WANN - Norman "Happy"
Silverwood, Indiana. 8 July 1882.
These are important to Fountain County as Norman Gillespie Wann came into our world and what an interesting life he lead. The son of Clark Wilson (also born in Fountain County son of John and Mary Samuels) and Eunice (Gillespie) Wann, N.G. was their oldest to grow to adulthood, including a sister Orphi and a brother, Hubert; however, Eunice lost three other children when they were born or quite young. Yet the family grew-up in the Silverwood area where Clark worked in various capacities (farm laborer and also lived in other places where he did green house work) and were in their mid 70s as was Norman when they passed away. Overall, Norman “Happy” Wann was known for his sports prowess but he was so much more, and it is obvious where he received his middle name but not 100% proven where he got the Happy. Guess it was because he was and looked at life in a happy manner.
Happy was, I believe, a member of the Quaker religion and may have planned on being a leader of the church as he attended Earlham (where he was a four-year letterman in both football and track plus was a member of Beta Phi Sigma) which is a Society of Friends’ based college. He lacked one credit (Foreign Language requirement) of receiving his BBS (Bachelor of Biblical Studies) – after WWI he did return to receive that and a Masters (1929) in Physical Education (University of Wisconsin).
Not a large man (5’9 and ¾ inches), he had greenish-gray eyes, a high, full forehead, straight mouth, medium nose, medium chin, light brown hair, a small scar on his lower lip and a crooked, scarred index finger (sports?) according to his passport. He used that passport (also proof I think that he was a Quaker since they were passive) to go over with the National War Work Council of the YMCA to work with the troops on physical conditioning. He was under contract with the YMCA for 15 months and thus he contributed to the war effort in that way during WWI and according to the passport was heading to France and the British Isles. He was athletic director in Decatur, Il at the time.
In between all that, Happy met then married his true love Daphne Bratton on Christmas Eve in Terre Haute, I believe 1913. Daphne was from Bedford but lived in Terre Haute where he was Physical Director of the TH schools. It was a small wedding for a few special friends and their relatives. They were not blessed with children but helped raise her niece, Mary and two nephews, John and Thomas Fenton. Sadly 13 years after their happy marriage and him being away overseas, plus a couple of moves together (she making many friends wherever they went), she passed away fairly suddenly (Jan 16, 1927) after being sick with peritonitis, the Rev. LO Richmond who was minister at their wedding also putting her to rest in Wesley Cemetery, Montgomery County, Indiana. Norman is listed on the same stone but is not buried there. She passed away in Richmond where he was coach at Earlham.
After her death, he went to the Detroit Michigan area and lived out his life there, with an excellent football record at Wayne for 1929-3. He remarried Miss Clara Louise Vroman, June 21, 1930, who was a music teacher in Detroit. He was also head coach at Ottawa Kansas in 1908- 09; Millikin 1915-1917 (off for WWI); 1919-1922; Earlham 1923-24; Ball State (26-27); but besides all those football teams, he also coached basketball at Ottawa in ’08-10; Millikin 1915-17 and 19-22; and Earlham 1923-25. Add baseball at Ottawa; Millikin; and Ball State. He also was at Kankakee Illinois HS in his early years. To me, the most impressive record was in tennis at Wayne State when WS tennis was about to die, and Happy beginning in 1932 as coach, perked it up to winning 60 of 64 games in three years travelling 16,000 miles to 12 states, coach tennis there until 1953.
In 1954, he was inducted into Earlham’s Athletic Hall of Fame and posthumously he made it into Wayne State’s.
Well-loved in Eagle Harbor, Michigan where he retired, he passed there on the 23rd of July in 1957 and is buried in Pine Grove Cemetery in Eagle Harbor with Louise who passed away three years later. Rest In Peace, Happy!
Note: Sources used: census; births; deaths; marriages; obituaries; 1913 Indiana Teacher’s College yearbook; 1925 Earlham College yearbook; his Passport; Wikipedia; Bullpen; Internet Archive; Hall of Fame; Wayne State digital library (shows one happy face on Coach Wann)
