Columbus Clifton Dugger

C.C. "Bus" Dugger - Obituary

C. C. Dugger, better known as "Bus" Dugger, died Friday, April 8, 2016. Services will be Wednesday, April 13, at 2:00pm in the Mausoleum Chapel at Llano Cemetery in Amarillo. Arrangements are by Schooler Funeral Directors of Amarillo.

Friends and family will gather at Schooler Funeral Home on Tuesday, April 12, from 5:00pm until 7:00pm, located at 4100 Georgia St S, Amarillo, TX 79110

Bus was born in Elk City, Oklahoma on February 17, 1920. His family moved to Foss, Oklahoma in 1922 where his father owned and operated the Foss Grocery Store. He graduated from Foss High School in 1938.

Bus went to the University of Oklahoma on a baseball scholarship, but left OU to join the U.S. Coast Guard when World War II began. He was given an honorable discharge from the Coast Guard.

After leaving the Coast Guard, Bus traveled for Colgate-Palmolive-Peet Soap Company - then General Motors, Chevrolet Division. He moved to Amarillo and had been a resident here for most of that time since.

Bus, along with Cal Farley, formed Amarillo's youth sports organization, Kids, Incorporated, in January of 1945. He was asked by Mr. Farley to talk with the Glenwood Elementary PTA and ask for their support of this new organization. Bus was the first coach for Kids, Incorporated, and the first team was made up of 11 kiddos from Glenwood Elementary School. The team's first practice was held at the Maverick Club which was then located at 3rd and Grant. Later on, he took the boys to Boys Ranch for games.

C.C. "Bus" Dugger married Freda Coffee in March of 1945. Soon after, he was transferred by Colgate-Palmolive to Enid, Oklahoma and later Lubbock, Texas. Later, after returning to Amarillo, Bus left his traveling salesman job and returned to college at West Texas State University in Canyon. He received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees there in 1955 and 1956 respectively.

Bus taught school in Groom, Texas, and Amarillo, Texas. He was a supervisor of Adult Education at Amarillo Junior College from 1961 to 1966. In 1966, Cal Farley persuaded him to come to Boys Ranch to coach. He retired from education as a principal at Boys Ranch in 1982.

In addition, Bus was a basketball and football official for high school, college, and the NIBL for 33 years.

A special time for both of them was November 20, 2002, when Kids, Incorporated honored them with the dedication of the C.C. "Bus" & Freda Dugger West Wing housed in the Kids, Incorporated WareHouse located at 27th & Osage. A reception was held and many of their friends, students and co-workers attended the event. It was an honor for them both.

In 2005, Kids, Incorporated celebrated its 60th anniversary with a banquet honoring the inaugural class of the newly established Kids, Incorporated Hall of Fame. Bus was one of ten inductee in the inaugural class.

Mrs. Dugger was also recognized during this special event. Kids, Incorporated presented her with a shadow box containing a United States flag that was flown over the United States Capitol building on March 16, 2005, in honor of the Duggers' 60th wedding anniversary. After all, it was because of that Kids, Incorporated appointment in October of 1944 that the Duggers met at Glenwood Elementary School.

In 2006, Kids, Incorporated continued their recognition of the Duggers by renaming the Kids, Incorporated Sportsplex in their honor. The facility, now known as the Bus & Freda Dugger Sportsplex, plays host to well over 2,500 individual athletic contests annually, including indoor soccer, indoor flag football, and other special events.

Another milestone in Mr. Dugger's legacy came to fruition in February of 2006 when he was inducted as the 137th member to the Texas Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame. When interviewed about his induction, he told the Globe News, "I'm just on Cloud Nine about what Kids, Inc. has become. I couldn't even visualize it. I didn't think about what it might be at that time, to be honest. We were just trying to help out a group of kids. Now, it's hard to believe what it has become.''

Bus and Freda Dugger enjoyed traveling as time allowed. Much of their travels, especially overseas, was brought back to the children they taught through the slides they had taken. Since their retirement, they spent many of their winters in the Rio Grande Valley.

Bus lived a wonderful life of 96 years. He will be dearly missed by his friends and family. We know he is happy to be reunited with the love of his life, Freda.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Kids, Incorporated at 2201 SE 27th Ave, Amarillo, Texas 79103. Memorials may also be made online at www.supportkidsinc.org.