[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 149 (2003), Part 17]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 23230]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        TRIBUTE TO BILL STEARMAN

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. MIKE PENCE

                               of indiana

                    in the house of representatives

                     Wednesday, September 24, 2003

  Mr. PENCE. Mr. Speaker, in Indiana, high school basketball is a 
passion. My home state has produced thousands of first-rate players and 
coaches since the 1940s. And one such hero passed away on Tuesday at 
the age of 79.
  Coach Bill Stearman's basketball acumen earned him legendary status 
throughout Indiana. His Columbus High and then Columbus North teams won 
714 games, included among them two semistate titles, 12 regional 
championships and 27 sectional crowns. amassed an impressive resume 
including two undefeated regular season teams before being inducted 
into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983.
  But, Mr. Speaker, while all of Indiana will mourn the passing of an 
outstanding basketball coach, Bill Stearman's hometown of Columbus, 
Indiana will mourn the passing of a great man and Christian role model 
to generations of Columbus High School students, myself included.
  Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the City of Columbus, I extend heartfelt 
sympathies to Bill Stearman's family, specifically his son Bill, his 
grandson Sloan and his sister Katherine. Coach Stearman embodied both 
the Hoosier Hysteria of Indiana high school basketball and the Hoosier 
Hospitality of Indiana's caring communities. He will be deeply missed.

                          ____________________