Alumni and Others Come Through

Clairton High School. My alma mater and the alma mater of some of the most generous people in the world. Just how generous are they? Well, first let's take a look at the community and the school. In its heyday Clairton's population pressed toward the 30,000 mark and Clairton High School had so many students that it spawned several other schools in the area to be built and take the overload.  The last such school was Thomas Jefferson High School boult on Old Clairton Road. Their first class of juniors came from the CHS sophomore class that would graduate in 1960. Thus, the first TJ graduating class in 1960 had begun their academic career at Clairton.

As times changed, populations moved, and steel mills, the lifeblood of the valley, closed, TJ prospered and Clairton's numbers declined. The city continues to lose population - currently the population barely is above 5,000 - and the high school graduating class hovers around 50 students. Pretty bleak The same fate has occurred up and down the Mon (Monongahela) River in  most of the once-prosperous mill towns.

But Clairton is different. No, seriously, it really is. That is not just the Chamber of Commerce talking, it really is! I can prove it. Let's take the mighty Bear football team. Yes, they dropped from the big boy multiple "A" competition to single "A" and are perhaps the smallest school in that division, but the senior class who is about to graduate lost only one game - the first one they played as freshman. That sent them on a record setting tear of three consecutive state titles and more WPIAL titles than you can shake a stick at, and national record 63 consecutive wins. They did this with a smaller budget and a fraction of the coaching staff than some of their competitors (read "victims"). When there was no money for capes to keep them warm in the winter, of new jerseys, or victory rings, alumni from around the country rallied to donate to their cause. That's just the way CHS alumni roll.

 So we know they can run, kick, and pass, but what else can the CHS students do?

Each year California State University, PA holds a region wide Robotics competition. Schools of every shape, size, and persuasion from all over Western PA compete. It is a big deal. The winners get to go to national competition which this year is held in Indianapolis, Indiana. The CHS Robotics team blew away the competition and qualified for the national competition in Indy, but the cost, even after trimming the budget by renting a van and driving the entire team was $5,000.

CHS students, faculty, and community began a fund-raising drive to earn the money but it was slow going. With a week left to the competition the goal was less than 1/3 met. So another Clairton clarion call went out to friends and alumni of the school. Newspaper articles were written, emails were sent, and in this space a plea was issued. According to Mary Niederberger who wrote a story of Clairton High School's plight, "The students fundraising had stalled at about $1,400 late last week. But after an article about their plight in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Saturday, more than 100 individuals have sent checks to the team, creating a $30,000 pot, enough to cover the costs of travel to the competition and plenty of extra money for spare parts that are generally needed for replacement during the competitions."

Bravo to everybody who contributed. As we all used to sing during our own high school days, "It's Clairton High School, It's Clairton High School, the pride of every student here...."

A little blogging music, Maestro, "The Clairton High School Alma Mater," played by the CHS band.

Dr. Forgot
email: DrForgot@cox.net

Bears Crush Competition. Need Help!

An article appeared in the local paper recently about the prowess of the Clairton High School football team. They blew away the competition and took first place again. No, not the football team... this time it was the.... well, read for yourself:

Published: Saturday, April 27, 2013, 12:01 a.m.Updated: Saturday, April 27, 2013 

Nearly 50 teams participated in the eighth annual BotsIQ at California University of Pennsylvania recently.

Students from across the region entered the robots that they designed and built in this high-tech battle.

But it was Clairton High School's robot, Bazinga, that crushed the competition for top honors.

The grand champion award recognizes the team with the best overall performance in the competition, documentation and team interviews.

It's been eight years since the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Association and a committed group of manufacturers and educators brought BotsIQ to Southwestern Pennsylvania. Known as “The Smart Sport,” BotsIQ begins with a preliminary competition, this year at Westmoreland County Community College, and culminates in a two-day, gladiator-style battle to the finish of student-made, remote-controlled robots.

The NTMA was instrumental in bringing BotsIQ to Southwestern Pennsylvania in 2006. Students love BotsIQ because it makes education fun — drawing on their knowledge of math, science, engineering and even public speaking.

