1926 obit- Diedrich Stolte- Brattleboro, Windham Co., Date: 5/17/98 6:15:47 PM Eastern Daylight Time From: tess@sover.net (Terry Perham) from the Brattleboro Reformer Brattleboro, Windham County, VT. 1926 STOLTE DIES AS HIS TEAM WINS WIDELY-KNOWN BRATTLEBORO COACH SUCCUMBS AT RUTLAND HEART FAILS AT BASKETBALL GAME Successful in Various Lines of Athletic Activities--at One Time Student Coach at Baltimore Medical College--Funeral Monday at 2.30 Thrilled by the victory of the basketball players under his charge, Coach Diedrich Stolte of Brattleboro, the widely known physical director of the Brattleboro high school faculty and nearly a lifelong resident of this town was stricken with a heart attack while watching the opening game of the Southern Vermont interscholastic basketball tournament in the armory at Rutland yesterday afternoon and fell back dead. Brattleboro and Black River Academy of Ludlow were the opposing teams and with less than two minutes more of play Brattleboro had a lead which it was impossible to to overcome. Coach Stolte was occupying a front seat at the side of the hall, and when it was certain that Brattleboro had won the first lap of the Southern Vermont chanpionship the strain of the excitement was such that his already weakened heart gave way and he died as he would have wished, while in active service, surrounded by players and enthusiasts in athletic sports. A call for a physician brought immediate assistance, but there was nothing that could be done. A touching scene followed when referee James Young asked the spectators and players to stand, and 1,000 persons remained in absolute silence while the official repeated the Lords' Prayer. With tears streaming down their faces, the members of the Brattleboro team finished the game and won. The officials of the tournament wished to cancel the remaining games of the two-day series, but the Brattleboro players requested that the schedule be completed, saying it would be Mr. Stolte's wish, so it was decided to continue. News of the death "Dede", as he was commonly known, was at once telephoned to Brattleboro and created a feeling of sorrow through the community. Principal Donald B. Stevens of the high school got in touch with the Brattleboro players and learned that they planned to complete the schedule, and last night Albert Dimlich, baseball coach of the high school, and Carl H. Miller, also of the faculty, went to Rutland to remain with the team. Edward "Ted" Vail of Ludlow, formerly of Brattleboro, offered to coach the Brattleboro team for the rest of the tournament because of his friendship for Mr.Stolte, and his offer was accepted. This morning Principal Stevens received the following communication from Harold I. O'Brien, Rutland coach and director of the tournament: "Dede's untimely death has made a cloud of sorrow hover over all in Rutland who knew him. I grieve particularly with the high school's athletic teams to which he has given most of his years. 'Dede' was my rival on the gridiron and basketball court, and I have always found him to be a true sportsman in victory and defeat alike. "At the time of the unfortunate incident I conferred with the officers of of the Rotary club who were present and it was our decision to end the tournament at that point. The Brattleboro boys insisted that 'Dede' would have wanted us to continue, and after another conference we decided to continue. May his spirit carry on!" The body of Mr. Stolte arrived in Brattleboro an the early morning train today. Christian Science funeral services will be held in Community hall Monday afternoon at 2.30 o'clock. The high school faculty and student body will attend. In his earlier life Mr. Stolte was an enthusiastic bicycle rider and captured various trophies here and elsewhere. His most notable successes in recent years have been in coaching the high school track and football teams,in which work he brought championships to the school repeatedly and in which he developed athletic stars who have won laurels in other states. The array of trophies treasured by the high school bears testimony to his efficiency as an athletic coach. His work was such as to create the strongest ties of personal friendship between him and the boys and girls with whom he labored. Clean in his own life, he inspired the students to live and play clean, to fight fairly without regard to the results of the contests, and his quiet encouragement to his boys and girls in the stress of closely contested events helped add many a point to his teams' totals. He was competent not only in field and track events but also as a swimming instructor and a camp leader, and he was president of Shelter Camp, organized a year or so ago, for whose coming season's activities he had prepartions under way. Mr. Stolte was born in Bremen, Germany, on December 9, 1868, one of the seven children of Diedrich and Meta (Leitner) Stolte, three of whom were born there. The father came to this country in 1873, and with the exception of a short time in Pennsylvania, lived in Brattleboro until his death on Dec. 17, 1907, being employed nearly all of that time in the Leonard A. Roess cigar store. The mother and three children came about a year and a half later, and Mrs. Stolte died here June 1, 1921. When he came here Diedrich Stolte, jr., was about six years old. He attended the schools of the incorporated district, including the high school in whose athletic life he was destined to play such an important part. He became interested in athletics at the Brattleboro Y. M. C. A. and decided to make athletic instruction his life work. With this in view, he secured a position as physical director in the Y. M. C. A. at Nashua, N.H., and later entered the Y. M. C. A. college at Springfield, Mass., where he graduated in 1806. After graduation his first position was as physical director of the Fulton street Y. M. C. A. in Brooklyn, N.Y. Next he was in similar work in Halifax, N.S. two years. Becoming convinced of the necessity of a medical education to enable him to reach the highest state of proficiency as a physical director, Mr. Stolte in 1900 entered Baltimore medical college to take a four-year course and acted as player coach for the college football team. While at Baltimore an eye trouble developed which made it necessary for him to discontinue his studies, and he returned to Brattleboro. His next position was as coach of the high school track team in Bangor, Me., and from there he went to Peekskill Military academy as physical instructor. Returning to Brattleboro, Mr. Stolte later took a positon with the Dunham Brothers Co. In 1907 Mr. Stolte was engaged to devote a part of his time to coaschin the Brattleboro high school baseball team and to giving physical instruction to the pupils in the grades of the incorporated school disrict. His success in developing school athletics was such that in 1912 the prudential committee engaged him as a regular member of the faculty, placing in his hands the physical instruction of all the pupils in the district, both boys and girls. Mr. Stolte was a director of the Christian Science church of Brattleboro and a menber of the Mother church in Boston. Since the death of his parents he and two of his sisters, Miss Edith and Miss Anna Stolte, had lived together in the home at 23 Forest street, where their home life was of the happiest. The death of Mr. Stolte is the first break in the family of children. He leaves three brothers and three sisters. They are F. William Stolte of Buffalo, N.Y., traveling salesman for the Buffalo Scecialty Co.; Miss Edith M. Stolte, treasurer of the H. E. Taylor Miss Anna C. Stolte, stenographer in the Vermont Savings bank; Daniel J. Stolte traffic manager of the Dunham Brothers Co.; Meta, wife of Howard S. Wellman; and Charles H. Stolte of Fairhaven, Mass., a member of the Boston flour brokerage firm of Calvin Hosmer-Stolte Co. ************************************************************************ (c)1998, Terry Perham Courtesy of Terry Perham Hinsdale, NH tess@sover.net ************************************************* * * * * NOTICE: Printing the files within by non-commercial individuals and libraries is encouraged, as long as all notices and submitter information is included. 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