DCHS Honors Two Basketball Legends

December 12, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Two DeKalb County High School Basketball legends were honored Friday night during the 1st ever DCHS Basketball Alumni Homecoming Week. The observance for 1970’s Tiger star Rickey Usrey and the late 1959 Lady Tiger sensation Helen Lee was held as DCHS hosted Stone Memorial.

The names of Usrey and Lee are being placed on a “Wall of Fame” created at the school as a way of paying tribute to DCHS basketball standouts over the school’s 60 plus year history in the sport.

Alumni Homecoming Week is commemorated in much the same way as Homecoming Week in Football except it celebrates basketball with daily activities, pep rallies, a school dance, and other events leading up to the Friday night basketball games that week and the crowning of the DCHS Baron and Baroness along with the naming of two past basketball stars on the “Wall of Fame”.

During the observance Friday night, a narrative was read about the basketball careers of both Usrey and Lee

RICKEY USREY:
“Rickey Usrey grew up in the Belk Community where he found a passion for sports. Rickey was a three-sport athlete but developed a love of playing basketball in the 7th grade under Mr. Elzie McBride at College Street Middle School. The next year Usrey moved to 8th grade where he would be a part of the first class to attend the new DeKalb Middle School. He played under legendary Coach Mike Braswell who taught him the fundamentals of the game. Coach Braswell had this to say about Rickey’s time under his tutelage: “Rick was always the quickest and fastest player on the floor”.

“After his time at DMS, Usrey went on to play in high school for storied Coach Harold Luna. During his time in the back court, he helped lead the Tigers to a whopping 85-17 record over the next 4 years and, eventually, in 1977 brought home the 1st district and regional championship since 1959. Ricky was a three-year starter at point guard during which the Tigers went 56-12”.

“Over his time as a Tiger, Rick amassed over 1,400 points and averaged 14 points per game during the course of his high school career”.

“Rick was named All-District and All-Region as a Junior and All-District, All-Region, and an All-State performer as a Senior, where he averaged 22 points per game. In 1977, he was named to the Nashville Banner All-State team and was the only player in the region to hold this honor. At the time he was also the only boy in DeKalb County High School history to make the 1st Team All-State Team”.

“He also helped lead his team to DCHS’s best record ever at 26-4”.

“A former Cookeville sportswriter had this to say about Rick and his 32-point performance versus Cookeville High School in 1977. “Senior Tiger guard Rickey Usrey was the main reason that Cookeville was never able to catch up to the class AA power as he pumped in 32 points from inside, outside, and just about anywhere else he spots from”.

“Rickey said one of his favorite moments as a player came when fans brought a stack of newspapers to a home game and when the other team was introduced all you could see was people in the stands reading newspapers. Then, when the Tigers were introduced, the papers went flying everywhere. He also talked about the fan support and how the players were always appreciative of how the fans followed the Tigers everywhere”.

“Rickey also stated the most important thing he had learned during his playing days was that it was never about “me”. It was always about “we”. He has continued to apply that in everyday job and life”.

After high school, Rick went on to work for the Carrier Corporation from which he is now retired and lives in Centertown with his wife Daphanee , who has always been his biggest and most important fan”.

HELEN LEE:
“Helen, who became known as “Fabulous Fay” for her athletic skills on the court including an unstoppable hook shot, rose to fame in the 1950’s during the years of half-court basketball. She had developed a love for the game prior to high school while playing for Coach Floyce Vickers at the New View Elementary School in the Young Bend Community. Helen helped lead the DeKalb County (Smithville High School) girls basketball team to the State Tournament Championship game in 1959 before losing to Porter 47 to 46. The girls’ team, coached by Everett Lee Mitchell, finished the season 24-2. The two defeats included a 50-49 loss to Lebanon during the regular season and the loss to Porter in the state championship game. She was a four-year player with many accolades, including All-District, All-State, and District MVP. Helen is also a member of the 1,000-point club.

During the 1958-59 season, Fabulous Fay led her team night in and night out on the floor. One of her more memorial moments was when she scored 55 points in a game versus Cannon County in the regional finals. She was 23 of 35 in her field goal attempts and she made 9 of 14 free throws. Helen continued at a torrid pace on her way to the State Tournament.

Former sportswriter for the Nashville Banner, Jimmy Davy, had this to say about Lee’s record and performance in the state tournament: “Young, Smithville’s invincible 5’ 8” scoring machine punished the nets for a record equaling 37 points and smashed an assortment of state tourney records in leading DeKalb County within one step of the TSSAA state crown”. Young’s 37-point total equaled the TSSAA girls State Tournament record for one game, set last year by Newport’s Emily Williams in the opening round against Hornbeak. But she doesn’t have to share two records which resulted from last night’s tremendous offensive performance. Her 16 field goals in a single game are a record and so is her total of 31 field goals for the tournament, marks formerly held by Williams and Woodbury’s Gloria Parker. With tonight’s final game to play, Young has 85 total points and is within two of Emily’ Williams’ tournament total record of 87”.

