HHS grad donates $100,000 to Boys & Girls Club to honor Devlin teacher

Press release

“No matter what road you choose to follow, I wish you much success and happiness,” reads the handwritten letter Tim Wynne received from Mary Etta Sohm shortly before he graduated from Havre High School in 1980. Included with the letter was a set of scrapbooks Sohm had carefully compiled of Wynne’s activities over the years, after he was in her fifth grade class at what was then Devlin School, but is now home to the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line.

Fast-forward 42 years and the connection between Wynne, Sohm, Devlin School — and now the Club and its youth-focused mission — led Wynne and his wife, Kristen, to make a $100,000 donation to the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line, establishing the Mary Etta Sohm Endowment.

“For several years I had been looking for a way to somehow recognize Mary Etta,” said Wynne, who now lives on the West Coast, but still maintains a close connection to Havre and the Hi-Line. “When I was invited to take a tour of the Boys & Girls Club, and I saw the work they do, it just clicked for me. I knew this would be an organization that Mary Etta would want to support.”   

Sohm was a school teacher in Havre for 33 years. She taught her first group of Havre youngsters in 1953 and retired in 1975. Sohm was known for making close, personal connections with her students and inspiring them to expect more of themselves. Wynne recalled feeling like Sohm took a special interest in him and encouraged him. She would give him rides to the high school when he was in elementary school, and he watched Blue Pony basketball while she kept score. 

Unbeknownst to Wynne, his beloved teacher continued to follow him through his high school and college years. Upon Wynne’s graduation from Havre High School, she presented him with two scrapbooks that chronicled his athletic career as a Blue Pony. As a high school student, Wynne maintained a 3.83 GPA and was a member of the National Honor Society, but he was also an all-state defensive tackle, all-conference defensive tackle and offensive guard, top defensive lineman and Shrine game participant in 1980. Wynne also earned all-conference and an all-state honorable mention pick in 1980 for basketball, as well as being named the HHS basketball team’s MVP.

“In years to come, I hope you’ll enjoy looking through these pages as much as I enjoyed preparing them for you,” Sohm wrote in the books. “They may help you recall the fun times, the anxious moments and a few disappointments encountered … as a Blue Pony.”

“I was moved that she cared so much,” said Wynne, who graduated HHS and went on to attend the University of Montana, where he earned a football scholarship and played football for the Grizzlies.

Though Wynne has called the Pacific Northwest home for decades, Havre and the Hi-Line remain close to his heart.

“When I was younger, I used to think if I ever had the opportunity to give back to Havre I would like to do that,” he said.

Now Wynne and his wife, Kristen, are giving back to Wynne’s hometown in a big way – gifting $100,000 to the Boys & Girls Club to establish the Mary Etta Sohm Endowment.

“We feel it is important to reach kids when they are young and help guide them,” Kristen Wynne said. “It’s a small window of opportunity to catch them before they are at risk of heading down the wrong road.”

The Wynnes are passionate about youth development, so the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line was a natural fit when they were considering how to make an impact on youth and also honor Sohm, who passed away in 2016.

Sohm is survived by her son, Gary Sohm, who said the gift the Wynnes made in honor of his mother was appropriate.

“My mother would be honored and humbled to know that the building where she encouraged and helped shape children’s minds would continue to do so after her passing and be recognized by one of her students,” he said.

The Boys & Girls Club is dedicated to building its endowment so it can ensure the Club is available for youth in Havre for years to come.

Executive Director Tim Brurud said the Wynnes’ donation is a big help.

“Building a robust endowment is critical,” Brurud said. “We want the Club to be here for Havre-area youth indefinitely. Gifts of any size help us move the needle and puts the Club on a more solid foundation.”

The Boys & Girls Club is classified as a 501(c)(3). All donations to the Club or the endowment are tax deductible. To help support the Club and area youth, people can call 406-265-6206, or visit the “donate now” page at http://www.bgchi-line.net .

Gifts to the endowment of the Boys & Girls Club of the Hi-Line also qualify for the Montana Endowment Tax Credit.