The people behind the Freshman teams

Last spring, Central started on a new project: freshman teams to help students feel as though they are a part of a community. There are certain teachers designated for each team, ensuring that the freshmen starting their high school journey have a team of teachers ready to help them. There are four teams. As Matthew Hamill, a science teacher put it, “It’s almost Hogwarts inspired.” Each team is named after a person on the Central Hall of Fame whom teachers have decided needs to be celebrated and respected again. Names can be forgotten on the Hall of Fame, but four are being brought back to life. So, let’s meet them. 

Team Crandell is named after Marion Crandell, who graduated in the class of 1889. Crandell was inducted into the Hall of Fame because she was the first American women who was killed during World War I. She volunteered to go to France where she gave out hot chocolate and lemonade to the soldiers.  

“Basically, their purpose was to be a comforting presence for soldiers who has been at the front and had really been in the muck and mire of the trenches of the Western Front,” history teacher Scott Wilson said. 

Crandell was killed during an evacuation when she ordered the rest of her team out of the house they were stationed in. A German artillery shell was thrown and detonated, fatally wounding her. She was given a soldier burial at Saint-Menehould, becoming the first women buried there.  

Team McClarnon is named after Zahn McClarnon. He graduated in the class of 1986. McClarnon was inducted because of his three-decade Hollywood career. He often plays roles reflecting his Indigenous heritage.  

“Zahn was not the best student and school was a struggle for him. Once he found acting and understood that the teachers here, we’re on his side trying to support him to be successful he changed. We see this is a great representation of a lot of our students who need to grow throughout their high school career,” history teacher Benjamin Boeckman said. 

McClarnon moved to Los Angeles in the early 1990s. That is when he got cameo roles on TV shows like “Murphy Brown” and “Baywatch.” In 2005 he got his first big break playing Running Fox in “Into the West,” a Golden Globe nominated show.  

 “He played Chief Matthias in the long-running Netflix Western crime drama ‘Longmire,’ and earned acclaim from the New York Times and Wall Street Journal in 2015 for his scene-stealing role as Hanzee Dent in FX’s ‘Fargo’,”says his biography on the Omaha Central High school foundation website. 

At age 55, he continues to act.  

Team Townsend is named after Dr. Donald Townsend. He graduated in 1959. While at Central he graduated with honors, played on the football team and was known to tutor other athletes. Townsend was inducted into the hall of fame for his career as a surgeon but like everyone else, he was much more than that.  

Townsend enlisted in the military serving as a flight surgeon in the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War. After his service, he began his residency at the University of Southern California. Following that, he entered private practice, completing 40 years as an orthopedic pediatric surgeon in Oakland. Townsend was also chief of staff at two hospitals.  

“He also participated in Operation Rainbow, a project related to pediatric procedures being used in Lima, Peru. While there, Dr. Townsend was given the nickname of “Dr. Rapido” for the rapid, but precise, techniques which he used for addressing the birth defects afflicting the children of that region,” his biography on the Omaha Central High school foundation website says.  

But Townsend story is entwined with another Central graduate: his wife Gwen Townsend, then Gwen Seay. She made sure he did not give up when life got tough. Hamill said, “There is no team Townsend without Gwen”.  

Hamill was able to find the Townsend’s daughter, Courtney, and speak to her. “They were just two kids that made it,” she said. 

Townsend had to overcome tremendous odds: he was a Black man living through the civil rights movement, he served his country and became a surgeon despite all the naysayers.  

Last and certainly not least is Team Sayers named after Gale Sayers, who graduated in 1961. He was inducted to the Hall of Fame due to his football career. He was a young Black man with a dream to play football and he made that dream a reality.  

In 1977, Sayers was elected to the National Football Hall of Fame honoring his career as a running back for the Chicago Bears.  

“Examples of his records include six touchdowns in a single game against the San Francisco 49ers and a 99-yard touchdown return against Nebraska when he was a sophomore at the University of Kansas,” says his biography on the Omaha Central High school foundation website. 

 In 1984, he launched a computer reseller firm. 15 years later, it has ten branches and revenue of over $150 million. Gale spent a lot of time giving back, raising money for dozens of charitable organizations.  

All these people faced obstacles, whether it was due to race, gender, money or more. They all achieved great things despite these obstacles. They are great examples for students who need a push to motivate them or a story to provide them with strength. Freshman teams are not only a way to help freshman, but they are also a way to bring life back to these amazing graduates’ stories and a way to make sure Central continues its tradition of celebrating excellence.