spence

In Madison, the first question was always, "have you talked to Spence?"  "No, not yet," was our answer.  You see, Spence Schnaitter is more than just another Madison basketball player, more than a name on a long lost roster. Spence was a member of the 1949 State Runner-Up Cubs, who lost to Jasper by one point.  A year later he was the captain and MVP of the 1950 State Championship team, and then - an Indiana High School All-Star, a four year baseball letter winner who pitched three no-hitters, a graduate of Yale, an Indiana State Legislator and an Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame member.  We reunited Spence with his championship trophy at the old Brown Gym, where he played under the guidance of Coach J. Ray Eddy.  "This is how Mr. Eddy taught us to pass the ball," he told us, striking the pose.  We then learned it had been 63 years since he last touched the trophy and the victor's net that would help shape his future.  "I want to show you one other thing," he said, passing me an old Indianapolis Star photo.  "That's me, after I got off the bus outside the gym with my high school sweetheart and my championship ring."  That sweetheart, Laura Ann Mills, would become Spence's wife for 57 years.  She is gone now, but the ring and all of its memories remain.  At 81, Spence continues to practice law and be an active member of his community & if he is not the heart of Madison basketball, he is a certainly a large part of it's soul.  CGS.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DUDSVHUeVdw