The "They're Growing Them Bigger All The Time!" Story

Caden pitching this past season.

It was an ordinary day.  Standing in front of my grandson, Caden, congratu- lating him for the triple he hit today with the bases loaded that helped win the ballgame.  Caden turned 13 this past April.  His family doctor recently told his parents that he will probably grow to be 6'6" and perhaps well over 200 pounds.  Well, let me tell you...as I stood in front of him he has to be close to 6 feet tall already.  I was looking him directly in the eye and I am slightly over 6 feet tall.  He also looks to be maybe 160 pounds with a big chest, shoulders and arms.  He attends conditioning workouts a few times a month and it shows.  Next Spring will be his second year in baseball in what is known as 14U, which is 14 years old and under.  On the baseball field the basepaths for  14U are 75 feet with the pitching mound near 50 feet.  What seemed like an average distance this past summer will seem like a much shorter distance next summer since he will have put on a few inches in height and perhaps 25 to 30 pounds in weight.  

Nolan Rucci, high school sophomore and 6'8", 266 lbs. in size

Caden seems to be growing at an astounding rate, but after reading a story in the sports section of the local newspaper, it seems like he is small in stature.  One young man,  high school sophomore Nolan Rucci, who plays football for a high school team in nearby Lititz, Pennsylvania, and is probably 15 years old, is 6 foot 8 inches and weighs 266 pounds.  

Hayden Rucci, high school senior and 6'5", 225 lbs. in size

Yes, you read that correctly.  His brother, Hayden, who is a senior, is 6 foot 5 inches and weighs 225 pounds.  What are these kids eating these days and what is in the water they're drinking?  How would you like to have two sons that size and have to feed them.  Now, I guess I should have expected boys this height and weight since their father, Todd Rucci, played for the New England Patriots and was 6 foot 5 inches and weighed 296 pounds when he played.  

Todd Rucci, 6'5" and 296 lbs. in size

He and his family were members at St. James Episcopal Church and I can remember sitting behind him in church and struggling to see past him when we stood.  Todd's wife, Stacy, was an All-American field hockey player at Penn State University while Todd played football for Penn State.  I had Stacy as a student at Manheim Township High School in Neffsville, PA.  I also was a friend of Stacy's dad Tom Gilburg who was also a big man.  Tom was 6 foot 5 inches and weighed 245 pounds.  He played college football for Syracuse University and offensive tackle as well as punter for the Baltimore Colts during the same era when Johnny Unitas played.  He then moved to Lancaster to coach the Franklin & Marshall college team to a record of 160-112-2.  Loved visiting him to see all the sports memorabilia he has accumulated.  

Tom Gilburg, 6'5" and 245 lbs. in size 

Well, with parents and grandparents who demand respect due to their size, its no wonder both boys have great size genes.  Senior Haden, who is a tight end, has already committed to Wisconsin University to play football and Nolan has now received full athletic scholarships to his parent's alma mater, Penn State, as well as Virginia Tech, Syracuse, Michigan State, West Virginia, Pitt and Virginia.  Not bad for a 15 year old kid that is an offensive lineman.  The future looks bright for them, but they must prove they can also be successful in the classroom.  The world is waiting...but can they make the grade...or should I say grades?  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Tom preparing to punt the ball for the Baltimore Colts

  

The "Negroes Are America's Last Pioneers" Story

The Reverend Stanley Imboden

It was an ordinary day.  Wishing Reverend Stanley Imboden a "Happy Birthday" on Facebook.  After writing my birthday greeting I decided to take a look at a few of Stan's posts on his Facebook page.  One of the first posts I observed featured the green cover of "THE NEGRO MOTORIST GREEN-BOOK".  A publication I had never heard of before, but one that I will now never forget after reading his comment as well as a few online articles about the publication which defined "Negro" travel throughout the United States during its history.  As a young child my parents took my brother and I on weekend trips as well as a week-long vacation during the summer months.  Not once did I ever notice, or even think of, Negroes being anywhere near the locations we were visiting.  We took trips to the Chesapeake Bay for fun in the sun; swimming and playing in the sand.  As I grew older I entered elementary school in an up-scale white school district.  It was at this time that I began to notice and associate with Negros.  At age 12 I wanted to to play organized baseball so bad that I talked my father into allowing me to join a team.  He found one in the newspaper that practiced in the south end of the city, which was where most of the Negroes lived.  After my first practice I was part of the team.  There were 15 boys on the team; five of us white and the rest Negroes.  