Educators love BotsIQ because of the enthusiasm it sparks in their students and the resources it provides to their classroom. But, it's the manufacturing industry that is standing behind this “smart sport” because of the potential impact it has on business. Young people who are interested in how things are made are the future of the high-tech manufacturing workforce.

Clairton High School received a traveling trophy, team ribbons and a $1,000 award from the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Tooling & Machining Association.

Second place honors for 2013 go to Eastern Westmoreland CTC with their bot Pandemonium.

There was a tie for “Coolest Bot” honors between Clairton High School (Mega Nuke) and Plum High School (Still N' Shock II). Clairton High School was awarded “Best Sportsmanship.”

The students of Fayette County CTI with their bot The Grave Digger won “Best Engineered Bot” and “Best Engineering Documentation.”

Norwin High School with its bot ‘MERICA took home the distinction of “King of the Ring” after winning the final bot rumble and Bedford High School with its bot Slenderbot was named “Best Rookie Team.”

Graduating seniors Mikayla Baker of Eastern Westmoreland CTC and Haley Morella of Greater Latrobe Senior High School each won a $500 scholarship toward their future careers in manufacturing, the trades or engineering for their essay submissions.

Local schools which competed in 2013 were: Albert Gallatin Senior High School, Brownsville Area High School, Eastern Westmoreland CTC, Fayette County CTI, Frazier High School and Southmoreland High School.

We just received an urgent email from longtime teacher, professor, alumnus, and all around good guy, Don Taylor in which he provided the above information and a desperate plea for help. Seems the Little High School that Could (CHS), by virtue of winning the competition, qualifies to attend the National Championship competition in Indianapolis. The trek will cost $5,000 and they have been busy trying to make that goal but are less than halfway there. If you can help send the robotics team to Indy, please help by sending a check or money order of any amount to: Clairton Robotics Team, Clairton High School, 501 Waddell Avenue, Clairton, PA 15025. Or, to Sue Wessel, 512 N. 6th St., Clairton, PA 15025. But DO IT NOW! As the money needs to be in by Friday, May 17. That is next Friday.

And oh yes, "Good Luck Robo-Bears!"

A little blogging music Maestro, "Mr. Roboto," by the STYX.

Dr. Forgot

email: DrForgot@cox.net

Clairton Native Recognized

A Prince of a Guy: Ray Prince was a year or two behind me at Clairton High School. His dad, Joe Prince was a mover and shaker in Clairton as well as one outstanding accordion player. I remember that when he was in junior high school Ray became interested in printing. He was able to print business cards and we all thought that was neat. His interest grew and as he grew so did his printing business. He opened a shop called Prince Printing. Although he eventually sold the business, his legacy remains in Clairton as the business on St. Clair Avenue still thrives.

My high school guidance counselor at CHS told me I was not college material. When it came Ray's turn to visit the counselor, he was told that college was out for him as colleges did not teach Printing Management, and even if he did go he would probably flunk out. That mantra had a familiar ring to it. Turns out the counselor was wrong - again. Ray did go to college at the Rochester Institute of Technology, did very well, then earned a graduate degree in Printing Management at South Dakota State University, then continued to thrive in the world of paper and ink. He met the love of his life,  Nancy, who was from South Dakota, and that is where they settled and where Ray became a giant in the field.

How big of a giant? Well, in addition to printing, he as authored numerous books, countless articles, and become a noted keynote speaker from coast to coast. He has served as President of the Technical Association of the Graphic Arts, and received their Honors Award for Lifetime Achievement. The National Association for Printer Leadership honored him with their Craftsman of the Year Award and Graphic Arts Technical Foundation's Industry Education Award. He has assumed numerous leadership positions in the field including serving as a director on the Board of the Print and Graphics Scholarship Foundation. The awards Ray has received could, well, fill a book!

So what does one do after a working lifetime and gathering recognition and awards in his field? How about starting a library? Ray raised funds and solicited book donations for the Raymond J. Prince Shakespeare Press Museum Resource Room on the campus of Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. The Graphic Communications Department's students will benefit from his efforts. According to Dr. Harvey L. Levenson, Department Head at the campus, "The collection comes from all over the nation and includes books, magazines, journals, research papers, and more. Some date back to the 1800s and many of these volumes are one of a kind and very valuable."

