On Friday afternoon, three new members of the Hall of Fame were officially inducted during a ceremony with friends, family and the Bellbrook High School senior class in attendance in the BHS auditorium.
The ceremony saw Christine Hawker (class of 1987), Lori Neus (class of 1992) and Jim Pugh (class of 1979) added to the Bellbrook-Sugarcreek Education Foundation hall. With their additions, there are now 58 inductees.
Hawker was an outstanding athlete, educator and first responder. She earned 12 varsity letters (four in soccer, four in basketball and four in softball) and at the time of her graduation held 12 school records. Some of those included single-season marks such as most goals (soccer), most assists (basketball) and highest batting average (softball). While in high school, Christine also was involved in the marching band, concert band, yearbook and Eaglettes as a baton and rifle twirler.
During her speech, Hawker spoke to the Bellbrook High School Class of 2025 about seeing challenges as positives.
“Growth requires change,” Hawker said. “Challenges are not obstacles. Embrace change and step outside of your comfort zone. Find a team – whatever that may look like – and surround yourself with people who share your vision.”
Neus played basketball and soccer, and ran track in addition to being a member of the National Honor Society. While at Bellbrook, she was named First Team All-Ohio in Basketball, setting records for most points in a game (53), most points in a season (557) and career points (1,449) which currently ranks second all-time. During her varsity career, her teams finished with a 65-6 record. In soccer, Neus was named to the All-District team her sophomore, junior and senior seasons. Academically, she graduated with honors from both Bellbrook, with a 3.96 GPA, and Ohio University with a 3.6.
“I have nothing but good memories of my time at Bellbrook, and I think that’s because of the sports I played,” Neus said. As one of her fondest memories on the court, Neus recalled the time coach Steve Berryhill – who introduced her on Friday during the enshrinement ceremony – let the team go for 100 points in a game, remembering her team scored 102.
Growing up, Pugh attended Bellbrook schools and developed a great love for all sports and the Bellbrook Golden Eagles. While in high school, Jim began his service to the Bellbrook community and schools by serving as the manager of the Boys Basketball team and track teams.
Jim spoke about his parents and family during his speech and his relationship with the Tincher family. Girls basketball coach Jason Tincher introduced him during the ceremony.
“Of all the gifts my parents gave me, it was to tell me they believed in me,” Pugh said. “And that gave me the most special gift which was to believe in myself.”
He concluded with a remark to the Class of 2025, saying, “You’re the reason why I still enjoy what I do.”
After graduating BHS, all three went on to excel.
Hawker attended Wright State University majoring in Education and continued to play both soccer and softball. She was inducted into the WSU Walk of Fame in both sports and the WSU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004.
After graduating from WSU, Hawker served as a K-8 teacher for 10 years. While teaching, she coached varsity girls soccer at Bellbrook High School, being named District Coach of the Year and taking a team to the state Final Four.
Eager to continue to serve the community, she embarked on a highly decorated career as a firefighter, rising from a volunteer to the rank of Division Chief. She is a member of the Ohio Fire Chiefs Association, International Association of Fire Chiefs and Women in Fire. Hawker has been awarded the Beavercreek Township Employee of Year Award, a Meritorious Service Award for the Development of the department's Fitness Program as well as a Purple Heart for injuries sustained while working a motor vehicle accident.
Following college Neus began a long career at LexisNexis and Reynolds and Reynolds which financially put her in the position to open her own business, Dayton’s Bed Bug Dog, while continuing to support her philanthropic causes Hannah’s Treasure Chest, 4Paws for Ability, the Humane Society and Ronald McDonald House.
For Pugh his love of sports and Bellbrook never ceased as he put his time and energy back into the school, and 42 years later, he is still at it. During that time he has been the scoreboard operator for football, volleyball, boys and girls basketball and in recent years has even added lacrosse.
On January 6, 2024, Pugh worked his 1,000th Bellbrook High School Girls Basketball game as a scoreboard operator. All told, he has worked thousands of games. Pugh has also been nominated for OHSAA Respect the Game award as well as the OHSAA Friends of Athletics Award for Volunteers who have more than 35 years of service to their schools.
A Golden Eagle through and through, he handles his volunteer assignments with the utmost professionalism and integrity for the game.