Henry “Hank” Schroeder, who lettered in both
basketball and cross country, was described as a “tall
raw-boned player” by Hall of Fame Coach Merl Norcross and a
“tough guy” by Tom Benoit.
He led the hoopsters in rebounding his final three seasons while
pacing the scorers as a sophomore and as a senior en route to 853
career points. The team captain in 1962–63 was also one of
two players to register 20-plus points and 20-plus rebounds in a
game.
“Henry was a rough son-of-a-gun underneath the
basketball,” remembered Norcross. “He continued to
improve through his career and became a go-to player for us. By the
time he was a senior, he could dominate a game.”
“Hank Schroeder was a big man,” said Benoit.
“Nearly 6’10” and lots of muscle. He was a strong
rebounder, excellent around the basket, and while teamed with Jim
Daley, formed a big front line. At practice I often ended up in the
lane battling him for the rebound. “It was like a man beating
up on a little kid.” Despite all that, Hank was a really good
guy.”
Schroeder kicked off his first three academic years by running
on the WPI cross country team.
After graduating from WPI in 1963, Hank became a project
scientist with the Polar Operations Project in Antarctica. He
served at the South Pole Station in Antarctica 1963–64
and at the Byrd Station 1964–65. In recognition of his 15
consecutive months “on the ice,” the National Science
Foundation named a geographical feature near the Shackleton Glacier
as Schroeder Hill in his honor. Upon the recommendation of the
Department of Defense, Hank was also awarded the Antarctica Service
Medal by the U.S. Weather Bureau.
Hank was very active in the Milford community. He was a board
member of the Milford Amateur Basketball Association and he coached
Biddy Basketball teams for many years. He was also an assistant
scoutmaster with Boy Scout Troop 18 in Milford and served on many
committees and as head usher at his church.
Hank passed away following an automobile accident in 1994. He
and his wife, Jamie, lived in Milford, Mass., and have two
children, William and Susan, and a granddaughter Keira.
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