Hall of Honor
There are few places Dick Alderman loves more than Houghton, New York. As a gifted athlete interested in engineering and valedictorian of his graduating class at Avoca High School, his teachers urged him to go to MIT. But because of family and church connections, he decided Houghton College was the place for him.
Along with being a talented and dedicated math major, Alderman was a talented and dedicated athlete during the purple and gold years of Houghton athletics. When it wasn’t purple and gold week, athletes participated in class sports. Dick lettered in baseball and football, and was also a track and field, volleyball and basketball athlete.
In class volleyball, his team lost once to the seniors during his freshman year and then never lost again, and in some games the other team didn’t even score. In class basketball, he once scored 42 points in one game. In a freshman vs. Varsity game, Alderman skipped class to play and his professor ended up reading about the game in the Star, which got in him in a little bit of trouble.
During his senior year, Alderman had 21 points in the class championship against the juniors. He was a powerful post player that got a lot of rebounds and tip-ins. His class won three straight championships.
Although class leagues were fun, purple and gold competitions were Alderman’s favorite. He was purple and his roommates were gold, and he enjoyed going to head to head with them since they were teammates the rest of the year.
Dick was inspired by many people during his time at Houghton. Dr. Paine was especially instrumental in influencing his Christian walk. Alderman remembers listening to his chapel sermons and thinking, “that’s how it’s supposed to be.” Dr. Luckey was also inspiring to him in the way he taught and how he lived his life.
After graduation, Dick was immediately commissioned into the United States Air Force and then earned his graduate degree at New York University. He chose NYU because it was close to Yankee Stadium.
His athletic experience proved valuable during his time in the Air Force. Looking back, Alderman stated, “everything in the military is teamwork. Just like in sports, you have to listen to your captain and he makes the decisions. I learned that very quickly.”
After four years of service, Alderman pursued his calling as an educator. He taught math at Starpoint, Niagara Falls and Canisteo High Schools and eventually became principal of Canisteo for seven years. He remained in the Army Reserves during this time and became a recruiter in Western New York. Dick also stayed closely tied to Houghton. He was elected president of the Alumni Association chapter in Hornell, NY and came back to Houghton during homecoming to play in alumni games.
After years of teaching, Alderman was contacted by Houghton to come back and work for them. Over 20 years, Dick worked in various administration positions, such as golf coach, Registrar, Admissions Director, Athletic Director, Alumni Director and was Vice President of the college his last five years. Still passionate about the Army, he started the ROTC program at Houghton during his time as Registrar.
After Houghton, he went back to teaching at Southern Wesleyan University for five years, and then worked at an orphanage in Georgia. He and his wife stay down South during the winter months, but his home has always been Houghton. He has stayed on the alumni board and four of his five kids have attended Houghton.
Dick has been an active community member during his retirement. He was business manager at Houghton Wesleyan church, President of the cemetery association, a member of the Fillmore Board of Education, and has actively attended Houghton soccer games in the fall. He helps house boys on the Genesee Rapids baseball team in the summer and has a room named after him in the Alumni House. Dick was named one of the Houghton 100 during the centennial year, and heads up his class reunions. He managed to get 75 people here for his 50th reunion.
Dick Alderman is the epitome of what Houghton College stands for. We are privileged today to induct him into the Hall of Honor not only for his athletic achievements, but for his service to our country and community today and for years to come.
