2024 Recap: Class of 1974 Honors Jim and Linda Hosek
by Jennifer (Toth) Henning
Class of ’74 Reunion Recap
On August 10th Wolves from the Class of 1974 reunited on the Prairie to celebrate 50 years since graduating from Coupeville High School. Nearly half the class was in attendance, traveling from near and far to enjoy each other’s company, as well as some terrific barbeque, and live music.
The Class of ’74 chose to commemorate the occasion by championing a Legacy Gift for the Community Foundation for Coupeville Public Schools in honor of two of their teachers, Jim & Linda Hosek. The Hosek’s started their teaching careers at CHS. Jim coached baseball and football, Linda coached track and started the Wolfettes dance team. Jim & Linda also created a safe space for youth to gather on the weekends in town, and they called it “Our House”. They purchased running cleats for athletes who couldn’t afford them, and temporarily housed students allowing them to complete their senior year when family circumstances prevented it. Jim and Linda Hosek embodied the best of the Coupeville community. hey mentored and influenced students to be confident, independent, and contributing members of their own communities. Jim recently passed away, and Linda still resides on the Island.
As of the morning of the reunion, the fund had received donations of $3225 from classmates and the community. At the reunion, classmates were invited to add to the fund, donating an additional $1500 for a total of more than $5000. The money raised will be directed in two ways, to a scholarship awarded to a member of the Class of 2025, and to the Promise Fund to provide for the basic needs of students such as eyeglasses, books, shoes, and school lunches.
When Linda Hosek learned of the fundraising effort to honor them, she said: “This is truly amazing. It touched my heart to hear about this. We always tried our best & truly cared deeply about all our students, so thank you.”
On August 10th Wolves from the Class of 1974 reunited on the Prairie to celebrate 50 years since graduating from Coupeville High School. Nearly half the class was in attendance, traveling from near and far to enjoy each other’s company, as well as some terrific barbeque, and live music.
The Class of ’74 chose to commemorate the occasion by championing a Legacy Gift for the Community Foundation for Coupeville Public Schools in honor of two of their teachers, Jim & Linda Hosek. The Hosek’s started their teaching careers at CHS. Jim coached baseball and football, Linda coached track and started the Wolfettes dance team. Jim & Linda also created a safe space for youth to gather on the weekends in town, and they called it “Our House”. They purchased running cleats for athletes who couldn’t afford them, and temporarily housed students allowing them to complete their senior year when family circumstances prevented it. Jim and Linda Hosek embodied the best of the Coupeville community. hey mentored and influenced students to be confident, independent, and contributing members of their own communities. Jim recently passed away, and Linda still resides on the Island.
As of the morning of the reunion, the fund had received donations of $3225 from classmates and the community. At the reunion, classmates were invited to add to the fund, donating an additional $1500 for a total of more than $5000. The money raised will be directed in two ways, to a scholarship awarded to a member of the Class of 2025, and to the Promise Fund to provide for the basic needs of students such as eyeglasses, books, shoes, and school lunches.
When Linda Hosek learned of the fundraising effort to honor them, she said: “This is truly amazing. It touched my heart to hear about this. We always tried our best & truly cared deeply about all our students, so thank you.”
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Background:
Fifty years ago, Coupeville High's Class of 1974 graduated. With 38 students, our class was relatively small; at that time Coupeville was a town with a population of 900. We are truly fortunate to have had our high school experience on Whidbey Island and especially at Coupeville High. We benefited from the opportunities to participate in sports, music, clubs, and student activities; we went on to jobs and careers that contributed to the fabric of our own communities. We had some incredible teachers, counselors, & coaches while at CHS, they influenced us to be independent critical thinkers and to rely on our knowledge, skills, and abilities in order to succeed. Two notable CHS teachers who positively impacted our lives were Jim & Linda Hosek. Jim and Linda taught and coached at CHS. They mentored students both inside and outside of the classroom. Jim taught Current Events and History and was best know for coaching baseball. Linda taught PE, coached track, and started the Wolfettes dance team that performed at football & basketball games. Jim & Linda rented a building in Coupeville, naming it "Our House". This was a safe space for the youth of Coupeville to gather on weekends in a drug and alcohol-free environment. Jim & Linda purchased running shoes for athletes who couldn't afford them, and temporarily housed students to allow them to finish high school at CHS when family circumstances prevented it. Jim Hosek recently passed away, and Linda still lives on Whidbey Island. We feel pretty lucky to be able to celebrate our 50th High School Reunion, and the Class of '74 would like to give back to the high school as a legacy gift in honor of Jim and Linda Hosek. We are collecting donations that could be used to pay off student school lunch debt or provide a scholarship to a deserving student. We are open to suggestions. One idea is to direct our gift to the "Promise Fund" through the Coupeville Schools Foundation. The Promise Fund provides for items middle school & high school students need such as reading glasses, books, school lunches, and the like. Another idea is to earmark our gift and direct it to a scholarship awarded to a student furthering their education at a technical school, community college, or university. We would like to recognize and thank Jim and Linda for all they did for the youth of this community. |
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