Bobby Zubeck hastily scribbled the words down on a small piece of paper, not expecting to give a speech that night.
The 2001 Platte County High School graduate gave a quick and concise tribute to his mother, Tina Zubeck, upon her posthumous induction to the Pirate Hall of Fame on Friday, Feb. 27. Tina Zubeck lost a second battle with cancer and died at her home on Aug. 4, 2014. She was 55.
Bobby and younger sisters Ashley and Ellen all flew back home to join their father Bob in accepting another fitting tribute to a woman who gave so much to the school district. Tina Zubeck’s oldest child was tasked with delivering the words, and he then helped comfort his siblings as they became visibly emotional at the end of his speech and with the large crowd giving a long, steady ovation.
“This means a lot to our family just as the school has meant a lot and played a large part in my family’s life,” Bobby Zubeck said in his speech at halftime of the Pirates boys basketball game against Winnetonka at Platte County High School. “Platte County will always hold a special place in our hearts, so thank you from the bottom of ours.”
The Platte County Booster Club started the Pirate Hall of Fame in 1999 and continues to annually induct individuals who have contributed significantly to the enhancement of academic, athletic or extracurricular activities in the district.
Tina Zubeck seems an obvious candidate.
After moving to Platte City in the 1980s, Tina Zubeck began her work with Platte County R-3 as an assistant accountant and administrative assistant. She eventually became the district’s first school-community relations coordinator.
Known for her bright smile and compassion, Tina Zubeck first found an outlet for her passion in the PTA before turning that into a distinguished career in education that included a multitude of honors. She continues to receive those accolades, and Platte County has gone out of its way to keep her memory alive, even holding a celebration in honor of her and the character education program she established called Pirates R.O.C.K. prior to the first home football game this past fall.
“None of it surprises me, honestly, because Tina was so passionate about the district,” said Bob Zubeck, her husband of more than 30 years. “I think she loved the district as much as the district loved her, and I think it’s been very cathartic and helpful for me to see the outpouring of support — not only for me, but for my family. I think that hopefully it’s the same for the district and the people who have expressed their love and appreciation for her.
“I think it’s helping us all get through it.”
Tina Zubeck was part of a three-member class this year.
Wendell Doyle was honored for leading the Platte County band program for 19 years, starting in 1972, and he formed the school’s first jazz band during the 1974-75 school year. The band received a I or II rating — superior or good — every year of his tenure in addition to a multitude of individual honors for students under his direction.
“Throughout the years, I’ve stressed: It’s not my band; it’s not your band. It was our band,” said Doyle, who was previously inducted in the Missouri Bandmasters Association Hall of Fame in 1997. “Together we produced music and made many memories through learning, tiring rehearsals, cooperating together and achieving our goals.”
R.B. Miller was the second inductee at the ceremony. The 1963 graduate returned to the area for the first time in “probably 50 years” and set foot in the current high school for the first time.
A standout athlete, Miller was a four-year letterman in football and still holds the school record for scoring in a season. The Pirates went undefeated in each of his final three seasons, and he also lettered in basketball and track and field, earning all-state honors for discus in the latter.
“This is truly an honor, an unexpected honor,” said Miller, who played football on scholarship for two years at the University of Kansas before giving up the sport and going on to obtain his law degree.