Lion pride strong in Bismarck alumni
EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the 12th in a series of articles spotlighting alumni of local high schools, colleges and universities as they prepare for this month’s commencement ceremonies.
BISMARCK — Graduates of Bismarck High School follow their interests throughout the country, but they carry the lessons they learned in Bismarck wherever they go.
The class of 2017 graduated Friday. Commencement was held in the Jones Performing Arts Center on the campus of Ouachita Baptist University in Arkadelphia.
“We were just so small, everybody knew everybody,” said Rita Ross Collins, a 1988 graduate. “It’s the small town fellowship you get from little towns like that.”
Collins began at Henderson State University in Arkadelphia after high school before she moved to Colorado. She returned to Arkansas before moving to Georgia about 20 years ago and she continued to pursue her passion for hunting.
“Hunting with family was a big part of my upbringing,” Collins said. “Everybody in the family hunted. We grew up hunting. That was just a way of life. Back in those days, you could still drive to school in your pickup truck and leave your gun in the front seat with the windows down.”
Collins now stars on the television show, “Turkey Mafia” on the Hunt Channel with Betsy Chance, Angela Cogland and Vandy Collins.
“We hunted with several of the professionals who had their own shows,” Collins said. “I had been on several shows before. We knew the ins and outs and thought we could do our own thing. We really didn’t need to go with some of these others and have been with some of the best of the best. It’s just something we have a passion for and just started doing.”
Collins said she tries to return to Bismarck at least once a year to meet up with friends and family. She said she joins family members each year for annual hunting trips.
“As long as it is outdoors, I am having fun,” Collins said.”
Reggie Ritter, a 1978 graduate, followed high school with a professional baseball career despite the fact Bismarck did not field a team. He played for summer teams in Arkadelphia and Malvern before a college tryout with Henderson.
The tryout, in which Ritter went out for third base, led to a successful college career as a pitcher. He graduated from Henderson in 1982 with a business degree and played in a collegiate summer league and reached the National Baseball Con-
gress World Series in Wichita,
Kan.
Scouts were on hand to see the opposing pitcher, Roger Clemens, who went on to win 354 games for the Boston Red Sox, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Yankees and House Astros. Ritter’s performance earned him contract offers from seven clubs and he opted to sign for the Cleveland Indians.
Ritter pitched 19 games with the Indians during the 1986 and
1987 seasons. His career included time during at least part of eight seasons with minor league teams.
A line drive that struck him in the face derailed his 1987 season with the Indians, but he returned to the Indians and continued his career in 1988 in the minors. The end of his career included stints with the Pittsburgh Pirates, Yankees and Chicago Cubs organizations.
Ritter moved from Maine back to Hot Spring County in
1990 with his wife and their first son. The family has resided in Hot Springs since 1991 and their three sons were mainstays for Lakeside’s baseball programs.
Ron Shuffield’s son also followed in his footsteps at Bismarck. He graduated in 1974 and toured as a professional fisherman for decades.
Shuffield fished on the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society Bassmaster tour from 1986 to
2006. He joined Fishing League Worldwide in 2007 and continued through 2013.
His son, Spencer Shuffield, was named the 2011 FLW Tour Co-Angler of the Year after finishing 56th in points in his first season on the professional circuit. Spencer Shuffield continues to fish professionally out of Hot Springs.
Bismarck alum Dustin Prince did not complete high school, but he said he enjoyed the atmosphere and support from the school and its teachers.
“In a bigger school, I think you can get lost in the crowd and that wasn’t the case at BHS,” Prince said. “More one on one training with the teachers was key.”
Prince joined the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. His time in the Army included an
11-month tour in Bosnia. “BHS taught me to be yourself and you can’t go wrong,” Prince said. “The support from teachers and staff taught me to support others in success or hardship.”
Prince began his acting career three years ago and has produced, acted or written in three features and several other short films. He was cast in the musical “South Pacific” in 2015.
The lessons and rural values also stuck with Jeff Crow, who is now the director of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission. Crow graduated in 1982 and reminisces about Bismarck’s success on the football field during his time in school.
“Above everything, what I miss about going to school at Bismarck is the opportunity I had to share life with my classmates, teachers and staff,” Crow said. “With a graduating class of just over 40, everyone was very close. Playing on a winning football team, participating in Future Farmers of America and just enjoying the simple joys of living in rural Arkansas was something I would not trade for anything.”
His education led him to National Park College, where he earned a degree in criminal justice and was recognized last year with the 2016 Outstanding Alumni award. Crow earned a bachelor’s degree from John Brown University and a master’s at Arkansas State University before he enrolled in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Crow was a combat veteran in Operation Desert Storm and Operation Iraqi Freedom II. He joined the Arkansas State Police after he retired from active and reservist duty. Crow worked in highway patrol, criminal investigations and SWAT and taught as a criminal justice instructor for the University of Arkansas.
“I am proud to be an alumnus of Bismarck. I am amazed at what many of our alumni have accomplished over the years,” Crow said. “More importantly, Bismarck is a great community. It is where we live now, where we raised our children, where we go to church and where we intend to stay. I wish our football team was more successful, but other than that, there is not much I would change about Bismarck, Ark.”