Hall of Fame
William P. Whipple, Class of 1935, was one of those unique all-around Coe men who distinguished himself on the athletic field, in the classroom, and in student leadership roles. In athletics, Bill Whipple was an outstanding member of three track teams in the days when the late Forest Rittgers was the winning coach. He was a member of two Midwest Conference championship teams. His specialties were the dashes, the quarter mile, and the relays. In 1934, Bill Whipple was a member of the Midwest Conference championship mile relay team, and in the conference meet he took second in the 440-yard run. In that same year, he took second in the 440 in a dual meet with the University of Iowa. In 1935, Bill Whipple was elected captain of Coe's conference championship team. Probably when the good old days of the track are talked about in the Whipple household, the best memories go back to the Coe-Cornell meet in 1935, when Bill won both the 100 and 220-yard dashes against Coe's traditional rival. As a junior Bill Whipple was elected Student Council president and was also the winner of the Bever Oratorical Prize. All of these activities were a prelude to his successful career in insurance as Chairman of the Board of Whipple, Winterberg, Wilts & Shepard, one of Cedar Rapids' leading insurance firms. Following his retirement from the insurance business, he has rendered significant service to his community's hospitals, arts organizations, and colleges, as President of The Hall Foundation, Inc. Mr. Whipple served Coe as a trustee for 22 years, including a three-year term as Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1965 to 1968. In recognition of his achievements as an athlete, scholar, business leader, and community mover, it is a pleasure for me to present William P. Whipple for induction into the Coe College Athletic Hall of Fame.
