Frank McCartney 42/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Frank McCartney. Lead Teacher (Vice Principal) at Garrettford Elementary school in the Upper Darby School District.

Frank has been in education for over 20 years now which is his professional passion. Frank enjoys working with students and their families to uncover their motivations and to help those students establish and achieve their goals.

Personally, Frank enjoys spending time with his wife Sara and figuring out what their next adventure will be. They both enjoy traveling and discovering new places and the culture that surrounds it. They also love spending time with family and friends and knowing that no matter what is going on, they can always rely on one another. Another added bonus of time with friends and family is that it often includes great food and wine! Frank also enjoys being active and loves to go hiking, climbing, biking running and competing in triathlons.

At Franklin & Marshall, Frank was a three time collegiate All-American in Cross Country and Track. For his efforts on the track, Frank was just recently inducted into the Franklin & Marshall Hall of fame for 2013. And in 2005, Frank was ranked in the top 30 at the Amateur World Championships for Triathlons in 2005!  

 

 

Influence 42/52Frank McCartney Frank down in the aero bars on his triathlon bike

 

Influence: 

Frank McCartney. Hell of an athlete and hell of a nice guy.

Frank was one of the first people that I met through our triathlon club, Philadelphia Triathlon Club. I worked with a girl named Julie who actually introduced me to the club. She was a member and said I would really like it. So I was really excited to see what the club was all about and get into a new adventure. I somehow convinced Ashley to come down with me and then to join as well! We went to the kickoff party at Manayunk Brew Pub and got to meet a great group of people. One of the couples we met there was Frank and his wife Sara. Both are super nice, super friendly and really helpful. The world of triathlon was completely new to me and I really had no idea what I was in for.

A few months after the kickoff party, the club had one of its first organized training weekends of the year. It was up in Jim Thorpe, PA. So Ashley and I booked a hotel, packed up our gear and headed up. We really had no idea what we were in for (especially Ashley!) Frank and Sara were the group organizers for the trip and had set us up with an incredible training weekend. Friday night after getting there, we went up to the local high school so we could get a swim session in. This was my first time in a true Olympic sized pool (I only train at LA Fitness with a small shallow pool, same length however.) When we got there, we met up with Frank and Sara and got the weekend going. Friday and Saturday nights we went out to dinner with everyone and we met some great people. Saturday’s bike session was a crazy hilly course (Jim Thorpe, duh) but there is this one hill, Bugsy’s Hill, on the course that is a crazy steep hill. Going up that hill not long after I started riding a bike for the first time was a serious challenge. But after doing that hill, there are not many others that would compare.

At the time of meeting Frank, he was a well established triathlete. He was placing near the top of every race and was a real force out on the course. He was a very solid swimmer, a good biker and a very fast runner. When you are good at all three disciplines, you have a recipe for success. In 2008, I think Frank put together one of his best performances at the Timberman Half Ironman 70.3 triathlon. He finished 20th overall, with 12 of those top 20 being pros! And not just any pros, you are talking two of arguably the best of this generation in Andy Potts and Chrissie Wellington. So to finish not far behind those athletes is just amazing. Frank had a killer performance that day and I still remember seeing the results online in amazement! It was incredible. Not to mention as stated above, Frank was ranked in the top 30 in the world for Amateur Triathletes in 2005! 

So when I joined the club in 2007 I had no idea how to swim (and by that I mean real, freestyle/open water swimming) bike and run competitively. So I had to learn and train myself for months (I still am!) to get to be a decent enough swimmer to compete in the open water. Frank was always there to help out. That night up in Jim Thorpe he helped me through my workout and gave me plenty of pointers. It was only a week or two later that I had my big ‘breakthrough’ in the pool and was able to swim more than just a few hundred meters. I am someone who loves to watch and learn from people who are awesome at what they do. And knowing and watching Frank at that time of my triathlon career was perfect for me. It really couldn’t have happened at a better time.

A few years later, it may have been the summer of 2008 or 2009, a bunch of us including Frank and I went up to Lake Placid, NY to watch a few of our club members compete in the Lake Placid Ironman. For those of you who don’t know, an Ironman is the pinnacle as a triathlete. It is a brutal one day endurance race with a 2.4 mile swim, a 112 mile bike and a 26.2 mile marathon run at the end. So I tagged along for a training weekend and to watch our friends tackle this tough course. We had a great time camping and training. That weekend I had two incredible experiences. The first was my introduction to Nutella - yes I had never had Nutella before that weekend. But Sara and Frank were experienced campers and knew a good caloric recovery food when they saw one! Making s’mores with Nutella after a hot day of training = bliss! But even better was watching this race. It started raining literally the second the racers entered the water and stopped just about at the midnight cut off. It was just about 15 hours of heavy, chilly rain. We stood on the side of the road cheering on everyone from the pro’s to the old age groupers. It was without a doubt one of the greatest experiences of my life. It was so damn inspirational and really humbled me in many ways.

Frank has since sustained a rash of leg injuries that have kept him from competing at a high level. It’s a damn shame but I guess sooner or later the body just says ‘I have had enough’. He took a few years off to try and heal up and did his first triathlon this summer. Even after having time off and being slightly hobbled by his legs, Frank still placed 16th overall and 2nd in his age group. Even not at his top form, he still kicks ass!

Triathlons have really changed my life. After wrestling in high school, I didn’t have the competitive edge and adrenaline push anymore. And of course taking five years to get fat and sloppy in college didn’t help! But finding this great sport has really been a life changing event. I have met incredibly awesome people who all want to have fun and push themselves as well. Not to mention it has kept me in great shape and provided that competitive outlet I enjoy. I started out slow but have really come into my own the last few years. It’s very hard without a coach and many people around to train with. So I always think back to Frank’s advice when I am swimming, biking and running. Thanks for showing me the ropes and for being a great role model Frank! 

 

 

Chuck & Dawn Baum 37/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Charlie Baum, Magisterial District Judge Charles Baum. Pop, Dad, Chas, Charlie, Baumie, CB.

Judge Baum is in his eighth year as an elected judge serving Perkasie, Sellersville, East and West Rockhill Townships, part of Telford, Trumbauersville and Millford Townships. Prior to being the current judge, Chuck operated his family's business, the Perkasie News-Herald, the hometown weekly newspaper that was in his family for 85 years! He was the reporter, editor and publisher for 35 years. He ran the business with 16 other employees until he saw the writing on the wall (no pun intended) and decided to sell in 1998. He started working for the News-Herald in high school and earned a BS in journalism-printing from the Rochester Institute of Technology.

Professionally, Chuck enjoys being a judge because every day is so different. One day it is a tough criminal who is involved with drugs or alcohol, or it’s a teen involved in under-age drinking or serial offenders who need intense help and  counseling. He enjoys working with people within the community. He can also officiate weddings, which he performs over 50 a year (In fact, Chuck married Ashley and I back in 2007!)

Personally, Chuck loves working with people of all aages and walks of life. He tries to treat people how he would want to be treated in their shoes. He respects everyone and tries to be compassionate whenever he can. He also enjoys being out on the golf course and being able to follow the stock market.

Charlie has been the President of the Perkasie Historical Society for over 20 years now. The Historical Society helps to maintaint and operate the popular Perkasie Carousel. He is also serves as a officer of the Pierce Library Association, Perkasie Industrial Development Authority and local charity foundation. He is the former Vice President and director of the Pennsylvania Newspaper Association. He is the secretary for both the Bucks County and District 12 Judges Associations. He is also honored to be on the Pennridge High School Wall of Fame, which honors graduates who have made significant contributions to society through either career achievements or community service efforts.

Charlie is also one of the longest clients at the Grand View Hospital Cardiac Rehab Center, where he ‘works out’ at least four times a week. Charlie had 5-artery bypass surgery in 2002.

Dawn baum. Mrs. B, Mom, Future Mother in Law, Millie.

Dawn is a recently retired Librarian and Manager. She worked at the Samuel Pierce Branch Library for 22 years when she retired in 2011. She’s not able to keep her hands off of books, so she now volunteers at the Perkasie library and helps to oversee the library at the Community Center.

Personally, Dawn loves spending time with their children and grandchildren (idential twins Emily and Leah, 4.) She also enjoys traveling with friends, especially cruising and viisiting friends in Cape May and Ft. Myers. When she is not immersed in a book, she enjoys a good glass of wine, entertaining all of their friends, gambling away at the Casinos or volunteering.

Chuck and Dawn are both looking forward to their son Tim’s wedding next June to Nicole Petsis.

 

Influence 37/52Chuck & Dawn Baum Chuck & Dawn enjoying a glass of wine at 5:00 on a Friday! 

 

Influence: 

Mr. and Mrs. B. Entertainers, young at heart and down right good people.

The Baums are some of the nicest and most fun people I know. They have been a second set of parents now for over 15 years. During those 15 years, we have had some great times.

The Baums and their group of friends are like nobody else. When they get together, they do it right. They have a blast and party hard. What’s nice about them and their friends is the group they have. They have a huge group of friends that are all very close. As someone who is younger, I am extremely envious of their group of friends! To remain close with that many people and have as much fun as they do is so awesome.

One of my fondest memories of the Baums was a New Years Eve Party, somewhere in the early 2000’s. My girlfriend at the time, Ashley, myself, Tim and his girlfriend were at a friends house. Things didn’t go exactly as planned so we had to come up with another plan. Last minute we asked his parents if we could join in on their party. The obliged, so we went over there not long before the ball dropped. That was without a doubt the most fun I have had on New Year’s Eve. We had congo lines going, party hats and favors, music, etc. We still have some great pictures that we look at from time to time from that night. It was such a great time.

Their son Tim, who is my best friend, and I really started hanging out mid way through high school. So I would spend a lot of time at the Baums house. They had a great finished basement with a ping pong table, later an air hockey table, couches, tv, etc. And because they were in town it was a great spot to hang out. I would spend many of my high school weekends sleeping over there. And it was a big bonus when the Baums would have a party with all of their friends over because it was a party for us too!

Dawn is a great entertainer and enjoys having company over. She spent a great deal of her life working at the Library in Perkasie and really helped keep that place a float. She is always smiling and has a great laugh. And she certainly loves her family to death.

And Chuck is one of those guys who you could turn to for anything. Easily one of the nicest people I have ever met. And even more than that is his dedication to the town of Perkasie. His rap sheet above goes to show you how much public service and volunteering he does. It’s unbelievable the amount of pride he has in his community. And he is the best listener you will also ever run into. To me, that is Chuck’s best attribute. He makes you feel important and really cares about you, genuinely.

I have so many great memories with the Baums but one that will forever stick out to me was just about two and a half years ago. Ashley and I found out we were pregnant with our son Cooper and were starting to let everyone know. Well the Baum’s had my family and Ashley’s family over to hang out on their new patio (that my Dad built for them!) So it was a great opportunity to tell Chuck and Dawn that we were pregnant. We both told them at the same time and their reaction was priceless. They started screaming and cheering. They gave us big hugs and even had some tears coming down their faces. They were so genuinely happy for us. And that sums up the people that Chuck and Dawn are.

Thanks for all of the great times and for being an extended family. Love you guys,

Nick Franklin 36/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Nick Franklin - Juvenile Probation Officer for Bucks County

Nick has his Masters degree in Social Work from Temple University. He also worked at St. Gabriel’s Hall as a residential counselor and caseworker before moving onto Bucks County where he has been a juvenile probation officer since 2004.

Nick really enjoys working with kids/teenagers. To him, the best enjoyment is knowing that he has the potential and ability to change their ways before it is too late. Most of his kids just need to be guided in the right direction, unlike adults who tend to stay stuck in their ways.

His biggest gripe about his job is that in most cases he receives, he feels that if many of his kids would be raised by a different set of parents or in a different home/environment, they would not be where they are now, being caught up in the juvenile system. To Nick, it all starts at home. WIthout that support system, things begin to breakdown and the kids act out in certain ways for attention.

The biggest reward in his job is when he receives a call a year or two after a juvenile is released from supervision to check in and let him know they they are in college, at a trade school, working full time at a job they really enjoy and most importantly, haven’t gotten into any more trouble.

Personally, Nick loves music, good beer, playing soccer and watching the Flyers (even though they let him and everyone else down this year…) but by far the most important thing to him is his family. He loves spending time with his wife Melissa and his son Brennan and daughter Emily. When it comes to his kids, it’s great to relive his youth through them. Coaching is also very rewarding as he gets to watch Brennan develop into a much better player than he was at his age. Also, family movie nights on the couch are about as good as it gets!

Nick feels as though his job has helped him to see the importance of family, being there to support his children and encouraging them to be the best they can be at whatever they want in life. He wouldn’t have it any other way. 

 

Influence 36/52Nick Franklin Nick and family out back on the playground

 

Influence: 

Nick Franklin. Great guy, great neighbor and awesome Dad.

Nick and I met just about five years ago now when he moved into the house directly across the street. I was worried as to who was going to move into that house. It’s always nerve racking to figure out who your neighbors are going to be! But boy did we hit the lottery when the Franklins moved in!

Nick is the perfect neighbor. I can ask him for help at any time, borrow something, lend a hand, etc. and he is always there. Plus, the best part is our beer relationship - we both love good craft beer. I started brewing my own beer about three or four years ago and not long after, Nick got started as well. It’s great bouncing ideas and recipes off of each other. I will have one style of beer on and he has something different on and its great because we can sample our own stuff at any time. We also like handing beers off to try out as well. “Hey, have you had this, or had that” gets asked almost weekly. We both have friends and family in the beer industry as well so that helps fuel the fire as well!

But what’s best about Nick is how great of a Dad he is. His two kids are always outside enjoying themselves and hanging out. And now that Cooper is getting older he is begging to play with them as well. I just admire the way Nick handles being a father. Growing up in my family, tempers were short and the emotional bond was not quite so strong. So I always thought that’s just how things were. But watching him be a parent made me realize that being calm and supportive go a long way. Nick is easily the most level headed guy I have ever met. I don’t think I have ever seen him angry or mad at anything. And when he is with his kids it’s the same way. He never raises his voice and is always being supportive. I admire the hell out of him for that and it has really helped me with my son as well.

Thanks for being a great neighbor and leading by example. Oh, and don’t move! 

 

Dave Salib 35/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dave Salib, Executive Vice President of Benjamin Foods.

Professionally, Dave likes to build things from scratch. He likes knowing that everyday you have the ability to improve and build upon the previous day. Slowing down and maintaining status quo is not a good thing according to Dave. He believes that the day you aren’t moving forward is the same day you start moving backwards. Dave started with Benjamin Foods right out of college in 2006.

Personally, Dave loves toys, grown up toys! His new project is almost done - a 1964 Cadillac Fleetwood. This is the same car his late father had when growing up. So when he found the opportunity to buy a car that was nearly identical he had to jump on it. Dave is also a big sports fan and enjoys going to the Eagles game whenever he can.

Dave is also very excited to be getting married. His fiance Karen has been by his side through thick and thin and he wouldn’t be where is without her.

Dave feels that you should absorb as much as possible from any job. The experience and knowledge you gain from that alone is priceless.

 

Influence 35/52Dave Salib Dave standing in the warehouse of Benjamin Foods

 

Influence: 

Dave Salib. Hard worker, smart dude and a real go-getter.

I met Dave during my Junior year at Pennridge. We had Architecture class together and we sat right by each other at the drafting tables. What I distinctly remember about Dave was his awesome afro. Yep, he had a full on, legit afro. I was infatuated by it! So not only was Dave cool, because you know, if you have an afro at Pennridge High school you are immediately cool, but he was a great guy. Dave was smart and had an awesome work ethic. I used Dave as my crutch in that class. He knew his stuff and I was a bit of a goofball so naturally, I asked him for a lot of help!

