THE PUBLIC MIND: SCHOOL BOARD ERRED IN DISMISSING COACH

To the Editor:

Once again there has been a Central High School coaching change. This time it was Coach Wadlington who got the axe and we are supposed to believe it was due to his inability to win games. If you believe that, I know of a nice piece of swamp land you may like to buy.

The athletic Director at Central supposedly turned in a poor evaluation of this Coach even after this same Coach has just recently received Coach of the Year Honors. If he was let go on moral grounds it may have been more palatable but that was not the case because Mr. Wadlington has always been of good moral character and a good example for the kids at Cape Central.

One has to wonder then just who is doing the evaluating and who is being gullible enough to believe this garbage. I am personally outraged that the school board would think that we were naive (a.k.a. "stupid") enough to believe this is the reason for Coach Wadlington's dismissal. A better question would be just which prominent citizens' feathers did Mr. Wadlington ruffle. Did he kick somebody's kid off the team for drinking or for some other act that was unbecoming an athlete representing Cape Central High? Did this individual finally exert enough pressure on our School Administrators that they sacrificed Coach Wadlington to save their own hides?

We may never know the real reason behind this story but I would like to submit to you that it is time for a change starting with the present school board, right on down the line. It would be too much to hope for that these people would have the decency to resign, given the fact that they don't have the guts to stand up for what is right.

I would hope that these people would see the injustice of what has happened and reinstate Coach Wadlington. If not, then we should all remember this farce when the school board members come up for reelection.

We might also reopen the case involving Coach Anderson who was given one whole year to turn a football program around that had been stinking for several years!

William Ringpfiel

Cape Girardeau