Arcanum Athletic Hall of Fame

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Arcanum News for the week of Jan. 24, 2022

By Vickie Rhodehamel

Saturday, Jan. 22, Arcanum High School hosted the induction of three Arcanum graduates into the Athletic Hall of Fame. This year’s inductees are: Mr. Lonnie Norris, Mr. Fred Troutwine, and Mrs. Ashley Falknor Liette. The on court induction ceremony took place at the conclusion of the JV Boys Basketball game versus Russia in the High School Gym. Congratulations to this year’s inductees.

Lonnie Norris was a 1958 graduate of Arcanum High School who earned 6 varsity letters as an athlete at Arcanum. He lettered two years in basketball, three years in baseball, and one year in cross country. Lonnie played on the 1956 state basketball championship team and was also the basketball co-captain for the 1958 district championship team. His senior year of baseball, he was selected to play in the Ohio East-West All-Star game. Lonnie continued his athletic career earning a scholarship to play sports at Ohio Northern University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in education. During Lonnie’s basketball career at Ohio Northern, he received NAIA All-American Honorable Mention in 1962 and was named the Most Outstanding Player on the 1961-62 team. Lonnie was the first Ohio Northern basketball player to ever receive an All-American status and is a member of the Ohio Northern Athletic Hall of Fame. During his baseball career at Ohio Northern, Lonnie was selected for all-district catcher. He was then invited to try out with the Pittsburgh Pirates and the Philadelphia Phillies in the National League, but he turned them down to get married and start a family. Lonnie continued to use his athletic abilities to impact others by becoming a successful coach. He has been inducted into the Springboro and West Carrollton Hall of Fame for his coaching accomplishments. Lonnie’s induction into the Arcanum Athletic Hall of Fame honors his accomplishments as a high school athlete. Accepting this honor are Lonnie’s five children: Missie, Lennie, Kelly, Darcey, Ramie, and his widow, Connie.

Fred Troutwine was a 1959 graduate of Arcanum High School. Fred participated in basketball, baseball, track and field and cross country at Arcanum. Some of his team accomplishments include 1956 State Champions in basketball as well as 1955 and 1956 Regional Runners Up in baseball. Fred held the single game rebounding record for a period of time for pulling down an impressive 29 rebounds in one game. He was a member of the National Honor Society his junior year and became president his senior year. After graduating high school, Fred went on to play two years of JV basketball at Wittenberg University. Fred graduated from Wittenberg with a degree in Business Administration. After college, he came back to Arcanum to join the family business of Troutwine Auto Sales Inc. He married Carolyn and together they had daughter, Tammy; and three sons, Scott, John, and Chad. Along with Fred’s success in athletics he has become an asset to the Arcanum community through serving as the President of the Arcanum Area Business Association, Arcanum Wayne Trail Historical Society, and has been a board member of the Arcanum Community Involvement Committee, Wayne Hospital, and Greenville National Bank. Along with his involvement in the community, Fred continues to be a loyal supporter of Arcanum Athletics.

Ashley (Falknor) Liette is a 2007 graduate of Arcanum High School who earned 11 varsity letters as an athlete at Arcanum. She lettered all four years in basketball and softball, and three years in volleyball. As a standout three-sport athlete, she was named all Cross County Conference (CCC) for 4 years in basketball and softball, and 3 years in volleyball. She currently holds the Arcanum High School record of most free throws in a season with 124 her Junior year. She also had a 52.9% three-point field goal percentage her senior year. Ashley also has her name in the state record book for consecutive free throws made and free throws made in a single game. While at Arcanum some of her team accomplishments included being a part of the 2004 District Runner-up softball team, 2005 CCC Champion volleyball team, and the 2006 CCC Champion softball team. After her high school career she continued playing basketball at Gardner-Webb University from 2007-2009 and then transferred to Urbana University to play from 2009-2011. Ashley graduated from Urbana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in engineering and is now a Senior Quality Engineer at Perrigo Nutritionals. She is a member of the Harrison Street Baptist Church. Ashley resides in Versailles, Ohio with her husband Jordan Liette and two sons, Grayson and Carter.

Congratulations to all three of these honored AHS graduates and former athletes, Arcanum is very proud of your accomplishments in both your personal and professional lives. All the members of the Arcanum Athletic Hall of Fame have given our community many proud moments. I can personally recall my parents talking about how much fun they had in 1956 cheering on the boys’ basketball team throughout the tournament, the nostalgia and the recognition in southwest Ohio. I also personally watched Ashley play in all three sports and enjoyed the camaraderie that she had with her teammates and the sportsmanship she displayed game in/game out. This is most definitely a win in resilience for all of these individuals as well as the heartfelt appreciation from the community for taking us along for the ride.

“When I was a little boy, I didn’t know what the Hall of Fame was. I was just playing the game of baseball, and I wanted to be just like my dad.” ~Roberto Alomar

“We would accomplish many more things if we did not think of them as impossible.” ~Vince Lombardi

“A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives.” ~Jackie Robinson

Vickie Rhodehamel is a volunteer citizen columnist, who serves The Daily Advocate readers weekly with her Arcanum community column. She can be reached by calling 937-423-3763, by e-mail at [email protected]. Viewpoints expressed in the article are the work of the author. The Daily Advocate does not endorse these viewpoints or the independent activities of the author.

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