Goodbye to another Bulldog

As you know by now, from the front page article in his honor, our community lost another icon this past week with the passing of Tommy Bertram.

While most knew Tommy as the friendly pharmacist behind the counter at Dyer Drug Company for many decades, he was also a Bulldog basketball player who wore the blue and white uniform back in the 1950s.

For several years now, I’ve sported this photo on one of the shelves in my office that features two of my favorite local figures, Bertram, on the right, and the late Gayle Smith, who were lifelong friends and teammates, playing for head coach Richard Murphy.

Tommy wasn’t a Wall of Fame player, but he did drop in some 370 points during his two years of varsity playing time, playing in 52 games.

After graduating with the class of 1953, Tommy eventually returned to Clinton County and he remained a fan of the Bulldogs for the rest of his life.

When his health allowed, he could often be found at the game, especially when his three daughters were in high school, two of whom, Laura and Nell, were cheerleaders, and the middle one, Carol, a Lady Bulldog basketball standout and, eventually, Wall of Fame member.

Tommy continued to be seen in the gymnasium for many years when his health allowed, watching home basketball games, mostly silent, from a front row-seat directly behind my public address position at the Official Table.

We said goodbye to Tommy last week, and a tribute to his life in our community begins this week on page 1.

Another good one, lost in 2020.

Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog!