Bruce Hixon’s 35 years in sports media included an 11-year stint as sports editor of the Salem Times-Commoner. Hixon began his sports tenure in 1985 at just 17 years of age as a contributing writer at the Olney Daily Mail before being promoted to sports editor in 1990. Hixon made the move to the Salem T-C in 1992 and began his coverage of Salem Wildcats athletics, a position that also included the sports scene at South Central, Patoka, Sandoval and Odin High Schools along with the junior high sports scene.

Hixon spent 13 years as the North Egypt Conference Sportswriters Association information director and statistician, a position he was appointed to while he was at Olney and maintained until the NEC’s closure at the end of the 2002-03 school year. During Hixon’s time at Salem he created the 75th season all-time team for the Salem Wildcats football program in 1999. Members of that squad were recognized prior to the team’s home contest against Mt. Carmel that year. Hixon selected and directed the Salem T-C’s annual Scholar/Athlete program. He also selected an annual Male and Female Athlete of the Year as well as all-area teams for volleyball, girls and boys basketball. Hixon had two stints that covered 21 years as a member of the Salem High School Sports Hall of Fame committee where he assisted with nominations, research, write-ups and inductee presentations.

Hixon began a four-year stint as sports editor at the Brewton Standard in Alabama in the fall of 2003 before he returned to Illinois in 2007 when he began an eight-year run as sports editor at the Carlyle Union Banner. Hixon became a freelancer in 2015 when he became a contributing writer for the Breese Journal as well as a photographer for Kaskaskia College and WJBD Radio. Hixon was forced off the sports scene in 2020 when the COVID-19 epidemic shut down area sporting events.

During his time in the newspaper business Hixon twice took first place for best sports section among bi-weekly newspapers by the Southern Illinois Press Association and received the same honor from the Alabama Press Association. Hixon also received multiple awards from the Illinois Press Association for sports section, sports column, sports story and sports photography. Hixon was selected as the Kaskaskia Division of the Illinois Principals Association Media Person of the Year in 2015.

Hixon was working at Carlyle Walmart at the time of his induction into the Salem Sports Hall of Fame. He resides in Carlyle with wife Tami and his two children, Carson and Amy Hixon.

During the summer months he ran the Salem Little League baseball program, operated the city pool and taught swimming lessons. Bob was still teaching when he passed away in the spring of 1981.

Whatever job Bob was working, his wife Anna Lou was always involved. During his A.D. years, Anna Lou was his unofficial assistant in the athletics office. She helped him with clerical work and was at all the home events.

After Bob’s passing, Anna Lou started the Bob Eller Memorial Golf Tournament which led to the Bob Eller Scholarship that went to a senior boy and senior girl. Besides being a great fan of Wildcat athletics, Anna Lou served on the SCHS Board of Education, SCHS Academic Foundation, and is a member of the SCHS Hall of Fame Committee and many other organizations.

Three of the Eller children, Ken, Ron and Tim played sports at SCHS. Grandchildren Ben and Carrie were also former Wildcat athletes.

Cavaletto graduated from Sesser High School and earned Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in education at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale. Cavaletto completed his education at Eastern Illinois University where he received his Administrative Endorsement.

Cavaletto began his education and coaching career at Mulberry Grove High School where he taught and coached baseball and boys’ basketball from 1966-68. Cavaletto moved to Mater Dei High School in Breese and spent nine seasons as the Knights basketball coach. During that nine-year run Cavaletto’s teams compiled a 143-106 record, which included four regional championships and a fourth place finish at the 1974 Class AA state tournament.

Cavaletto arrived in Salem for the 1981-82 school year where he began a 12-year stint as the school’s Athletic Director. Besides founding the Salem Sports Hall of Fame, Cavaletto also constructed the Salem Boys Basketball Shoot-out, which attracted some of the top teams in the state to B.E. Gum gymnasium.

Already carrying a heavy workload as Athletic Director and Assistant Principal at the time, Cavaletto returned to coaching as the Wildcats varsity basketball coach from 1990-92 and relinquished his role as Athletic Director a year later to concenrate full-time on administrative duties. Cavaletto retired as SCHS Principal after the 2000-01 school year and was inducted into the Illinois Athletic Directors Hall of Fame in 2002.

After retirement from education Cavaletto sought a second career in politics. While Cavaletto lost the election to the Illinois House of Representatives in 2002 and again in 2006, the third time proved to be the charm when he won election in 2008. He won re-election terms in 2010, 2012, 2014 and 2016. Cavalleto announced he would not seek re-election when his fifth term concluded in 2018.