Dave and I ended up going to Millersville together. I was a grade ahead of Dave but I went to Bucks Co. Community College for two years and he went to Penn State for two years. He decided to transfer into Millersville which was great because Dave and I had become good friends. It was nice having a local friend in the same department with me that I could be with. After meeting our other friends Jay and Vanessa, the four of us quickly became inseparable. We tried to stick together as much as we could. We tried scheduling the same classes just to help keep our sanity in the craziness of the Tech. Ed. department at MU. We had awesome trips down to Virginia Beach for our club conference and plenty of happy hour trips to burn off stress!

At MU, Dave continued what he started at Pennridge in the classroom. He was smart and had some amazing woodworking skills to back all of that up. He did some fantastic projects and I really looked up to the way he worked. Dave is one of those guys who you want around you because he makes you better. You want to work like Dave and have the same level of workmanship that he does.

After college, Dave decided it was best to venture into the business world and went to work for a wholesale food and liquidation company. On the surface you would think he was crazy. And to be honest, I did somewhat as well. You go to school for years to get a degree in Education and as soon as you graduate, you head into business! But most people are not Dave Salib. See Dave Salib is one savvy dude. He is calculated and knows exactly what he is doing. And now, Dave is the Executive Vice President of Benjamin Foods in Hatboro, PA. He has helped build the company from four people to now over 70! Hearing his story and where the business was and where it is now is not really that shocking to me. It’s as successful as it is because Dave is involved in it. Dave just has that touch.

But even more than successful, Dave’s a great guy. He’s super nice and would help you out whenever possible. In fact a few years ago when his company was still focused on liquidations, they bought out the old Sands Casino in Atlantic City. Dave was surprised to find that they had their own woodworking lab in the casino. He and I talked around that same time and I told him that my lab at school didn’t have a table saw. He immediately said I will donate you a table saw that I bought out of the Sands Casino. So he did. He even had it delivered to school! That saw has been used for five plus years now and has helped hundreds of my students create better projects because of it. That’s Dave being Dave.

So it’s no shock to me or anyone else that Dave has helped build a very successful company from nearly nothing. Dave isn’t one to settle for anything less. If you know Dave you know he’s a guy you want in your life for many reasons. I was lucky enough to meet Dave in high school and we have been great friends since. Our time at MU was fantastic and we have some great memories. Thanks for all the help over the years Dave, I am pretty sure I would have flunked out of a class or two without you! 

 

Cooper James Pompei 33/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

How do you want me to address you and what's your exact title?
Coopa.

2. What are you most passionate about professionally? What most excites you about your work?
Mommy work. Daddy work.

3.What are you passionate about personally? What do you really enjoy?
Elmo. Outside. Wagon. Mommy. Backho. Dumptruck. Barney. Sandbox. 

4.How long have you been doing what you do?
birfday. Twhoooo

5.Any personal or career accolades?
Vacooom. Elmo.

6.Anything else you’d like to tell people about yourself?
Outside. Sandbox. Cali gil 

 

Influence 33/52Cooper Pompei Cooper on his 2 year birthday riding his new Strider bike

 

Influence: 

Kid. Toddler. 2 year old maniac. Little Monster. Mr. Doesn’t eat.
I asked Coop these questions and I typed up his responses for you. Needless to say, he is about as typical a 2 year old as you will find! He loves to be outside. In fact, he would never come inside if he had the choice. The kid is non-stop. He is the energizer bunny in a skinny, 23lb, bottom fifth percentile growth chart frame. He is strong as hell. Like, mutant strength strong. For being as small as he is the kid has some serious power behind him. And he certainly has an attitude with a backbone of frustration - he must get all of that from his mother! Haha.

Cooper was born two years ago to the day this past Thursday, April 17, 2014. And every day of those two years has been a wild and fun ride. The amount your life changes is hard to describe. People who have kids tell you your life will never be the same. And you believe them. But you really can’t comprehend it until it happens. Nothing is easy. Nothing. Being a parent is a challenge unlike anything I have ever experienced. I challenge myself physically and have for nearly my entire life. I can handle that and control that challenge. I have had bad things happen in my life that I have been able to push through as well. But being a parent is on a different level. It’s constant and never ending. Your life is still moving forward, but now you have someone else pulling in another direction. Learning how to manage time is probably the most important part to maintaining your sanity as a parent. For most of my days when I am with Cooper and not at work, the day is split into three parts: Before nap, during nap and after nap. Before nap is in the morning and for the most part, nothing happens other than breakfast and some play time. During nap is when you realize the last five to six hours of day have gone by and you have gotten nothing done. So now you try and cram in as much as you possibly can into the hour to two hours they are sleeping. Usually, that doesn’t happen. He’s awake now. The last third of the day is upon you now with a fully recharged baby and a pile of chores mounting like the national debt. But you play and have as much fun as you can before bedtime. Bedtime is great, you get a few hours of rest before doing it all over again. Rinse and repeat. The one thing people don’t mention are your own emotions. I feel like many days my emotional string is as closed to frayed as possible. Something about having a kid can really turn you into a softy. I literally can’t watch the news anymore. The amount of stories about kids being killed, abducted, beaten, etc, is too much for me to handle. Sure, you never want to hear those things anyway, but after becoming a Dad, I can’t take it. I am so worried about him all the time. I’m not talking about him falling and getting road rash. I am worried how he is going to grow up, will he make good decisions, will I make the right decisions for him, will we be ‘those parents’ who can’t raise their kids right and turn them into a big pile of wuss, what group of friends will he hang out with, is he going to be polite and have good manners, etc. etc. etc. It’s an endless cycle. But you just take each day as it comes and enjoy life as much as possible. Like when you pull out a container of goldfish to surprise him when you are driving and his face lights up like a Christmas tree!

Each stage of your childs life is so dramatically different. Milestones are very significant and noticeable almost immediately. There are days when you go in to get them out of bed in the morning and you swear you are looking at a different kid. The overnight changes in their mentality is also startling. They develop so fast. Each stage has it’s fun moments. From holding their head up, to crawling, to walking, to talking, laughing and interacting; it’s all a blast.
The last few months have been a lot of fun. Cooper is turning into a boy more and more. I just bought him his first bike and helmet for his birthday and have never felt more like a Dad than I do now. He got his first power wheels four wheeler for Christmas and is riding that thing all around outside. He likes using a ‘rewdriva’ (screwdriver) to fix things with Daddy and loves to find out how things work. This summer is going to be a lot of fun. We will try and hit Sesame Place to see his buddy Elmo, go to the Zoo to see some lions “raaaaar”, and go to the beach to swim as much as we can. I am extremely fortunate to have the summers off so we can spend time together.

I know people say to cherish every moment when they are little because they grow up so fast. And I certainly am. But I also can’t wait for him to grow up so we can do more things together. I can’t wait until he starts playing his first sport, when we can have a catch out back, ride our bikes up to the reservoir, go surfing/boogie boarding at the beach on a random summer weekday, go to a daytime Phillies game and tailgate all morning, and have him sit down with me for more than 2 minutes to watch a movie together on a rainy day. Those things are coming, I know, but I still can’t wait! Life changed two years ago when Ashley went into labor and things have never been the same. Cooper came into our life and turned us from a happily married couple into a real life family. Something about having a family of your own that makes your life more special than it ever has been. That’s because life rocks - I am a Dad and husband and life at 31 has never been more fun!

I love you buddy. 

 

Shawn 'Animal' Flaherty 32/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Shawn the Animal Flaherty. The man, the myth, the legend.

Animal has been a cook most of his life and has been doing industrial insulating for the past 11 years. He likes working with his hands and the creativity he can get from certain jobs.

Personally Animal really enjoys watching and playing sports. He has been playing soccer (don't hold it against him folks) most of his life and still continues playing in intramural leagues. Animal also loves to be in the kitchen cooking and grilling. He got that passion from his Dad who was a cook. His Dad owned a great restaurant out in Haycock, PA that was a huge car meeting place in the late 1970's and 1980's. 

 

Influence 32/52Sean 'Animal' Flaherty Animal holding onto one of his prized possessions - his Ketchup (he's a food on ketchup kinda guy)

 

Influence: 

Animal. The Animal. His name is synonymous with greatness because, well, he is great. He’s the Animal.

First, we will start with the name. How does one get such a badass nickname? No one really knows except for a story from his good childhood friend and neighbor, Brian Scholl. I asked Brian this question back in high school. His response was simple and to the point. “Because he’s the Animal!” And it stuck ever since elementary school. So Animal went all through middle school and high school with friends and even teachers calling him Animal. Hell, in college I had our friends ask me who Shawn was after I called him that once. They literally didn’t know what his real name was after three plus years of knowing him! Haha.

So Animal and I got to know each other real well in our Sophomore year at Pennridge. It was Chemistry class and we sat right by each other and hit it off right away. Ever since then we have been best friends. Animal and I would hang out a lot in high school and we haven’t stopped since. We would plan our schedules around each other so we could have classes together. Some of my funnest moments with Animal came in high school. We would take Woodworking class together and had a blast there, too. One of the funniest things I have ever seen in my life occurred during our Senior year, right before Thanksgiving break. Animal and I were coming out of our Chemistry II class. Which, by the way, was like an AP or Honors class or some crap. Basically, we were in way over our head with a bunch of smart kids. Animal and my combined IQ didn’t equal what these kids had in like third grade but we didn’t care. We caused a ruckus in there, got bad grades but laughed our ass off. Anyway, it was at the end of the day, right before we left for Thanksgiving break. The cheerleaders had put up this scarecrow, dummy like mascot person thing in the middle of our audion (The audion was a general stepped down sitting area, right in middle of the school with lockers and classrooms surrounding. It’s where everyone would hang out in between classes.) So they had this thing decorated in the rival colors and jersey (Quakertown is Pennridge’s huge next door rival and the Thanksgiving day football game has been going on for decades.) So they had this dummy looking football player in the middle of the audion with like hay bails around it or some other crap. So Animal says to me “Yo, I think I am going to tackle the guy after class on our way out.” I of course see this as a golden moment in time and talk this up like its the greatest idea I have ever heard. Which it was! So I hype him up all week, with the ‘tackle’ coming on Wednesday, when we get out at noon for early dismissal. Word spreads quickly amongst the student body so when we come out from our classroom there is plenty of onlookers ready to see the action. We both come out of class with a mission ready to execute and nothing was stopping Animal. In one of the greatest acts of physical domination I have ever seen, Animal gets a running head start, leaps over the bottom step and dives head first at the dummy. He absolutely plows this thing, blows it completely up. He pulls himself out of the rubble and runs off like a kid stealing candy at a store. I am laughing hysterically, kneeling on the ground laughing so hard that I can barely move. It was so great. I ran out after him and we proceeded to bask in the awesomeness of the act. It has been 13 years since he made mincemeat of the cheerleaders football dummy and I can still see it vividly as if it happened 10 minutes ago.

Animal and I also went to college together. We went to Bucks County Community college for two years and then went off to Millersville together. We were also roommates at MU along with my future wife and another friend. We had some great times out at school, many, many unforgettable nights and funny stories to go along with them. Like the first party we had at our apartment when he got wasted off of some sort of fruit punch and vodka. He got so drunk early in the night that he went to puke, ran to the bathroom all to find a friend of ours in the bathroom taking a pee. He couldn’t hold his puke so as he opened the door he blew red chunks all over the bathroom and the kid taking a pee. Needless to say in the hot summer air, it smelled great in there. Oh and if you were to go back to 2 E-Courts, chances are you would still see red debris in the bathroom floor vent. I’d bet money on it!

We have been best friends ever since sophomore year, went to school together and he was in our wedding. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Animal is a great guy. He is humble and can be slightly reserved but he is a great friend. We get to see each other often and talk on the phone a decent amount still. It’s usually always sports talk. He is my go to sports talk guy to vent about Philadelphia sports frustrations and how I could possibly lose a fantasy matchup when there was no way I should have. I can usually count on Animal for anything I ask him for as well. He’s been on vacation with my family many times and has really become part of my family. Everyone loves having him around as he is great company. But one of his best attributes has developed over the last two years. The last two years that my son Cooper has been around. “Uncle Aamal” as Cooper would say has become one of Cooper’s good friends. Animal is so good with him, get’s him great Christmas presents and really has a great relationship with him. Let’s be honest, most guys are not always the best around children. Something about kids gets them nervous or scared thinking they might have to take care of one. But not Animal. He really enjoys playing with Cooper and Cooper just loves him as well. Animal came to the hospital the day after Cooper was born and held him - it was one of the best moments I have had as a Dad. To see your closest friend holding your kid is something that is hard to describe. So glad Animal has been around in my life these last 15+ years and to help be a great Uncle as well.

Thanks for being a best friend and a great uncle, Animal!
 

Brad Anderson 31/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Brad Anderson. Commercial Insurance Producer for the Weimer Group.

Professionally, Brad is all about providing the best service he can to his clients. He really enjoys helping his clients increase their bottom line. His goal is to get his clients the best possible value in terms of their coverage and premiums. He enjoys sending his clients referrals. The two most exciting things to Brad are networking and meeting very fun and interesting people. He loves getting referrals - to him it is an awesome compliment and it’s satisfying to think that he has done good by them that people want to let others know as well. Brad has been in the insurance field now for four years. Prior to that he was the General Manager of a Marina on the Delaware River. He was in the boating industry for about 10 years where he was salesman of the month a few times.

Personally, Brad loves being a father. His kids mean the world to him and he thoroughly enjoys making them laugh until they can’t breath and then get the hiccups! He is also passionate about boating and fishing even though he doesn’t currently own a boat. Once the kids came along he had to part ways with his boat to spend more time with them. He got his son into fishing and he is a good fisherman for being only five years old.

Brad really likes to hear other peoples’ stories. He says you can really learn a lot about people and who they are, what they need or want just by asking a question and listening to their responses. Brad is into community, networking and helping people any chance he can get. 

 

Influence 31/52Brad Anderson Brad standing near our old stomping grounds (see story below)

 

Influence: 

Teammate and Friend. Brad was one of my best friends from junior high into my early years in high school. We hung out what seemed like every weekend (and it usually was!) Brad was a very solid wrestler and a grade ahead of me, so I always looked up to him. We went to the same junior high and our parents were pretty good friends too so we got to see each other fairly often.

Not only was Brad older than me but he had an earlier birthday in his grade so he started driving early into his sophomore year. It was great having a friend who could drive! He would take me everywhere and hanging out was even easier. We would usually spend time at his Dad’s house which was more in town than my house was. In fact, my junior high girlfriend lived in the same development along with some other friends. So being over at his house had its perks. We would hang out there before junior high dances, friends parties, etc. It was great being over there because his Dad was a great guy and would let us boys be boys.

We also got into a bit of mischief every now and then. There was an unnamed store that sold unnamed things that was just up the road from his house. Back in the day, we used to rollerblade everywhere we could before Brad got his license. So we would stay up late, put on black sweats and roller blade up to said unnamed store and have some fun. Without going into any details lets just say that certain things would roll down the hill on their own. Nothing like the feeling of pulling off a dumb stunt at 3am in black sweats, all to bee-line it home as fast as you possibly could - all on rollerblades! Haha. Speaking of rollerblades, I had a not so fun crash the summer of my seventh grade year. Brad and I were hanging out and decided to go down to the local store to get some food or something. So we laced up our blades and started out to the store. It was about a 2 mile trip so it was pretty far. Well just after leaving his development entrance, a huge tractor trailer came blowing by us. It scared the crap out of me and the wind also threw me sideways. I was already going down a slight hill so I had some speed. Well I couldn’t control myself and decided to ditch it towards the sidewalk where there was some grass. I figured that would be a hell of a lot better than eating pavement. So I did a controlled dive towards the sidewalk. I did a nearly flawless job, landing my entire upper body in the small grassy patch between the curbing and the sidewalk. The only problem was the outside of my right leg was facing down, right at the curbing. After sliding and tumbling a bunch, I got up and brushed myself off. I was happy no bones were sticking out and I wasn’t dead. I thought I made it out unscathed. Not so much. The outside of my right leg was all sorts of chewed up from the curbing. It literally took all of my weight and left me with a huge section of concrete road rash from just above my ankle to just below my knee. It freaking hurt. It would take the entire summer to go away. In fact, I can remember it was oozing so bad about 2 weeks later that when I was mowing the yard, the grass clippings that went airborne got stuck in the wound! That was not fun. 

