Former Grambling Track Team Member Earns Award for Service as Volunteer Track Coach

Grambling alumni George Temple was awarded the 2015 Crystal Apple Award for his extraordinary volunteer service as an assistant track coach on May 5. Volunteers in Public Schools (VIPS) recognizes outstanding persons and organizations who have volunteered in East Baton Rouge Parish’s public schools for at least 10 years.

Temple was a member of the track team while he attended Grambling, and he has used his knowledge to help students excel as athletes. He has served as a volunteer track coach for more than 20 years with Scotlandville Magnet High School, Glen Oaks High School and Second Chance Academy. He started volunteering back in 1995 when his daughter attended Scotlandville Magnet High School. A full 20 years later and Temple is volunteering again as his grandson now attends the same high school.

Temple coaches boys and girls running 800, 1,600 and 3,200 meters. According to The Advocate, Temple is a devoted track coach who routinely misses birthday and anniversary celebrations to coach. He spends hundreds of dollars a year of his own money to help the team he’s coaching, including purchasing awards for teams that did not get an award ceremony and raising money for a team that did not have enough uniforms for each member.