Knox College Athletics

Soon after arriving at Knox in 1960 I began to hear from Dean Trevor about the great athletes he had known and worked with over his 39 years at Knox.  One of the first he mentioned was Gerry Lemon.  Trev respected Gerry for his versatility, his competitive desire and his sheer talent.  Most of the stories I heard were centered around basketball where Dean ranked him as one of the College’s all time greats.

To gain additional insights into Gerry’s career I had the opportunity to speak with his long time friend and associate, Sam Malley.  Gerry and Sam were prominent members of the PB’s (those initials will not be explained at this gathering) who lived in downtown Galesburg at the People’s Building during their Knox careers.  They were waiters at Whiting for their board, and seeing that one of Dean Trevor’s best friends owned the People’s Building, I think you could say they were on full ride athletic scholarships.

Two of Sam’s athletic stories stand out.  In the first he recalled that with all of Gerry’s great ability he was not blessed with speed.  This was proven one Saturday afternoon in Mt. Vernon, Iowa when Gerry recovered a fumble and Sam had to time to knock the same man down twice before Gerry covered the 58 yards to the goal.

The other story speaks to Gerry’s true greatness as a basketball player and refers to a post season tournament where the Knox men united with ( I can hardly believe this) some players from Monmouth and represented a local car dealer.  Gerry’s team met in NIT Champion from Bradley University in the finals and he was easily one of the two or three best players on the floor.

A formal citation for Gerry’s induction reads as follows:

This man, a graduate of 1943, was truly rare in his outstanding achievement within four athletic spheres; football, basketball, track and field, and golf.
   
Gerald earned three letters in football.  He was also awarded three letters in basketball and was named to the All-Conference first team three consecutive years.  In addition, he earned two letters in track and field where he excelled in the discus, javelin, and shotput.  He also led the golf team in scoring totals his sophomore, junior and senior year.

At Knox, he was a member of the Tau Kappa Epsilon fraternity, the K    Council, and was an active member of the men’s glee club and the choir.  He received his master’s degree from the University of Illinois in 1951.  After graduation from Knox he served as a first Lieutenant in the United States Marine Corps, participating in the “bloody” battle of Saipan in 1943.

During his lifetime Gerald worked in a number of athletic positions,  including serving as head football coach at Cuba High School and athletic director and head coach of all sports at Astoria High School.  He finished his athletic career as the head football coach at Cuba High School and athletic director and head coach of all sports at Astoria High School.  He finished his athletic career as the head football and golf coach at Bradley Bourbonais High School.  Gerald continued teaching at Palos Heights until the time of his death and that school still honors him by perpetuating his program of giving food baskets to the needy at holiday times.

Gerald Lemon, until his death in 1988, continued to remain an avid fan and supporter of athletics, contributing much to many during his lifetime.

Perhaps an even more fitting conclusion is to add that the Wesley Methodist Church where he and his wife, Harriet, attended has a new organ because of an outpouring of love for Gerry from his friends, foreign students, and colleagues at the time of his death.