GARDEN CITY – After being cancelled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Garden City High School Living Legacy Fund will return for its fifth annual Buffalo Ball on New Year’s Eve.
In addition, the GCHS Athletics Hall of Fame will hold its second induction ceremony the same evening at The Golf Club at Southwind. Festivities begin with a 5:30 p.m. reception, followed by the Hall of Fame induction of both the 2020 and 2021 Classes and then continue with a dinner and dance.
Tickets are now available and can be purchased for $75 each by sending a check made payable to the Buffalo Living Legacy Fund, c/o Garden City High School Athletics Dept., 2720 Buffalo Way, Garden City, KS 67846. More information is also available by emailing Melissa Savolt, President and Co-Founder of the Living Legacy Fund at buffalolivinglegacy@gmail.com. Persons can also call (620) 805-5431.
The $75 ticket includes a reception/cash bar at 5:30 p.m., the Hall of Fame induction ceremony at 6:30 p.m. with the dinner and dance to follow at approximately 7:45 p.m. and 9:00 p.m.
To support the Living Legacy Fund, please consider making a cash gift. People can create a legacy by naming a scholarship in someone’s honor, after a business or in memory of a loved one with a minimum $1,000 donation.
Contributions are tax deductible through the USD 457 Foundation and the Western Kansas Community Foundation.
Levels of support include:
- Herd ($500)
- Plains ($250)
- Roamer ($100)
- Legends ($5,000 named scholarship)
- Buffalos ($2,500 named scholarship)
- Leaders ($1,000 named scholarship)
All sponsorships are optional and may be declined.
The Living Legacy Fund was established to inspire and empower Garden City High School students to achieve their post-secondary goals.
Through the generosity of supporters and the yearly Buffalo Ball, $67,850 has been raised while awarding 25 scholarships to deserving graduating students at GCHS.
In 2019, the GCHS Athletics Hall of Fame joined with the Living Legacy Fund to jointly hold the Buffalo Ball and the inaugural class of inductees, which honors past GCHS student-athletes, coaches, teams and special contributors. Nearly 200 people attended that event and the organizers are expecting another great turnout.
What better way to ring in the New Year than to recognize and honor past great student-athletes, coaches and teams as well as raising critical funds for scholarships for those deserving GCHS graduates. The Living Legacy Fund has established a goal of $10,000 to award in scholarships in the spring of 2022.
The 2020 Hall of Fame Class
- Archie Gooden, basketball standout (1966, 1966 State Championship team MVP)
- Doyle McGraw, multi-sport athlete (1963, football/wrestling)
- Jason Archibald, two-time state high jump champion and 1995 graduate
- Chad Krug, GCHS’s all-time best tennis player (1994)
- Bob Krug, long-time tennis coach (1977-2003)
- The 1961 undefeated Buffaloes football team
- The 1971 Class 4-5A state wrestling championship team
The 2021 Hall of Fame Class
- Tim Algrim, cross country and track athlete, (1975 Graduate)
- Sadie Ochs Giedd, outstanding girls basketball player and multi-sport athlete, (1994 Graduate
- John Dickerson, the second-winningest football coach and first wrestling coach at GCHS, and boys golf coach (1950s-1960s)
- Todd Tichenor (1995 graduate), who played baseball and other sports at GCHS and has been a Major League Baseball umpire for the past 12 years
