Garmer Currie left Milwaukee North and did big things.
With the Blue Devils, he enjoyed a successful six-year run as the school’s boys basketball coach, leading it to the only state basketball title in its illustrious history in 1980.
He eventually returned to his hometown of Memphis and enjoyed continued success at Treadwell High School, where he coached future pros Penny Hardaway and Elliot Perry.
Like so many others, Currie left North and took off. The school has been the launching pad to not only some of the richest athletic history in the city but also an impressive list of alumni that include former Milwaukee Public Schools superintendent Howard Fuller and U.S. Congresswoman Gwen Moore.
These days there is a movement afoot to highlight the school’s past while nurturing the next generation of North graduates.
The North Division Hall of Fame will induct its 2011 class from 7-9 p.m. Oct. 21 at the school and host a banquet in honor of the inductees Oct. 22 at the Hilton Garden Inn (11600 W. Park Place). This is the third class for the Hall, which was started in 2008 to bring attention and restore some pride to the school and is changing into something more impactful.
The Hall of Fame has teamed with the North Division Alumni Association of Milwaukee and the Walnut Way Conservation Corp., to come into the school and mentor students and foster the kind of leadership that Jim Smith (Class of 1963) believes made North great.
“We were leaders in the school,” said Smith, a member of the Hall’s executive committee. “We were hall monitors and had a leadership role and were looked up to at the school to really set an example, a tone.”
This year the groups were at school on opening day, handing out planners and welcoming the students to the building.
Smith said the groups plan to be active throughout the school year and feels the students welcomed them with open arms.
“They were happy to see that some adults cared about them,” Smith said. “They thought they were lost, that no one cared about them.
“It kind of motivates you to say these kids aren’t what they say they are. They just need somebody to show they care and love them and want to see them succeed.”
For the North Division Athlete Hall of Fame, this is an extension of the help they’re providing former North standout Tasha Allen as she pursues a college education and track career at New Mexico Junior College, sending her care packages and a few dollars to meet expenses.
She’s a sure-fire hall of famer, though her class won’t be eligible for a few years.
Here is a quick look at the 2011 class that will join Currie later this month.
Gisela Benning: The longtime athletic director used to coach girls track.
Cullen Carey (1965): A three-time all-City wrestler and two-time City champ.
Douglas Houston English (’61): Helped the Blue Devils set state records in the 880-yard relay in 1960 and ’61
Elton Gillie, (’75): An all-City football first-team pick on offense and defense as a senior
Eugene Hamilton (’59): Helped the Blue Devils reach three state basketball tournaments.
Curtiss E. Harris (’57): Believed to be the first African-American named all-City at quarterback.
Theresa Wright Hudson (’80): A member of the 1,600-meter relay that set a state record that stood until 2010.
Milton F. Johnson (’58): A track standout who was a member the state champion 880 relay as a junior and senior.
Harold Lee (’69): The two-time all-City guard helped the Blue Devils go undefeated in the City as a junior.
Jimmy Love (’64): A three-time letterwinner who led the basketball team to a 25-1 record in 1963.
Bill Malone (’60): Earned seven letters in football, wrestling in track.
Jeffrey May (’70): A nine-time letterwinner who was a City champion in wrestling and an all-City football pick.
Tom Nitzsche (’55): The first diver in school history to win a City title.
David M.L. Reneau (’65): Won multiple City track titles.
Ervin Terry (’74): A three-time all-City basketball player.
For more information about the event, contact Jim Smith at (414) 372-9246 or Mike Cummings at (414) 464-5350.
Send email to mstewart@journalsentinel.com