By Royal Smith
Members of The American Legion, Post #7, and Olin Roberts wife, Rita, presented a check for $2,500 to PAL Club’s President, Ben Spurgeon, in memory of Roberts on Nov. 2, 2022 at the legion in Huntington.
According to Ed Hippensteel, Chaplin for Post#7, Roberts served as commander as well as the finance officer for Post #7 in past years.
He served 33 years in the United States Air Force.
“Due to illness, we lost Olin this year,” said Hippensteel. “There was a golf outing in his memory, and the funds for the donation are a result of the outing.” PAL has two types of leagues, baseball and football. “Olin was involved in the football aspect of this program,” said Spurgeon.
He went on to say, “He was dedicated to the program for many years coaching and volunteering his time to assist with the kids.”
Roberts was involved in the program for 29 years.
“He had a heart for these kids. You can go up and down the streets of Huntington and ask former players if they remember Olin Roberts; they’d answer yes,” said Hippensteel. Roberts loved football, and the kids in the program loved him. “The kids that were in the PAL football program would invite Olin to their graduations and weddings,” said an emotional Rita Roberts.
