LOWELL | From the beginning, families living in and around the farm fields of south Lake County raised outstanding athletes as well as they did corn.

Consider Richard "Corby" Davis, a four-sport Lowell High School athlete who played football for Indiana University, where he earned First Team All-American and Big Ten MVP honors and became the No. 1 draft choice in 1938. He played four years with the Cleveland Rams.

Or, consider Karen Bockstahler Busovsky, who went undefeated in Big Ten swimming in 1976 and 1977 while at the University of Michigan, where she was named a 1977 All-American after her record-breaking career in the Lowell High School pool.

It should come as no surprise, then, that the Lowell High School Athletic Hall of Fame was established and inducted its inaugural class three years ago.

On Sunday, the Lowell High School Athletic Department and the Lowell Athletic Booster Club will induct its newest members in ceremonies held in conjunction with the Senior Athletic Banquet.

Lowell Athletic Director Don Bales said the boosters committee formed a few years ago to create the Hall of Fame decided it was important that athletes today know those who have gone before. "We want to allow our graduating seniors to see how people like them can go on and be successful," he said, noting that holding the induction with the Senior Athletic Banquet accomplishes that goal.

The event has become a collaborative effort, with this year's Selection Committee including Bales, Nancy Steuer, Tom Stuart, Kim Gavelek, John Todd, Mary Kersey, Mendy Workman, Wendy Pitcock and Larry Cunningham.

Sgt. Michael Yedinak of the school's Junior AFROTC Unit coordinates cadets who escort the inductees. Kevin Deal, teacher/theater director, organizes crews for light and sound.

Previous inductees have told him, Bales said, that they have been surprised and pleased by the ceremony's formal pageantry.

Bales said he gleaned ideas from his experience with national athletic organizations as well as researching various schools to cull the best they offered and mold a ceremony that is befitting the excellence demonstrated by the athletes.

Induction is set for banquet this Sunday

Seven new individual members will be inducted into the Lowell High School Athletic Hall of Fame this Sunday, and a new category, Team, will be introduced with the induction of the charter members of the "L" Club, founded in 1931.

Held in conjunction with the Senior Athletic Banquet, the event will begin with a 4:30 p.m. dinner in the school's cafeteria, followed by the ceremony at 6 in the school auditorium.

At the same time, those Lowell High School senior athletes in attendance will be honored for their achievements.

Those to be inducted into the Hall of Fame are:

-- Dr. George H. Belshaw, who graduated in 1926, was a champion wrestler at Indiana University where he was the 1932 team captain and IU NCAA team champion. That same year, he was an Olympic trials semi-finalist, and, in 1933 and 1936, an AAU National champion. He coached high school and college level wrestling, coached basketball, and served as a U.S. Air Force doctor.

-- Edwin Belshaw is a 1926 graduate who went to Indiana University to wrestle and served as team captain in 1931 and had a career record at IU of 27-3. He was a 1932 Olympic trials finalist, a 1932 All-American and earned the Most Outstanding Wrestler Award in Division I in 1932.

-- Tom Milakovic, a 1962 LHS grad, was a two-year starter at Culver-Stockton College, where he led the team in interceptions in 1966. He went on to coach football, track and golf at Lowell and Portage high schools, including six individual state champions in track and field.

-- Linda Llewellyn graduated in 1975 after a trailblazing career in volleyball, basketball and track and field, earning numerous honors just as girls' sports were being established. She played on the first intercollegiate girls' basketball team at Purdue University, where she was the leading scorer in her first game. She also pitched for Purdue softball and went on coach the Purdue University softball team in 1978 and 1979. She later coached high school basketball and volleyball.

-- Christopher Clawson, LHS class of 1981, earned high school honors in baseball, then went on to be named an NAIA Academic All-American in 1984 as well as the Kansas Newman College MVP. He was a Major League Baseball draft choice of the Atlanta Braves in 1984 and played for the Anderson Braves and Asheville Tourists (Houston Astros-affiliated) before earning his MBA from Northwestern University's Kellogg School of Management.

-- Paul D. Schuyler graduated from North Judson High School, where he was a state qualifier in the pole vault and the high jump before becoming a two-year letterman at Purdue University. He was the U.S. Army pole vault champion while serving in counter intelligence and the U.S. Army Special Services. As a teacher/coach at Lowell High School from 1953 to 1963, he coached basketball teams to a conference co-championship, sent two Division I recruits to college, had two state qualifiers and a 1960 individual conference champion in track.

-- Miki Morrow Sullivan, a 1988 LHS graduate, earned high school honors in track and gymnastics. In 1986 and 1987, she was a state qualifier in the 100-meter hurdles and high jump. In 1988 she was, again, a state qualifier in the high jump. She earned a Division 1 scholarship in track to Ball State University, where she was named MAC All-Conference in 1990 and became the MAC Indoor Conference champion in the pentathlon.

-- Charter members of the 'L' Club for athletic letter winners, founded in 1931: Grant Chase, Harold Dahl, Corbett Davis, Lester Fish, Gordon Fitzgerald, Paul Hathaway, Marion Hayhurst, Clayton Minninger, Pete Peterson, Huge Rieke, Conrad Thiel, Robert Trump and Donald Yates. All played at least two sports, including football, basketball, wrestling, track and/or baseball, and most served in the U.S. Armed Forces in World War II.

Top of the Class

In 2006, the first class of the Lowell High School Athletic Hall of Fame was inducted.

It's members are Dale Goings, "Corby" Davis, Roger Armstrong, Larry McMillen, Amy Ruley, Tom Renn and Christa Ilko.

The second class was inducted in 2007. Its members are James Little, Dr. William Corns, John Todd, Karen Bockstahler Busosky, Sue Skvara, David O'Drobinak and Mike Pickett.