Helen later joined an Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) squad, coached by John Head and went on to play for a national championship team that included Tennessee women’s basketball legend, Nera White. Interested in becoming a basketball coach and schoolteacher, Helen enrolled in Peabody College in Nashville after two years on the AAU team and got her first coaching job at Nashville East Senior High in 1965 after graduating college. Helen later met and married Rick Lee and after Rick’s tour of duty in Vietnam, the couple relocated from Missouri to Oklahoma, and then to Nashville, before settling in Smithville where Helen joined the teaching staff at DCHS and served as the head girls basketball coach for eight seasons. Rick also became a teacher in the local school system. Helen later moved from the classroom to the administration at DCHS where she served as guidance counselor until her retirement in 2002. Lee passed away in May 2020.

Members of Lee’s family on hand for her tribute Friday night were: Benjamin Felton (grandson), Carolyn Whitley (sister), Judy Rogers (sister), Ronny Young (nephew), Aaron Young (grandnephew), and Alyssa Leslie (Grandniece).

December 11, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

There is no place like home!

If only “Dottie” had one. Would you be willing to open your heart to give Dottie a loving home? This two-year-old lovable cat is the WJLE/DeKalb Animal Shelter featured “Pet of the Week”

“Dottie is our longest cat resident,” said Shelter Director Emmaly Bennett. “She has been with us for quite some time, and we would love to find her a home. She is about two years old. She has been spayed and is up to date on all her vaccinations. She is really sweet but prefers being the only cat in the household. Her adoption fee is $60”.

Visit the shelter website to see photos of Dottie and other adoptable pets at https://www.dekalbanimalsheltertn.com/.

The shelter is now open Monday-Friday from 8 to 4 and Saturday from 8 to 12 on Transfer Station Road behind Tenneco Automotive.

December 11, 2021
By: Dwayne Page

Four months after an investigation into what caused a fish kill in Hickman Creek at Alexandria, the US Environmental Protection Agency has wrapped up its response activities there concluding that “the source of the impaired conditions was a seep of contaminated groundwater coming from the bank” but that “recent water samples show that the water quality of the groundwater flowing into the creek has significantly improved”

The EPA released a public notice on the findings Friday but may have left some questions in the minds of the public yet unanswered.

Although the investigation evaluated infrastructure near the creek and a drainage line at a nearby manufacturing facility, the EPA did not identify that as the reason for the problem in the public notice nor specify the substance that caused the contamination.

The public notice states as follows:

“The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that the source of impaired conditions in Hickman Creek was a seep of contaminated groundwater coming from the bank. On August 7, 2021, a discharge of unknown material resulted in a fish kill in Hickman Creek. It was estimated at the time that there were 2,000 dead fish and crustaceans in a 1 to 1.5-mile segment of the creek. Low levels of dissolved oxygen were found along with black, grey, and brown discolored water”.

“EPA initiated a response action that included aeration of water in Hickman Creek and collection of groundwater from a sump that was installed to intercept the seep before it reached the creek. From August through November, approximately 400,000 gallons of groundwater was removed and transported to a specialized wastewater treatment facility. EPA also began an investigation into the potential source and content of the release into Hickman Creek as well as an assessment of the impacts and extent downstream. The investigation evaluated infrastructure near the creek and a drainage line at a nearby manufacturing facility. EPA and its contractors collected several water samples for laboratory analysis. Recent water samples show that the water quality of the groundwater flowing into the creek has significantly improved. Based on these results, the EPA On-Scene Coordinator, in consultation with the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC), determined that the EPA’s operations to remove groundwater are no longer necessary”

A concerned citizen apparently made the discovery of the dead fish and minnows in the creek on Monday, August 9 and reported it to the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency who then contacted the Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. What EPA contractors found was an unknown substance seeping into the creek, believed to have contributed to the fish kill, which was coming from the creek bank behind the Alexandria Senior Citizens Center. The affected area of Hickman Creek was located from Edgewood Street in Alexandria, approximately one and a half mile downstream to the Highway 53 Bridge. A staging area was established there with a sump well which was dug to catch and contain the substance before any more of it could get into the creek.

Representatives on site during the response activities included the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EPA contractors, the Tennessee Department of Environmental and Conservation (TDEC), the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), Tennessee Emergency Management Agency (TEMA), DeKalb County Emergency Management, and the Town of Alexandria and representatives.

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