By: Neil Hay
The call came recently, from Russell Beaulieu, the Hall of Fame coach in New Jersey, to Bill Gaunt, living out on the farmlands of west-central Ohio. Gaunt, Hightstown High School Class of 1945, was among this year’s inductees into the Hightstown Athletic Hall of Fame.
An outstanding three-sport athlete, Gaunt excelled in basketball when the game featured the two-hand set shot, underhand free throws, and zone defenses. The 6-4 Gaunt was a mainstay in the middle for coach Harold J. "Bunny" Hunt, himself a legendary Hall of Famer, who also was Gaunt’s coach in baseball and soccer.
The Hall of Fame news came as a most welcome surprise to Gaunt. As he remembered it, "Russ called. He was a freshman when I was a senior. I didn’t know anything about the Hightstown Hall of Fame. I’d been back for reunions, but I was unaware of (the Hall). I was a bit surprised after 59 years. I’ve been over a lot of roads since then. I am honored because, simply, you kind of forget your old high school days. It’s nice that someone still remembers."
Being the tallest player on the team, Hunt naturally installed Gaunt as the team’s center. In his senior year, 1945, Hightstown made it to the state finals where they lost to Bergenfield by about 10 or 12 points. Bergenfield was then the state’s biggest Group I team while the Hightstown was the smallest. Gaunt, who averaged over 15 points a game back then, remembers his team falling behind early and not catching up.
"Bergenfield had a starting lineup of five redheads. That Hightstown team was the only one to make the state finals. We were pretty much a team then, five guys. The game was much different. The lane was narrower, the set shot was important from the outside, dunking was not allowed (or a technical foul would be called), there were a lot of set plays. It was a very deliberate game. Touch another player and you’d get a foul. Four fouls and you were out. In the semi-finals (a 1-point win over Little Egg Harbor) I fouled out," said Gaunt.
Before his senior year, on February 12, 1944 when he was 17 years old, Gaunt enlisted in the Army Air Corps "so I could finish my senior year at Hightstown" the following year before going into the military. Under the plan then enlistees were able to complete their high school education, graduate with their class, and then go into the service. That was the plan, except when he turned 18, Gaunt was called up, one week after the basketball season ended but before graduation. "As long as you were passing your subjects, you would get your diploma and off you’d go." Of all his friends, only Gaunt left for the service before graduation.
Gaunt eventually was sent to Italy, where he served as an aircraft inspector until February 1947 with the rank of sergeant. He then returned to the area and spent less than a semester at the Peddie School, playing basketball since he still has some eligibility left. As Gaunt put it, "I went back to Peddie to get my brain capacity going." Then, in the fall of 1947 Gaunt was accepted to Rutgers where he played basketball for one year and crewed for four years before graduating in 1951 with a BS degree in dairy science.
Gaunt did not become a farmer, however. Instead he devoted his professional career to animal nutrition, animal feed, and pet formula. Over the years he was with several companies and was also self-employed in the industry, working with animal health, nutrition and drug products. In 1953 he settled in Ashland, Ohio and has remained in that area since. Recently he moved from Botkins to Sidney, Ohio.
From 1973 through 1991, Gaunt was most recently vice president for nutrition and research for Provico. He retired in 1991 but remains active as a consultant and volunteer advisor with SCORE, which is comprised of retired executives and is a part of the Small Business Administration, which helps small business start up and grow.
Born and raised in Cranbury, Gaunt was more than a fine athlete in his day. He was also a member of the high school’s all-state chorus for two years, played bass fiddle in the school orchestra, and was part of a dance band.
"It was a lot more innocent time then. I don’t know if I’d want to go back. You have to go forward."
Gaunt and his wife Ann, whom he met at Lake Placid, New York, have three children and six grandchildren. The couple are looking forward to returning to Hightstown for the Hall of Fame luncheon, ceremonies, and football game in the fall.
"I will be back. I’m planning on it."