Another great story is the internet. Yes, the internet. Brad’s Mom and her husband Tom were some of the first people I knew who had a computer and the internet. Now, I am talking 1996 or 1997 here folks. You know, like 10 hour AOL discs you had to use just to access the internet! 56k modems, dial up, different phone line for access type internet. Yeah, that stuff. So they had the internet and I think even a laptop from what I remember. We would stay up literally until the sun came up on the original AOL chat/messaging sites. It was so old school, talking to what seemed like handfuls of people across the country. Not like it is now! We would go on and explore because it was all so new. We would laugh and laugh all night long until we would crash at like 6:30am. Good times.

Brad and I had tons of fun and I enjoyed being around his other friends and his family. His Dad was (still is) a great guy, his Mom and his step Dad were also great. Oh and his sister, Lindsey, yeah I had a crush on her. She was older, extremely cute and had friends you wanted to hang out with when you were that age. I will never forget when we were on his Dad’s front porch eating pizza one afternoon and Lindsey was there. She said to me, “Nick, I would date you if you were older.” I’m older now Lindsey! Haha.

We had a good group of friends that would hang out as we got older. We would go to the Pennridge Ice Hockey games and create havoc. That was our weekly outing during the season. We loved it. We would act totally immature, clown the other team, I would rip my shirt and pants off in front of the entire crowd. You know, those sorts of things! Haha, life was so fun back then. You never really think anything bad can happen and you are just taking each day as it comes. But as we got older, we didn’t quite hang out as much. Brad decided to stop wrestling during his junior year I believe. And we just started to grow apart as most friends do at times. We kind of went our separate ways but would hang out whenever we got the chance.

We sure had some fun times. I think back to those days and thank god we never really got in any trouble. We did some dumb things - as most kids do. I was young and dumb during junior high and my first few years in high school. I was immature and tried to act cool in front of kids to fit in. It’s amazing to think how differently my life could have turned out had I gotten caught doing some of the things I did. Which is why as a parent I am scared shitless. I turned out to be a pretty good guy. I am ultra responsible and make plenty of good decisions. But looking back, wow. Life could have really turned out differently. But it didn’t and I am making the best of what I have now. And that’s a damn good thing. Brad has also made the best of his life, he is married to his high school sweetheart both have great jobs and they have two kids of their own. Life is a little different than figuring out what time the hockey game is or when the next dance is and who you were going with. But it’s just as fun the way life is now! Thanks for being a good friend Brad, good times. Good times. 

 

 

Steve Romesburg 30/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Steve “Romz” Romesburg

Steve is teacher and coach in the Central Bucks School District. Steve has been teaching now for 22 years and coaching for over 30 years. He earned his Master’s degree from Rider University.

As a teacher and coach, Steve likes working with all the different personalities on a daily basis. His relationships with students and athletes are important to him. He hopes to give them something that is relevant in their life so they can become successful in their future endeavors.

Personally, Steve is passionate about his family and he enjoys spending every minute with them. Life is too short, so spending time with family always comes first for him. He also enjoys staying physically active by getting outdoors, golfing, running, hiking and biking. He’s also a sports fan of wrestling, football and baseball.

Steve has plenty of athletic accomplishments in his lifetime. His senior year at Central Bucks West High School, he won the prestigious Maxwell Award for his exemplary play on the football field. He was a two time PIAA State Wrestling Qualifier while at West. And for his athletic contributions in football and wrestling, he was inducted in the Hall of Fame at Central Bucks West. Steve chose Rider University to continue his education and wrestling careers where he became a two time NCAA Qualifier. 

 

Influence 30/52Steve Romesburg Coach Romz in the CB West Wrestling Room 

 

Influence: 

Coach Romz. The last of the great coaching staff that we had at Pennridge (Coach Rittenhouse, Coach Wills.) Coach Romesburg joined during my sophomore year. I only had one year under my belt and I really was liking the coaching staff. So when Romz joined I was a little protective. "Who is this guy," I used to think. But after just a few practices I knew he was a great guy.

As mentioned in my previous posts (see links above) we held some grueling and brutal practices. So on the first or second day, after our 3 mile 'warmup' run, we headed out to "Championship Hill." If you have ever been to Pennridge High School and  have sledded or run up that hill, you know the folk legend that it is. It's a very steep set of hills. Coach Romesburg brings us out back to the hills to run sprints. So I am thinking to myself, this guy doesn't know what he is doing. What's really going on here? Does he even know what this hill is?! He did. Oh he did. He ran the first one with us. I was shocked. I really couldn't believe it! I immediately had a ton of respect for him. Little did I know he was an extremely accomplished high school and college wrestler who was going to bring some great things to our program.

Coach Romz was the technique guy. He was very good from bottom position and had plenty to show our team. He was a great coach to have around and a great guy to be around. He can be hard-nosed and demanding but he also has a fun side to him that was welcomed during a wrestling season. We would call him "Romesburger," "Burger" and of course, "Romz."
The coaching staff we had was incredible. Strength and conditioning, technique, technique and grit, you name it, we had every avenue you could possibly ask for. I didn't know any better at the time, but when I look back now, I am amazed at that coaching staff. Great guys who came together for a few good years and I was extremely lucky to have had them as my coaches.

I was fortunate enough this year to have a first in my coaching career - to coach against an old coach. Talk about coming full circle for not only myself but for him as well. This past season our first match of the year was against CB West, where Coach Romesburg is now the new head coach. So it was a unique situation for me to be able to coach my kids against a coach of mine from high school. The kids and parents at West are extremely lucky to have a  guy like coach Romesburg not only on their staff but leading the team as the head coach. Coach Romz is a very caring and passionate  guy who will give you everything he has. He's also a good family guy and teacher. He's certainly someone I have looked up to ever since that first day we met back in my sophomore year in high school. Thanks for everything coach, glad you came to Pennridge - it was a decision that I am glad you made! Best of luck at West! 

Cali 29/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Cali Pompei - Calster. Calerina. Cali Girl. Calz. Cal. Crazy mutt from the south. Dog. Bitch. Part german shepherd, maybe some pit, maybe some plott hound.

I asked Cali to give me her write-up for this segment as I have for all of the people thus far. It’s a simple 5 questions and it serves as a biographical background on their life so I can then portray that to you, my readers. Here are the responses I got back from Cali:
 

1. How do you want me to address you and what's your exact title?
ksjfks;jf 94358uuf
2. What are you most passionate about professionally? What most excites you about your work?
ij-8u  y4y[o[of[ouj[ew[o
3.What are you passionate about personally? What do you really enjoy?
;hsafoiuueu;lkndndok
4.How long have you been doing what you do?
58kjsdjsdf          wwioiw   owoww
5.Any personal or career accolades?
e 9  8229  8378    42                   4
6.Anything else you’d like to tell people about yourself?
jdjd9 833o iu2o  jmc 123  @

Now, apparently she cannot type because she has damn big paws. So I asked her to just hand write it instead. I scanned it for you:

 

Influence 29/52Cali Cali girl, sitting stoically up at one of her favorite spots, the reservoir up by our house

 

Influence: 

This dog. Oh this dog. She is an absolute one-of-a-kind. And if you have ever met her, you know the awesomeness that she is.

I have had some amazing people that I have photographed and blogged about in these past 7 months, but a non human is a first. I know you all may be asking why I have a dog in my “52 most influential people?” Good question, but I didn’t want to title the project, ‘52 most influential creatures’ which would have just sounded weird. So, I kept it to people and am obviously included one very special ‘creature’ to this project.

Ashley and I bought our house just over five years ago now. It was a huge first step for us. We weren’t sure if we could afford it, the process of going about buying a house, etc. But once we had the house and were settled in, we both knew what the next step was: getting a dog. We both had dogs growing up and loved having them. So it was only natural to have one of our own. So we started looking soon after we moved into our house. We narrowed our search down to a few different breeds but after doing some research realized that some dogs may not be the best options. Choosing a dog is not about looks or what you think is cute. It really should be an informed decision based upon your lifestyle. A person working 12+ hour days and weekends more than likely shouldn’t be buying a purebred Alaskan Husky!

So we found a litter of puppies out in Royersford, PA. They were a rescued bunch from South Carolina, maybe like 7 of them all together, with a handful already being spoken for. I am pretty sure there were three left when we went over the ladies house to see them. The lady hosting the dogs was named Robbie, and she runs a Dalmatian Rescue. But her friend asked her to bring this litter and the mother up from S.C. so they could be rescued up here and not euthanized. It took all of maybe 10 minutes to realize the one we wanted. She wasn’t as rowdy as the boy was, but not as shy as the other girl was. She would come up to you, lick you and then lay near your leg. She wanted to play but wasn’t too pushy. We knew right away we found the perfect dog. We came back a few nights later and picked her up to make her our own. Ashley thought of the name ‘Cali’ and it was a great fit.

Bringing her home the first night was a little crazy. It was about a 45 minute drive back to our house. And for nearly two years, Cali would get really carsick. So of course, only 5 minutes from our house, she threw up. And for some unknown reason, we took my car, which at the time was my Subaru. Which had nice high-end aftermarket seats in it. She threw up and it went down in between the center console, down the side of the seats and collected in a great spot were it would take a magician to clean out. She was so scared, crying and whimpering. It was really sad. Those first few nights were a bit hectic. The crying and whimpering is really heartbreaking and can be very trying. But it gets better every day and every night.

I am a big Cesar Milan, Dog Whisperer, believer. So I read his books, watched the dvd’s and all of his shows religiously. I really feel as though it helped not only myself but Cali as well. Dogs really need structure in their life. As Cesar says, dogs naturally run in packs. And they have a dominant dog who leads the pack. As an owner, you need to assume that role. If not, the dog will become the leader of the house and that can lead to big trouble. Many of you know people whose dogs have assumed the leader role and have basically taken their owners hostage. We all love our dogs but you need to realize that they need a dominant figure, not someone who will say ‘yes’ to everything. It takes a lot of time and patience to train your dog the right way, but before you know it you have a very well behaved dog. The dog is happy and so are you!

Having Cali these past five years has been awesome. I cannot imagine my life without her. She has taught me so much and she means so much to me. She can really slow your life down in a good way. When it’s a long, stressful or a bad day she doesn’t know or care. She just wants a little attention, some petting and will love you just the same. That’s why dogs rule. They love you so damn much and don’t ask for much in return. She is extremely smart and she knows exactly what she’s doing. Dog’s are so smart and have an amazing sense of their surroundings. She’s hilarious and can be such a goofball. She sits on the steps with her legs spread and her vagina hanging out without a care in the world. She rolls over for you to pet her belly and puts her giant paw on your arm to push off. Breaths heavy when you push hard on her head when you pet her. She licks you. Constantly. Like, all the time. She loves getting her back, just above her tail, scratched. She’s basically a dog whore. She will kiss and lick you until your skin would wear off. Then go back for more. She doesn’t like the ocean but has warmed up to running in lakes and creeks. She will dig a random hole and hide a bone outside for months at a time then dig it up to find it again. She has become so protective of Cooper and will bark at almost everyone now just to keep him safe. She doesn’t like taking baths that much. She loves to lay in the sun. She will lay in the driveway for hours at a time in the spring and summer to soak up the rays. She occasionally goes over to the neighbors house to eat bird seed and meander in their yard when her electric fence collar battery dies. Again, she knows what shes doing. She loves to eat and will lick the plates clean in the dishwasher. She loves frisbees and after catching them for a few minutes will basically sit and chew the frisbee to pieces, destroying it. She loves to walk in between your legs so you can get to her butt easier to pet her. Her breath smells like leftover beach house seafood and she smells like Fritos in the morning after laying on her bed. She loves going for rides. But shows her diva side when she puts her front paws up in the door sill, looks back at you and expects you to lift up her back legs.

She’s a character and the best dog we could ask for. It’s amazing to think that she just turned 35 years old a few weeks ago. It seems like yesterday we were bringing her home and now she is older than we are! Cooper loves having her around. He abuses her and she just sits there and takes it. She will occasionally look up at us like “ok, what is this lunatic doing and when is he going to stop?!” But she is so good with him. I love taking her and Cooper for walks in the afternoon and it is a staple that all three of us enjoy during the spring, summer and fall. She fits us perfect.  She is a part of our family I cannot imagine my life without her. 

Cali, thank you for teaching me responsibility, showing me how to love and making me a better man. I Love you Cali girl.

Dad 28/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Ronald Michael Pompei - Dad, mason, custom home builder and home improvement contractor.

Mike has been a mason for 41 years and a self employed builder/mason contractor for 34 years. Mike enjoys making peoples’ homes more inviting. He enjoys upgrading their houses and seeing the excitement on their faces when the job is completed.

Mike’s passions are his family, wife, children and now grandchildren. He really enjoys being a P.I.A.A. football official, hunting, fishing and playing with his grandchildren and watching them grow. He also loves spending time with his son, daughter and their spouses.

Mike is very proud to have built the Pennridge Greenjackets practice field and playing field in East Rockhill Township. He donated his time to help in the development of East Rockhill Township Park. He is the ex President of East Rockhill Lions and the ex President of the Pennridge Greenjackets. But he is most proud of his wife, children and grandchildren. 

 

Influence 28/52Dad My Dad standing inside new Hershey Giant Center (where the PIAA State Wrestling Championships are held) where we have spent many days and hours watching wrestling

 

Influence: 

After last week’s big influence, it may be hard to top. But I keep the pace by having my Dad up this week! As with all father’s, the influence is immense. And if anyone who knows my Dad, you certainly know he is a good guy and quite the character.

My Dad has been working hard with his hands for over 40 years. That’s a long goddamn time to be busting your butt. And if you have ever worked construction, an 8 hour day is long enough. Multiply that by 41 long years and that is certainly exhausting work. But he loves doing what he does. He is obviously very good at what he does and is quick to jump on nearly any kind of work imaginable. That can sometimes be a problem when he is constantly wanting to upgrade your house every few months!

His own masonry business really hit full stride in the late 80’s and 90’s when the construction field was beginning to boom and come to it’s peak. So luckily for him, he and his company (his foreman during those years, Ed) really enjoyed a solid two decades of great business. After being successful in the masonry field, he ventured into building custom homes. One of his earliest projects was our house up on West Rock Road in Perkasie, off of Rt. 313. He bought the land off of his grandfather who lived just off the back of the property. It was an awesome 10 acre piece of land that he built the house on, put in a pool, a pond and a huge pole barn for his business. We moved there when I was around three years old and they just sold the house about five years ago now. I grew up in a great house - the basement was finished a few years after moving in which made the best sleepover spot where we would have Nerf wars, video game binges and the occasional party! The pool was a frequent for all of my family which made the summers even more enjoyable when everyone would come over. Growing up catching frogs and fish out at the pond was also very cool. It’s something that as a kid you don’t know any different. But looking back now it was such a great place and I was very fortunate.

To run your own business you have to be extremely dedicated. And my Dad is very dedicated to working. He likes to work, like a lot. And when you are more or less forced to work for his business when you are growing up, it can be a little frustrating. My summers didn’t consist of sleeping in, playing video games all night, hanging out with friends at their house or any type of typical lazy early teenage kid activities. Instead I was getting up at 5am to go bust my ass all day. It was super hard work and very tiring. But it certainly showed me how to work hard, plenty of hands on skills that I still use today and a better perspective on life and what is really important. Seeing my Dad work so much and having to work any time I had off pushed me away from the construction field. I didn’t want to do that the rest of my life. I know he certainly would have wanted me to take over his business. I started working when I was just 14 years old and put in many years of time so I knew my way around. It would have been a good opportunity for me and for him. But it wasn’t my cup of tea. I wanted something different in my life and had dreams of my own.