Ray's career started early and his 50-plus year career as a graphic arts consultant has been spent teaching and training.  During a recent keynote speech at CalPoly, Ray Prince stated, “Knowledge is precious. The thinking of others can stimulate creative ideas. The resource room was born with the idea of stimulating students and professors. Years ago, I sent some books to three institutions. Dr. Harvey Levenson was the only one to acknowledge my donation… From there the idea grew and donations were added to the resources that Cal Poly had already acquired.”

The donation that he provided Cal Poly included an entire collection of 11,000 volumes including many that are irreplaceable. In addition he is seeking to add 194 cases of bound and unbound periodicals. 

Ray announced his retirement a few months ago, but I wouldn't bet on his sitting home in a robe and slippers, smoking a pipe and reflecting on paper and ink. No, my guess is that Ray Prince has quite a few more miles to travel on behalf of educating young people in the graphic arts. Ray Prince, Clairton boy.

A little blogging music Maestro. "Sign 'O The Times," by Prince.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: DrForgot@cox.net

Our 500th Post and My First Book

When I started this blog, back in what seems like the late seventeenth century, I was not sure where it would go. Once I began blogging abut my old hometown and its residents, past and present, the blog just took off. There are more than 1,000 regular visitors to the blog. Today's, being the 500th blog post, is a very special day because I am about to announce the publication of my first book. The book is effectively memoirs from a youth that started in Clairton during the Second World War. I hope to have it published before summer begins. It will be available in a print version (paperback) as well as an electronic version and will be available through Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, as well as directly from me if you wish to have a signed copy. Once the book becomes available I will do another post as well as an email blast to announce it and provide specifics regarding ordering. At that time I will also have a Facebook page and a dedicated web site for the book. I am very excited about this project and hope you find the time to read it. Let me give you a taste:

Foreword
What follows is my story; a boy who was born too soon, who grew too slowly, and who was an alien by virtue of being a right-brain person in a left-brain world as well as a left-hander in a right handed world. The events depicted in this book are as I remember them. My life path, from beginning as a poor student, navigating through the ranks of academia, and finally having achieved the ultimate degree in education, was shaped by a series of accidental occurrences. The story also tells how grades one receives in school do not necessarily predict achievement. Academia can be both out of sync and out of touch with students.

Whether a straight-A student or one whose grades come in fuzzy shades, it is rare that one focuses on exactly where life’s journey will take him. For most, life is shaped by happenstance or a series of accidents; who or when to marry, when children come along, professional and personal oppor-

tunities, and setbacks. In that sense, my journey through life might not be so different than that of many others.

The story begins two generations earlier in a part of the world that was at various times called Austria, Hungary, The Austro-Hungarian Empire, Yugoslavia, and most recently a group of independent countries established after the breakup of the former Yugoslavia. People of that era were graded on such things as their ability to earn a living, their physical attractiveness, or their level of commitment to a religion. They were also perniciously graded on their circumstance of birth – whether born with a silver spoon in their mouth or a pick and shovel in their hand.

Grades were also a benchmark of whether or not one’s work performance was “up to grade.” Students were not given grades but were tutored individually. Once their studies were complete they went into the work force with a recommendation from a tutor instead of a transcript.

William Farish, a tutor at Cambridge University in 1792, is given credit for developing the modern grading system. By assigning grades, he would not have to get to know his students as well as other teachers, thereby allowing him to process many more students in a shorter period of time. His clever “invention” caught on in America in the nineteenth century and ballooned in the twentieth.

These days, grades are typically assigned a letter value, A, B, C, D, or F. Some grading systems include percentages that may or may not translate to letter grades. A 70 percent can be equivalent to a “C” grade in one system or a “D” grade in another. Universities frequently assign a number grade point, meaning letter grades can be converted to or from a number value, (A=4.0, B=3.0, C=2.0, D=1.0, F=0.0). Grade points can be on a five-point scale, or a three-point scale.

