Three generations: Marcia, her daughter Ella, who played in high school and is now playing golf at Occidental College, and Marcia’s father Ray Dresser.
When Sturgis High School athletic director Mark Adams’ number popped up on the caller I.D. recently, Marcia Dresser Inman figured he was phoning for some kind of help — perhaps a donation request or to staff a Trojans sporting event.
“The words that actually came out of his mouth caught me by surprise,” said Inman, a 1980 Sturgis alumnus. “I was in shock and disbelief. I had been nominated and selected as one of the SHS Hall of Fame inductees.”
Inman, along with Chuck Darby (1954), Teresa Wood Horn (1986), Patty Griffith Langanis (1989) and Erika Melchi (1988), will be recognized for her prep athletic achievements on Oct. 5 as part of the 2013 Hall of Fame Class. The ceremony will take place at 6:30 p.m. at the high school.
“Given the numerous talented SHS athletes, I am honored beyond belief to become a member of such an elite group of SHS athletes, coaches and administrators,” Inman added. “Some of my fondest high school memories are the hours I spent on the tennis courts and golf course with teammates who were some of my best friends.”
Lettering three years in tennis, Inman’s No. 1 doubles team was runner-up in the Twin Valley Conference, first at regionals and placed in the top eight at the state tournament her sophomore year. Her doubles team captured a league title against finished among the top eight at the state tourney the following season. As a senior on the No. 2 doubles team, she captured another Twin Valley and regional crown on her way to a third consecutive top-eight state finish.
Inman lettered all four years in golf and made the all-conference team as a junior en route to regional runner-up a top-eight finish for all-state honors. She led the Trojans to a Twin Valley title as a senior captain, when she was again all-conference, a regional championship and a state championship.
While maintaining such excellence in sports and other activities such as Madrigal Chorus and playing the lead role in the musical “No, No Nanette,” Inman thrived in the classroom as a member of the National Honor Society. She went on to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree at Amherst College, where she captained the golf team. Inman was recognized as an All-Eastern Region player and was the first NCAA Division III player to participate in the first Women’s All-Division NCAA Golf Championship.
But the most vivid memories are from her days competing for the orange and black.
“After the team had qualified for the state tourney, our coach, Ann Schilbach, said she would quit smoking if we won state,” Inman recalled. “As our last player completed her round with a score that, when added to the three other players, was the lowest of the day and thus all-class state champions, we as a team ran over to her golf cart, grabbed her pack of cigarettes and tore it to shreds. Coach kept her promise at least for a while. We were State Champs and maybe helped her add a few years to her life.”