The universal sign of excitement in sports is screaming and foot stomping. On Friday afternoon, George Pinkham got a healthy dose of both from Bow Memorial School students.
Pinkham returned to the polished wooden floors where he worked for 42 years as a gym teacher for a ceremony that would name the gym after him for a decade. He’s only been retired since June, but returned to a hero’s welcome when he ran through a tunnel of students and burst through a banner with the phrase “Welcome to Pinky’s house.”
Students shouted. They whooped. And they shook noisemakers emblazoned with soccer balls in honor of Pinkham’s legacy in the district: he is credited with helping to bring soccer to the district in the 1970s, and continues to coach the boys’ varsity team.
There were other, calmer forms of praise too. Muriel Hall, a computer literacy teacher at BMS, nominated Pinkham for the distinction, noting one of the district’s criteria for naming a facility after a staffer was moral character. “George, with you, that was definitely a slam dunk,” she said.
The Bow School Board received over 30 letters and emails on the subject of renaming the gym after Pinkham, most of which were positive, according to district documents. Chase Chamberlin, a senior at Bow High School who spoke at the event, credited Pinkham with instilling hundreds of athletes with the discipline and character needed to succeed.
“You made me the man I am today,” he said.
Pinkham’s recognition doesn’t stop in the town: Pinkham also has a host of official recognitions under his belt, including four state soccer championship titles and six runner-up seasons. He’s been the N.H. Soccer Coaches Association’s Coach of the Year four times, and was inducted into the organization’s hall of fame. He’s also been the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Mondo’s coach of the year twice.
Pinkham, of Henniker, stayed humble despite all the ruckus, thanking the administration and his colleagues for supporting him throughout his career.
“It hasn’t always been smooth, but I’m lucky to have landed in a community like this, one that appreciates teachers and students and values education,” he said.
But he saved his warmest remarks for his formers students, many of whom ran up to him for one last hug or picture as the afternoon buses were being called .
“If you were rotten kids, do you think I would have wanted to come in here everyday? No, but you were a great group – you were great kids,” he said. “Thank you.”
(Caitlin Andrews can be reached at 369-3309, candrews@cmonitor.com or on Twitter at @ActualCAndrews.)