In the mid-twentieth century a popular grading system was referred to as ESNU; E (Excellent) S (Satisfactory), N or NI (Needs Improvement), or U (Unsatisfactory).

Grades may be weighted or un-weighted, and might include plus (+) or minus (–) after each letter grade, with the exception of F. Grades might also be I (Incomplete), FN (Failure, Non-attendance), X (audit) or W (Withdrawal). Samford University, near Birmingham, Alabama, offers 21 different grades that could be earned by students.

Grades can also come in colors: A “Red 70” can be a passing grade that is on the verge of failure. Red and Blue Ribbon, Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Platinum medals, can be considered colored grades. It is clear that more than Fifty Shades of Grades can be identified in evaluating achievement. What William Farish began has become so scattered in education that it begs for a new name. Dictonary.com defines the word wacky as “odd, irrational, or crazy.” My own definition of the grading process in academic education is “Wacademia.”

I have had many failures in my life; earning failing grades among them. Indeed, my failures have far outnumbered my successes. However, over the years I have committed myself to the philosophy that failure is the tuition we pay for success, provided we learn from our failures. I have neither cited nor

focused on my failures in this book, rather, I’ve noted some of my successes and the joy they have provided. 

A little book-writing music Maestro... "I Could Write a Book," by Harry Conick, Jr.

Dr. Forgot

DrForgot@cox.net

Hypocrisy and the Media

Evidence of March Madness: Three college basketball coaches have dominated sports and "news" media coverage this week. Let's take a look at how the media has covered each one:

Jerry Tarkanian: Elected to the Hall of Fame after being snubbed for decades. Rob Dauster of NBC Sports pretty well sums up the media coverage of Tark's entry after having been snubbed for decades, and why: “Jerry Tarkanian officially was invited to join the Naismith Hall of Fame on Monday afternoon at a ceremony in Atlanta. He’ll become an actual member in September at an induction ceremony in September.

"This honor was a long-time coming. ‘Tark the Shark’ won 729 games in his 34 year career, with 706 of those coming at the Division I level. He essentially built the UNLV basketball program, creating the Runnin’ Rebels and leading them to four Final Four and a national title in 1990. His first Final Four in 1977 came just seven years after the program went Division I. His UNLV teams in the early ’90s will go down as one of the best college basketball teams of all-time.

“So why wasn’t the Shark in the Hall of Fame already?

“Well, its simple, really.

“He’s got a laundry list of NCAA issues. He’s had games vacated. He has twice taken legal action against the NCAA, with one of those lawsuits resulting in the restructuring of the way the NCAA handles enforcement. Tarkanian is one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game. An innovator. But the problem was that he was painted as a cheat, as a black mark on the integrity of the NCAA. Why would anyone want to reward one of the most notorious outlaws of amateur athletics?

“But there is a powerful anti-NCAA movement going on across the country these days. After seeing what happened with Miami, USC, Penn State and UCLA, the view that voters have of the Shark is starting to change.

“Maybe he’s not the villain.

“Maybe he was actually the guy that was fighting the good fight all those years ago.

“This honor was overdue. Tarkanian’s health is failing. Good on the voters to allow him to experience this.”

So, MAYBE, as the author writes, Tark is not a villain and his legacy can be recognized only after powerhouses like Miami, USC, Penn State, and UCLA have been sanctioned after decades of allegations that were somehow overlooked by the NCAA and the media.

Candidate number two: Former Rutgers coach Mike Rice. Steve Eder of the New York Times sums up the media coverage in part this way: “Tim Pernetti, the athletic director, knew all of that and had repeatedly tried to rein in Mr. Rice, according to a 50-page report that Rutgers commissioned outside lawyers to prepare. He personally reprimanded him, attended Mr. Rice’s practices and even assigned the university’s sports psychologist to work with the team, the report said.

“But the video was stark, a highlight reel of abuse — the coach kicking his players, hurling basketballs at them and taunting them with homophobic slurs. Those epithets were especially galling at Rutgers, where a gay freshman had killed himself.

