PB Hall of Fame: John VanOrman

John VanOrman Jr. talks as he holds the program with his father's picture during the 29th annual Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame induction banquet Thursday at the 5th & 6th Grade Center. VanOrman accepted the award for his father, who died in 1996.

When he introduced John VanOrman into the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame on Thursday night, Tom Hoover said, "John never forgot Poplar Bluff. We forgot John."

Seventy-five years after he won two individual state championships in track, VanOrman was honored posthumously.

VanOrman, who died June 21, 1996 at the age of 82, won the 880-yard title and the mile in record time at the 1934 state championships. His son, John VanOrman Jr., traveled from Colorado to accept the award.

"I knew that my dad had some success running, you know, but it wasn't something he talked about a lot," VanOrman Jr. said after the ceremony.

"That was ancient history to him."

Part of that history was on display as VanOrman's family brought their father's medals back to Poplar Bluff. VanOrman's wife, Inez, couldn't make the trip from Mound City, Mo., where they have lived since 1947, but John Jr. and one of his two sisters, Jane Egbert, attended. Also making the trip with his father from Colorado was Matt VanOrman, one of 10 grandchildren.

VanOrman finished second at state in 1933 in the 880 before winning the event the following year with a time of 2 minutes, 2.8 seconds. He missed the state record time by just 2 seconds but later broke the mile mark with a time of 4:37.5. VanOrman is still the only male athlete to win two state titles in the same year for the Mules.

VanOrman's mother died nine days after he was born and he was adopted by an aunt, Mannie, and her husband, who later divorced, said John Jr. during his acceptance speech. Mannie recognized that John liked athletics and worked hard at it. She encouraged it and also helped get voice training for John, who had a beautiful singing voice, even though she was a single mom working many jobs.

John Jr. thank the community of Poplar Bluff for helping raise a great dad.

"With all this adversity when he was a child, he grew up to be one of the greatest people I've ever met," John Jr. said later. "He was a real gentlemen, a real husband, a great father and it had a lot to do with his environment."

Here's a story from Aug. 6, 2009 by Rob Tate:

The cost for a brand new Chrysler Six model four-door sedan may be a current-day bargain but John VanOrman's way of travel was far more economical, especially at the time.

The Poplar Bluff runner instead used his feet and posted blazing times at Missouri State Track meet in 1934 which is why 75 years after the fact, VanOrman's legacy as a track star will be honored Oct. 1 as he will be inducted into the Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame.

VanOrman makes for interesting choice as Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame President Sam Giambelluca wasn't sure of the whereabouts of VanOrman or any family members at first, but according to a obituary found in the Mound City News, Van Orman died on June 21, 1996 in Holt County. He was born Oct. 13, 1913 in Naylor.

"He was voted on strictly from the biography on the ballot," Giambelluca said.

That biography makes a strong case for this honor though for the red-headed runner.

On May 7, 1934, VanOrman became a two-time state champion with two first place finishes in distance running events for the Poplar Bluff Mules.

VanOrman won the 880-yard run in 2 minutes, 02.8 seconds, narrowly missing the state record by 2.01 seconds.

Later on at the meet, VanOrman jetted to a 4:37.5 first place finish in the mile run, beating the rest of the field by 5 to 6 yards and breaking the state record.

VanOrman's time in the mile was an impressive feat because the world record was 4:07.6 at the time.

VanOrman is still the only male athlete at Poplar Bluff to win two state titles in the same year. Tenisha Britton won two individual state titles in 1999 for the Lady Mules.

Teammates that went to state meet in 1934 along with VanOrman included Richard Townley, Alan Wolpers, Bob Jett, Clarence Hanna, Dick Reed. The Mules finished third as a team in Class B, 3.5 points behind Raytown and 7.5 behind winner Clayton.

VanOrman also finished second in the 880 at the 1933 state championships.

During this time for Poplar Bluff track, the home meets were run at the Fairgrounds on a horse racing track. On March 30 his senior year, Van Orman won the 880 run with a time of 2:11.4 and the mile in 5:10 on a sloppy track following rain.

Van Orman also had a legendary run at the time on April 16 at Maplewood near St. Louis. He set a meet record by 21.6 seconds with a 2:07 run in the 880.

Just 20 minutes prior, VanOrman had run the mile leg in a medley relay where the Mules started the leg in eighth place and 40 yards behind. VanOrman paced his way all the way to the front though to give Poplar Bluff the win with a 3-yard cushion on the second place finisher.

Also in 1934, VanOrman set records in the half mile and mile runs in the Little Six Conference meet and was Most Valuable Athlete in Southeast Missouri Class B meet, winning the mile with a time of 4:52 and half-mile with a time of 2:50.

VanOrman also placed third in the Central States AAU Championship against college runners later that summer.

VanOrman doesn't hold any track records at Poplar Bluff since the mile and 880 no longer are ran.

Arthur Waddle, who was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2006, holds two distance records at Poplar Bluff when he set the 1600-meter mark at 4:14.1 in 1982 and 3200 record at 9:07.6. Jonh-Mark Lewis ran a 1:54.20 in the 800-meter run in 2006, which is nearly 5 meters shorter than an 880-yard race.

Even without any records, VanOrman's feats were enough to sway the initial voters and then the committee's vote.

On the initial ballot, VanOrman's biography reads, "A great high school distance runner. Won mile and half-mile in 1934 state meet. Set state record in mile. Placed 3rd in mile in Central States AAU Championship against college runners."

According to his obituary, VanOrman went on to Westminster College in Fulton but it's not known if he ran track.

To be eligible for election into Poplar Bluff Sports Hall of Fame, a person must be 35, a native of Poplar Bluff who has participated in or contributed to sports here or elsewhere, or a person who came to Poplar Bluff and distinguished themselves here. They must first clear a preliminary ballot of over 100 voters then are voted on by a nine-member board of directors and must receive a minimum of 3/4 of the votes to be elected.

"It was actually the younger guys on the committee that made the most noise about him (making the Hall of Fame)," Giambelluca said.

The only photo Giambelluca could find of VanOrman was from the 1934 PBHS yearbook.