Barton Herr: Inspirational Founder of The Trojan Nation

Barton Herr: Inspirational Founder of The Trojan Nation

By Larry McCoy, MS ‘71

When one speaks of Bloom Township High School (BTHS), many forget a man who, from his beginnings, had visions of Bloom well into the future. He saw the value of preserving what he saw was a potential national treasure. He was a pioneer historian that recognized early that Bloom was something unique for its time in American history. He saw Bloom as a school that could impact our whole nation through its ever-expanding number of graduates and to have that expansion cover the country; a vision that had only been realized and attempted by colleges and other national fraternal organizations. He was a man who recognized that Bloom’s history and its artifacts were invaluable in preserving not only Bloom’s history, but also American history. Barton Herr was a faculty member from 1946 to 1979, during which he taught primarily business education courses.

After his retirement from teaching he was responsible for many “first of its kind” efforts. He directed Bloom’s night school program. And he served for many years as business manager and later adviser to The Bloom, Bloom High School’s yearbook. As a member of the Bloom Community Relations Committee, headed by former Board member Dorothy Dill, he was directly responsible for the founding of the Bloom Alumni Association, and he was a part of the committee which was responsible for the development and publishing of the Bloom-Erang alumni newsletter.

With former principal Dr. James D. Steckel, he was a driving force behind the efforts to have Bloom recognized as a National Historic Site in 1982 and was instrumental in the restoration of Bloom’s iconic Depression era Edgar Britton murals in Bloom’s front entrance. In one of his most ambitious projects, he arranged to produce the first Bloom alumni directory, which is still being published today. Herr believed that Bloom history should be, not only preserved, but collected in a way that was accessible for all. It is said that upon his passing his basement was completely filled with Bloom memorabilia; so much that it took two trucks to haul away from his home. Those memorabilia items became the basis of today’s Bloom Archives. Mr. Herr not only wanted a collection of Bloom memorabilia, he wanted ways to recognize and acknowledge Bloom alums of merit by hosting a series of special events. As part of the Community Relations Committee, he worked on the 1975 Diamond Jubilee and its greatest accomplishment, the establishment of the Bloom Hall of Fame to recognize outstanding former students and to inspire those who attend Bloom today.

As mentioned earlier, his vision of Bloom was not only contained to the Chicago Heights area activities, but he also wanted to expand Bloom’s history to reach out around the country and in every state where Bloom alums settled. In 1994, a few Bloom alums, and Margaret Epley Zatarski ‘67 who had moved to Arizona, called Mr. Herr to obtain yearbooks to aid in an idea for a Bloom reunion in Scottsdale which was a first of its kind reunion in Arizona. Mr. Herr shared his vision of future reunions with Margaret. “I would like to see Bloom reunions in every state in the country,” he said. Bloom alumni gatherings would lead to forming a national movement/organization: A Nation of Bloom alum. Margaret and Mr. Herr continued their visionary ideas about a future alumni effort that would continue the preservation of BTHS’s history. Margaret is noted to have said,” I will help make that part of your dream come true”. Thus, the first national reunion was held on May 1, 1994 in Scottsdale, Arizona. Mr. Herr died in 2002, two years after having witnessed the greatest alumni reunion ever created.

The Bloom Centennial Reunion Celebrations in 2000 brought back over 3000 Bloom alums from all over the world. I was privileged to be the coordinator of this historic event, (planning took over one whole year) which gave me regular interactions with Mr. Herr. He taught me many things, but the most lasting thing he taught me was the value and “currency” of Bloom’s history. And, that I had to use it to continue reminding alums of their greatness. Not individual greatness, but greatness by association to Bloom. I believe our iconic spirit chant, …” were from Bloom and couldn’t be prouder”, was heavily influenced by his feelings and promotions of Bloom’s history

The Bloom Alumni Association, in conjunction with the newly formed Bloom Alumni Athletic Association, will be committed to carrying on his legacy and dreams with our recent efforts of forming “The Trojan Nation. “. The name Trojan Nation was born out of his vision of having a worldwide association of Bloom alums. When people ask why I commit so much time and efforts on behalf of promotions of this thing called The Nation, well… “ and now you know the rest of the story”.