During his time with the Illinois House of Representatives Cavaletto has served on the Appropriations-Public Safety Committee, the Counties and Townships Committee, the Elementary and Secondary Education Committee, the Transportation Committee. Agriculture and Conservation Committee and Cities and Villages Committee. He has served as the Minority Spokesperson for the newly created Special Needs Service Committee and the Small Business Empowerment and Workforce Development Committee.

At the time of his induction, Hargis has served 46 consecutive seasons as part of the chain gang at Salem Wildcat football games. During the early years of his endurance streak, which began in 1962, Hargis also worked several out-of-town games when the visiting school was required to supply worker assistance. Hargis estimates the number or games he has missed during his tenure can be counted on one hand despite bouts with open heart surgery, prostate cancer, and removal of a kidney due to cancer.

Hargis has also catered several SCHS Hall of Fame and sport award banquets while serving as a partner at a local restaurant.

A 1953 graduate of SCHS, Hargis has been a regular attendee at Salem boys’ and girls’ basketball games since the early 1970′s with a special interest in his children and grandchildren who have played as Wildcats and Lady Wildcats.

As a high school athlete, Hargis played four years of football and three years of basketball. He spent a fourth year in the basketball program as a statistician.

Smith has been a boys basketball reserved seat ticket holder for 52 years. Smith has had the same seat in B.E. Gum Gym since the 1955-1956 season.

In addition to boys basketball, Smith has faithfully attended or followed all Salem Community High School sporting events.

Smith has been actively involved with the Salem Shriners for 50 years. Among his duties include raising funds for the Shriners Hospitals through the annual Salem-Centralia Shriners football game.

Since the late 1980s Smith has represented the Salem Shriners at the SCHS Fall Sports Awards Night where he has presented medallions to senior football players, cheerleaders and the coaching staff.

Smith helped start another Shriners tradition in 2000 when the Wildcats football team began making an annual visit to the Shriners Hospital in St. Louis prior to the start of the season.

Smith graduated from Patoka’s three-year high school in 1927 and Sandoval’s four-year high school in 1928. He later attended and graduated from the University of Illinois where he received a degree in agriculture. Smith has served as a farm advisor in both Marion and Clinton County.

He also had teaching stints in Indiana as well as Patoka and Sandoval.

Smith holds the distinction of being the oldest individual selected for the Hall of Fame. At the time of his selection Smith was 93.

The late Herbert B. Davis, for 45 years an SCHS English and journalism instructor, was inducted in the category “Friends of Sports.” Mr. Davis was the official scorer at basketball games for many of those 45 years, including regular season, regional and sectional games, and was the voice of the Wildcats on the public address system at home football games.

An avid sports fan, Mr. Davis was a confidant of Salem coaches over the years and was advisor for the school annual, the Salemarion, and the school newspaper, the Broadcaster. He was also the advisor for many years to the SCHS Hi-Y Club. He performed an additional service in the basketball heyday of the Salem Wildcats. During the 1947-48 season, the Wildcats compiled a 27-3 record. For the Salem game at Lawrenceville, Mr. Davis broadcast the game to a large crowd in the old SCHS gym, which is now a part of the Salem Community Activities Center. The account was carried over a telephone line.

Everyone, from 1926 forward, who was in a class tutored by Mr. Davis, remembers it well and came away richer for having been there.

He was an active participant, as well as a fan, playing softball in the city summer leagues and excelling in tennis and golf.

For many years, Mr. Davis supervised the summer fast pitch softball program for the City of Salem, served on the Bryan-Bennett Library Board for 20 years, and was a lifetime member of the Elks with 21 years of perfect attendance.

In 1977, Mr. Davis was inducted into the Illinois Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame, with a plaque commemorating the honor placed in the Hall of Fame at Illinois State University in Normal. In 1979, a memorial consisting of three flag poles and a stone marker was placed at the north end of the SCHS football field by the SCHS Student Council in memory and honor of the long time teacher.

A graduate of Murphysboro Township High School, Mr. Davis received his Bachelor’s degree from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale and received his Master’s degree from the University of Illinois. Mr. Davis died December 5, 1977, and is survived by his wife, Pauline, and daughters, Jacquelyn Holler of St. Louis and Joan Steinburg of Normal.