Neve Harms Award: Greater Peoria Sports Hall Of Fame


Neve Harms Award

The Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame Neve Harms Award, formerly the Peoria Advertising and Selling Club's Annual Meritorious Service to Sports Award, was named the Neve Harms Award in 1966 and for a very good reason.

As Director of Proctor Recreation Center, Harms observed the need for all youths to experience participation in sports activities, and not just the few who excelled. He, therefore, adopted a firm policy which assured that all youths would have an opportunity to play in games of the various sports controlled by Proctor Center. This plan met with much success and certainly with acceptance by parents whose children became more interested in sport activities at Proctor and consequently made good use of their free time.

Neve carried through this policy when he was appointed Superintendent of the Peoria City Recreation Department which later became part of the Peoria Park District. In addition, he also developed a system of recognition for all youths so that each young person could feel good about his or her efforts.

This kind of interest in all youths regardless of ability came from a most competitive and outstanding athlete. Neve was a four-sport player at Manual High School and a three-sport letter winner at Bradley University. He was a member of the 1929 Manual High School State Championship Basketball team.

NEVE HARMS MERITORIOUS SERVICE AWARD WINNERS Click name for further details about each awardee

2007	Russ Platt
2006	Gary Trotter	1992	Dr. Bernard Cahill	1978	Quentin Yerby
2005	Dr. B. Michael Higgins	1991	Tom Lowery	1977	Charles Orsborn
2004	Mike Burns		Walt Eisele	1976	Paul Reatherford
2003	Dan Shea	1990	Bruce Saurs	1975	Peter BardezBanian*
2002	Mike Persich	1989	Bonnie Noble	1974	Dawdy Hawkins*
2001	Dale White		Pat Sullivan	1973	Leo Schrall*
2000	Jim Watson	1988	Ed Dwyer	1972	Chuck McCord*
1999	Larry Stranz	1987	Bill Suits	1971	Stretch Miller*
1998	Ray Picl	1986	Mike Olson	1970	Dick Baxter*
1997	Ray White*	1985	Chuck McCord*	1969	Left Tyler*
1996	Carol May	1984	Lew Williams*	1968	Ed Saurs*
1995	Cliff Coddington	1983	Steve Shostrom	1967	Tony Van Dyke*
1994	Bud Ruff	1982	Mark Olson	1966	Kenny Jones*
1993	Dr. William Hart*	1981	Clarence Faucett*
	Dr. Robert Hart	1980	Harold Lintz
	Clarence Ward	1979	Harold "Pete"Vonachen
	Pat Cusack*
	James Kenny



					*DECEASED

Seeing that awards prior to 1981 were offered through the Peoria Advertising Club, rather than the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame, we don't have biographies for these individuals. If anyone would be able to provide the bios that were written by the club at the time of the awards, we would very much appreciate receiving them for posting. We are also missing the Bruce Saurs' bio that was written in the 1991 Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame Banquet book, and we would like to receive it also. We are specifically interested in the bios written at the time of the awards, not more or less current. Please contact Ron at aimcmc@aol.com.