My Dad was heavily involved in both of my sports of football and wrestling when I was growing up. He was a coach and even President for a while of the Pennridge Greenjackets youth Pop Warner football teams. Then when I stopped playing football in high school and focused on wrestling, he helped out whenever he could with that as well. He helped on the booster club and in setting up tournaments and things like that. My senior year we hosted Sectionals - it’s a very big undertaking to run a post-season tournament. He donated a lot of his time and effort to run that tournament. A few months later we had our banquet and as a senior I spoke to the team, family members and coaching staff. I went through a long list of people and coaches who made our year so successful. I praised them for their time and efforts in all of the various things they did for not only myself but for the team. I had the entire speech written down and it went off pretty well. But when I was nearing the end I looked up and saw my Dad sitting there at the tables and realized I hadn’t mentioned a word about him. I was devastated. I completely looked him over and had no clue until I was basically done with the speech. I was almost walking away from the podium when it hit me. I started back to the podium and started saying how I overlooked someone who was a huge help and someone very close to me. That’s about as far as I made it. I could barely get out a few words when I started crying. And I mean crying. I couldn’t talk, every time I tried it started again. I tried to talk a handful of times and I just couldn’t get it out. I started looking at my fellow teammates next to me and was trying to make jokes with them so they could make me laugh so I could refocus. It didn’t work, I just couldn’t do it! In between bawling like a little girl, I finally said “My Dad”, people started clapping and he got up and gave me a big hug. It was so emotional for me because I knew how much he did for me and the team. And I always try to give thanks and praise to people who work hard and have helped in any way. So the fact that I forgot him really got to me. But I think the dramatic soap opera cry scene I had in front of everyone made up for that!

Now that his business has slowed down and he just does smaller side jobs, my Dad has more time to relax a bit, referee some football and enjoy his time. We both enjoy watching and following wrestling. When I was in 6th grade he brought me out to Hershey for our first ever trip out to States. It was awesome. We stayed the entire time and loved it. We went up religiously every year and it was something we looked forward to. Once I started coaching it became harder because there were times I was actually on the floor coaching! So things certainly came full circle for me from being in the stands to having a wrestler on the mat and coaching him in the corner. But just last week we spent a day out there and now we will have even more time to go out and enjoy ourselves. It’s a lot of fun and it’s good to get away and watch some great wrestling.

He loves spending time with my son, his first grandkid. And now that my sister has a little girl, he and my Mom have their hands full. He’s been great with Cooper and I know Cooper loves being around him. Ashley and I are very fortunate to have great parents who also love spending time with Cooper. Lucky for Cooper though, he won’t have to throw around cinderblocks in the summer. Instead, he and Poppop can go out fishing and enjoying the finer things in life!

John Rittenhouse 27/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

John Rittenhouse - Licensed Realtor and retired wrestling coach.

John is passionate about selling properties. He enjoys helping people sell or purchase their largest asset. The art of the negotiation and the challenges that people face when buying/selling/flipping properties is always exciting to him. He has been licensed since 1994.
John has also won several awards, some of which include the ‘Top of the Rock Award - Prudential Real Estate Network.’ and the ‘Triple Gold Award - Keller Williams Real Estate.’

Personally, John is extremely passionate about his family. He loves his wife to the bone along with his son Maddox, 7, and his daughter Saige, 6.

As a coach, John enjoyed getting the absolute best out of every kid. He hoped to make an impact on their life that they were better people when they left as seniors than they were when they came to him as freshmen. He tried to inspire and motivate his athletes.

His personal accolades are quite lengthy in the wrestling department. As a wrestler himself, John became the first ever State Champion in any sport at Quakertown HS. He was also the only wrestler to ever record an undefeated season, 35-0. He also still holds the highest winning percentage in Quakertown Wrestling history with a 94.6% record (88-5.)

As a coach, John was an assistant for five years at Quakertown HS (his alma mater.) He then moved on as the head coach for the Pennridge Rams for 11 years. He coached the first ever State Wrestling Champion in Pennridge wrestling history (Dan Goetter.) He also coached the first ever State Medalist in Pennridge Wrestling history (Eric Woehr - 2nd place.) He was the coach for eight total State Medalists, four of them as State Finalists in his 11 years as Coach. In his best season as a Coach, his team finished 25-2, sending six kids to the State tournament, and as a team finishing eighth place. 

 

Influence 27/52John Rittenhouse Coach Rittenhouse standing in front of the new Hershey Giant Center (where the PIAA State Wrestling Championships are held)

 

Influence: 

Coach House - one of the most influential people in my life, bar none, hands down. The guy that taught me guts, hard work, dedication and no nonsense. If there is one person who I could pick out of the 52 people that you will see over the course of this project who has changed my life for the better, this is it. This man fundamentally changed my life in more ways than I could ever describe in a few words being put down in this blog. But I am going to do my best!

As a 14-18 year old in high school you never really understand what you have in front of you. And by the time you do, it’s too late. And this was clearly my problem as a high school wrestler. I worked my ass off but in between my ears, I just wasn’t ready to be ultra competitive. I was an average wrestler who worked hard and put in the time. I just never ‘turned the corner’ as they say. But what I gained from those four years as a wrestler with Coach Rittenhouse at the helm was life changing. It wasn’t until I was done wrestling that I realized what I had within me. See at the time when I was working hard it was just for wrestling. I never realized that the hard work and time I was putting in was benefitting my life in the long run. So once wrestling was over and I met challenges in my life, they seemed insignificant to the grinding workouts we had at practice. Every problem, hard job, bad situation, etc. was able to be overcome. I had it within me. I knew how to push myself and how to put things into perspective. Those things do not come easy for people, except many of those who wrestled.

Wrestling gets a fairly bad wrap in society. We wear a tight singlet and physically grab other men, all while sweating. Sure, it doesn’t look normal! But there are very few things in your life that prepare you for nearly anything life has to offer other than wrestling. Coach Rittenhouse ran a practice room that was without a doubt one of, if not the hardest practices of any high school program. And I can say that with confidence and would challenge anyone to show me otherwise. A 3 mile run as a warmup before every practice, followed by sprints up a half-mile road, a gruelling 2+ hour wrestling practice and then a solid 30 minutes of conditioning at the end. It was day in and day out hard as hell and physically draining. It tests every part of your fabric. You get super frustrated and angry at nearly everything. Add to that the fact that my first two years I was cutting a lot of weight. Which meant my frustration level was peaking and my energy level was as low as you could possibly get. It was gruelling. But you learn how to push your body and better yet, you learn how to train your mind.

“Your mind will quit before your body!” Coach Rittenhouse used to yell when he was pushing us in conditioning. And it is a quote that I live by in my life to this day. In fact, on my Road ID band (identification band in case of emergencies) I wear when riding my bike and during my triathlons has this very quote on it. Read that quote again, “Your mind will quit before you body.” Have you ever heard anything more profound than that? Seriously, keep saying it over and over. When you are physically pushing your body to the limit it’s usually your mind that will give in. Your mind is what lets you down. The human body is one of the most amazing wonders in all of existence. Think about how it all works, how it was put together and how it functions. Human beings can do unfathomable things with their bodies. And they can do those things because they have trained their minds to believe they can. And that statement that Coach Rittenhouse would yell at us every day is spot on. And it is the basic principle behind my life and the way I treat the remaining years of my life. My success in triathlons, races and anything athletic/competitive that I enter all comes from this principle. I know what I am capable of doing and I have trained my brain to understand that as well. And once you get your mind behind what you want to do physically, you begin to do amazing things. Everyone has this ability, whether you are extremely overweight, someone who doesn’t work out, or even as an elite athlete, we all have the ability to train our minds to believe that we can. Some things may seem insignificant, like walking a quarter of a mile or running 50+ miles. It can be done, you just need to tell your mind it can be done.

A great story about Coach was, I believe, the summer going into my senior year. He used to run a wrestling club, Scorpion, at our school. We would have a few of the local area schools come to train. Well one night, this guy comes in. Apparently Coach Rittenhouse knew him or something. This guy was a behemoth - easily 6”4” and every bit of 250+ lbs of pure muscle. I mean dude looked like he was out of ‘Muscle’ magazine. So somehow he challenged Coach Rittenhouse to wrestle. I’m not sure how it came up but either way, Rittenhouse obliged as if it were no big deal. Now my cousin and I start to see and hear what is going on. We both stopped practicing and were watching in awe of what was about to happen. Now to set the other half of the stage, Coach Rittenhouse is not a big guy. At the time, he was going around 170-180lbs I would say, and maybe around 5’10” tall. In other words, David versus freaking Goliath… So they start wrestling and I am thinking my god, Coach is going to get picked up and slammed on his head. I was wrong. Rittenhouse reaches back on this guys head and throws a headlock like I have never seen before. This headlock is coming from left field, I mean the power he had behind this thing would have killed someone smaller than this giant. He catches this guys head in the perfect position as he hits the headlock and just launches this dude head over heals. The guy slams the mat and the headlock was so tight the guy tapped out. I mean, what, like, wait, huh?! After I realized that I was not dreaming, I started screaming like a little girl. I was so hyped up and going bonkers of what he just did. The guy slowly peels himself out of the mat, looks around, shakes his head out and starts to stand up. I don’t know what happened to that guy afterwards because I was still going so nuts I never saw him leave. It was unreal. David took down Goliath with 180lbs of out-of-shapeness and sheer will, grit and a headlock that would have killed most other people!

The last cool story about Coach (there are plenty more by the way) was the one time when I was just a freshman when he gave a great speech while demo-ing a move. He showed the move and then stood up and started to talk. He was talking about how whatever you do, you have to do it hard and you have to know that you can hit the move on anybody. At the time he was working down in the city. So he says, “I don’t care who comes up to me on the streets or in a back alley. Shit, they can have a gun. I am not afraid of anybody. I will take down anybody, I don’t care” Now some may look at that quote and think he’s an idiot, or he’s got a big head on his shoulders. But that’s not the point. The point is he believed that he could take anybody down at any time. And that is an attitude he tried to instill in us. It doesn’t matter who you are wrestling, you can take them down whenever you want. It’s all about the confidence and mental edge you have over your opponent.

So many stories and awesome moments that I had during my high school wrestling career. It was hard work and it was a grind. But Coach Rittenhouse helped transform my life into what it is now. I owe all of my hard work and mental edge in my athletic/competitive lifestyle I live now to him. Every time I enter a race, regardless of what it is, I expect to win. I expect to be up in the front. And I expect it because I was taught to expect it. I wish I would have had the mental edge I do now, back in high school. I would have been a much better wrestler. maybe I would have taken that next step. But I never did and that is certainly a regret that I live with. But I have taken that lesson and applied it into everything I do now to push myself harder than before. Life is so short. I choose to physically push my body because I embrace it and I have been given a physical gift of health and am capable of doing whatever I put my mind to. Whatever you do in life, work hard at it and give it your all. Coach, I cannot say thank you enough. I’m glad we have remained close over the years and I hold our relationship very close. What you have done for me can never be repaid. Just know that I can hear your voice any time things get tough - it’s a priceless gift. Thanks House! 

 

Hadley Marie Link 26/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Hadley Marie Link - Newborn. Kid. Cutie. Baby. Niece.

Born on Thursday, February 20, 2014 at 6:12pm to Thomas and Nicole Link. Hadley weighed in at a lean 6lbs 9oz and measured 19 ½” with dark brown hair and blue eyes

Professionally, Hadley has the world in front of her. She may consider working at a boarding school for all girls, working in an all girl workplace and could even coach at an all girls school. I think you can see the theme here.

Personally, Hadley may become a cheerleader like her mother or even swing the sticks like her father and become the next golf phenom! What Hadley will not do is date boys. That is off limits. As is doing drugs and hanging out with the wrong crew. I won’t tolerate it and I know her parents won’t either. But she can play softball, decide to be a chef, design the next space shuttle or guide it into space. The possibilities are endless, all it takes for her is a little drive, determination and hard work. 

 

Influence 26/52Hadley Marie Link Hadley smiling, because she just realized I am her Uncle! 

 

Influence: 

Hadley Marie just made me an Uncle! Not only that, but she gave my son Cooper his first cousin on my side of the family. I am beyond thrilled for my sister and her husband. Being an Uncle is so damn exciting! I don’t know if I was ready for this level of excitement but it’s a great feeling.

My sister, Nicole, has had her share of struggles since she graduated high school. Her physical disabilities have kept her from doing a lot of things that many of us take for granted. But she has carved out a great life for herself, and Thomas has been a great asset as well. But it was always a big question whether or not she would be able to become pregnant, and if so, carry a baby during pregnancy. Well if you know anything about my sister, you don’t tell her what to do. So her getting pregnant was an awesome first step. She and the baby stayed wonderfully healthy throughout the pregnancy. And just a few days ago, Coley in her typical form, spent only a few minutes pushing to deliver. And out came my beautiful little Niece.

Her cry is unmistakably female - high pitched and cute. She’s got a nice head of dark hair and super long fingers and toes. She is nursing well and pooping good, too. See, when you become a parent, these two things are what you learn to live by. That and their nap schedule. Getting on a good nap schedule is paramount. And as a parent, you learn to live around said nap schedule. I learn to live my life one nap at a time. My day is built into three parts: 1) before nap 2) during nap 3) after nap. I will let you guess which part is the most productive but shortest lived!

Nicole and Thomas, as new parents, have their hands full. Learning the nuances of how Hadley is going to behave, when to sleep, what foods she likes, what pajamas are the easiest to put on, if she likes the swing or the rocker better, etc. etc. etc. It’s all a big learning process. The gray hairs mount and your emotions become thinner than that gray hair. But there ain’t much better than when that baby looks at you and smiles. So best of luck Coley and Thomas!
Since I don’t have a girl (at least yet) I figured I would give Thomas some advice and/or help in case he needs it: Don’t let her date boys. Boys suck. Maturity for men usually doesn’t occur until late in their 20’s. So IF, and that’s a big if, she dates, she can do it once she (and her date) is near 30 years old. I will leave all of you fathers of daughters this little video. Now, it’s not safe for work and you will no doubt spit up your coffee, wine or beer. So be careful who is around you. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMnP_zQmMLw

Thomas, you and I can actually live this scene in 25-30 year from now. And if you don’t want to get in trouble, no problem. I have a best friend, Tim Baum, who will certainly help me enact this scene to the first “Reggie” that decides to come take out my Niece on a first date. To all of you “Reggies” out there, think twice dudes.

Love you Hadley!
 

 

 

Kevin Wills 25/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Kevin Wills - American History Teacher at Pennridge High School

Kevin is passionate about teaching. He wants his students to become interested in American History. He enjoys teaching life-long skills within the classroom environment. He gets excitement from his job when his students get into History and become more involved in his classroom. After 19 years of teaching at Pennridge, Kevin is honored to be a part of the Pennridge Community.

Kevin is married to his beautiful wife Aubrey whom they have two sons with; Jayden (six) and Deklan (three.) Personally, Kevin is passionate about his family. He is fortunate to spend time together with them and enjoy many of the same sports and activities together. 

 

Influence 25/52Kevin Wills Coach Wills standing in the new weight lifting gym at Pennridge HS

 

Influence: 

Coach Wills was one of the assistant coaches during my four years wrestling for Pennridge. He was a hard nosed guy with a fun attitude who could really get the most out of us. It was his lifting and workout efforts that helped transform not only me but many of us on the team into stronger wrestlers.

Coach Wills was our strength and conditioning coach. In the offseason, we would gather up a bunch of the team members and lift at the high school or go to the local gym. That local gym is now owned by another 52 week influence, CP! As a team we would drive over to the gym to workout so we could get a better workout. Our old gym at the time was literally a closet that was transformed into a ‘gym.’ It was bare bones and small. I can remember doing power cleans in the hallway! But, we made do. And Coach Wills was right there with us the entire time.