“The video, parts of which were made public last week, was 30 minutes long. It had been professionally edited from a collection of 219 DVDs covering hundreds of hours of practices, material that Rutgers had voluntarily provided to Eric Murdock, the former assistant, after his departure.”

Wow! The media attacked a coach at Rutgers that last won a basketball championship in, well, never. But they DID reach the Final Four once, in 1976.  

Louisville coach Rick Pitino. After reviewing dozens and dozens of media descriptions of Pitino’s entry into the Hall of Fame, along with Tark’s, the media’s fawning over and bowing to this coach can be summed up by Justin Onslow of the Bleacher Report: “There aren’t many coaches with the résumé Rick Pitino boasts. With 661 wins and 17 tournament appearances spanning four decades, the legendary coach should have found a home in the Hall of Fame long before this season.

“Three things measure the success of a head coach: wins, championships and longevity. Pitino exemplifies those things, and his team’s tournament run this season is the icing on the cake.

“The 60-year-old has left an indelible mark on the sport of basketball in his 35 years as a head coach. With two stints in the NBA (New York Knicks, Boston Celtics), a national championship at Kentucky and another potentially on the way with Louisville, Pitino has put together one of the most impressive careers of any coach in the sport’s history.”

Media hypocrisy: Perhaps you noticed that nearly every article that discusses Jerry Tarkanian’s entry into the Hall of Fame includes not only his accomplishments as a coach, but a history of missteps, penalties, and sanctions against him over the past several decades.  

Regarding Mike Rice, the media must have been asleep at the switch, as their excoriation of the coach (and rightly so if the reports are even remotely correct) comes only after the cat was let out of the bag regarding the coach’s verbal and physical abuse of the players. 

And the winner is, Rick Pitino: I am sure every beat writer can justify the inclusion of Tark’s history as part of the history of a great coach who is finally rightly recognized for his accomplishments. What seems to be lacking from the media reports is the history of Rick Pitino. The media is ready to offer him sainthood for his accomplishments as a coach but his failings as a person are clearly missing from any reports in the coverage of his induction and his team’s winning of a national championship. Remember, it was just a few years ago that the Rick Pitino scandal was on the lips of every sportscaster and the fingertips of every sportswriter. Just four years ago the New York Daily News printed the following as part of an article entitled: “The Sordid Tale of Louisville Coach Rick Pitino Sex Scandal.” It reads in part, “According to a report of the July 12 interview conducted by the police, Pitino said that he met Sypher (then named Karen Cunagin) at a restaurant, and after some initial flirting was soon involved in a sexual encounter with her. Sypher asked him that night if he had a condom. He did not.

"She told him that he should (be careful) because she had just gotten out of a relationship and was not on birth control," the police sergeant who interviewed Pitino wrote in his report.

“They had sex in the back of the closed restaurant and Karen Sypher later drove the coach home, badgering him about getting tickets to Louisville games during the ride, according to the report.

“Two weeks later, Sypher told Pitino she was pregnant. According to the report, Pitino asked her if she was sure of this and she was offended by the question.

"He said that he explained that he was married with five kids, and that she had four kids, and that he didn't know what he wanted to do about the situation," the report said. "He said that if she chose to have the child that he would require a blood test to determine for certain whether or not the child was his. She told him that she was going to have an abortion, and stated that she did not have health insurance."

“Pitino admitted to giving Sypher $3,000 for the abortion, though his attorney, Steve Pence, qualifies the transaction by saying that the money was actually used to pay for the health insurance that eventually paid for the procedure. Pence has gone to great lengths to deliver the message, through the media, that the abortion decision was not something Pitino took lightly, and a voice message Karen Sypher produced for the media last week seemed to reflect that.

"I think that the best thing in all scenarios is to go through with it (have the baby), but that it has to be your call," Pitino said on the message left on Sypher's phone. "I think, I really can't give you any advice, except I have thought about it."

