By Marcella Peyre-Ferry

Six athletes will be added to the Oxford Area High School's Sports Wall of Fame on Monday, Oct. 5. Paul Jamison ('38), Joan Bernhang Waldbaum ('48), Allan Hardy ('55) Kim Tatum Robbins ('78), Martin Sumner ('92) and Ben Blevins ('96) will be honored in a special ceremony that the public is being encouraged to attend.

This will be the ninth year that the Oxford Sports Boosters have honored outstanding athletes who are former Oxford High School students. The selection committee chooses honorees from the creation of the High School onward. Each athlete receives a commemorative Eldreth pottery plate and a picture of the group will be hung in the school beside photos of past years recipients.

In past years, the ceremonies have sometimes been sparsely attended. To encourage the community to participate the format has been changed this year. Beginning at 7 p.m., there will be a social time with free coffee and dessert for everyone, followed by the induction ceremony in the High School auditorium. Current Oxford High School athletes and their families as well as friends, family and classmates of the honorees are encouraged to come out to the event.

Some of the outstanding Oxford athletes from the early years of the school have passed away, but they have not been forgotten. The late Paul "Dutch" Jamison, who passed away in 2003, is included in this year's induction ceremonies for his outstanding athletic and academic abilities as well as his service to his country and the Oxford community.

Jamison played soccer, basketball and baseball at Oxford. He played fullback on the soccer team for three years under coaches Marshall Thompson and Francis Coates (both Wall of Fame honorees from prior years). Jamison was captain of the basketball team in his senior year, and catcher on the baseball team for all four of his years at the high school.

In 1938, he graduated with honors after serving as class president for three years. He joined the U.S. Army in 1941, and while in the military retained his interest in sports by organizing casual games of basketball and baseball with friends whenever he could. Jamison continued his spirit of service after four years in the military, and served as a member of the Oxford Area School Board for 12 years.

Joan Bernhang Waldbaum from the class of 1948 played hockey and basketball in high school, but her real athletic talent did not surface until long after she had graduated. Waldbaum is currently a competitive swimmer on the international level in the Senior Games. In 1999 she turned her talent to competitive swimming at the Montgomery County Senior Games and took first place in four events. The next year she qualified for the National Senior Games and continued winning medals, with a gold in the 50-yard breaststroke. As a member of the U.S. team she has traveled to Australia, Argentina and Israel, winning 17 gold medals. She is the oldest swimmer on the U.S. Senior Team.

Allen Hardy from the Class of 1954 was an all round athlete at Oxford, competing on the basketball, track, baseball and soccer teams for Oxford, and earning 12 varsity letters in the process. He is best remembered for one game in particular, during his senior year, where he pitched a no hitter against Parkesburg, with 17 strikeouts in a seven-inning game.

Kim Tatum Robbins ('78) was also a multi sport athlete, earning 11 varsity letters in field hockey, basketball and track and field. She set school records in the high jump, long jump and triple jump, and was the first female athlete from Oxford to qualify for the PIAA track and field state championships. Her talent was recognized in many ways, including being named one of the Chester County Top 10 basketball players three years in a row. As a senior, she was named outstanding player of the year in basketball and track and field, and at graduation received the Philadelphia Bulletin's Scholar Athlete Award.

Martin Sumner from the class of 1992 earned 12 varsity letters in soccer, basketball and tennis, winning the Coaches Award for outstanding athlete in 1992.

In soccer in his senior year, he was co-captain and made first team for the All SCCL, and All District second team. He also played on Oxford's 1990 basketball team, which reached the state playoffs for the first time in 15 years. In tennis as part of the 1991 SCCL co-champion team, he was league singles champion, and league doubles champion. He finishes with a career record of 50-3, with 38-1 in the SCCL.

The youngest of this year's Wall of Fame honorees is Ben Blevins from the class of 1996. Blevins was a four-time varsity football letter winner and team co captain in his junior and senior years, and was named to the first team in the Delaware Valley Conference.

Blevins was also a four-time varsity letter winner in wrestling and a three-time district champion with over 100 wins. He was a three-time district champion, placing fifth at the PIAA championships in his junior year and the next year was named the Chester County Senior Athlete of the Year.

Selection committee member Bill Ringler tells how each year they fear they will not be able to find someone new to add to the Sports Wall of Fame, but each time they find many talented people to choose from.

Ringler hopes that the new format for the event will encourage more members of the community to come out and show their appreciation for the men and women who have contributed significantly to Oxford sports history. "We hope we can get more people to come. This is always interesting," he said.