ELLY GRIMM
• Leader & Times
The Liberal High School Class of 1985 gathered last weekend not just to catch up with one another, but also to honor a recently lost classmate and start a new scholarship fund.
“In the first part of May was when we were planning our class reunion, and around that time was when we lost one of our classmates, Hector Rios, who died in a kayaking accident,” Class of 1985 member Tony Naab said. “He was a distance runner all his life, and they started the 1984-85 cross country team back to LHS because of him. He was not only a great athlete but also a great person. We decided, with him gone, to do a run dedicated to him and would use the money to go to the cross country team. It was great seeing everyone out at our reunion Saturday, it's been a long time since we've all been together. I know Hector was looking down on us and smiling at us all being together like that, I know he would have been here if he could.”
With the fund being new, Naab said he hopes people in the community will be generous toward it.
“Anyone who wants to make a donation would just need to get in touch with Joe Denoyer, who's currently the head cross country coach. Cross country is more than just about running, it's about staying off the streets and staying in shape and learning about life,” Naab said. “Hector was one of the best people I knew, and I can't think of a better way to honor him. If you're a runner, you can't have bad shoes or else your feet will hurt. We want this to help the cross country kids have decent shoes and uniforms, because not everyone considers cross country like they do with football or basketball, etc., but these kids work hard and are determined with everything they do.”
