By Gene Neudigate

What was it like living at 6175 Winthrop Avenue in Indianapolis? It was just one block south of Broad Ripple Avenue, across the Street from School No. 80, and just two blocks from Broad Ripple High School.

As of this writing, I am now 84 years of age. Looking back these were some of the most exciting years of my life.

The year: 1944. I was 10 years old when a friend who lived two houses down the street-his name was Charles Pettijohn-asked me to go with him to a basketball game at Broad Ripple High School. I had no idea what a basketball game was like. We watched the junior varsity game, and I asked Charles if it was time to go home. He informed me there was a varsity game next. I had never been in a gymnasium like this-it had glass backboards. That night I fell in love with basketball. Every day when I got out of School No. 80, I would run two blocks just to watch the team practice. I had become a basketball fanatic.

The 1944-45 Broad Ripple team lost only one game all season and ended up in the Final Four for the state championship. These guys were my heroes: Max Allen, Floyd Chaffee, Ralph Chapman and Dee Baker, all great ball players.

They finally put basketball goals in the playground at School No. 80. My mother had a hard time getting me home; I played night and day. My good friend, Dan Wakefield, had a goal put in his back yard. Dan, Itchy Richardson and I played almost every day. If it had not been for Dan's goal, I don't think I would have played ball in school.

Thank you, Dan, for all you have done for me.

I'm putting these thoughts down today because of the sad news of the closing of Broad Ripple High School, the school that brought great memories to so many.

I can still hear the words to the great fight song: Hail to Broad Ripple, on to victory...

The school may be closed, the buildings removed or whatever they decide-I will always be proud to say I went to Broad Ripple, one of the best schools in Indianapolis.

Farewell to buildings ... farewell to football fields... But never farewell to Broad Ripple.

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