Obituary of John C. Hutter, Butler County, KSGenWeb Digital Library

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AUGUSTA GAZETTE, 26 January 1984

Obituary of JOHN C. HUTTER

Published in The Augusta Gazette January 26, 1984

John Hutter Funeral Set For Saturday At AHS Gym

The high school gymnasium named in his honor three years ago will be site of a Saturday morning funeral for John C. Hutter, former football-basketball-track coach here.

Hutter, the school's winningest basketball coach with a record of 340-121-1, died yesterday at the St. Francis Regional Medical Center in Wichita at the age of 66.

His funeral will begin at 10:30. a.m. Saturday in the high school gym. Rev. Thomas Kelly, assisted, by Rev. Amos Williams, will officiate, Burial will be in Elmwood Cemetery.

Memorials to a high school scholarship fund and/or the Augusta Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) have been suggested by the family.

John Calvin Hutter was born here Jan.28, 1917 to Andrew Clinton and Flora Ethel Sapp Hutter.

His first wife, the former Thelma R. Thompson, died Feb.13 1970. His second wife, Loventrice, survives.

The teacher-coach also leaves three sons: John Jr. of Glenview, Ill., Tom of Yukon, Okla.; and Clint Of Oklahoma City, Okla.; two brothers, Clinton and Joe, both of Augusta; a sister, Edith Budette of Ozark, Mo., and six grandchildren.

After coaching here from 1944 to 1966 Hutter coached at Hoisington before retiring to Great Bend in 1976.

"When I came to Augusta, the high school had only two basketballs," Hutter said at the March 4, 1981 gym dedication ceremony during a sub-state basketball tourney. "The junior high basketball team had only one basketball. There were 13 football jerseys and they were black. My wife sewed patches on to keep. them usable. If the other team was going to, wear their dark jerseys, we had to wear our white, practice jerseys."

Hutter never had a state champion in basketball but came close several times. His only state championship came in track in 1956.

Hutter coached the AHS Orioles to two undefeated seasons and 27 straight victories between 1957 and and 1959. The '57 and '58 teams were undefeated, but there was no state playoff system.

Clare Patterson Jr., a former pupil of coach Hutter, said, "He taught us to be good sports. When we lost, we were to think about what we did wrong and why we lost.. More than anything else, I think he taught. us not. to make mistakes."

Former school board president Frank Miller played. on one of the football teams coached by Hutter. Miller said Hutter was a fair disciplinarian with a "natural gift" to bring out the best in young athletes.

Transcribed and Contributed by Marland Boucher

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