Cover of the Negro travel guide.

I loved it!  We were coached by two men, one Negro, Mr. Hawkins, and one Caucasian, Mr. Keifer.  My dad volunteered to drive through the south end of the city to pick up boys for every practice and game.  To me, we were all part of a team.  Skin color didn't mean a thing to me.  Today, as I viewed "The Green Book" I learned of an entirely new world that existed in the late 1940s and early 1950s that I never knew existed before.  As I read online I found a book written in 1965 by John A. Williams titled "This Is My Country Too" that said he didn't believe white travelers had any idea of how much nerve and courage it required for a Negro to drive coast to coast in America.  Items needed for travel where nerve, courage, a great deal of luck supplemented by a rifle and shotgun, a road atlas and Travelguide which would list places in America where Negroes could stay without being embarrassed, insulted, harassed or worse.  He noted that black drivers needed to be particularly cautious in Southern states where they were advised to wear a chauffeur's cap or have one visible on the front seat and pretend they were driving a car for a white person. Along the way you would have to endure a stream of "insults of clerks, bellboys, attendants, cops and strangers in passing cars."  "The Green Book" helped the Negro traveler by listing accommodations for black travelers, places that would allow Negroes to eat as well as use the restroom and even places to refuel.  Not once did my dad or mom ever tell me the hardships that those boys on my team faced when they tried to go on vacation as we did after the baseball season ended.  As I grew I went to junior high and high school and never once did I have a Negro in any of my classes.  As a student at Millersville State Teacher's College in Millersville, Pennsylvania I did see a few Negroes on campus, but didn't have any in my classes.  After graduating from college and having more time, I began to coach baseball and went back to the same neighborhood where I played to form a team of young boys.  We, too, were very good.  I totally enjoyed the experience while driving the same streets as my dad did years earlier, picking up the boys to take them to practice and games.  Once again we were a multi-cultural team.  While teaching in the same high school from where I graduated, I began to have Negroes in classes.   I had Negroes as well as Latinos and many other nationalities on my Yearbook Staff.  All of my adult life I have realized the animosity suffered by most minority groups and have tried my best to alleviate that animosity in my classes and extracurricular activities.  But, I am sorry to say, I did not realize the total abuse that Negroes faced just to take a simple vacation with their family in the late 1800s and most of the 1900s.  As I read the post by Rev. Imboden today he told of a good friend of his whom I had the honor to meet years ago.  Rev. Imboden wrote:  "Jim Crow" Southern States and many Northern "Sundown Law" Communities harshly discriminated against African Americans, especially as they sought places to stay during travel. The Green Book previously posted on FB by another person listed the familiar name of our late friend, true gentlemen and Lancaster civic leader, the honorable Nelson Polite who for many years welcomed weary travelers of all colors to his Lancaster home. Nelson is in heaven now and there's no Green Book needed there. For years Nelson and I served on the founding Board of the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Scholarship Fund in Lancaster city. He is dearly remembered.  That book cover will forever remind me of the hardships faced by the Negroes as they attempted to take their young families on summer vacations such as my mom and dad did for years when I was a young child.  I'm positive it still happens, but hopefully not to the extent that is used to happen.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "When Smoking And Sports Went Hand-In-Hand" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Sitting in my living room talking with Parke who was one of my Graphic Arts students when I first started teaching at Manheim Township in 1968.  Parke's father had a small company that made negatives and plates for printing companies.  When Parke graduated he took over his father's shop when his father retired from the business.  For years I made use of Parke's services while working for the high school as the in-house printer.  Eventually the school purchased their own copy camera and I didn't need to use Parke's services as much, but still took work to him to make sure he would still be available if I needed a special negative or couldn't do a project on the camera I had at the school.  One item Parke helped me with every fall was making halftone negatives for all the photographs I used in the football program which I did for the high school team.  I talked the Coca Cola Company into supplying the color covers as well as a color insert and used paper donated by one of the many paper companies that the school purchased paper from to complete the program.  I printed, assembled and stapled the 32-page program five times a year for home games and after about 15 years called it quits.  