“Karen Sypher would accept the $3,000 from Pitino to pay for the abortion, but that, of course, was not the end of the saga. Sypher eventually married and divorced Pitino's longtime associate, Tim Sypher; allegedly demanded that Pitino pay her $10 million in exchange for her silence; accused him of raping her in their initial encounter and one time afterward; and allegedly lied to the FBI when they questioned her about the shakedown. On April 24 of this year, Sypher was indicted by federal authorities for extortion.”

How soon they conveniently forget: The purpose of this article is not to cast aspersions on Rick Pitino, nor to defend Jerry Tarkanian or Mike Rice. Rather, the purpose goes to Tark’s longtime contention that the NCAA, and to a lesser extent the media, protects certain schools, programs, and coaches, and selectively goes after others. Usually the decisions are consistent with money. The entire basketball program at Wichita State runs on less than what Louisville coach Rick Pitino makes in a single year, with money left over to purchase plenty of trophy cases for Final Four hardware.  The budget for the entire basketball program at Wichita State, which barely lost to Pitino’s team in the semi-finals, is $3.1 million. Pitino’s base salary is $3.9 million. Perhaps the Shockers should watch their backs.

A little blogging music Maestro: “Hypocrites,” by Bob Marley

Dr. Forgot

http://drforgot.blogspot.com

email: Drforgot@cox.net

Hail, Hail The Gang's All Here

Once a Clairtonian...  If nothing else, those of us from the community on the Monongahela River are true to our school and hometown. What other community has annual get-togethers in Clairton as well as in Florida??!!! Some classes are more diligent than others in getting together to celebrate reunions. My own class, 1960, has had a reunion every five years starting with number ten.

Yes, it can be depressing to see the socio-economic slide the city has gone through since the steel industry collapsed. Yes, it is sad to see the population that once numbered close to 30,000 souls dwindle to around 5,500.

But look at the bright side; Clairton High School Football has set records that will not be soon broken. They have been WPIAL and State champs more often than I can count. (Math was not my strength at CHS). Alumni have begun organizations such as Reaching the Reachable that mentors the students at our school and encourages them to strive toward post-secondary education. Those are some of the reasons we celebrate our reunions with fellow CHS grads.

Take a look at the web site myclairton.com to see some of the positive and upbeat things that are going on in our community. These positive aspects of Clairton are rarely, if ever, noted in the media. Hmmmm.

Fifty is a biggie... The fiftieth class reunion has been celebrated by each class up to the class of 1962, which had theirs last year. The class of 1964 is already planning theirs for next year and the class of 1963 got lost and slipped a cog. But they are working hard to catch up. I recently received an email from a member of the class of 1963 which reads as follows:

CLAIRTON HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1963 50 YEAR REUNION PLANS

(Politics...Protocol....Polident)

 

If you graduated from Clairton in 1963 or know someone who did, a Reunion Committee has been set up and they need your help.  They are trying to put together a data base of names and email addresses to determine if there is enough interest at this late date to plan an event to celebrate the occasion.

Additional information that was sent to me follows.

 

From Rick Weber:

Several of us are trying to put together our 50th high school reunion.  As you may know, a combined reunion is held annually at Clairton Park.  This year, it will be held on September 7.  Here are the details: http://chsreunionpicnic.com/picnic2013det.html
An email has been set up to which you may respond.  It is: ClairtonHS1963@aol.com
We would really love for you to join in on our 50th reunion.
Thank you.
Rick Weber

 

And from Mitzi Nixon Buechele:

...thoughts on Politics, Protocol and Polident!

 

As I have been corresponding with Rick Weber about getting something together for our 50th Clairton High School Reunion, a theme to my thoughts emerged.  I seem to be focusing on 3 things...POLITICS, PROTOCOL and POLIDENT!  Let me explain.

 

POLITICS...We have all heard countless politicians ask "Are you better off today than you were 4 years ago?" since Ronald Reagan first asked the question in 1980.  With that thought in mind, I have asked myself  "Are you better off today than you were 50 years ago?"  HECK, YEAH, I tell myself.  But then, mine was not the brightest shining star in high school.  I hope that those who knew me remember me as kind, helpful, thoughtful and friendly, qualities we appreciate more as adults than we did as adolescents.  Yep, I say to myself, Popeye had it right....I Y'AM WHAT I Y'AM.  And I like it. 

