In 1948, the Bremen Hi-Y club at the school decided a little good sportsmanship spirit was warranted at basketball games and created a sign that remained in the gymnasium until it was remodeled in 1987-88. The sign, apparently encouraged nationally by the Hi-Y organization, says “We Won’t Boo – How About You?” John Glenn High School had a similar sign since 1945, and some universities even used the saying.

The sign became a familiar sight students for decades, vaguely baffling children who read it as “We Won’t Boo-Hoo About You”, since the punctuation is a little lacking. It was saved by Principal Bruce Jennings when the rest of the gym was demolished. It spent some years in Johnny Guest’s Tip-Top Barber Shop on W Plymouth St but has now been donated to us and hangs in a place of honor near Leo, the Bremen Lion.

The sign is signed on the back by four Class of 1948 students who were officers of the Hi-Y at the time: Lowell “Peewee” Stine (LLS), Dale Redman, Tom Walter, and Devon “Fraily” Pittman. Dale Redman died in 1988 at just 57. Fraily Pittman passed away in 2007 at 76. Lowell Stine (probably no longer going by “Peewee”), followed in 2018. Tom Walter just passed in July of this year.

We thank Bruce and Johnny for saving this unusual piece of Bremen history!

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1948 - We Won’t Boo sign