Oberlin, Ohio - In a ceremony tonight at the Jesse Philips Physical Education Center, five former Yeomen and Yeowomen were inducted into the John W. Heisman Club's Athletics Hall of Fame. Hugh Robertson ’43, John Miller ’56, Bruce Schennum ’74, Elizabeth “Bepi” Barry ’97, and Katherine Bowers ’98 each became members of an elite club of exceptional contributors to the College and the athletics department. George Smith '87, a bureau reporter for ESPN and new Heisman Club President Elect, served as the master of ceremonies for the event.
Hugh Arthur Robertson, Class of 1943
Hugh Robertson was an Oberlin soccer player and pioneer of the men’s lacrosse program during his war-interrupted Yeomen athletics career, which began in 1939 and concluded in 1950.
In addition to playing four years of soccer, Robertson left a legacy in a sport he truly loved, lacrosse. In 1941 he organized the first collegiate lacrosse game west of the Alleghenies and captained the lacrosse club, which played an additional three games that year before being suspended due to World War II. After serving as a naval officer in the war, Robertson returned to Oberlin College and worked to reactivate the lacrosse club, serving as both a player and a coach from 1948-1950 while doing graduate work at Oberlin.
Robertson’s contributions to Oberlin were not limited to the athletics fields, as he was extremely active in numerous student media organizations including service as the business manager of the college newspaper, the college pictorial magazine, and the college literary magazine. He also served as the campus correspondent to both the
Cleveland Press and
The Cleveland Plain Dealer.
After graduation from Oberlin, Robertson worked as a reporter and photographer for the
Cleveland Press, where he won the American Newspaper Guild Award. He subsequently formed a consulting company that focused on professional management and sales training, and he was a frequent contributor to professional and business publications.
Robertson passed away in November, 2008. The 2009 men’s lacrosse team dedicated their season in his honor.
John W. Miller , Class of 1956
John Miller was a standout runner for Oberlin’s cross country and track and field teams from 1952-1956, earning six letters while setting numerous school records.
Miller’s two-mile time of 9:24.2 and four-mile mark of 20:13.5 will forever be entrenched in the OC record books. On the cross country terrain, he shattered records in meets at Wooster, Geneva, Adrian, Depauw, Case, Western Reserve and Otterbein. Miller capped off his sensational career by leading the Yeomen to an Ohio Conference Championship. At the meet, he broke his own personal record by a full second in his last race in front of the faithful Yeomen fans. Miller, nicknamed the “Flying Feather,” also had a stellar senior campaign on the track. He won many one and two-mile races which contributed to the Yeomen claiming an undefeated season, including an upset win over Denison.
Miller took advantage of the opportunities afforded him by Oberlin through athletics and academics. He described the camaraderie of his teams as “anything but ordinary,” and went on to say, “The close sense of community that Oberlin athletics created was far more valuable than any national recognition I might have received.” During the 1954-1955 school year, Miller attended the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, and competed for its cross country team.
After Oberlin, Miller earned a master’s degree in creative writing from the City University of New York.
Bruce Dixon Schennum, Class of 1974
Bruce Schennum was a legendary hockey and lacrosse player for Oberlin from 1970-1974, earning a total of six letters and leaving behind a legacy of greatness, especially on the ice. He has been described as “the single best player ever to skate at Oberlin” and “Oberlin’s Wayne Gretzky.”
Inside the rink, Schennum earned four letters and ripped through Oberlin’s record books, establishing new marks in every major offensive category. His single-game records include: goals (7), assists (5) and points (12). Schennum also put together the greatest single season in school history with 35 goals, 35 assists and 62 points during the 1973-74 campaign. Additionally, his career totals of 91 goals, 99 assists and 190 points top the record books.
Obviously a prolific offensive player, Schennum also distinguished himself on defense and was a three-time All-Midwest College Hockey Association (MCHA) defenseman. Earning multiple all-tournament team honors during his career, Schennum guided his squad to a 22-6 record and an MCHA runner-up finish in his senior season. Schennum was also a two-year letterwinner and starter for the lacrosse team.
After his graduation from Oberlin in 1974, Schennum served as assistant hockey coach at Lehigh University for one season and continued to remain active in athletics for years after, serving as a youth coach in hockey, soccer, baseball, and basketball. Today, Schennum is the Vice President and Director of Research & Education at Quantum Incorporated.
Elizabeth “Bepi” Barry, Class of 1997
A five-time letterwinner in lacrosse and soccer, Elizabeth Barry dominated play on both fields from 1993-1997.
In each of her three seasons on the lacrosse team, Barry was named to the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team and twice earned IWLCA All-Region honors. In her senior season, she led the NCAC with 64 goals and was named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year en route to earning NCAA All-America accolades. With Barry spearheading the team, the Yeowomen climbed from the bottom of the NCAC standings her freshman year to the conference championship in her senior campaign. During her time at Oberlin, she also earned two letters in soccer, winning NCAC Player of the Week honors in each season.
In addition to her great success in athletics while at Oberlin, Barry was very active off the field. She was president of the Forum Board, a member of the Honor Committee, and worked at the student union for three years. Barry spent her junior year studying abroad in Kenya. While in Africa, she accomplished yet another amazing feat: climbing the continent’s three highest mountains.
After graduating from Oberlin in 1997, Barry, affectionately known as “Bepi,” went on to work as a book designer, publishing editor, filmmaker and web designer. In 2007 she earned a master’s of architecture from Yale University and currently works for Kuhn Riddle Architects in Amherst, Massachusetts, a position she describes as her true calling.
Katherine Bowers, Class of 1998
Katherine [Roberts] Bowers was a standout soccer and lacrosse athlete for Oberlin from 1994-1998. She also competed on the track team for one season to finish her illustrious career with a total of nine letters and numerous individual awards.
On the soccer pitch, Bowers earned North Coast Athletic All-Conference honors in all four years of play and was once named to the All-Ohio Second Team; however, she truly left her mark on the lacrosse field. In addition to being named all-conference four times, Bowers was the NCAC Rookie of the Year in 1995 and Offensive Player of the Year in her senior season. A two-time All-Region selection, Bowers was tabbed an NCAA All-American after her senior campaign. A member of the NCAC All-Decade Team, Bowers guided the Yeowomen to three NCAC championships.
In addition to her accomplishments as an athlete, Bowers found time to pursue her interest as a pianist while at Oberlin and continues playing piano and violin today. Following her graduation from Oberlin, she held soccer and lacrosse coaching positions at Oberlin, Ohio State, and Capital University. She earned her master’s in public health in 2004 from George Washington University and, in the summer of 2009, will complete a Ph.D. in epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University, where she has worked researching autism.