Cover of the 1940 Eagles Program.

Well, a few days ago Parke called asking if I could look at one of the old Philadephia Eagles programs he had from 1940 and see if I could figure out how to frame it for him so he could give it to his nephew as a Christmas gift.  He wanted me to frame it so it could be removed in case his nephew wanted to view the inside of the program or show the program to his friends.  He left if with me and a few days later I called to tell him I had finished it.  I cut a double mat, making the inside mat smaller so the program could rest in the groove between the two mats.  Also added some depth to accommodate the thickness of the program.  I added a small black frame and held the mat, glass and program in place with black metal clips that could be opened and closed when needed.  

Team photo.  Click on photos to enlarge.

But, what was most interesting to me was the program itself.  In 1940 the Philadelphia Eagles were in the National Football League which at the time had these teams:  Green Bay Packers, Cleveland Rams, New York Giants, Brooklyn Dodgers, Washington Redskins, Pittsburgh Steelers, Detroit Lions and the Philadelphia Eagles.  

Team photographs

The program cost 10 cents to buy and had a team photo, individual player photos, team schedules for all teams, a few advertise- ments, a page devoted to the team they were playing and most impressive was a color page in the center with team rosters, player numbers with positions and names of the officials.  Much like the Coca Cola insert I used almost 30 years later.  But, one think I didn't have in the program I printed was a color ad in the center that featured Chesterfield Cigarettes.  

Ad from the program for Knox Gelatine.

The final result looked great and Parke loved it.  I asked him if he had any other old programs and he said he had quite a few in a box in his attic.  Told him I might be interested in them if he wants to sell them.  After he left I grabbed my laptop and checked eBay to see what old football programs were selling for at the moment.  Wow!  No, double Wow!!  A 1969 Bears program was priced at $36.99, a 1958 Chicago Bears program was priced at $86.25, a 1964 Cleveland Browns program was priced at $89.99, a 1953 Eagles program was priced at $109.25, a 1949 Pittsburgh Steelers program was priced at $143.75, a 1950 Washington Redskins program was priced the same as the Steelers program,  a 1957 New York Giants program was priced at $166.75 and a 1939 Detroit program was priced at $174.00.  And, this was all on page one of the listings.  What might the program I had just framed sell for?  And, what might the programs that Parke has in his attic be worth.  As the saying goes ... only time will tell!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The centerfold of the program with the Eagles and Giants rosters, numbers and positions.  And, sponsored by Chesterfield Cigarettes.

  

The "Like Father, Like Son" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking at the face staring back at me from the rear page of the Lancaster Newspaper.  Face belongs to a young man named Paul Weibel DMD who was a graduate of nearby Hempfield High School in Lancaster County.  According to the announcement in the paper, Paul studied at Villanova University and the University of Pittsburgh School of Dental Medicine and recently completed his orthodontic residency at Seton Hill University.  He is planning to join the practice known as Weibel Orthodontics located on Marietta Ave. in Lancaster, PA.  So far nothing out of line that would surprise you except for the fact that Paul isn't going to be the founder of the practice where he will work.  The person that did that was his father Steve who opened the practice many year ago.  Dr. Steve Weibel is not only skilled with dental tools, but also with a Remington 22 caliber rifle.  Steve was one of the members of my rifle team that won the Pennsylvania State Championship in 1972.  He along with nine other members of the rifle team annihilated the competition at State College by firing a perfect score that Saturday morning years ago.  The photo of Paul in the paper today is a spitting image of what Steve looked like when he was younger.  Actually haven't seen Steve for quite a few years; since he did orthodontic work on my youngest son.  As with most of the members of my rifle team, we talked about school, friends, and what they wanted to do in life.  Steve shared with me for quite a few years of his high school experience that he wanted to be a dentist; practicing in orthodontics.  

