Noe, former county attorney for Logan County, said,What can you say about Oscar Rhea, except that he was a strong advocate and leader for Auburn and Logan County? His footprints are all over the place in Auburn. “

 

Says Jane McCarley Thomas, granddaughter of the late Logan County Treasurer John McCarley, who also was an Auburn patriarch,I have heard my granddaddy tell stories about Oscar Rhea Wren all of my life. He was a nice man."

 

Bill ‘Quack’ Hedges

The first day I ever taught school, Bill Hedges was in one of the classes. I continued to teach any way. Bill was so much fun and yet a little irritating as well, similar to men who became his great friends as adults, John Upton and I.E. Helton. I cherish the time I’ve spent with all three of them.

 

Many days during my rookie year as an educator, I would find something added to the pile on my immaculate, neatly kept desk. It would either be a drawing or cutout of the Pillsbury Doughboy. For some odd reason, young Master Hedges thought there was a striking resemblance between this corporate spokesperson and his sophomore English teacher. Of course, he always denied any knowledge of how the cartoon character kept appearing on my desk.

As a senior, he made one of the greatest sacrifices anyone in a play I was directing ever performed. He was playing the young boy in Rally Round the Flag, Boys. He was good at the character. But his early 70’s hairdo made him look more like a flower child than a little lad. I had hinted for weeks that a haircut would make his character more believable, but he steadfastly refused. Then on opening night, the young Quackster appeared with an appropriate hairdo. He was a hit both with both the audience and with his director.

His brother, former Russellville City Attorney Bob Hedges, tells me the article I wrote about that haircut remained on Bill’s desk at the time time of his death. That means a lot to me.

I didn’t call him ‘Quack’. To me, Quack Hedges will always be his sarcastic and delightful dad, Charles ‘Quack’ Hedges. That Quack and Bill and Bob’s mom, Annelle Hedges, ran the Hedges office store on East Fourth Street. Bill learned the trade there, and later owned Hedges Printing off West Ninth. I understand that his grandfather, whom I just knew as veterinarian Dr. N.D. Hedges, was the first Quack Hedges in Logan County.

Mark Griffin (public librarian and author who was Bill’s cousin): “Quack was one of the greats. Russellville is more boring without him.”

Julie Guion Steele (fellow member of the RHS Class of ’71):  Bill was an unforgettable friend.”

Fred Atkinson, who quarterbacked the 1966 Panthers:  Although Coach Wren and Bill Hedges were from different worlds, they both were friends of mine. Coach Wren taught me how to play a sport I loved. I will always remember Quack for his crazy personality and friendship. I hope both have found a good place to rest and can be remembered by all who have known them.”

 


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