2021 Ross Co. Fair Dedications...
James L. “Pete” Dunkle
James L. “Pete” Dunkle, 76, of Chillicothe, died March 8, 2021, at his residence. He was born April 23, 1944, in Chillicothe to the late Lewis and Bernice Dunkle. Pete graduated from Frankfort in 1962, where he was a member of the football, basketball, and baseball teams. He was vice-president of his senior class and named ALL-Ohio Pitcher his senior year. Pete graduated from Morehead State University with a bachelor’s degree in education. He later received his master’s degree from Xavier University. Pete started his teaching and coaching career at Paint Valley High School, moved to Finley, OH to Arlington High School and then found his home at Zane Trace High School. Pete was a high school Principal and then Superintendent where he finished his 23 years at Zane Trace, retiring in 1996. Pete continued his work at Zane Trace as a fulltime volunteer as a booster club member, working Bingo (every Thursday night), and running the Zane Trace PTO sausage booth at the Ross County Fair. Pete would be up at 2:00 am to always get things started for the day! And you did its “Pete” way! Several members would always try and beat him to the punch, but no such luck! (They couldn’t keep up with him). If you went to the Ross County Fair, you knew who “Pete” was! always in the booth and making noodles or passing out Amish cheese and DEDICATED to the ZT Community. The Easy Rider Rodeo, starting bagging ice in July and always feeding the entire rodeo staff every year that the rodeo was at the fair. (With his own money). If you signed up to work, you knew your name was on a handwritten poster paper that he would turn in to the rodeo committee and always laughed because it was the same p9ster paper every year with the same names on it! Mike Short, Pat Beard and Chris Echard was always the 1st names of the list, (you could not say no!).
14 Ross County Fair Premium Book
Pete and the booster group build the old field house and the current field house, if you were at a football game or basketball game you would find Pete in the concession stand making his world-famous POPCORN. He helped with the new turf field, always took care of the baseball field and anything that he felt the students needed at Zane Trace. His love of baseball continued with his directing the Valley Vista Sports Camp in Bainbridge during the early 1970’s for over 10 years. He was also an OH SAA baseball and softball umpire for over 45 years, officiating 25 state baseball tournaments, and several regional and district games as well. Pete taught baseball and softball officiating class at OU for 20 Years. He was inducted into the OH SAA Hall Of Fame in 2000 as a baseball official. Pete was a “People Person”, never met a stranger and was always the P1 one to jump in and help. His hobbies included fishing, hunting, mushroom hunting, and was a master gardener. (The concession stands always had fresh tomatoes and onions from Pete’s Garden). He had friends in all walks of life. His social life was devoted to his 4 children, his grandchildren, and the Zane Trace community. He loved to go to the Amish country, and you would see him bringing back meat, cheeses and bake goods to the folks around Zane Trace or Frankfort. Pete enjoyed evening drives to Casa del Taco with his dog “Milo.” Pete unwavering loyalty and generosity to the ZT Community positively and profoundly impacted generations of Pioneers. The lessons learned from his deed will carry on through the hard work and dedication of his family, friends, former students, booster club and community as they continue his legacy, thru the Zane Trace Pete Dunkle Memorial Scholarship. This Scholarship is to honor Pete’s tenacious spirit and all the good that he brought to the Pioneer nation and everyone who crossed his path. Donations can be made to the Chillicothe-Ross Community Foundation: online: crcf.net. Pete always said: “The Cream of the crop always raises to the top”, He was the cream!