Dr. Steve Weibel is pictured standing next to me on the
far right of the photograph of the State Champion Rifle Team.

That's all he talked about.  One day close to the end of his senior year in 1973 I told him that if he ever became a dentist I would be sure to bring my children to him to have their orthodontic work done.  We made a pact that day that I would bring my children to him and he would give them the best teeth possible.  The deal was made and we both kept our part of the agreement.  My oldest two children luckily didn't need orthodontic work, but our youngest son did.  I can still remember the first visit to see Steve at his office.  I told his nurse that Steve was on my rifle team and was one of the best shots on the team.  She told me he talked about the team quite often and that it was nice to get to see his coach in person.  Steve entered and it was like we were still on the rifle range talking about life all over again.  He told my wife and I what he would do for our son and told us there would be no charge for his services.  Really appreciated the gesture, but told him he'll never stay in business that way.  Only way he was going to me my son's orthodontist was if my son was a paying patient.  We went back and forth a bit, but he finally agreed on a price; a slightly reduced rate for his services.  We made many visits to his office and found Steve to be as good with his dental tools and knowledge as he was with the Remington.  My visits to his office with my son were usually the highlight of the day.  Rehashing "the good ole times" as he worked on my son's teeth … well it was like those practice sessions every winter rifle season when my team members talked about what they would do after high school and wondering if their coach would every see then again.  I'm sorry to say that I have only keep in touch with a few of the members and the photo in the paper today gave me another reason to call and hash over those memories with one of them.  And, I loved it! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

The "Could My Dad Have Gotten It Wrong? Story

Freedom display featuring Henry Norwood "Barney" Ewell.

It was an ordinary day.  My first day visiting The Lancaster County Historical Society as a new member.  My wife bought me the membership as a Christmas gift and I finally decided it was time for a visit.  Wanted to see the "Freedom" display that is in the main lobby for a few more months.  One of the displays was an entire wall filled with photos and memorabilia about Lancaster's own Barney Ewell who attended John Piersol McCaskey High School in Lancaster, Pennsylvania and who won a Gold Medal in the 1948 Olympics.  

Sprinter Barney Ewell

As I stood in front of the forty foot long display, reading the many accolades of Mr. Ewell, I wondered if my dad could have gotten it wrong.  Seems my dad went to school with Barney and told me more than once that Barnney borrowed money from him, as well as other classmates, and never repaid the debt.  "Happened more than once, until I figured I wasn't getting my money back and stopped giving him money.  Then he hit the next guy up for money until he also realized he wasn't getting repaid," dad told me.  Heard the story more than once and I began to dislkie the guy who became famous and never repaid his debts.  

Plaque awarded to Barney for McCaskey HS Hall of Fame

I looked at one photograph after another and read the literature on the wall in the Historical Society and wondered if this really was the guy who my dad had told me about.  Couldn't have been ... or could it?  Seems that Henry Norwood Ewell, known to his classmates as "Barney," was born into a poor family on February 25, 1918.  He became Pennsylvania's greatest high school sprinter and jumper in the mid-1930s.  

Another award from the state of Pennsylvania.

He attended high school with my dad and was a track and field star at the school.  In 1988, Barney entered the J.P. McCaskey Athletic Hall of Fame during the school's 50th Anniversary year.  After graduation he entered Pennsylvania State University, but dropped out in order to serve in the United States Army.  

His 1948 Olympic Gold Medal for the 4 x 100 race.

After his time in the Army, he returned to Penn State and received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1947.  While at Penn State, before he entered the service, he was a celebrated sprinter and jumper, running the 100 meter and 200 meter races and winning 12 gold medals between 1940 and 1942.  Since both the 1940 and 1944 Olympic Summer Games were canceled, he lost hope that he would ever be a celebrated Olympian.  

