At the NAFC Education Foundation, we take great pride in honoring those who have shaped our schools’ legacy. In this special spotlight, we feature two individuals who have played pivotal roles in building a strong alumni community: Greg Neely (NAHS ’67) and Larry Brumley (FCHS ’71). Both have achieved incredible success and continue to inspire us through their dedication to service, leadership, and community.
Excerpt from the June 2021 Legacy Ledger (Issue 10):
At both high schools, the Hall of Fame has been an important way to recognize former students, faculty and staff. In this issue, we take a look at two individuals who have done a lot to see that we have a robust “alumni community” at New Albany and at Floyd Central. Both men have helped to build the backbone of the alumni organizations at their respective schools.
I hope that you enjoy learning more about Greg Neely and Larry Brumley… what they did while they were in high school and in the decades since.
Rex Bickers, FCHS ’70, guest editor for Alumni Spotlight
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R. Gregory Neely, NAHS Class of 1967
Greg had a whirlwind high school career, in the largest graduating class ever at NAHS (1967). He was a member of Wranglers (the men’s speech club) and Quill & Scroll (journalism honor society). He was not only a superb athlete, with nine varsity letters, he was also sports editor of the Vista. He was a top basketball scorer with total points in the upper ranks of Bulldog career history. He was a two-time state track finalist on the mile relay team, and a member of the conference champion cross-country team.
He played basketball for U of L on full scholarship and earned his undergraduate degree in 1971, majoring in history. He earned his law degree at IU (Indianapolis) in 1974 and was an associate editor of the Indiana Law Review. Greg began his legal career as an Indiana Deputy Attorney General before returning to New Albany in 1977. He joined the legendary firm of Cody and Cody, now known as Cody and Neely. He has served on the board of the Floyd County Public Defender’s Office and he is a member of the Sherman Minton Inn of Court A long-time active member of Trinity United Methodist, Greg has served on the church council for over 15 years and as chair of several committees. He is a past president of Kiwanis Club of Historic New Albany and was awarded Kiwanian of the Year in 1980.
Greg has been recognized for his service to the Bonnie Sloan Post #28 of The American Legion. He is a past president of Floyd County Council for the Arts and he has been a board member of the Community Foundation of Southern Indiana.
Greg serves as president of the NAHS Memorial Fund Committee which fulfills teachers’ grant requests to supplement and enhance student experiences. Greg was inducted into the New Albany High School Hall of Fame in 2018. Greg and his wife Vicki Lafollette Neely (also in the class of ’67 at New Albany) have two children who are likewise New Albany grads (Matt ’02 and Sarah ‘05) and three grandchildren.
I asked Greg about the future of the New Albany High School Hall of Fame. He replied “I look forward to the induction of new members. It really is a great way to recognize the countless New Albany High School legends, from both the distant past and more recent decades as well. I certainly wondered if I belong in the same ranks as some of them. I felt very honored that the committee chose to induct me.”
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Larry Brumley, FCHS Class of 1971
Larry came to Floyd Central as a freshman when the school opened its doors in 1967. As a senior, he was a member of the ’71 Superhicks basketball team that went to the state finals. After high school, he went to IU Southeast and various banking schools. In the fall of 1972, he began working as a trainee at the American Bank in New Albany. After five mergers and acquisitions, he was working for PNC Bank, without ever really changing his employer.
Building on twenty-five years of experience with this group of banks, Larry left PNC and went to Regional Bank in 1997, which later merged to MainSource Bank. He went on to serve for twenty years, and he retired in 2017 from his position at MainSource as Senior Vice President in the Commercial Banking Group. Over the span of his career, he has worked with many clients to help grow their businesses and meet their financial needs. Although he relocated away from PNC in 1997, many of his commercial banking clients followed him for their business banking needs. A large number of those had been in a client relationship with him for over thirty years when he retired.
Larry’s community involvement has been extensive for decades. He has served: as president of the New Albany Optimist Club; past president of Harvest Homecoming, Inc for two terms. and chairman of its board for two terms, plus five terms as its treasurer. Additionally, he served two terms as president of Highlander Youth Recreation. He has also served as a member of the New Albany Urban Enterprise Zone Board, a member of the NA-FC School Building Corporation Board, a member of the Floyd County Revolving Loan Fund Board and a member of the New Albany Economic Development Board. He has served as a volunteer to the Salvation Army since 2010.
Larry was inducted into the Floyd Central Hall of Fame in 2017. He and his wife Diann (Messmer), also a Floyd Central graduate from the class of 1970, have subsequently elected to join three dozen other loyal FC supporters by becoming a Founding Donor to the Floyd Central Alumni Board Endowed Fund. The fund supports the FC Legacy scholarship program.
Larry and Diann live in Georgetown. All four of their children are also Floyd Central graduates: Jenna Hagedorn (’93), Lindsey Cavins (’96), Kyle Brumley (’98) and Kevin Brumley (‘02). They have 8 grandchildren.
I asked Larry to reflect on what Floyd Central meant to him. He replied “My high school days were an extraordinary period of growth and change. Yes, the basketball program was an obvious example, but in those first four years, there was much more than that. There was also a continuous evolution in the individual communities where we grew up as kids. What came out of it was one very real and very unified “Floyd Central community”. Recently, my good friend and teammate, Jerry Hale sent me a card and wrote a great little message in it: Referring to the (1986) movie, he said “We made Hoosiers come alive, long before they actually filmed it”. As true as that is, what happened at Floyd Central was even more dramatic than the movie. We learned the importance of hard work and teamwork to accomplish a goal. Many high schools can teach you that. The outpouring of community support for the Superhicks was magical, and that’s something that is still alive today.”
Read the entire June 2021 Legacy Ledger (Issue 10).