Mr. Gum began his career in Keyesport and then in Odin. When the two and three year high schools became obsolete, Mr. Gum was hired in Salem in District #111. Mr. Gum saw an opportunity to form a new Community High School district and was instrumental, along with board President John L. Kagy, in forming Salem Community High School District #600. This new school included several surrounding towns in the tax rich properties of the oil and gas that encompassed 1/3 of Marion County.

Salem Community High School was erected in 1949-50 and was known as a new modern school that people came from far distances to see. The crowning jewel of the building was the huge gymnasium. This new gym was like no other in its time and remains a favorite today in all of Southern Illinois. On May 23, 1967, the gym was dedicated as B.E. Gum Gymnasium. Mr. Gum, along with his wife Lena, sat in the west balcony row A seats 1 & 2 for several years.

Mr. Gum served SCHS for 30 years and was a whole-hearted supporter of Salem Wildcat athletics. He, along with his administration, started the Salem Invitational Tournament which recently completed its 66^th year. He believed in hard work, discipline and loved to win, especially when competing against cross county rival Centralia High School. All coaches and athletes knew Mr. Gum was the leader of the school and sports programs. He was in every sports team picture in the yearbook and enjoyed attending all Salem Wildcat games.

Mr. B.E. Gum passed away in 1973 but his vision for SCHS and his legacy lives on every time there is a game in B. E. Gum Gymnasium.

While his first Salem boys track team in 1985 came up short at the North Egypt Conference Meet, his squads came back to win the title in each of the next 16 seasons. Phillips’ greatest success with the Wildcats track program came in 1999 when Salem grabbed a share of the Class AA Murphysboro Sectional championship. That remains as the program’s only sectional title. That 1999 team later finished fourth at the state meet. During Phillips’ track tenure Salem qualified more than 30 individuals and 15 relay teams for the Class AA state meet in a two-class system.

When Phillips took over the boys cross country program in 1987 his teams won 15 straight NEC championships. Eight times his teams qualified for state, which began in 1987 followed by trips in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998. Salem won six regionals with Phillips at the helm (1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998) and four sectionals (1994, 1996, 1997 and 1998). The 1998 squad cracked the top ten at state for the first time when it placed ninth.

Phillips took over the girls cross country program when the sport was still in its infancy. It was not until 1996 when the NEC held its first girls meet. Salem won that inaugural title followed by championships in 1997, 1998, 2000 and 2001.

The Lady Wildcats qualified for the Class AA state meet six times during Phillips’ tenure with the first advancement in 1987 followed by trips in 1988, 1991, 1996, 1997 and 1998. The 1998 team posted the best finish among those squads with a 15th place mark. Phillips’ girls’ teams won regional titles in 1991, 1996, 1997 and 1998 and the program’s only sectional crown in 1996.

Phillips was named the Illinois Track and Cross Country Coaches Association Cross Country Coach of the Year for the state’s southern division in 1998 and received the same honor for the 1999 track season.

Phillips has been a lifetime Wildcat having played football and track at SCHS from 1967-1971. Phillips was part of a shuttle relay team that set the school record. Phillips attended Kaskaskia College and Eastern Illinois University before he returned to SCHS as a biology teacher. Phillips began coaching with the Wildcats football program in 1976 as sophomore coach and varsity assistant. Phillips continued that role until 1981 when he moved to the freshmen level.

During Phillips’ tenure as an underclassmen football coach his teams compiled a 48-13 record. Phillips’ best freshmen squad was the 1982 team that went 10-0. His 1984 team went 9-1.

It is not just athletic venues where Phillips enjoyed success. During the 1986-87 school year he filled in as scholar bowl coach and led that team to a second place finish at the state meet. While Phillips’ head coaching duties ended in 2002, he has remained active as a volunteer assistant boys track coach.