Receiving his Silver Medal for the 100 meter dash.

By the time the '48 Olympics came around, everyone thought Barney was past his prime and had missed his chance at a Gold Medal.  He surprised everyone by making the team, equaling the world record of 10.2 in the 100 meter dash at the 1948 AAU Championships, which served as the Olympic trials.  He ran the 100 meter dash at London and thought he had won the race, but it was awarded to teammate Harrison Dillard with Barney taking the Silver Medal.  In the 200 meter race he also took the Silver to teammate Mel Patton.  He was added to the 4 x 100 relay after teammate Ed Conwell became sick.  The U.S. team easily won the race, but were disqualified due to an "out of the zone" baton exchange between Ewell and Lorenzo Wright.  

This photo shows Jesse Owens (seated) talking with Barney
Ewell.  Both were World Class athletes in track and field.

After reviewing the film of the race the officials reversed the ruling and Barney was awarded the Gold Medal along with his team members.  Barney contributed to his community by encouraging young athletes to strive for excellence in every thing they did in life.  He eventually, in later life, had both his legs amputated due to diabetes.  Not sure what year that might have been, but dad never said a bad word about Barney after that happened.  I guess he figured Barney had paid the price.  Barney died on April 4, 1996 in Lancaster.  He will be remembered forever as one of Lancaster's most prolific athletes.  And, I still wonder if dad could have gotten it wrong!  Nah, dad was always right!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.  

The "Reliving The Good Years One More Time" Story

Plaque displayed in a showcase near the Manheim
Township High School gymnasium which featured
photos of members of the Class of 2009 Hall of Fame.
The 1972 Rifle Team is featured on the plaque.

It was an ordinary day.  Just finished running a couple of cases of #10 envelopes and a case of 28 lb. paper through the AB Dick printing press in the high school print shop for the Manheim Township School District Office.  After cleaning the press, and myself, I thought I would head to the high school athletic office to ask the secretary for a list I needed to help identify the students from the Manheim Township Middle School who were on athletic teams that I planned to place their photo in the Middle School Yearbook.  Just before I entered the gymnasium I saw the showcase that displayed photos of individuals and teams who had been inducted into the Sports Hall of Fame (HOF) at the high school.  

State Championship banners displayed
on the wall of the gymnasium.

Yep, there was a photo of the members of the 1972 High School Rifle team that had won the 1972 State Championship and had been picked for entry into the HOF in 2009.  Only eight of the dozen or so members were able to attend the HOF football game ceremony.  Some had moved from the area during the past 37 years as well as one member had died.  We all had a great time that evening and our photo is displayed in the showcase outside the gymnasium.  I managed to snap a photo with my phone and headed once again toward the office.  On the upper level of the gymnasium are a series of showcases that display all the trophies won since the school district began.  I found the case that contained the rifle trophies and after attempting to take another photo, knew I needed to have it open due to reflection from the glass.  

Trophy case displaying trophies won
by the high school rifle team.

Then I turned and looked at the large banners on the gym walls that listed all individuals and teams that have won State Championships.  There, on one wall were the three banners; one for the 1972 Rifle Team and two for the 2011 and 2012 Golf Teams.  Pretty neat to know I was responsible for one of those banners.  I found my way to the athletic office, got my information I needed and asked if someone could open the display case for me to take a photo of the trophies.  Earliest one was from 1937-38, two years after Manheim Township entered a team in the county rifle league.  There on the bottom shelf was the 1972 team Lancaster County League trophy as well as a District trophy and State trophy.  Sitting in front of them was a plaque that was awarded to the 1972 team as Lancaster Newspapers Team of the Year.  I still get chills when I think back to the five years I coached the rifle team and how we won the state title.  Not bad coaching job for someone who had fired a real gun probably half a dozen times in his entire life.  I'll tell you, I never tire of reliving the happy times in my life and those five years were some of the best!  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. 

Lancaster Newspaper awarded the rifle team the Team of the Year award.