Coach Wills would usually lift with us as well. He would throw on his belt and go to town with us. At the time, I never really thought anything of it. He was a big built guy who clearly knew his stuff. So I just figured that most coaches did the same. That’s not true. And as I grew older and became a coach myself, I quickly realized that leading by example is not always the case. But Coach Wills was right there, pushing and screaming at us to work harder. He was vocal and got our guys to buy into the same. We would push each other by trying to lift more than the next guy. We would scream at each other to motivate ourselves. We also held competitions every few months to see who could lift the most combined weight. The ‘700’ club as a high school kid is a nice accomplishment. And we all tried to reach it, some of the bigger guys even going past it. (700 is a combined weight number from lifting bench press, deadlift and squat. Example, 200lb bench, 250lb squat, 250lb deadlift = 700lbs) Many of us went past that to the 800lb and 900lb clubs. It was a blast and it really helped us come together as a team.

Coach Wills was a fantastic coach because he was a leader. He led by example. If he would not have lifted with us, I do not think my drive and passion for lifting would be anywhere near what it is now. I wanted to work harder because he was right there with us. You couldn’t slack, you couldn’t drop down in weight. You had to go hard and do it right. And when I started coaching I brought that same mentality to my athletes. I try and work out with my kids at all times. I feel as though the kids push themselves harder, just as I used to. There have been a few occasions when I don’t run or lift with the kids. And they don’t like it. “Why aren’t you running with us today coach?” I think they feel slightly cheated and it really throws off their whole routine. But it doesn’t happen often because I don’t want them to have those feelings. I have had many of my athletes say to me, “You know Coach, all Coaches should workout with their wrestlers like you do.” That to me was an awesome validation of the hard work and time I put in with the kids. And, it’s also a validation of the hard work and time that Coach Wills put in with us, all those years ago.

I owe a great deal to Coach Wills for my drive to push myself harder and harder every time I workout and compete. His influence and passion in my life has helped further me in many many ways. All athletes should have a coach like him sometime in their life - we would all be better for it! Thanks Willzy! 

 

 

Herman Chen 24/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Herman Chen - Current Student, former Network/Change Manager for telecommunication companies.

Herman is a savvy business professional. In 1995 he became an entrepreneur, owning a Manhattan Bagel. He also worked in the telecommunications field for many years. He was first with AT&T as the Network Operations Manager, along with being the Change Management Manager. The Network Operations Manager performed surveillance on AT&T’s switches and their entire network. The Change Management Team was responsible for performing all of the software upgrades for the switches across AT&T’s network. From there, Herman moved to Cavalier Telephone and Netcarrier as the Field Technician Manager.

Personally, Herman is a wrestler at heart. He loves coaching wrestling, mentoring student athletes and coaches alike. He trains wrestlers year round whether it’s in the gym or in the wrestling room.

His most recent endeavor is with PAW’s Elite (Princeton Amateur Wrestling Society) which he is currently on staff there. The staff has an incredible assortment of high profile wrestler’s including Chris Ayres (All American from Lehigh - current Head Coach at Princeton University), Sean Gray (2x All American at Virginia Tech - current Assistant coach at Princeton University), Joe Dubuque (2x National Champion at Indiana University - current Assistant Coach at Princeton University) and Joe Jamison (current Assistant Coach at Princeton University.)

Being a part of and watching kids grow into fine young men is something he enjoys along with knowing that he had a helping hand in getting them to where they want to be. The sport of wrestling has helped him develop many great relationships with wrestlers, coaches, parents and fans. The sport has truly been good to him and he enjoys trying to return the favor.

He started coaching wrestling in 1995 (same year he opened the Manhattan Bagel.) Even though he is not coaching full time or affiliated with CB East anymore, he still works with many of the wrestlers outside of their normal practice schedule.

Currently, Herman is taking time off from coaching so he can go back to school to earn his degree. He has a nine year old son, Brandon, who is the pride and joy of his life. Brandon is extremely intelligent and extremely caring and thoughtful. It has been important to Herman to see Brandon succeed in life. Herman never got his degree from college and didn’t want Brandon to follow in his footsteps. So he decided it was best to take time off so he can focus on getting his degree. He is currently enrolled full time at Penn State Abington and plans to take class year round for two years. He started last summer session (session II 2013) and his targeted graduation date is summer of 2015. At that point he will have completed 120 credits, earning his BS in Business (Individualized business plan at PSU.) Basically, he is taking 21-24 credits a semester and 18 over the summer sessions so he can complete a four year degree in only two years. Brandon likes following in his Dad’s footsteps, so he is now planning on going to college when he is done High School!

The following is a direct quote from Herman:

“I met Nick, fresh out of college, teaching in his first year at Holicong Jr High.  I will never forget the first day we met.  He came into the wrestling room as my assistant and walked out of the first practice as the Head Coach.  I promised him that I would not leave him and that I would mentor him through his first season as a coach and head coach.  There was great chemistry there and we made a fantastic staff.  Holicongs wrestling team went from 12 kids to averaging over 50 during our tenure.  Many top notch wrestlers came through our room during that time (Nick Casbar, Jon Brodzik, Devon Passman, Joe Burke, Jarrett Sanders, Nick Dau, Zak Mysza, Steve Tilsner...).  I was sad to Nick leave to take a job at Hatboro Horsham but I was happy for him for pursuing his career further.  We've remained friends and competitors throughout the years. 

You won't meet a better friend, coach, or companion than Nick!!!!  Someone who cared about the kids, his family and what he does.  He and I shared a lot of the theories in life and wrestling.  It wasn't a job but something you did because you found the enjoyment in watching the kids grow into fine young men.”

 

Influence 24/52Herman Chen Herman giving his typical smile

 

Influence: 

Herman Chen is an awesome guy. Somebody who will take the coat off his back and give it to you whenever you need it. Which is saying a lot because the guy doesn’t wear pants - he’s a shorts guy. And not just in the summer, I am talking year round!

I met Herman in the fall of 2006 during my first year of teaching and while at Central Bucks School District, Holicong Middle School. Since I minored in Athletic Coaching while at Millersville, I was intent on coaching. It was one of the things I was most looking forward to once I got settled into teaching and had my own classroom. So just a few weeks in at Holicong, I inquired about who the coach was and if we even had one. I was told that Herman Chen was the head coach and I could contact him to see about coaching with him. So I was given his cell phone number and called him one day after school. I will never forget it, I was in my office at school and I gave him a ring. We talked for a few minutes and I asked if he wanted to meet up. He asked me if I was at Holicong. I said yes. He said “Ok, walk out back to the football field, I am watching the game. I will be the only Asian guy out there, you’ll find me,” then hung up. I am there holding the phone like, what the heck just happened?! Haha. So out I walked and yes, he was the only Asian guy out there! So we met and talked for a while. I am not sure if it was that day or a few days later but he basically told me I was going to be the head coach. Now my plan was to just be an assistant for the first year or two so I could settle into teaching and get my life going. But no, Herman threw me right into the fire! But it was not that bad because he was right there with me the entire way. And it helped give me a lot of confidence as I quickly handled the responsibilities of being the head coach.

Herman and I connected right away. It’s hard not to with him. He is really down to earth and super generous. He had been coaching at Holicong/East for many years so he had a great rapport with the students/athletes. The kids loved him and I really felt like we had a great thing going that year. It was a lot of work for me that though.. I was working my butt off as a new teacher and trying to juggle the busy coaching lifestyle as well. But I was young and had plenty of drive. I had a blast with Herman. We had a really good team that year. Many of those kids went on to be very successful at CB East during their high school careers.

I also met many great parents. One of the nice things about working in a very wealthy district like Central Bucks is the support of the parents. Herman and I established a parent organization so to speak. It was a way for the parents to donate money to the wrestling team so we could get new workout clothes, uniforms, etc. So I also had a great support system of parents as well. And many years later I still see some of them at various wrestling events and out in the community.

My decision to leave Central Bucks was not an easy one. And a big reason was having to leave Herman and the wrestlers. Once I made my decision to go to Hatboro-Horsham it was very hard to break it to Herman. He had done so much for me and I really felt like I was abandoning him. But he understood - I wasn’t leaving because I didn’t like my coaching situation. It was strictly a professional decision, albeit a hard one. Herman and I have stayed in contact ever since I left. I see him every season and we try to catch up whenever possible.

I don’t know if I could have had a better mentor to work under during my first year coaching. Herman is a great guy and has become a great friend as well. Once he finishes up college I hope he makes his way back onto a staff coaching. Not only for his sake, but for the sake of everyone around him. His quotes above give you a great insight into the kind of guy he is. Thanks a million Herman for everything you did for me. It didn’t go unnoticed and certainly never will!
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ted Case 23/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Ted Case - Buyer/Assistant Manager at Advantage Auto Sales and Credit in Telford, PA

Ted enjoys his job working at Advantage Auto. He has been there now for 11 years and loves being there and a big part of that is his boss and how much he enjoys working for him. He likes the fact that he is not always in the office. He can get out to see people and it’s nice to do the same thing day in and day out. He also enjoys the people he works with. He is fortunate to have his son join him at Advantage this past year as well.

Personally, Ted loves to cut firewood. It is a favorite pasttime of him. He also enjoys being around family and friends. He likes to be with his son Jack, 21, hanging out doing whatever they can together. Ted enjoys the company of his neighbors company as well. A typical day for Ted is going to work and coming home to hang out, watch tv and spend time with his son.

Ted was married to his with Barbara for 25 years, knowing her since he was 23 years old.

Ted coached the Pennridge Greenjacket flag football team for just one year in 1988. He also umpired a slow pitch softball league for a few years.

Ted has a great history of personal accolades and accomplishments.

In 1974 he was ordained a Royal Elder at his Presbyterian Church (being ordained is for life.)

In 1980, his wife Barbara entered him into the Good Housekeeping ‘Man of the Year’ contest. Not only did Ted get votes from many people, he won the ‘Man of the Year - Working Class’ award! For his honor, he and his wife went on an all expenses paid trip to NYC. Dan Deirdorff (hall of fame NFL player and CBS announcer) was the MC of the event. While he didn’t win the ‘Overall - Man of the Year’ award, he did win the ‘Man of the Year - Working Class’ award.

In 1981, he was awarded the ‘Chief’s Award’ from his fire company.

In High School and College, Ted was a letter winner in both bowling and soccer, which he then continued at Bucks County Community College.

And recently, Ted is now the President of the ruling body of his Church (United Church of Christ.)

 

Influence 23/52TedCase Coach Case, kneeling down like he always did in the huddle

 

Influence: 

Coach Ted Case is a unique addition to my Influential People project. Coach Case, next to my immediate family members, is the influence who I have known the longest. I met Coach case when I was just five years old. Ted was my very first coach, in my very first sport as a little squirt at just five years old.

I still have a vivid memory of my very first football practice. It was at Drunkenmiller Park in Sellersville, PA. That is where, at the time, the Pennridge Greenjackets Pop Warner football team would have their practice. I can literally see the pavement after hopping out of my parents station wagon, the green grass and my teammates like I was still there. It is etched into my brain. That day in August of 1988 started something in me that is one of my greatest attributes. It started my love for competition. And that was all from Coach Case.

One of the very first things we did as a team was to run. No not run, sprint. Coach Case lined us up behind a cone and told us to all run as fast as we could to the other cone about 20 yards or so away. He wanted to see who was the fastest on the team so we can figure out who should play where. I cannot remember any other moment in my short life, at the time, where I had this immediate sense of competition. When we lined up, I wanted nothing more than to beat every kid around me. I was focused and determined to win. When I think back to that day it’s like a light switch went off. Coach blew the whistle and I was off. I left everyone in my dust. And from that moment on, I was instilled with a sense of pride when it comes to winning and a sense of competition that still is with me today.

Another great memory from coach was the huddle. Again, the image is still vivid in my head. In flag football, coaches can be on the field. So when we as a team would huddle up, Coach would be at the center of the huddle. And I can vividly remember him kneeling down on the field, thinking about the next play he was going to call. Now, as a flag football coach of five year olds, there are only so many plays you can call. We had a good quarterback and I was the tailback or running back. Coach called me his “little scat-back.” Basically, this meant one thing - give me the ball and I was gone. I was fast. Real fast. Coach would kneel down in the huddle, pull up some grass and say “Ok Nicky, handoff to the left.” And as any five year old would say, I asked “which way is left?” Hahaha. Coach pointed and that’s all he needed to do. The QB handed me the ball and I put my short italian legs to the ground and there weren’t many who could catch me.

Sadly, after that first season, Coach Case stopped coaching and I never saw him again. It was literally 25 years until I saw him again. And that was just this past December when I tracked him down and was able to get in contact with him. I cannot believe he remembered me but he did. And not only did Coach remember me but he invited me over his house. When I saw him a few weeks ago it was like nothing had changed. I don’t remember everything about coach, hell, I was five! But I do remember how great of a guy he was. And that did not waver over the 25 years. He was as kind and generous as I remember. When I went over his house, he and I spent about an hour shooting the shit and catching up. Can you imagine trying to tell someone your life story from the past 25 years? It was really cool and something I will not forget.

However, that day also took on a different meaning for me as well. When I met up with Coach, that was the Sunday of the crazy snow storm during the Eagles vs. Lions game down at the Link. When I got to his house the game had just started and we were in awe of how crazy it was to see that much snow on the ground. I also got a chance to meet his lovely wife Barb. Barb and Ted had been married right around when he was my coach. They had known each other for years before that but were married around that time. Barb was just as nice as Ted was. Super generous and treated me like I was part of the family. Before I left, Barb gave me her email address so I could email Coach the questions I need answered for the blog (basically it is the bio for the writeup at the top.) So she wrote me up her email and phone numbers so I had them to stay in contact. I emailed her that night, saying thank you very much for the hospitality and how great it was to meet her and to see Coach again. I was going to post Ted’s picture the following week, so he had time to complete the questions for me. I emailed again but never heard back. So I waited a few more days but never heard a response back. So I waited until Thursday (post was going up Sunday) and called Coach on his cell phone. Ted, in an extremely calm voice, told me that his wife Barbara had passed away on Monday. I was devastated and shocked. I felt so incredibly bad for Coach. I had only just met Barb the week before and it was really for only a few short minutes. But I really felt like I had known her and Ted for so much longer. It really shook me up and I was just so heartbroken for Coach. He and Barb seemed like a great couple. They live modestly and I really got the sense that they loved each other deeply.

I went to the viewing a few days later and got to meet Coach’s son Jack, see Coach and give my respects. When I walked up to talk to coach, I gave him a big hug and broke down. I cried. I could barely get out what I wanted to say to him. I told him that I was so sorry, how badly I felt and asked how he was doing. It was rough. But what did Coach do? He reached onto Barb’s casket, grabbed a tissue and gave it to me. He wasn’t concerned about himself, he was concerned about me. And that just about sums up how great of a guy he is. His wife is laying there, his son behind him and his life has been turned upside down. But he immediately thinks of someone else to help them out.

It was a tremendously sad thing that happened to Ted but we were able to catch up this week. He is doing well, all things considered. He says the support of his church, family and friends have really helped him. I wonder if I had called coach a week or two later if I would have even met Barb? It’s one of those things in life that just shows you just how short it can be. I am thankful to have met Barb. And I am even more thankful to have gotten the chance to catch up with Ted and to have him in my life. I don’t remember everything as a five year old, but what I do remember is something that will stay with me forever. The way that coach lined us up and made us compete with each other forever changed me. It started a drive in me that some people don’t have. I love to compete and strive to push myself just so I can be better than that person next to me. I don’t like losing and I work hard at everything I do so I don’t. Call it weird and it may be. But I call it an attitude. And as a new father, I can only hope that my son has a Coach Case in his life. He’s just three years away from that moment. I will do my best to pass on my sense of competition, but if that doesn’t work, I hope he gets to his first practice and puts his foot on the line. And I hope he feels the same way I did.

