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Scott Spahr poses with the Wally Post tribute sign that he helped create for the Village of St. Henry 42 years ago.
ST. HENRY - In 1983, a determined 14-year-old boy stood before the St. Henry village council with an idea. Scott Spahr, a local teenager with a deep love for baseball and his community, wanted to honor one of St. Henry's greatest athletes: Cincinnati Reds slugger Wally Post.
Post, a St. Henry native, had carved out a memorable career in Major League Baseball, playing 15 seasons and hitting 210 home runs. After retiring in 1964, he returned home, working in management at Minster Canning Company and becoming a beloved figure in the community. To many, he was simply "Uncle Wally" - a friendly, down-to-earth man who carried the same warmth and humility he'd shown on the field.
"He had a presence within the community. Everyone loved him," Spahr recalls. "His persona was huge. Outside of his athletic ability, he brought a lot of love to the village of St. Henry and the surrounding area."
St. Henry hero Wally Post was a star outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds for many seasons.
When Post passed away from cancer in 1982, Spahr felt the town needed a tribute that would ensure Post's legacy lived on. Inspired by Celina's roadside signs honoring Celina graduate and Ohio State and NFL running back Jim Otis, Spahr set out to do something similar for Wally Post. Not sure where to begin, Spahr asked a teacher at St. Henry Middle School for advice. He was told to bring his proposal to the village council, which he promptly did. The council added Scott to their next meeting's agenda, and despite being just 14 years old, Spahr confidently stood before them and made his case.
"I made the suggestion and the council quickly voted yes on it," Spahr says. "And the rest was put in place."
Now, the challenge was making it happen. Spahr needed someone to design and paint the signs, and the resourceful teen found local artist Ray Peterson.
"I remember he had his office on Main Street by the old Dairy Queen," Spahr says, referring to the St. Henry Dairy Dream drive-in. "He had a sign that said 'Ray Peterson Art Design.' I contacted him, and he enthusiastically said, 'Let's do it!'"
Over the next four months, Peterson painted four large plywood signs, each commemorating Post's career and contributions to St. Henry. By mid-May 1983, the signs were ready and installed around town.
"It wasn't a big ceremony at all," Spahr remembers. "I think it was just me and a few village council members, but Wally's daughter did send me a nice letter thanking me for what I did. She invited me over to her house and gave me one of Wally's baseball trading cards."
For the next 20 years, those signs stood as a proud tribute to one of St. Henry's greatest sons. But time and weather took their toll, and eventually, they were removed and placed in storage. For years, the signs sat in the back of the St. Henry maintenance shop, largely forgotten. That changed when a local resident, Josh Link, stumbled upon them two decades ago.
"They were cracked and faded, and the village was going to throw them away," Spahr says. "Josh had someone touch them up a bit. He kept one, and then he gave one to his father-in-law, Mike Schultz. Another was put on display in a local bar, and I believe the fourth one is in a Mercer County museum."
Though they were no longer welcoming visitors at the town's entrances, the signs had found new homes, preserving a piece of St. Henry history.
Wally Post was bigger than life the year he hit 40 home runs for the Cincinnati Reds - and to the local kids who knew him in retirement.
Fast forward to December 2024. Spahr, now the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of Shelby County, Indiana, received an unexpected message from Robb Hemmelgarn, the commissioner of the Midwest Athletic Conference who also does some sports writing for The Daily Standard.
"Robb found an old article from 1983 in The Daily Standard archives featuring me and the signs," Spahr says. "He sent me a copy, and I posted it on Facebook, saying it would be great to have one of those signs again."
Spahr never expected what happened next.
"Apparently Robb reposted my post, and that's where the Links and Schultzes saw it," he says. "They messaged me and said, 'Hey, we have one of those signs - we'd like to give it to you.' "
Four decades after Spahr had championed the tribute to Wally Post, one of the original signs was making its way back to him.
"My daughter and I drove about two and a half hours to pick it up," Spahr says. "They actually had the sign hanging on their wall. It was pretty special to me that somebody gave a piece of my history back to me 42 years later."
St. Henry hero Wally Post was a star outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds for many seasons.
Standing before that weathered wooden sign, Spahr couldn't help but reflect on how much had changed since 1983 - and how much had stayed the same.
"It made me realize I've been doing public community work since I was 14 years old," he says. "I guess it's always been in my blood."
Today, Spahr oversees four Boys and Girls Club locations, ensuring the children in his Indiana community have safe places to learn and grow.
"My job is to oversee the operations and functionality of all four clubs that fall underneath my umbrella," he explains. "I make sure the kids are safe and that the adults who work with them are trained properly and that we have funding to do everything we do."
For Spahr, the return of that old sign wasn't just a sentimental moment - it was a reminder of the power of small actions. A teenager's idea, a village's support, and a community's love for one of their own had all come together to create something special.
And in the end, sometimes history finds its way back home.
