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Dedications

A smiling middle-aged man in a light-colored suit and tie stands against a plain background.
A football field with a scoreboard and lighting fixtures in the background, set against a dark night sky.

Spaltholz Field

Dedicated on September 22, 2006
William R. Spaltholz’s entire coaching career was at South Milwaukee High School where he coached football for 30 years, 1951-1982. His record was 150 wins, 96 losses, 6 ties, seven conference championships, and one undefeated season. He also assisted in track for fourteen years and wrestling for one year.  In 1976, he qualified a team for the first
W.I.A.A. football play-offs. He coached the 1982 South All-Star team to a victory over the North squad in the Shrine Game.

Bill was conference coach of the year in 1955 and 1961. He was inducted into the La Crosse Hall of Fame in 1983 and into the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1986.

Sullivan Gymnasium

Dedicated on February 17, 2006
Jerry M. Sullivan coached basketball from 1963-1977 and taught social sciences at the high school for 32 years. He contributed not only to the success of the basketball program, but also to the education and
development of many South Milwaukee students.

In l976 he coached South Milwaukee High School to the W.I.A.A. Class A state championship. His Rockets won 223 games and lost 98 spanning the years 1963-1977.

 Jerry was a member of the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association and Northland College Halls of Fame. He spent over 30 years as associate director of the Milwaukee Bucks Basketball Camps.

The image shows a sign that reads %22SULLIVAN GYMNASIUM%22 displayed on the exterior of a building with large windows.
A black and white portrait photograph of a smiling middle-aged man wearing a suit and tie.
A street sign reading %22Rocket John Way%22 stands against a bright blue sky with scattered clouds, with a building visible in the background.

Rocket John Way

Dedicated on 2006
Rocket John Bogadi, was born on June 20, 1923 and was surely the most dedicated fan that South Milwaukee High School ever had.

Rocket John loved all "our great kids," as he called the students at South Milwaukee High School. He was a Rocket football player for three years, graduating from SMHS in 1942. He remained an SMHS fan long after his five children graduated.

In honor of his ever-presence at SMHS events until his death in 2010, the main drive by the SMHS Fieldhouse was named Rocket John Way in 2006.

The Tree of Life

Dedicated on June 30, 2005
The Tree of Life is a unique tribute to the City of South Milwaukee.  

Crafted by area artists and erected at the entrance to the SMHS Fieldhouse, it is a testament to South Milwaukee’s history, environment, and culture.

Carvings include:

A sea turtle, a pteranodon, a woolly mammoth, a tortoise, a frog, an eagle, a wolf, an owl, a raccoon, a deer, a woodpecker, a duck, a bear, a squirrel, a mourning dove, a robin, a blue jay, an oak tree, and a logger.

Also carved are: The First Congregational Church, South Milwaukee’s first school & first high school, a 1903 car, an electric street car, the South Milwaukee train station, a Bucyrus steam shovel, the Lawson “airliner,” a Native American maiden, an American flag & the Pledge of Allegiance, an SM Rocket, a “helping hand to learning,” the Seven Bridges, the SM marching band, the Grant Park Clubhouse, and the lagoon, mill, dam & warming house on the Oak Creek.
The image shows the exterior of a high school building with a large glass entrance and a statue in the foreground.