Thank you Coach Case - you were in my life for a few short months but have forever impacted my life!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kirk Holt 22/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Kirk Holt, Health and Physical Education Teacher at Hatboro-Horsham Senior High.

Kirk was a wrestling coach for 12 years, 11 of which were at the High School and one being at the Middle School. Kirk was also an accomplished wrestler for his alumni, William Tennent High School. At Tennet, Kirk amassed the school record for wins, with over 100. In his Senior year, Kirk reached the pinnacle of Pennsylvania wrestling by medaling at the PIAA AAA State Tournament. For his accomplishments in wrestling, Kirk was inducted into the 2003 William Tennent Athletic Hall of Fame. Kirk then pursued his career and wrestling talents at Ursinus College where he also garnered over 100 wins while competing at the collegiate level.

Kirk graduated Ursinus with a degree in Exercise Sports Science. After graduating Ursinus, Kirk began working for Hatboro-Horsham School District in the Health and Physical Education department while also starting his coaching career. Kirk coached his first year at Keith Valley Middle School then moved up to coach with Glenn Kaiser. Glenn and Kirk enjoyed many great seasons together. In Kirk’s 11 years as coach, he coached multiple Sectional, District and Regional Individual Champions, along with Sectional and District Team champions including a third place Regional Team place winner. At the State level, Kirk helped lead multiple student wrestling athletes to prestigious PIAA State medals. Kirk has been teaching at Hatboro-Horsham for 14 years. This is Kirk’s first year away from wrestling, as he had to step down to be a more dedicated father to his wife, his son and his two daughters.

Kirk is professionally passionate when he sees his students reach their full potential. He is excited to have the opportunity to positively influence their lives. He enjoys seeing his students grow throughout the semester and be able to leave his class better off than when they started.

Personally, Kirk is most passionate about his family. He works hard to be the best husband and father to three young children that he can be. Kirk really enjoys being outside, having fun and being active with his family. 

 

Influence 22/52Kirk Holt Kirk in his element, the gym at Hatboro-Horsham

 

Influence: 

Kirk was the assistant coach at H-H when I arrived here six years ago. He and Glenn Kaiser had been coaching together for years and built an excellent program before I walked in the door. If you know Coach Kaiser, he and Kirk are at the opposite ends of the spectrum in terms of their personalities. Glenn is very outward, loud and boisterous, while Kirk is very reserved and quiet. But they both are alike in their passion for wrestling. Even though Kirk is typically a more calm guy, when he gets into the corner to coach he can get very intense. The one thing that we had as a staff while coaching was our intensity for the sport and our hatred for losing. When you have those two things as a staff, it breeds winning. And for my first five years helping coach with Glenn and Kirk, we had a five year streak of state medalists. It was an accomplishment that I still consider as my highest honor as a coach.

As a young coach and assistant, there was no better role model for me than Kirk. Since he was already established as a teacher and coach here in the district, I could lean on him for advice. He would drop subtle hints to me on what was smart and what may not be the best idea. As a teacher who is also a coach, there is a dynamic that makes you different than other teachers. You are constantly around your student athletes and many times their parents. So you have to always hold yourself to very high standards and never let down. And having Kirk around was a huge help for me.

There are many memories I have from our time coaching together. From our always fun and exciting trips out to Hershey for the state tournament, to the long hours of setting up for the annual Wetzel wrestling classic, to Kirk almost taking out another coach. Yep, that was great. Two years ago, our heavyweight was wrestling and after the match, a coach from an unnamed school district decided he was going to say something to our wrestler. And lets put it this way, it wasn’t “nice job, kid”. Kirk and I were walking towards the table to talk to our kid when we heard this coach say something. Kirk turns and starts jabbing back at this guy. He nearly went to blows with him. And it had nothing to do with him wanting to pick a fight with someone - that is not his personality. He was angry because someone was verbally attacking one of his kids. And as a coach, that’s not cool. Kirk yelled at this guy to never talk to his kid again and if he had a problem, to take it up with him. I had to pull him away from the guy. And believe me, Kirk put him in his place. I loved it! To me, watching the normally modest Kirk Holt stand up for his athlete was great to see.

Last year, Kirk’s family began to have some health issues. These issues have unfortunately caused Kirk to step down from wrestling. He is needed at home more than he is in the corner. He broke the news to me last year after we were heading home from the Regional Tournament. I was devastated. I loved our time together and was really going to miss having him around. But I knew why he had to step down. He is a father and a husband first. Wrestling was certainly a major aspect of his life but he was needed at home more than he was in the practice room. Hopefully over the next few years, things will ease for him and his family and he can get back onto the mat. But until then, he is coaching his favorite team - his family. Thanks for the guidance and the fun Kirk, it was a pleasure.
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mary Ellen 'Nanny' Pompei 21/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mary Ellen “Nanny” Pompei - Grandmother.

Mary Ellen is a retired mother of three, grandmother of five and great grandmother of three. Mary is a retired industry worker. She has worked off and on in various factory jobs for most of her adult life. She has worked part time the last few years when her company has needed extra work but has since retired.

Now that she is retired, Mary enjoys her time off. She likes being able to sleep in and wake up on her own terms. Not having anything to do most days is certainly a perk of being retired! Mary is also a huge football fan, especially watching the Eagles. If you have ever watched football with Mary Ellen, it is a spirited adventure in and of itself! She will often go to watch the local team, Pennridge High School, play football games.

Mary Ellen also has a great group of friends that she is still very close with. In fact, many of these girls are long time friends from high school. They have remained a close knit group after all these years and still get together whenever they can.

Mary also likes spending time up in the Poconos whenever she gets the chance. The Poconos was always the vacation destination, staying in her cabin off of Lake Nockamixon. 

 

Influence 21/52Mary Ellen 'Nanny' Pompei Nanny with her great smile

 

Influence: 

Nanny. Nan. Mar. Mary Ellen. Mary Ellen Hellen Watermellon. Yep, that’s Nanny! Mary Ellen is my other surviving grandparent, along with last weeks model, Jeanette. And just as with Jeanette, Nanny helped to raise me. I would usually go over their house right after school for many years. The best part about growing up was how close Nanny lived to us. She literally lived a half mile from my house, right on the other side of route 313. Not that we were allowed to walk there, but it sure made it nice to quickly get to and from their house.

I loved going over to their house. They had a nice rancher sitting on a cool piece of land off the side of a hill and overlooking Lake Nockamixon. They had a cool basement as well, with a tv and some chairs and couches. My grandfather had a really nice coal burning stove down there to keep the house warm. And the best part about that basement? The rocking chair. Not just any rocking chair, an heirloom rocking chair that was my grandfathers growing up. It was a little kids chair and had this nice black muted finish on it. I would sit and rock on that chair watching tv for hours! When I got older, I would set up couch cushions behind the chair and see how far back I could rock it before tipping over. That would keep me entertained for hours! If it were only that simple anymore. And the best part about that chair, was this past Christmas Eve, my son Cooper got to sit on that chair and “rocky rocky” back and forth. It’s crazy how life comes full circle.

Christmas Eve was without a doubt the best time to be at Nanny’s house. It has been a long standing tradition that the Pompei side of the family goes over to her house on Christmas Eve. I am pretty confident that I have not missed a Christmas Eve at Nanny’s for 31 years running! They used to put old school silver tinsel on the tree and put it right in the big bay window out front. Going over there and being with that side of the family was a blast. And when it was over it wasn’t that depressing because the big man was coming that night and you had plenty more to open the next day!

I had a few friends from school that lived on her street. So we would hang out after school down at the creek right next to Nanny’s house that fed into the lake. We would catch crayfish and frogs, skip stones and spend hours on end down there until it was dark. I loved being down at that creek. It’s one of those things that as a kid you think it’s just ‘normal’ to have something like that right next to your grandmothers house. But looking back now, it was a great way to connect with nature and be outside instead of playing video games inside. We need more creeks for kids these days!

And lastly, this write-up wouldn’t be complete without a funny story. My sister and I stayed over Nanny’s house for a night or two when my parents went away. I was around 10 years old or so. And I get out of the shower and put my sweatpants on to head to school and all of a sudden I start getting this crazy pinching pain on the inside of my thigh. Then again and again. I am now jumping around trying to rip my pants off, Nanny is standing in the hallway asking me what the heck is going on and of course laughing at me. I finally get my pants off to find a yellowjacket buzzing around in there. To this day she still brings up that story and laughs her butt off!

I am so fortunate to have two unbelievable ladies in my life that I get to call my Grandmothers. Nanny is full of piss and vinegar and is an absolute riot to be around. Her laugh is infectious and instantly makes everyone else around her laugh right along. She is extremely kind and will help you out with whatever you need. She is the glue that binds the Pompei family and I am so glad that Cooper gets to have Nanny in his life too. I love you Nanny, thanks for everything. 

Jeanette 'Mommom' Hillyer 20/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Jeanette “Mommom” Hillyer - Grandmother

Jeanette is a mother of five, grandmother of 14 and great grandmother of 15! If you add in extended family, she has a whopping 27 great grandkids! Jeanette was married to her Charlie Hillyer for close to 60 years before he passed back in 2005.

Jeanette is a ‘homemaker’ who was married at the age of 15. Her and my grandfather eloped down to Maryland to be married. And at the age of 17, she became pregnant with her first of five kids. She was used to staying in and raising her children for most of her younger years and learned to become a good cook while feeding the family.

After the kids were all grown up, she took on various jobs in the cooking field. She worked at a deli and also as a cafeteria worker at Pennridge High School. After retiring, Jeanette helped to raise and babysit many of the grandchildren and great grandchildren.

Jeanette enjoys her ‘scuzz’ magazines where she can read up on all the fake drama all across Hollywood. She also loves watching reality tv - ‘Big Brother’ was one of her favorites among many others. And if you can’t find a good Sudoku, crossword or jigsaw puzzle anywhere at your local store, that’s because she has them all! Sudoku has really become a favorite way to pass time lately and she can always knock out a crossword puzzle in the local paper or magazine.

 

Influence 20/52Jeannette 'Mommom' Hillyer Mommom working on her puzzles

 

Influence: 

This is my oldest grandmother (not counting Ashley’s grandmother) and my first family member to make the influential people project. And that is fitting because just this past Friday, she turned 84 years young!

Mommom helped raise me when I was growing up. In fact, both sets of grandparents helped to raise me when growing up. I have vivid memories of every house that she lived in while I was growing up. The first house I remember was in Perkasie where her and my grandfather lived with their oldest daughter, Linda and her family. It was a crazy Italian household with lots of moving parts. We used to play outside where they had this big black cauldron looking thing. We would make ‘mud soup.’ Who hasn’t made some good mud soup in their childhoods?! Then they moved to a 55 and older community in Souderton. I can remember watching my favorite college football team, the Florida State Seminoles play their hated rivals the Miami Hurricanes on tv. When my sister and I would sleep over there we would ‘camp’ in their living room with sleeping bags. One night, we rented “Arachnophobia” from the local ‘West Coast Video’ (remember those?!) and my sister had no idea what she was in for. Needless to say, she didn’t sleep well that night!

I also remember eating marshmallow and chocolate ice cream at their dining room table. My grandfather loved marshmallow ice cream! That and Neapolitan. They also had a nice spare room where I would play video games and hang out as I got older. And you can never forget the sea-shell bathroom that had a huge conch shell on the top of the toilet that you always had to put your ear up to and listen to the ocean.

After living there for a few years, my parents decided to have my grandparents move in with us in our house in Perkasie. My Dad built an in-law suite off the front of the house. It was a nice one bedroom, eat-in kitchen and living room apartment for them. I loved it. All Mommom, all the time! Whenever I wanted to see my grandmother, I could walk next door. Plus, I had my grandfather to always be looking out for me. I couldn’t do anything right without help letting me know it was wrong first!

For a handful of years, we had “Wednesday Family Dinner Night” at Mommoms house. She would invite the family who was close by to come on over every Wednesday night for dinner. I looked forward to that day and dinner more than any other day of the week. I loved it. I got to see a bunch of family and eat Mommom’s great cooking every week. During one of those dinners is when I brought my wife (girlfriend at the time) Ashley over to introduce her to some of the family. She and I loved going over there on Wednesday’s and it was something we couldn’t wait for every week. Mommom would make all kinds of great food too - homemade stromboli, chicken bake, homemade lasagna, potatoes, stuffing, etc. After working long days of construction with my Dad, there was nothing more exciting that going home to shower and head over to Mommom’s for Wednesday dinners!

After my grandfather passed, Mommom decided to move to North Carolina to live with her daughter, my Aunt Lori. She lived in Manteo for a few years and it was nice having her down there when we would go on vacation to the Outer Banks. Since Manteo is just a few minutes from where we vacationed nearly every year, Mommom was already there so seeing her was convenient. She was even a stop on an east coast road trip I took with my good friend Jason and my brother in law Jeremy. We stopped in to see Mommom for a few days and stayed at her place. It was great being able to go the beach, then head back to Mommom’s house to see her and of course, get her good cooking! She even took us boys out on a date at an all you could eat buffet. Needless to say, the three of us got back to her house and fell onto the floor and didn’t move the rest of the night! That was a great end to our week long road trip.

To me, my grandmothers all hold a special place in my life. They both helped raise me and were always there for my sister and I. Mommom is a sweetheart and always took care of me. She would take us to Jamesway or Ames to shop for cheap little toys to play with. I loved going to there pick out something “under $10.” Losing my grandfather was tough and it obviously affected her tremendously. You don’t spend 50+ years with someone and not have a void in your life. But it has been a blessing having her around in my life for 31 years. I am extremely fortunate to have her in my life and for the fact my son Cooper gets to spend his youth with her too. And it’s also great seeing my Mom and my mother-in-law have the same type of relationship with Cooper. Having grandparents is one of the greatest gifts in life. And Mommom is the gift that keeps on giving - love you Mommom! 

 

CW3 Mr. Mike Mignogna 19/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Mike Mignogna - Army Reserve Pilot - Chief Warrant Officer 3 (CW3) MOS 155E (Military Occupational Skill) Pilot -in-Command UC-35 Citation Jet 5 and C-12 Super King Air Turbo Prop plane pilot.

Mike Mignogna first graduated flight school as a helicopter pilot. He was a Captain and Company Commander for eight years. However, in the reserves unlike active duty, higher positions would require moving and traveling to Ft. Bragg, NC (instead of his home in Warrington, PA - formerly stationed at Willow Grove Joint Air Base.) So he chose the Warrant Officer ranks and is now one of the pilots that he used to command. He has been serving this country for 27 years.

Mike is also a Wellness teacher at Pennridge High School and a former Junior High Wrestling Coach of six years and an 11 year Freshman Football Coach. This is his 23rd year of teaching.

Professionally, Mr. Mignogna enjoys working with the students each year as a Wellness Teacher. He likes the fact that he can instill a lifelong active lifestyle in his students. Seeing his previous students stop by his classroom to say hi and update him on their life makes his day! He has also developed lifelong relationships with a number of the staff members at Pennridge.

On the military side of things, Mike works, flies and deploys with a bunch of great guys. He can’t think of a more enjoyable way to serve this great country than to be doing what he does, piloting aircraft for the Army. His mission has a clear purpose and executing it successfully is what gives him satisfaction!

Mike has a Master’s degree from Beaver College (now Arcadia University.) He was an HHC Commander (2-228th) for five years from 1994 -1999, a Company A Commander for three years from 2000  -2003 and has been deployed to Bosnia, Kuwait, Iraq and Afghanistan. He has also earned four air medals.

Personally, Mr. Mignogna likes to give full effort into whatever he is doing. Whether that is teaching or his duty in the military, he believes in doing your job to the fullest capability and doing your best for you and all involved. Get the most out of yourself and those around you or by teaching. Don’t waste your day; be productive. He enjoys spending time on vacation down at the shore with his two children and his wife. He also enjoys getting together with friends. He couldn’t ask for two better jobs to have than as a teacher and a pilot flying for his country!

Mike is extremely fortunate to have such great family and friends! 

