Barney Sutherland, who taught social studies and coached at Reeths-Puffer High School for 38 years before retiring in 2001, continues to work at R-P as an event manager.  Sutherland is truly a Rocket legend who earned the Distinguished Service Award, presented annually to an individual who has made a major contribution to sports in the area, but not as an athlete.

Many longtime Reeths-Puffer sports fans can’t remember ever going to a home game and not seeing the jovial, white-haired Sutherland working the event.  He is also a giant in Laketon Township’s black community, starting a human relations club at R-P in 1964, which brought students of different races together to talk and work out problems.
“I sensed the need, which is why I started it,” said Sutherland, who is still invited to the primarily-black Buel Playground neighborhood gathering every summer.

Sutherland was a standout athlete in a graduating class of 26 at New Buffalo High School, who went on to run track at Western Michigan University, specializing in the long jump.  Sutherland has an amazing memory, recalling details about thousands of games and star athletes and average kids who have gone through the Reeths-Puffer system.
Sutherland and his wife, Janet, combined to teach for 71 years at Reeths-Puffer. He has two daughters and three sons.