Preserving community spirit, one athlete at a time

Generations have passed since Glen Alpine High School reigned supreme in local sports, but for those who played for football coach Jug Wilson or dribbled across the hardwoods, those days were the best of times. 

Victories, losses, age-old friendships, and a deep sense of community, led local leaders and members of the Glen Alpine Ruritan Club to establish the Glen Alpine Sports Hall of Fame in 2012. 

The group inducts four or five new members annually, hosting an induction ceremony and banquet on the fourth Saturday of October. 

“Ray (Merrill) was a member of the Glen Alpine Ruritan Club at the time and it was his vision to have a local hall of fame. So I, and a few other guys, helped him and we were able to get it up and running,” said Bob Duckworth, current chairman of the Glen Alpine Sports Hall of Fame.

Duckworth, a key figure in establishing and maintaining the Catawba Valley Sports Hall of Fame in Hickory, knew what it would take to make a successful tribute. He also knew that Glen Alpine had a remarkable sports tradition.

Preserving the Tradition

“Glen Alpine’s high school closed in the spring of 1973, that was the last graduating class. I guess what keeps this community going is knowing that the school, at one time, before consolidation, was a separate school system. 

“Apart from Morganton and Burke County, they had that strong community and cohesiveness. The sports teams. A marvelous band program. Ahead of other schools,” said Duckworth. 

Duckworth said that Coach Ralph “Jug” Wilson was instrumental in building not only the sports programs, but also the community. 

Tom Brittain, owner of the former Green Wave Restaurant and the building at the corner of Linville and Catawba streets, recalls that in the 1940s and 1950s, Glen Alpine had more than its share of speak-easies and beer joints. 

“Every four or five miles, there was another store that sold gas in the front so they could make their real profit out the back,” said Brittain.

When Wilson came to Glen Alpine in 1949, he inherited a rag-tag, losing football team. 

Called “The Gobblers,” the team had only 14 players, little discipline, and community support was virtually nonexistent.

As the saying goes, “If you build it, they will come.” And in Glen Alpine, under Wilson’s leadership, the athletic program, school spirit, and the community soared to new heights. 

The Glen Alpine football team finished 2-4-2 in 1949 and in 1950, they finished 8-10. From there a winning tradition and a renewed community spirit took flight. 

Wilson’s Leadership

Coach Wilson changed the mind-set, direction, and goals of a generation. 

Wilson coached at Glen Alpine High School for 24 years and during his tenure, the school won state championships in 1961, '62, '63 and '65 and 13 (by some accounts 15) Skyline Conference championships. 

Many of his football players went on to four-year schools and returned to the community as educators, bankers, engineers, and community leaders. Several of these football and basketball players are featured in the Glen Alpine Sports Hall of Fame.

Wilson continued coaching after the school system consolidated, taking his Freedom High School football team to three conference championships before retiring after the 1982-83 school year.

In 2011, the high school football field at Glen Alpine was officially renamed the “Coach Ralph E. Wilson Football Field.” At the dedication, then state senator, Dan Simpson, said that Coach Jug Wilson helped change the community culture of Glen Alpine. 

“Many a time, in the dressing room, if there was somebody that had a problem during the day in the classroom, he’d come in and call them out right then, ‘if you're gonna play ball on my team, you don’t behave this way,’” Brittain quoted Coach Wilson. 

John Wilson, a 2021 Glen Alpine Sports Hall of Fame inductee recalls Coach Wilson as a remarkable man. 

“He had a major in P.E. and a minor in English, but he should have had a major in psychology. … He had an ability to make you do things you couldn’t do. Thanks to Coach and sports, I stayed in school,” Wilson said.*

Finding the Proper Venue

The Green Wave Sports Hall of Fame recognizes athletes who have achieved the high standards established by Coach Wilson – outstanding athleticism, dedication to a sport or school activity, and a high level of personal integrity.

Originally on display at the Glen Alpine Ruritan Club, the Glen Alpine Sports Hall of Fame wasn’t noticed by many.

“When it (the Hall of Fame) was at the Ruritan Club, it was only open about once a month and the same 25 people saw the display,” said Duckworth. “We knew it needed to be out so people could see it and so it was a good marriage to get the Hall of Fame in the Green Wave Restaurant,” said Duckworth. 

Owned and operated by Brittain and his wife, Judy, the Green Wave Restaurant was the ideal spot for the Hall of Fame.

“I went to school at Glen Alpine and played basketball (not very well) and had some connections to the sports part of it. I had the idea of having something to memorialize the Green Wave sports programs,” he said.

“It was what I wanted to do and so we changed the name of the restaurant to the Green Wave,” said Brittain.

“When we started getting in the memorabilia at the restaurant, Bob approached me about housing the Hall of Fame and of course it fit right in.” 