 

PROTOCOL....Surely there is a protocol to who does what to plan a Class Reunion, isn't there, I wondered.  But if there has been no planning by this late date, no established committee meeting regularly, then let's forget about protocol and get something going!  Heck...we're all around age 68...we can do what we want to do!  That was the driving thought behind my conversations with Rick Weber.  He has willingly taken the lead to put something together so that our 50th Class Reunion will happen.  My thoughts to him were these:

Neither the venue nor the menu is important to me.  We have all been to enough fancy places in our lives, eaten enough  entrees that we had difficulty pronouncing and dressed up too many times because somebody said we had to.  What is important to most of us now is PEOPLE....remembering, reconnecting, rediscovering each other, renewing friendships and building new ones.  And we can do that wherever we meet....just so we MEET SOMEWHERE. 

 

Finally, POLIDENT!  That represents to me what we all have in common today.... lots of dental work and possible dentures, arthritic knees and elbows, hair coloring decisions and big smiles for our grandchildren if we have been so blessed.  That ties it all together for me.  If we were the class clown or the most serious, the best athlete or the least co-ordinated, academically gifted or challenged, we are more alike today than ever.  If we moved away from Clairton or remained close by, are retired or still working, prefer a shot and a beer or a Diet Pepsi, it doesn't matter.  We still share many common threads of events that are woven into our tapestry of life experiences.  And so it is my hope that as many of us as possible will get together this September to celebrate our 50th Class Reunion.  PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION WITH ANY OTHER CLASSMATES CONNECTED TO THE CLASS OF 1963 THAT YOU ARE IN TOUCH WITH (spouses, those who moved, etc)  You and they hopefully will contact Rick at the address below and together we can make this Reunion a success. 

ClairtonHS1963@aol.com

 

I hope to see you (WEARING A NAME TAG!) at our 50th Class Reunion get together on Sept. 6 and at the All Class Reunion Sept. 7.

Mitzi Nixon Buechele

(Full disclosure: Mrs. Buechele is my baby sister)

A little blogging music Maestro... "Clairton High School Alma Mater" played by the Clairton High School marching band.
Dr. Forgot
email: drforgot@cox.net
http://drforgot.com

Bears Basketball

We've discussed the Clairton Bears football program at length but the basketball program has been pretty quiet - until now! Several of the players did not even suit up until well into the season because of football obligations, injuries, and the like. But now it is playoff time and their mediocre record seeded them as #5. Last night they played #1 seed, Lincoln Park, a powerhouse team that has at least three starters taller than 6'6" and generally blows out their opponents by more than 40 points per game. They were predicted to annihilate Clairton by a similar score but our Bears did not get the message. What follows is a newspaper article by a Lincoln Park area writer:

By Mike Bires mbires@timesonline.com | 34 comments

DORMONT – Fans crammed their way into every nook and cranny of the gym. They came to watch some of the WPIAL’s premier athletes compete under intense playoff conditions.

Lincoln Park and Clairton didn’t disappoint Tuesday night in a thriller of a Class A semifinal game.

But, after a furious finish, it was the top-seeded Leopards who were 71-70 upset losers. The fifth-seeded Bears (16-6) joined their fans in a wild mid-court celebration when Lincoln Park’s Elijah Minnie missed a long 3-pointer just before the final buzzer.

“We’re devastated,” Minnie said. “I mean, I’m speechless.”

“It hurts. I know how bad our kids feel right now,” Lincoln Park coach Mark Javens said. “I feel like throwing up.”

Minutes before tip-off, the Keystone Oaks gym was jammed in anticipation of a game featuring the reigning WPIAL basketball champs (Lincoln Park) and a football dynasty (Clairton). The overflow crowd sat, stood and knelt in all four corners of the gymnasium.

Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch was doing radio commentary. Standing in one corner of the gym were Pitt assistant coach Brandin Knight and former Panthers star Curtis Aikin.

Every member of Clairton’s basketball team also played for the school’s football team that has won 63 straight games and won four straight WPIAL and PIAA Class A titles. Three of the Bears are headed to Pitt to play football: Tyler Boyd, Titus Howard and Terrish Webb.

