Warren Wilbert
In the Fall of 1957-58, your freshman year I believe, I must have been
one of the faculty who welcomed your class to campus. Perhaps I even had
a student or two as an advisee. If I did, and they're as successful
as most CHS grads were, it can be said that they actually survived the
hard-bitten old coach who used to hang out in the "Old
Gym"!
At the end of the 1961-62 basketball season I was in Chicago on the very night Wilt Chamberlain scored a still-record 100 points. I had my King's Men team from the Springfield Seminary in town to play in the Concordia Invitational Tournament. In that tournament we played Seward in the semis and beat them. Andy (KC) Fields and I exchanged a few words after the game, but I didn't get to talk to any of the other players who were on the team that I had coached at CHS in 57-58. The next night we won the tournament, beating St. Louis in the finals. I was at Concordia Theological Seminary from 1958 on.
In the years that followed I stayed with the Seminary in the Division of Pastoral Theology until 1986, when I accepted a call to Concordia University Ann Arbor to initiate and administer an adult degree completion program, serving as the Dean of Lifelong Learning until my retirement in 1993.
Prior to my 1954-58 years at CHS Seward, I had been at Detroit Lutheran High School (1949-54).
Presently "Papa", as they call me, has 11 grandchildren and my first great grandson Ethan will be one year old in March. My wife Ginny (we were married 53 years, and this year would have marked #60) died in 2003.
I've spent most of my retirement writing (12 books on major league baseball and a couple on adult Christian education) -- and my "other passion", traveling. The Florida Keys - a sort of second home.
By the way - I'll most likely be in Seward for Homecoming Oct. 1-2-3 - will I see you then? Hope so!
With very best regards and blessings to you and all of yours,
Warren Wilbert