Funds raised for Householter memorial

One of the greatest track & field athletes in the history of Concordia High School will have his place of honor.
Terry Householter was once the fastest sprinter in the state of Kansas, and one of the fastest in the nation. Many of the records he set in 1966 and 1967 still stand today. Householter's athletic potential was breathtaking, but he dropped out of college after one semester to join the Marines during the Vietnam War. He thought he should do his part in the war effort.
Householter was killed in Vietnam on June 23, 1969. He was just 20 years old.
Last year, Jane Jewell and John Paul Breault began a fundraising drive to build a memorial bench for Householter at the new track & field facility at Harold M. Clark stadium. They had raised $1200 toward their goal of $2000 when the Blade-Empire wrote a story in January about the fundraising effort.
"The story was in a Friday paper," Jewell said, "and by that Friday evening I had received pledges of another $1000, surpassing our goal."
As the story spread, the money kept coming in. Jewell received donations from all over the United States. The wife of Householter's former track coach at CHS, Herschel Betts, sent a significant donation.
"Terry's family and former track teammates sent donations," Jewell said, "but I've also received checks from people I don't know. A lot of them are veterans from all branches of the military."
Jewell and Breault contacted the USD 333 administration, and are using the extra funds donated to set up a track scholarship in Householter's name at Concordia High School.
"The response has just been so amazing," Jewell said. "Now we can not only give Terry a memorial, but continue to honor his achievements and his bravery as a soldier with the scholarship."
LeDuc Memorial Design in Concordia is building the memorial bench and doing all the design work. The dedication ceremony is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on May 8th at Harold M. Clark Stadium. The ceremony will be followed by a reception in the Multi-Purpose Room at the High School, where Householter’s trophies and medals will be on display.
Following the ceremony, his military medals will be donated to the Cloud County Historical Society Museum.
Over a half-century after Terry Householter set school, league, and state records as a sprinter, people still talk about "what might have been?". How good could he have been in college, and beyond? Just how fast could this young man really run with the proper training at an elite level?
No one will ever know.
In a symbolic way, the scholarship and the memorial at the track he helped elevate to greatness will give Terry Householter the one final race he deserved.
If you would like to help honor a former CHS athlete and American soldier killed in the line of duty, please contact Jane Jewell at 785-275-3194 or the CHS administration to make donations to the Terry Householter track scholarship fund.