“The memorabilia came in pretty much as people, who were now inductees, had old letter jackets and things that were in the closet. It started coming in and filled up the place. 

“We didn’t really have to do a whole lot to get the memorabilia in,” said Brittain.

The Brittains printed commemorative photos, cleaned and framed the memorabilia, and created displays for trophies rescued from a dumpster. 

They made the Green Wave not only a welcoming spot for a cup of coffee or a burger and a Coke, but the ideal environment to rekindle tall tales and reminisce. 

Duckworth himself was recently named to the Hall of Fame. Although he only lived in Glen Alpine for a short time as a child, the committee honored him as an inductee in recognition of his work to establish and build the Hall of Fame program for Glen Alpine. 

“He (Duckworth) is an avid sports fan and can tell you more about Glen Alpine ball games than anyone that ever played sports here,” said Brittain.

Preserving the stories of local sports legends is not just about remembering the athletic accomplishments of small town athletes. It is far more. 

The Green Wave Sports Hall of Fame captures a time and place where amazing young athletes were the heroes and role models of the community.

But the restaurant has closed. The historic 1906 building is for sale. And now, the Glen Alpine Hall of Fame needs a permanent home.

Permanent Home Needed

Most of the green and white memorabilia lining the walls at the old restaurant belongs to Brittain and he’d like to see the collection and the Hall of Fame kept available for everyone to enjoy. 

For decades, the location at the corner of Linville and Catawba streets was Hennessey’s Store. A cornerstone in the community, the store had just about everything the townspeople needed including clothes, groceries, tools, ice cream, and candy.

“People bought their boots on the second floor. When it (Hennessey’s) closed down, it became a restaurant for about 12-14 years as The Depot Restaurant,” said Brittain. 

Although Brittain’s 40-year career was focused on helping people with disabilities, he and his wife had owned and operated a restaurant at Pilot Mountain School. 

Upon his retirement, they decided to buy and renovate the iconic property in downtown Glen Alpine and opened the Green Wave in 2016. 

“We operated the restaurant for five or six years and then COVID put a damper on everybody’s restaurant business in general so we closed. Then mid-way of COVID we leased the restaurant, the building, to two different parties. 

“And I think it was just an accumulation of what happened during that time, getting geared back up, the price of products skyrocketing, and the price of personnel had gone up. Plus finding “workers”  was a challenge,” said Brittain.

After the second lease agreement ended, Brittain decided it was time to sell the building. 

“Bob and the Hall of Fame have a home as long as I own the building but new owners can change the name and take out the memorabilia,” said Brittain.

“I’m pretty sure the Hall of Fame will find a home in Glen Alpine. No matter what happens to the sale of the building, the Hall of Fame will find a home,” said Brittain.

“I think Glen Alpine has potential to support a restaurant. It just needs good local management. I don’t have the energy or time to do that anymore. 

“And it needs the support of the town board. While Glen Alpine is small, I think with the right vision of the town board, a lot of good things can happen in Glen Alpine,” said Brittain.

Nominees and Members Needed

As noted, the Glen Alpine Sports Hall of Fame inducts four or five new members annually and hosts an induction ceremony and banquet on the fourth Saturday in October. The group is actively recruiting nominees and new members. 

“We’d love to see younger members and nominees,” said Duckworth. “When Glen Alpine High School students moved to Freedom, the sports programs went with them but the Hall of Fame didn’t end with the closing of the local high school.

“We’re looking for athletes of all ages, no matter whether they played for Glen Alpine, Freedom, or other schools. It’s about having lived in Glen Alpine and having a high level of achievement in a sport for four years or more,” said Duckworth. 

Building on Coach Wilson’s standards, nominees must also exhibit good character and reputation. Nominees must have lived in Glen Alpine for at least four years.    

According to nomination qualifications, nominees must have sportsman achievment or contributions that have been recognized throughout the Glen Alpine/Burke County area as enhancing the sports activity the individual participates in.

Candidates are also considered for induction into the Hall of Fame for their efforts in promoting, researching, documenting, reporting, or other measures that preserve and enhance Glen Alpine sports.

A group of former athletes, “The Glen Alpine Lunch Bunch,” meets at Timberwoods Restaurant the second Wednesday of each month. According to Duckworth, most of them attended Glen Alpine High School and many played football. 

Those interested in making a nomination or participating in the committee may contact Bob Duckworth at tornadoduck72@gmail.com.

Pam Walker is the central Burke reporter at The Paper. She may be reached at pam@thepaper.com or 828-443-6103.

*John Wilson quote courtesy of Ray Duckworth, sports correspondent, in an article published Feb 19, 2022, in the Morganton News Herald.