 

Influence 19/52CW3 Mr. Mike Mignogna CW3 Mignogna standing in front of his UC-35 Citation Jet 5

 

Influence: 

Duty. Honor. Sacrifice. Courage. You can pick every superlative in the dictionary and they would all fit for Mr. Mignogna. But don’t forget “damn good guy.”

Mr. Mignogna was my junior high wrestling coach. He was one of the first people I knew who was active in the military. And he wasn’t just in the Army, he was an active helicopter pilot. As you can see from the picture above, he is not your typical American. He’s a tough looking guy. And when you are a 12 year old middle school punk, it’s a bit of a slap in the face when this guy comes rolling into practice. And when he rolls into practice in his fatigues and aviator glasses, you want to shrivel into a ball in the corner and suck your thumb! Yeah, he has that kind of presence.

I will never forget my 7th grade season when we were at North Penn for our end of the year tournament. Mr. Mignogna came late because, of course, he was in flying that morning. So we are there hanging out and waiting for our time to wrestle. Well mid way through the day, I look up and there he is. He comes strolling in through the door, high black army boots, green flight suit and aviators on. I swear the room went silent - it was like the Terminator walked into the building. He was so damn official and had such a badass presence about him. As a middle school kid it was awesome knowing he was your coach!

Mr. Mignogna taught me respect and discipline. I didn’t want to cross his bad side and certainly didn’t want to let him down. So I matured quickly from wrestling and learned to work hard while at practice. He would make us run wind sprints down the back hallway and pushed us mentally. I have some great memories from those two short years. We won the league championship my 8th grade year. And the league match came down to our in-district rival, South Junior High. I went to Central Junior High and our rival was the other junior high in the district, South. And that match was the biggest of the year and it was a battle. We all knew their wrestlers and they knew us. Most of us grew up wrestling together so we had wrestled each other before. But now it was for a different team and it was for all the marbles. My matchup was with a friend of mine, Matt Strobel. He was super strong and every time we wrestled the match was decided by one or two points. I beat Matt that night and we ended up beating South and won the title. The best part about winning the championship? The Pizza party that the coaches promised us! Haha. We were happy about winning the title but we cared more about free pizza.

Mr. Mignogna is a selfless guy. He has been active in the Army for 27 years and has given up a lot of freedoms that many of us take for granted. He is deployed for months at a time and is constantly away from his home and family for training and flying. I respect the hell out of the guy for doing what he does. How he could coach and teach with the schedule he had plus take care of his family is beyond me. It’s the definition of dedication. I could go on and on about how much respect I have for any and all military people. What they give up on a daily basis to let you and I enjoy our lives goes largely unnoticed. Mr. Mignogna not only serves this country and has done so for over 25 years, but he is also a teacher and a coach. It is hard to think of three things more worthy in life than what he does. And he goes about those things with such class. He is one of the nicest people I have ever met. He taught me hard work and respect. Two things lost among many youth today. If there were a million Mike Mignogna’s in this world it would without a doubt be a better place. I cannot thank you for all that you have done and all that you do, Coach. It was an honor and a privilege to be your student athlete and to now call you a friend. Thank you! 

 

 

Vanessa Robtison 18/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Vanessa A. Robtison - M. Ed., Registered Athletic Administrator, current Athletic and Activities Director at Staunton River High School in Moneta, Virginia.

Vanessa has compiled a very impressive resume since her 2006 graduation from Millersville University with a BS in Technology Education. In 2008 she earned her Masters in Education from Cabrini College. Then in 2013, Vanessa completed and earned her Principal Certification through Cabrini College and became a Registered Athletic Administrator through the NIAAA (National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.)

Vanessa was hired by Neshaminy School District in the summer of 2006 and taught Technology Education at Maple Point Middle School for four years. During the 2009-10 school year, she became the Neshaminy District Technology Education Lead Teacher/Department Chairperson. Also during that year she served as the High School Equipment Manager. During the 2010-11 school year, Vanessa made a move to the Pennsbury School District to work at the High School as the Graphic Design, Robotics and Woodworking Teacher. During those five years as a teacher, Vanessa helped coached the Neshaminy girls soccer team. Vanessa decided to further her career by moving to Staunton River School High School to work as the Athletic and Activities Director. Staunton River is one of three schools in Bedford County. This is her third year as the Athletic Director.

Professionally, Vanessa is passionate about instilling her love for lifelong learning in student-athletes. She believes that academics should always come before athletics. She also enjoys working with her coaches while trying to create positive experiences for the students athletes at her school.

From the time Vanessa was a little kid and up until now, participating in sports was her favorite thing to do. Now that she is older, she has a career and cannot compete in competitive leagues like she used to. So for her, the next best thing is to be a part of student athletics. All day, every day, athletics is her world. She cannot think of a better profession that provides her with the opportunity to surround herself with athletics.

Personally, Vanessa is still a soccer player at heart. She plays in a fall and spring adult women’s league in Roanoke, Virginia. She also plays in an adult co-ed Kickball league in Roanoke. She is a diehard Eagles fan. She never misses a game on Sunday if she can help it (she’ll even miss her Sunday soccer games if the time conflicts!) She missed watching so many games growing up playing all of her sports and all day tournaments. She purchased the NFL ticket so she can stream games online and now never misses a beat! Being in Virginia, the Eagles games are not televised that often so having the NFL Ticket is a lifesaver.

Vanessa still loves graphics. Although she does not currently teach graphic design/tech. ed., she still loves using Illustrator or Photoshop in her spare time. She creates graphics for the school athletic website and twitter account. She has also started created logos for various initiatives for her school division. She also enjoys creating designs for t-shirts for any occasion.

And lastly, she has a hobby of collecting sneakers. She loves wearing sneakers and has a pair to match everything! 

 

Influence 18/52Vanessa Robtison Vanessa on her 'home' turf

 

Influence: 

Vanessa is one of my ‘four crew’ friends out at Millersville. As you saw in one of my earlier posts on Jay Jarrett, we had some great times. And Vanessa was certainly a good reason why.

Vanessa was one of a handful of females in the entire Technology Education department at Millersville. She was talented in many of the areas of Tech. Ed. and those talents and career path have helped her get to the position she is in now. See, back when we were going through college and once we graduated, public schools were still hiring and the economy had not ‘fallen off.’ So when we were going through the Tech. Ed. department at Millersville, our career opportunities had many great paths to take. Between the three of us, we were hired by 3 of the best school districts in the state. Vanessa wanted badly to go back to her alma mater in Neshaminy School District. Lucky for her once she graduated a position opened up.

Vanessa was a blast to be around while at Millersville. She has a fun personality and is never afraid to speak her mind. And I think that comes from her being a female in a male dominated field. It’s not easy to be one of the only girls in a metals lab, pouring aluminum and using an 8’ tall 5 ton metal machining mill. Those things don’t just come easy for a lot of people, forget being a female. But she is one tough cookie and that is something I always admired about her. Piss her off and you will hear about it. I’m not a smart guy but I know to always be nice to Vanessa! But when you need something, Vanessa is always there for you.

Some of my best memories with Vanessa were from our Virginia Beach TECA (Technology Education Collegiate Association) competitions. We had a TECA club while at Millersville and the four of us friends were actively involved. Every year we would travel to Virginia Beach for the National Competition and Conference. It was one of the things we looked forward to every year as students. The four of us competed in the video design competition and it was 2 days of absolute craziness. We had about a day to complete the video with just a few hours to edit and complete it. It was easily the most fun I had at college and it was because I was around some great friends while doing what I loved. There were some crazy stories that came from those weekends and I am really glad that I was able to spend those days with Vanessa. We had a blast!

As the story goes, when you get older life gets in the way. Jobs and families pull you in many different directions. While Vanessa and I don’t get to see each other like we used to in college, we can pick right up where we left off. Which usually means a lot of bitching and moaning and of course, laughing! Hope you get a chance to come home soon Vanessa, it’s good having you around! 

Glenn Kaiser 17/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Glenn Kaiser - Hatboro-Horsham High School Head Wrestling Coach and Executive Director of K/S-MST, Inc./K/S Consultants, Inc.

Glenn has been involved in wrestling since he was a little kid and is now coaching high school in his 22nd year. As a graduate of Hatboro-Horsham, Glenn returned to coach his alma-mater after long time legend Ralph Wetzel retired. Since then, Glenn has garnered 100+ coaching wins, a 2008 SOL coach of the year award, two Sectional Team Championships, a District Team Title, multiple Sectional, District and Regional Champions along with a five year streak of continuous State Place winners. 

Glenn is passionate about developing boys into young men through the life long lessons that are learned in the sport of wrestling. For him, the most exciting part of coaching wrestling is when the whistle blows and the match begins. "I become the most intense individual on the planet - what a rush!"

He enjoys helping his athletes execute and win a match. But this sport is not just about winning. Glenn knows that surviving the sport of wrestling means that you will wake up everyday for the rest of your life with nothing in front of you that you cannot overcome.

Outside of wrestling, Glenn enjoys helping at risk youth and their families. He is part owner of an at-risk youth counseling service for children and their families. His service provides for Bucks and Montgomery Counties' families with in-home counseling.

Glenn is also an avid golfer and is an assistant for the H-H golf team. So when he is not mat-side, you can find him on the greens! But his true passion lies within watching, coaching and living wrestling! He is a District One Wrestling Steering Committee Member, and All-Academic Chairmen and an OPC Specialist (this is the organization that regulates wrestlers weight loss and hydration levels.) He is also a writer and contributor for several wrestling media outlets.

 

Influence 17/52Glenn Kaiser Glenn overseeing the 13th Annual Ralph Wetzel Wrestling Tournament

 

Influence: 

Coach Kaiser - energy, passion with a small side of crazy. That's coach Kaiser! 

I first met coach my first few weeks of teaching at H-H. The long-time Tech Ed. teacher I was working with told Glenn that I was a wrestler and I had just come from Holicong Middle school and was the Head Coach there. He came into the back office where I was and introduced himself. He asked me if I wanted to coach and then asked if I wanted to coach at the middle school. I kind of laughed and said I really appreciated the offer. But I was done with middle school! I really wanted to coach at the high school level and it's really where I thought I could help the kids the most. So he said okay, you can come on as a volunteer for this year and see how things go. Well, 7 years later it has been an amazing ride. 

I was extremely fortunate that my first three to four years we had outstanding teams. And during those years those kids really fit into the mold that suited my skills. They wanted to learn and wanted to work hard. I became the pseudo strength and conditioning coach and that is really where I thrive. We had kids who wanted to workout all the time and I was just proud to be a part of the long run we had. In fact, for the first five years I started coaching, we had a streak of State Place winners every single year. That is a major accomplishment in the state of PA. 

Glenn is extremely passionate about wrestling. It's his sport. He lives and breathes wrestling. It's in his blood. And as a young coach coming up, he is an awesome guy to be around. His passion is infectious - he turns you into a more focused and driven coach because you have to keep up. You really don't get to rest around Glenn - it's 100% all the time. He volunteers our gymnasium for multiple events. He loves setting up and hosting wrestling in our gym. In fact, just yesterday we wrapped up the 13th annual Ralph Wetzel Wrestling Classic. This is our big tournament of the year - 24 teams with hundreds of wrestlers for both Varsity and JV. Our main gym (see picture above) and our auxiliary gym have three mats going and hundreds of fans and kids jammed in. It is an extremely hectic three days of setting up and running the tournament. But it certainly is worth it. We are constantly being told what a good job we do and how well the tournament runs. It's what we strive to do.

Glenn is great with the kids. He has not only his intense passion for wrestling inside of him, but he also has the Psychologist in him from his counseling service. You can always see how he tries to take various angles with different kids. It's really great to watch from my point of view. Every kid is different - they have different needs, social developments, maturity levels, toughness, etc. It's a giant equation to figure out. But Glenn can nail down the right way to solve their equations and get the most out of them. Sometimes it's tough love. As in the toughest these kids have ever had. Sometimes it's a laid back approach. Sometimes he will talk with them one-on-one to get inside their heads and counsel them. It really is a form of art work.

And it works. It works really well. Because H-H has the best wrestling alumni I have ever seen. We regularly have our past wrestlers come back to help. Not only to coach but to help roll around in practice and volunteer at events. These kids don't just come back because it's cool to hang out at your high school! They come back because they want to give back. I think they feel as though they have been given something in their life they really can't explain. They have been given plenty of life lessons on how to be tough, how to overcome and how to become a man. And I think as they grow older they realize it's something that can never be repaid. And they want to be around it again because it's something that normal life just doesn't give you. That's wrestling and there is no one else who can help coach those skills better than Glenn Kaiser. Well done Coach.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

JTWO 16/52
 

 

Meet The People:

Justin Jarrett- Principal Creative Director
Travis Capacete - Principal Business Director

Justin and Travis have both been involved in the video and movie making industry since they were teenagers. Justin was trying to tell stories and Travis was into skateboarding and shooting/editing skate videos. 

Professionally, these two have a passion for what they do. They both love to work and create their own projects within their company (JTWO FIlms.) They get to hand pick their projects and invest their time into what matters most to them. Every day and every project is unique. They enjoy being able to tell someone's story. Each person has an original story to tell and being able to share those stories with the rest of the world is what motivates these two young professionals. They have been fortunate enough to travel across the country and world, immersing themselves in new cultures. 

Personally, their lives are very tied up in their business. As young entrepreneurs, your personal life is your work. They are constantly "on the clock" working or traveling. When they do get an opportunity to "put their work down" both enjoy spending time away. Justin enjoys spending time with his friends. After losing his best friend Aaron right out of college, he realizes that friendship is the greatest gift in the world. Travis finds it important to create some personal time away from work as well. He loves going to baseball and sports games, home brewing his own beer and staying warm (preferably in a hot tub!)

These two have won multiple awards for their film making, including their most recent work with FullCircle, winning an Addy award. Both Justin and Travis believe that obtaining recognition for what they do is a wonderful thing. But it's not what drives them. Both want to continue to enjoy what they do and help to tell peoples stories. 

Travis: Life's a garden - dig it! 
Justin: Life’s a cracker….put it in some soup. 
 

Influence 16/52JTWO Travis (left) and Justin in their now 'old' office in front of their 'JTWO' wall

 

Influence: 

My first duo to enter the influential people project! Business partners, friends, dudes. JTWO filmmakers Justin and Travis have become good friends and business partners of mine.

Justin is a brother of one of my best friends, Jason Jarrett. It’s funny how life works sometimes. I became good friends with Jay and his family and then started working with Justin. Maybe it was all meant to be! I met Justin about four or so years ago, not too long after he graduated from Penn State. He was just getting his feet wet in the film industry and I had just begun learning how to shoot video with my Canon 7d. I mentioned to Justin that I had a Canon DSLR that could shoot video and if he ever needed help I would love to work together. About a year or so later we started working together and it’s been a great ride ever since.

Travis is the other half of JTWO. Travis grew up in the town right next to me and went to CB West high school. Travis got a great gig working for the NFL as an intern, helping with game footage on Sundays. Travis obviously got some great connections while working there and it helped to propel their careers. These guys are like brothers and work so well together. They are somewhat opposites but together make a great team. Justin is very specific and dialed in while Travis is laid back and handles clients in a relaxed manner. Justin has the vision and hands-on approach with Travis taking that vision and putting it all together.

These two had their careers jump off to a big start with an independent documentary they made. The only bad part of that documentary was the real life story line that came from it. Justin’s best friend, Aaron Klinger, was killed in a car crash before they graduated from college. Aaron and Justin grew up together and were inseparable best friends. In college, they made a pact that once they graduated they were going to bike across the country. The tragic accident left Aaron’s friends and family grieving. But Justin decided he was going on the bike trip and he was going to do it to honor Aaron and their friendship. Close friend of Aaron and Justin, Kyler Krebs, also came along to honor his lost friend. The trip was one of soul searching and discovery for the group. They filmed their entire trip and what came from it was an award winning, heart-string tugging masterpiece. The For Aaron documentary won five awards at film festivals across the country. James Brown (CBS’s NFL Today and Showtime’s Inside the NFL) was the Executive Producer on this film and has backed Justin and Travis since then, proving the direction these two are heading.

