Editor’s note: The Menominee High School Athletic Hall of Fame Class of 2024 induction ceremony takes place May 4 at the Pullman House in Menominee. Tickets are on sale at the Superintendent’s office at Blesch School and the Principal’s office at the high school for $35. Each week, the EagleHerald will spotlight one of the 12 inductees. This week’s feature is on Dr. Burnell Stripling, M.D.
MENOMINEE — No one who straps on football pads for the Menominee Maroons makes it through a season unscathed, and for over a quarter of a century, one man tended to the battle wounds of those gridiron warriors.
From the late 1970s to the mid-2000s, Dr. Burnell Stripling was a ubiquitous scene at Maroon football games, watching the field like a hawk for the first sign of catastrophe and ready to swing into action at a moment’s notice.
Stripling’s dedication to the health and safety of decades of Maroon athletes solidified the good doctor as a seminal figure in the history of Menominee High School.
On May 4, Stripling will be immortalized as one of the legendary Maroons when he is inducted into the Menominee High School Athletic Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2024.
The induction ceremony takes place at the Pullman House in Menominee.
“I have the highest esteem for him,” former Maroons’ coach and Menominee High School Athletic Hall of Famer Ken Hofer said. “The sideline doctor is aware of all the bumps, bruises and injuries and it’s very comforting to know that we had someone so qualified to take care of our athletes should they be injured.”
Stripling was born on July 13, 1934 in The Bronx and spent his formative years in the New York City area, attending Fordham Prep, Jesuit high school, before graduating from Columbia University in 1951 and obtaining a Doctor of Medicine degree from the New York Medical School.
Stripling trekked out West for an internship at the Los Angeles County Hospital, a move that would prove life-altering when he met Jane L. Gribble, a school teacher from Ironwood, Michigan that was working in El Monte, California. The couple married on March 4, 1961 and went on to have three children: Burnell, Wesley and Wendy.
After completing his residency, Stripling and Dr. Harry Locke, a friend from his medical school days, set up a practice in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Two years into the practice, Stripling was drafted into the United States Navy, and his life took another fortuitous turn.
Stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Hospital in Waukegan, Illinois, Stripling crossed paths with Dr. John Pinkerton, who, as luck would have it, was about to leave the Navy and begin practicing medicine in Menominee.
Stripling and his family paid a visit to the Menominee/Marinette area and quickly decided to make it their home.
He joined Marinette Medical Clinic and practiced at the Marinette-Menominee Clinic after the Marinette Medical Clinic merged with the former Boren Clinic in 1984. Stripling also served as President at the clinic.
In 1977, Stripling became the primary sideline physician for the Menominee Maroons football team, a post he held until 2005.
“He was my personal doctor for many, many years, then he became the team doctor and he was that for many, many years, so, he was almost around as long as I was,” Hofer chuckled. “Not quite though.”
In all, Stripling authored a 33-year career in local medicine before his retirement in 2001. He was also an active member of the community as a member of the Menominee Rotary Club, even serving as one of its Presidents. He was presented the Paul Harris Service Award by the Club.
Stripling was also an avid supporter of the DAR Boys and Girls Club, worked with school students at Lincoln Elementary and coached numerous sports at the YMCA.
“For the many, many years that he gave high-quality service to Maroon athletics,” Hofer replied when asked about what made Stripling Hall-of-Fame worthy. “If you were a coach, you wanted someone like that around who can take care of situations because it makes it more comfortable for yourself. He was super in that aspect, and I’d say that all the athletes who competed during that period of time were very thankful that he was on the sidelines.”
Stripling passed away on December 19, 2014, but his legacy continues to endure in the memories of the coaches and players that he spent over 25 years caring for.
“He was a fantastic person. His interest was in the young people who played for Menominee, or for the other team,” Hofer said. “If an injury took place on the field, he made sure he was right there to take care of them.”
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