A ceremony honoring former Ooltewah High School boys’ basketball coach and principal Ed Foster was held between the girls’ and boys’ games against East Ridge on Thursday at Ooltewah, where the new gym was named the Edward M. Foster Gymnasium.
Ooltewah principal Mark Bean, who succeeded Foster after he retired in June of 2009, said a recommendation for the project was made by District 9 school board representative Chester Bankston, who along with Bean spoke at the ceremony. Other speakers included assistant principal and athletic director Jim Jarvis, retired assistant principal Stan Robbs and McKee Foods’ Donel Cochran, who starred for Foster at Ooltewah in the late 1970s.
“We had former players and teachers there, anybody that worked for Ed,” Bean said. “We had a lot of people there. Then we had a reception in one of the classrooms upstairs in the gym after that.”
Accompanying Foster was his wife, Marlene; his daughter, Jenny Jones; and son-in-law Tommy Jones. Foster’s son, Christopher, is an assistant boys’ basketball coach at Karns High School in Knoxville and was unable to attend.
Bean said after the date had to be changed twice, a decision was made to move it to Thursday, since Foster was also principal at East Ridge for 10 years.
“The East Ridge people were very nice about it, too,” said Bean, who also was principal at East Ridge before taking the Ooltewah job. “Ed is very deserving of this honor.”
Foster said Bankston informed him of the accolade at a retirement reception last summer. Foster was the architect of some state-tournament teams and several 20-win seasons in the old gym and a driving force behind getting a new one built.
“It was a unique feeling,” Foster said of Thursday’s ceremony. “It was so humbling. I’m sure there are some who are more deserving, but nobody is more appreciative than me.”