DONIPHAN -- No family has longer nor deeper ties to Doniphan sports than a father-son duo who will join the 2017 class of inductees into the DHS Sports Hall Of Fame.
The late Richard 'Dick' Brumitt -- former college coach, dedicated booster and mentor -- will join his son, Dr. Tom Brumitt, in being enshrined during a banquet at 6 p.m. Saturday at His Place Fellowship.
Also entering the hall this year will be Milburn 'Bubbie' Moore, Bethany Orendorff and the 1933-34 Doniphan Dons basketball team (which was coached by Tom Burcham, Dick's father-in-law and Tom's grandfather.)
"I feel very honored that both Tom and Dick were selected this year," said Barbara Brumitt, wife and mother of the new inductees.
Tom Brumitt (DHS Class of 1974) was among the school's first football standouts when the sport was revived in 1970. He remains the school's only Coaches High School All-American in history and also earned all-state selection in basketball while playing for Coach Larry Joplin.
After high school, he first signed as a quarterback with the University of Missouri but transferred to Central Methodist College. Moving to the offensive line, he repeated All-America honors at the college level.
After a professional tryout with the St. Louis Football Cardinals was cut short due to health issues, he attended medical school. Today he is a diagnostic radiologist practicing in Cape Girardeau and Poplar Bluff.
Dick Brumitt was a successful college coach at Kansas City University (now part of the University of Missouri system) when he opted to bring his young and growing family back to his wife's hometown. The couple purchased the Ben Franklin store in Downtown Doniphan from his wife's parents.
In a 1998 interview after being named Ripley County Chamber of Commerce Citizen Of The Year, Brumitt recalled how he and his wife welcomed the chance to raise their five children in Doniphan.
His businesses grew to include a laundry mat and the city's first car wash. In a corner of the Ben Franklin store, he opened a sporting goods business where many youngsters purchased their first glove, basketball, football, letter jacket and Chuck Taylor All-Stars (the treasured basketball shoe of the day.)
Brumitt's avid support of education came to the forefront in the mid 1960s when residents in Butler, Ripley, Wayne and Carter counties set out to form the Three Rivers Community College district.
He chaired the college committee in the county and convinced many that a college would be beneficial. After the district won public support, he served for more than 25 years on the board of directors.
For more than 20 years, he served as a coach in the summer park program. An avid golfer, he was a leader in the formation of the Current River Country Club and also served a term as chamber of commerce president and the Downtown Merchants Association. He also was an active member of the United Methodist Church.
After the move to Doniphan in 1960, the family grew to include five children. All participated in Dons and Donettes sports.
Oldest son Rick formerly resided in Texas before moving back to the area. Son, Lee, is an attorney in Kansas City. Daughter Susan Meyer is a teacher in Wichita while youngest daughter Mary Bethzhold also is a teacher and resides in Argyle, Texas.