Lincoln Park doesn’t have a football team. But it has a strong basketball program that was trying to repeat as WPIAL champs. It has three underclassmen on the NCAA Division I radar: Minnie, a 6-foot-8 junior forward; Ryan Skovranko, a 6-6 junior forward; and Maverick Rowan, a 6-5 freshman guard.

On this night, it was those amazing athletes from Clairton who pulled off a stunning upset.

“Man, I’m loving this,” Webb said after exchanging hugs with teammates and fans. “Everybody doubted us. But I knew in my heart, we could beat anybody.

“Call us football players if you want. We are football players. But we are basketball players, too. We’re athletes. We’re everything. We do it all. We were just ready to play tonight. We were ready to win. Everybody else who has played Lincoln Park was scared of them. But we don’t go into any game scared of anybody.”

That was obvious from the opening tip. A blowout victory Lincoln Park (19-6) is accustomed to wasn’t going to happen on this night. Even when the fourth quarter began with the Leopards up by 11 at 61-50, never did Clairton seem out of it.

And in the fourth quarter, the Bears rallied with a 21-9 run.

With 25 seconds left, Boyd made a basket that made it 71-70. Twice in the last 21 seconds, Lincoln Park had a chance to go ahead but failed to do so. With eight seconds left, point guard Antonio Kellem drove the lane and threw up either an air ball or perhaps a pass intended for Minnie. Either way, it was a botched possession.

Then, after Clairton’s Byron Clifford missed the front end of a one-and-one foul situation with six seconds left, Minnie missed on his long-range 3-pointer.

“That last shot … it haunts me right now,” said Minnie, who scored a game-high 24 points. “It’s going to haunt me for probably the rest of the season and probably next season.”

It would serve Minnie well to put that missed shot behind him as soon as possible. Lincoln Park’s season isn’t over. They won’t repeat as WPIAL champs, but they still have the PIAA playoffs to look forward to. That tournament begins next weekend.

From a more moderate reporter:

By Ryan Riordan / Tri-State Sports & News Service

Trailing by 11 points at the start of the fourth quarter against No. 1 seed Lincoln Park, Clairton could have thrown in the towel.

But losing is not in the Bears' DNA.

Led by a starting five of players who all were part of Clairton's four consecutive PIAA titles and 63-game winning streak on the football field, the No. 5 Bears (16-6) rallied for a 71-70 victory against the No. 1 Leopards (19-6) in a WPIAL Class A semifinal Tuesday at Keystone Oaks.

"These guys are used to playing in big games," first-year Clairton coach Matt Geletko said. "Not so much in basketball, but that football experience and the pressure of winning 63 games in a row, getting the other team's best shot every week. So in pressure situations, it doesn't bother them.

"They always tell me, 'We got this coach. We got this.' And so far, they've answered the bell."

The two teams were within five points of each other the entire game until Lincoln Park went on a 10-0 run to close the third quarter.

But the Bears didn't panic.

"We were just saying, 'Never quit,' " said Clairton senior Tyler Boyd, who finished with a team-high 20 points. "We were down by 11, but we fought hard and made adjustments and stayed at it."

Still trailing, 67-59, with 3:32 left, the Bears went on a 10-1 run to take the lead with 1:03 left.

Elijah Minnie scored on a lob pass to give the Leopards the lead back with 30 seconds remaining, but that's when longtime Clairton teammates and Pitt football recruits Terrish Webb and Boyd connected for the winning basket.

In the open floor, Webb found a cutting Boyd near the basket for a layup with 21 seconds left.

Minnie then had a chance to win the game for Lincoln Park, but his 30-footer hit off the back rim.

"These guys have been playing together and have been a tight group for long before I got here," Geletko said. "They play for each other and hate to lose."

Minnie finished with 24 points and Maverick Rowan had 16 for Lincoln Park.

Clairton's third Pitt football recruit, Titus Howard, had 19 points, Bryon Clifford finished with 14 and Webb added 10.

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Dr. Forgot
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