NeveHarms The Neve Harms Award for meritorious service to the youth of central Illinois is awarded this year to Dan Shea, who is the 44th recipient of this award.
Dan has been active in numerous volunteer sports, church and community events for 50 years. These activities consist of coaching and officiating in intermurals at Holy Family grade school, with both boys and girls softball team. Dan volunteered on many evenings and weekends.
He was on the board and co-director for years in the annual March of Dimes Snowball Softball Games as well as the March of Dimes One Mile Mall Run. He was a 10 year member of the Illinois Valley Striders board and was in charge of the Steamboat 4 mile course for 10 years.
Dan, 73, is on the Peoria Mayor's Commission for the disabled. He is also on the Holy Family Mexican mission committee.
He has helped veterans clean up Soldiers Hill in Springdale Cemetery, and has helped Santa at the Journal Star Red Stocking Fund party for 28 years. Dan still helps as a monitor for the Steamboat Classic, the Brimfield Run, the Jack Kenny Gaelic Gallop, the OSF Wildlife Park Race, the Race for the Cure, and the Mike McGlaughlin Run in Bradley Park.
Despite a 6-bypass heart surgery and diabetes that limited his walking to a cane and a 3-wheel walker, Dan still helps coach Ed McGraw with his girls track and cross-country teams at East Peoria High School.
Despite all his activities, he found time to bowl in two leagues and played in two softball leagues. He also coached Jimmy's Bar girls softball team for eight years in the 1980's and 1990's.
Besides volunteering for many other activities, he ran for 20 years between ages 45-65 and competed in 336 races from New Hampshire to Hawaii and Florida to California. He also completed seven marathons and 10 triathlons. He continues to volunteer at Holy Family School as well as at the Knights of Columbus.
Dan wrote sports for the Peoria Journal Star for 10 years in the 1950's. He served with the U.S. Army during the Korean War and retired from the Journal Star in 1992 after 41 years, the last 26 years as Day News Editor.
1983 Elmwood Cross Country Team  Coach Tom Meyers (in back left), Left to right: Brian Opper, Curt Smith, Joe Harkness, Mitch Inskeep, Brian Miller, Jeff Kalteux, Todd Dewalt, Stan Johnson, Tracey Roberts, and Assistant Coach Greg Silzer. The 1983 Elmwood Cross Country team could be compared to the flight of the Phoenix. The ’83 team rose from the ashes of a 106 point drubbing from number on ranked Erie at the Amboy invite to capture the state championship four weeks later. Elmwood defeated second place Erie 62 to 147 by putting three runners in front of Erie’s number one runner and seven runners in front of Erie’s number three runner. Elmwood had four all-staters and the fastest team composite time (all seven runners) in class A history. The Elmwood runners were Sr. Mitch Inskeep, 5th in 15:09; Jr. Joe Harkness, 16th in 15:16; So. Stan Johnson, 20th in 15:22; Jr. Curt Smith, 24th in 15:27; Jr. Jeff Kalteux, 37th in 15:44; Sr. Brian Miller, 43rd in 15:47; and Jr. Brian Opper, 45th in 15:50. |