Dennison High Hall of Fame's 75 inductees include teachers, athletes, fallen servicemen

DENNISON ‒ Jennifer Nussdorfer Rejim is pleased her grandmother, Lucille Nussdorfer, is among the first group of individuals to be inducted into the new Dennison High School Hall of Fame.

"What a huge honor it is for our whole entire family, to see that Grandma's getting that recognition. She certainly didn't do things for the recognition, but it's wonderful to see that," said Rejim, a resident of Hartland, Michigan.

Lucille Nussdorfer was among 75 people inducted into the hall of fame Saturday during the annual Dennison High School Alumni Association banquet at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Dennison. Nussdorfer started the famous Dennison Depot Salvation Army’s Servicemen’s Canteen, which served hot food and coffee to more than a million members of the armed forces during World War II. In addition, she was the first woman to be president of the Dennison Board of Education. She was inducted into the Ohio Women's Hall of Fame in 1994.

Nussdorfer, a member of the Dennison High Class of 1928, died in 2002 at age 92.

'It was so nice just to hear her voice again.'

Rejim attended the induction ceremony with her mother, Donna Nussdorfer, also a resident of Hartland. Before the event, they went to the Dennison Railroad Depot Museum, where they watched a video of Lucille Nussdorfer.

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"It was so nice just to hear her voice again because she had a very, very particular voice and to hear her voice and hear her stories and hear her talking, watch her smile was fun," Donna Nussdorfer said.

They noted Lucille was an accomplished musician, but also very short. She stood at 4 feet, 9 inches. When she was child, she would play the piano at churches and pageants. The organizers would have to put telephone books on the chair so she could reach the keys.

"She had the spunk and spirit far beyond her height," Rejim said.

Each year, the Depot Museum awards the Lucille Nussdorfer Tuscarawas County Woman of the Year Award to a woman who makes a significant impact in her community.

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Asked how her grandmother would have reacted to an award named after her, Rejim said, "I can hear her giggling from heaven right here. She would absolutely giggle and thought it was a lot of fun. She really wouldn't have thought she needed it, but she would have giggled about it. She would have enjoyed it. It would have made her feel very special."

Added Donna Nussdorfer, "It's so fun for us to come back and see the impact that she had in the community. She had an impact on all of us, but the community as well."

Those included in the hall of fame

The inductees into the hall of fame include educators, athletes, community leaders and men who died in the service of their country. Four teams were also inducted, including the 1940 Dennison High football team, which went undefeated for two years and claimed the United States Championship small-town football title, and the 1963 football team which was ranked No. 1 in the state by the Associated Press.

Of the 17 living inductees, 13 were in attendance: Sam Fausto (1949), Dave O'Hara (1954), Mel Peters (1960), Ed Henry (1963), Carol (Lester) Hutson (1963), Dean Kreinbihl (1963), Nick Cummings (1964), Pete Kuecher (1964), Dave Bridgeman (1965), Greg Goodrich (1965), Karen (Spinell) Milburn (1965) and Mike Trimmer (1965). Representatives of 60 of the inductees were present.

Kreinbihl, chairman of the hall of fame committee, said the group is still working on finding a permanent home for the hall of fame where people can go and see it. Copies of the information will be given to the Dennison and Uhrichsville branches of the Claymont Public Library and the Tuscarawas County Genealogical Society library in Dennison.

Reach Jon at 330-364-8415 or at jon.baker@timesreporter.com.

This article originally appeared on The Times-Reporter: 75 inducted into Dennison High Hall of Fame during annual banquet