Petrea participated in cross country, basketball and baseball during his time with the Wildcats and received the Salem team rebounding award for the 1976-77 season. It was Petrea’s abilities on the baseball field that landed him a spot at Kaskaskia College where he excelled for the Blue Devils from 1977-1979. Petrea, who handled first base duties, made an immediate impact at Kaskaskia College as during the 1977 fall season he hit .354 and was selected to the Southern Illinois Collegiate Conference Team.

During his overall career at Kaskaskia College Petrea batted .288 with 15 doubles, 8 triples, 1 home run, 49 RBIs and a .432 on base average. Petrea stole 18 bases in 23 attempts and was solid in the field with a fielding average of .979. Petrea was selected and played for the South team in the 1979 Junior College All-State All-Star game held at Wrigley Park in Chicago. Petrea was selected to the Kaskaskia College Hall of Fame in 2013.

After graduation from Kaskaskia College he continued his baseball career at Middle Tennessee State University. Petrea, who also played during an era when wooden bats were used at the college level, posted a career batting average of .321 which included 21 doubles, 1 triple, 24 singles to go along with 45 RBIs. Petrea set the Raiders school record for doubles, which has since been broken. Petrea also continued to the All-Ohio Valley Conference Team during his senior year in 1981 when Middle Tennessee State qualified for the NCAA Tournament and played in the South Regional.

Petrea returned to the Salem area after he completed his education and playing career. He has continued to stay active in sports over the years having coached T-ball, Pony League and American Legion baseball, Salem Little Cats boys’ and girls’ basketball, and flag football.

At the time of his induction into the Salem Wildcat Sports Hall of Fame, Petrea serves as equipment manager at M.G. Dyess Inc.

Prior to her stop at Salem, Holst had put together a highly successful stint at Newcomb, New Mexico where she compiled a 134-60 record during her eight seasons there, which included four straight 20 win seasons. It took a little while for Holst to rebuild the Salem program, as her first three teams combined for a 33-46 record. Starting in the 1998-99 season her teams had winning campaigns in 17 of the next 18 years, which included twelve 20 win seasons. Her teams won six conference championships, a run that began when it claimed the North Egypt Conference championship in 1999 when it compiled a perfect 14-0 record. That was the first conference title for the Lady Wildcats in 20 years. After Salem moved to the Apollo Conference for the 2003-2004 school year, her teams won the title in 2005, 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012.

The Lady Wildcats had never won a regional championship until her 1998-99 team not only ended that drought, but added sectional and super-sectional titles before they fell 47-45 to Glenbard West on a last-second shot in the quarterfinal round of the Class AA state tournament.

That 1998-99 team compiled a 28-3 record and easily broke the previous school record of wins for a season (24) set back in the 1978-79 campaign. Holst’s 2004-2005 Salem squad matched that 28-3 record, while her 2011-12 team established yet another school win record when they went 29-5. Her Salem teams won 10 regional championships (1999, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2015, and 2016) and two sectional titles (1999 and 2012). Her 2011-12 team reached the Class 3A Elite Eight, while her 2007-08, 2009-10 advanced to the Class 3A Sweet 16. When Holst-Behrens stepped down after the 2015-16 season she had compiled a 426-206 record at Salem and a 560-266 career mark.

Holst-Behrens was twice selected to coach the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association All-Star Game (2007 and 2016). She also served on the IBCA All-State and Hall of Fame Committees.

Starting with the 1996-97 season, Holst-Behrens was assisted by her husband, Scott Holst until his death in an automobile accident in Dec. 2012. That was not the only family connection Holst-Behrens had during her time at Salem, as she coached all three of her daughters. Riley graduated in 2012, while twins Shelby and Sydney graduated in 2015.

Also during her time at Salem Holst-Behrens served as an assistant coach for the Lady Wildcat volleyball team for three seasons, 1995-97. Those teams won three NEC championships, three regionals and the program’s only sectional.

At the time of her induction into the Salem Sports Hall of Fame, Holst-Behrens has relocated to Marengo, Iowa where she serves as a biology teacher at Iowa Valley High School.