New record board honors past Trojan track star
When people exit the gymnasium at New Prague High School, they may notice a new track and field record board affixed to the wall above the door. What they may not know, however, is how it got there or who it is named after.
Joel Magnussen was a track star for New Prague in the mid 1980s. His time of one minute, 57 seconds in the 800-meter run is a school record that stands today. A mark this year's group of Trojans can aspire to as the track season begins.
After graduating from New Prague, Magnussen honored his country by serving in the Coast Guard. He also met and married his wife, Jennifer.
As with many "too-perfect-to-be-true" stories, this one took a tragic twist in early 2002.
On February 12, 2002, Joel was diagnosed with stomach cancer. The medical term is "Undifferentiated Gastric Aden Carcinoma".
On October 1, 2003, less than 20 months after being diagnosed, Joel Magnusseum died at the age of 37.
Friends of Joel's, too many to mention, wanted to find a way to honor him for his all-too-short life.
"It seemed like it was his whole class that wanted to get involved," Joel's dad, John said. "They set up a foundation and collected money."
John, who has lived in New Prague with his wife Ruth for the past 36 years, said they were both overwhelmed by the show of love Joel's friends had for him.
"It's really nice to know that (Joel) was able to make an impact on people's lives," John said. "Maybe with this donation, people will be able to remember a little something about who he was."
The donations collected totaled $2,255, which was used to construct the new record board at the high school.
"It's a great addition to the school," New Prague Activities Director Bob Scripture said. "It's a great way to honor Joel as well as all of the kids who have their names in the record book."
John is quick to point out that while it was he and Ruth who presented the check to the school, it was from the hard work of Joel's friends that made it possible.
"People like Brad Schoenbauer, Dan O'Neill, Greg Aase and Joe Geiger are some of the folks who did the work," he said. "Eric and Tasha Kallal are a couple of others that were involved. There were just a lot of people who deserve thanks."
Joel's wife, Jen hasn't let his memory fade either. Since his diagnosis a website was created to document Joel's story. Even to this day, Jen continues to update www.joelmagnussen.com. On the site, visitors can learn about what the couple went through during the 20 month period between his diagnosis and his passing.
"I think there's some really good information on there about what he went through," John said. "It can be hard to read, but it gives you an idea of what kind of person Joel was."