After the documentary, Justin and Travis moved down to Philadelphia to officially start their business, JTWO films. They got their first office/studio right near The Piazza down in North Philly. After a year at that location, they moved to Old City to upgrade their location and space. Their new two floor studio/office is incredible. A lot of work has gone into transforming their business from a small desk in their apartment into great studio space in the heart of the city.

Working with these two has also been great for my business as well. Studying and learning to shoot video on a DSLR was something I wanted to dive into. So I worked hard to learn how to shoot and add video into my skills along with photography. I was able to help infuse DLSR video into Justin and Travis’s business to help bring their work up to the current trends in the industry. Being able to shoot video with my camera has led me to some awesome work with these guys and expand my horizons. Somehow I have managed to miss every single high profile shoot they have because of scheduling (this whole ‘other’ career in teaching and family thing always seems to get in the way!) But they were able to get me onto the sidelines of two Eagles games. And that is an incredible opportunity in and of itself. One of our first big projects that we worked on together was their Full Circle Brandscaping video. We spent a whole weekend in Penn State and in Justin’s hometown of Milton. The video was a big undertaking and it paid off, we won the 2013 Philadelphia Addy Award for ‘Self Promotion, Digital Advertising!’ Certainly a big honor for me to help be a part of the award and the Full Circle Crew.

The last three years have been a great ride with JTWO. Big things are coming and I am glad to have been along for a part of that journey. Justin and Travis have taken their lifelong dreams of working in the film industry and put it to paper. From shooting home videos with their childhood friends to working with NFL superstars, these guys are making it happen. Justin challenges me to “think bigger.” Challenge accepted Justin, just be careful what you wish for! 

Ed Ketterer 15/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

"Big Ed." Ed is a recently retired Mason after 40+ years in the field. From small side jobs at customers’ houses to big commercial jobs, Ed has seen it all during his career. Ed was a Foreman for the greater part of his career, working for Mike Pompei Masonry for close to 30 of those years.

Ed always enjoyed seeing his finished results at the end of a job. Hearing the satisfaction of customers, getting compliments from clients and fellow workers along with good referrals always made the work worth it.

One of Ed’s career highlights was receiving a Certification of Historical Building Renovation. This certificate allowed him to work on historical buildings using specific techniques and materials. Preservation is a very fine subject and knowing exactly how to restore a building to its proper form can be challenging.

Even though Ed is now retired, he still tries to do work on small side jobs when possible. But his body is not able to keep up anymore. The physical labor of Masonry has taken its toll on his body. Spending the greater part of your life in ditches and trenches wears on your body.

Now that work has slowed down, Ed enjoys spending time with his family and his wife Melody, who he has been married to for 35 years. Ed enjoys collecting old fishing reels and poles, meat smoking and making jerky (which I am eating as I am writing this - thanks Ed!) He also values mentoring his son Andy along with Andy’s friends. He likes passing along his knowledge.

Ed is also a very proud Grandfather. In fact, one of his Grandsons is an accomplished four wheeling District 6 champion in quad racing. He likes to brag about him and go see him race whenever he can. 

 

 

Influence 15/52Ed Ketterer Ed leaning up against a pile of cinderblocks

 

Influence: 

Ed is like my job site father. He has been around for my entire life. He started working at my Dad’s business before I was born. He was there when I was in diapers all the up to when I was getting married in the Outer Banks.

Ed is a bit rough around the edges. But inside he’s a big teddy bear. I know Ed very well - he can be a real hard ass. Always demanding you to be on top of things. Don’t forget anything or you will hear about it! He can go from yelling at you to laughing with you in five minutes though and that’s his demeanor.

I started working with my Dad in the summer of 8th grade, I was 13 years old. Back then, my Dad’s business was booming. We were not only doing all kinds of masonry work but also general construction on the houses he was building. And Ed was my Dad’s foreman and in charge of a motley crew of around three to five guys at all times. I had to learn things and learn them quickly. And Ed let me know if I wasn’t doing it right.

As a punk teenager spending an entire summer in 90+ degree heat, throwing around 40+lb cinderblock, climbing 30’+ of scaffold with a hook of 40+lbs of bricks, shoveling 2+ tons of sand, chucking 94lb and 50lb of cement and lime in and out of a mixer wears on you. Let’s just say it REALLY wears on you! Like, you hate life. Add a big burly guy giving you shit because you moved said 40+lb cinderblock into the wrong location and you have a recipe for some bad attitudes! That recipe is what’s called construction. And it is not for the weak of heart.

Working with Ed was a lesson in dealing with people. I had to learn how to work through the physical battles in construction and deal with Ed telling me where to put it, how to do it, what is wrong with it, etc. Construction is 75% physical labor and 25% psychology. Not only with yourself but with others. When the humidity is 1000% and your body is ready to quit, it takes a lot of mental toughness to deal with not only your brain wanting to quit but having to deal with the other guys around you and not wanting to kill each other. Fun times.

Ed taught me so many things growing up. I owe him a lot and my career would not be as successful without him. I can easily attest that my efficiency in work comes from his guidance. Learning how to labor for five masons and keep an entire job site running takes a lot of efficiency. If I was off on anything I was screwed. And not only that but I did not want to let them down. That is where I get my hard work ethic. It wasn’t as much wanting to do the job fast, it was that I didn’t want to disappoint Ed. And as the boss’s son, I am sure that I had a stigma that I had to break through. I didn’t want to be ‘that kid.’ I wanted to prove my worth and I did that by working as hard as I could. I had to be on my game a lot when I was working and Ed made sure I was always on top of things. And if I wasn’t it, I heard about it. And after 12+ years of working construction I learned to become a hard worker and a fast worker at that.  Ed showed me so many ways to do things faster and easier. Sure there would be times when he would make it hard on me. Learning how to do it quicker and easier was my main goal when showing up on a job site. Nobody wants to work harder if they don’t have to! So I learned many ways to make things more streamlined. And I carry that with me now in my photography business and as a teacher. I show kids the hard way and the easy way to do things. Sometimes it’s not always about doing it fast and easy. You can learn a lot by doing something that is very physical and time demanding.

While there was plenty of grueling times working with Ed over the years, I wouldn’t go back and change a thing. He taught me how to work hard and I never wanted to let him down. And that attitude is something I take with me any time I am working for someone. And that can be as simple as helping someone move a couch, needing help with yard work, moving boxes from here to there, working a wedding, doing a favor, etc. It doesn’t matter to me. It all needs to have 100% commitment and it needs to be done fast and done right. And I personally think that attitude is what is lacking in some people these days. A little bit of elbow grease and a tough attitude goes a long way. As my son grows up I hope to instill in him a good, hard work ethic. Who knows, I may just hire Ed to come down and show him a few things. Like moving an entire cube of 64lb, 12” cap block from one end of a muddy job site to another, just because Ed said so!

Dr. Rodney Altemose 14/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dr. Rodney Altemose - Executive Director of the Upper Bucks Campus of Bucks County Community College. 

Since 2001, Rodney has provided leadership for an ever expanding Upper Bucks campus with a population of 1400 students and 125 faculty members and helped to manage the $21 million dollar Phase II expansion (recently, the Upper Bucks Campus was recognized as the fastest growing campus in the nation by Community College Weekly!) He leads all campus student affairs in the areas of student activities, new student orientation, disability services, counseling, career development and transfer services. Rodney oversees day-to-day services in enrollment management, including recruitment, public relations, financial aid, assessment testing academic advising and registration. 

Rodney has his Doctorate of Education, Leadership and Innovation from Wilmington College, a Master of Science Degree from Shippensburg University and his Bachelor of the Arts in Communications from York College of Pennsylvania.

Rodney continues to teach as a Professor at Bucks County Community College. Along with his duties as the Executive Director of campus, Rodney still enjoys being in the classroom teaching ‘Interpersonal Communications and Effective Speaking.’ Rodney is also active in the community as a Pennridge Chamber of Commerce Board member, working with Habitat for Humanity and is an acting Marching Band judge for the Cavalcade of Bands. He has taken B.C.C.C. students from New York to South Carolina to Georgia and to Indiana for Spring Break Challenges with Habitat for Humanity in helping build homes. 

Professionally, Rodney has earned several awards over his career including Administrative Employee Recognition Award from Bucks County Community College in 2005, the Excellence in Teaching Award from Bucks County Community College in 2004, the Ebony of Excellence Award from Edinboro University in 1999, Advisor of the Year from the University of Tennessee in 1996, an Outstanding New Professional from ACPA in 1995 and a Graduate Showcase winner from PCPA in 1994.

Personally, Rodney is extremely passionate about the Arts. He wanted to be a High School music teacher (he always wanted to be Mr. Holland from Mr. Holland’s Opus!) While music did not become his full time profession, it is still a part of his life. He has been judging high school marching band competitions for the last 15 years. He was also recently asked to become part of the Miss Pennsylvania community by being a judge for the Miss Midstate in Harrisburg, PA. He is extremely honored. 

Rodney seemingly had the world wrapped around his finger; however he encountered some life struggles. In 2006, he began to get a clearer understanding of who he was as a person. It was a difficult struggle for him to admit to not only himself but his family that he was gay. He struggled for many years with this fact and found himself in a dark place. He had a hard time smiling and being comfortable in his own skin. Realizing this is now a part of his life and who he is, he began to embrace his lifestyle. And now in 2013, he can say for sure that he is truly happy, “my cup is overflowing.”  He married his partner, Steve, just this past July in a Civil Union Ceremony in New Jersey with his two children and family by his side. 

 

 

Influence 14/52Rodney Altemose Rodney standing in front of the completely redesigned Upper Bucks Campus of Bucks County Community College

 

Influence: 

One of the most genuine people you will meet. That is Rodney Altemose.

Rodney was basically the very first person I met from Bucks County Community College (B.C.C.C) It was the summer of 2001 and I had just graduated high school. My mom and I went down to the Main Campus (Newtown,PA) of B.C.C.C for new student orientation. It was a nice day, parents went and did their thing while the students went and met with other students, toured the campus, etc. For lunch, we all met in the nice back courtyard area. During lunch, a guy from B.C.C.C. came and sat down with my mom and I and started a conversation. That was Rodney. He asked how things were going, what I was looking forward to, etc. And he genuinely cared about what I had to say and was super nice to my Mom and I. That's how we met and it's just one of those chance encounters with a nice person you don't forget.

Flash forward a few months and I was enrolled and taking classes. I only had a handful of classes down in Newtown (a solid 45min drive from my parents house.) I was working nearly full time with my Dad and taking night classes as well as a few classes during the day. I would drive down to main campus two times a day for twice a week. That was brutal! So luckily for me, the Upper Bucks campus was opening and expanding their campus, not even 5 minutes from my parents house. That was great. And low and behold, Rodney was the Executive Director of that campus. It was great seeing him again and we quickly developed a great friendship. Not only was Rodney a good person, he was a great mentor. Anytime I needed help I could turn to Rodney. His door was always open and he would help out whenever he could. I was even fortunate enough to have him for my Public Speaking class.

It was always my intention to head to Millersville after two years at Bucks. The big problem was making sure all of my credits transferred. Rodney and I would sit down every semester to make sure each class I was taking would go through to MU. We would sit down in his office and get out this monstrous 7" or so book/binder thing (you know, the internet was not what it is today!) and make sure each class coincided with each other. That was a big deal for me because I couldn't afford to lose any time while at Bucks. Rodney would even make calls out to Millersville to double check - that's something you don't forget.
My two years at B.C.C.C. were some of my favorite years of school. It was a complete 180 for me in terms of focus and dedication. As I have alluded to in earlier blog's, I was not exactly a focused student while in high school. But, that summer from June to August, something clicked. Maybe it was meeting the love of my life or maybe it was the rejection letter from Millersville. But either way, it clicked. I instantly made Dean's List in my first semester and every semester after that along with the distinguished 'President's list'. I was kicking ass and taking names! But I loved being on campus there. It was super small, very little if any distractions and I had plenty of friends to be around. I was also fortunate enough to have some awesome Professors. Some of my most favorite professors were at that campus. You know, Community College's get a bad wrap, or at least they have in the past. But without a doubt, minus a few select, and awesome, Professor's at Millersville, I had a more quality education right here at B.C.C.C. And a lot of that had to do with the way Rodney ran that campus. It really felt like a campus. Everyone knew each other, students and teachers alike. I loved going to class and learning for the first time in my life. Can't beat that!

When my two years were up, I was off to MU and never looked back. It was sad leaving Bucks but I was ready to get my degree and become a teacher. I fell out of touch with Rodney for a few years until I moved back home. We would run into each other every so often at the gym. We live close to each other so that was nice being able to see him and ask how Bucks was doing.

Catching up with Rodney for this project was awesome. We got to talk and hang out like things had never changed. I went up to campus to see the newly redesigned building. B.C.C.C did a fantastic job with the building. It's a LEED certified building with all kinds of cool 'green construction' elements. It has more than doubled the existing space and really added much needed room. When I was going to class there were around 400-500 students. Now, they have around 1400! That's an amazing statistic and just shows how good a Community College education can be when someone great is helping run that building. Rodney gave me a tour and highlighted all the new rooms, labs, etc. Nice to see things have improved since I was there.

Rodney was such a huge help and mentor during a very vulnerable time for me. It was good grades, then Millersville or bust for me. And Rodney was a pivotal force in helping me get to where I am today. Multiple degrees, an awesome job, beautiful family and awesome life are all the reasons why I can't thank Rodney enough. Funny, when I look at him now, I see the same things - he struggled personally for many years in the time after I left. But now he is happy, proud and has his family by his side. Thanks for all of your help Rodney, you are a role model to more people than you know.
 

. 

 

 

Chris Dallas 13/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Christopher R. Dallas - Technology Education Teacher at Holicong Middle School.

Chris has been teaching Technology Education at Holicong Middle school for Central Bucks School District since January of 2005. Teaching at Holicong was Chris’ first job right out of college. He graduated from California University of Pennsylvania (please, hold the boos) in December of 2004. Cal. U. of PA is one of two college’s in Pennsylvania that have Tech. Ed. as a degree - Millersville (obviously the best) is the other!

In 2008, Chris and his students were on Channel 10 news for building and donating dog houses to a Border Collie rescue. Chris and his students for years have been making and donating toys to Toys for Tot’s. Also in 2008, Chris earned his Master’s degree from Wilkes University in Classroom Technology.

Professionally, Chris is passionate about teaching his students how things work and why they work the way they do. He feels that problem solving and thinking outside the box are incredibly important skills that he likes to teach to his students. He teaches them to do as much as they can for themselves in order to instill a sense of pride in their work. If the students can problem solve and understand how thing work, then they will have all the tools they need to become successful. He feels as though we are in a generation that needs the engineer and the builder. And his Tech. Ed. classes will help these kids get off to a good start.

Personally, Chris is passionate about his family, cars, music, photography and biking. Just this past year, he and his wife Ashley welcomed their first son, Tanner. He loves coming home to Tanner with a big laugh and smile. In his free time, you will find Chris detailing his truck, hopping on the single track trails at Lake Nockamixon or just simply relaxing listening to his iPod. A few years back, Chris got into the world of triathlon’s, completing his first in 2010 at the Sea Isle City Triathlon.

Chris left me a good quote - “Life is what happens to you while you are busy making other plans.” Well said Chris! 

 

Influence 13/52Chris Dallas Chris standing in front of his classroom

 

Influence: 

Chris was my first professional teaching partner in my first job right out of college. I couldn’t have asked for a better guy. As a young punk right out of college I was ready for the challenge but middle school certainly is a tough battle! Only being there a little over a year before me, Chris was settled in and doing a great job. We hit it off right away and he was such a huge help in getting me started in my career. 

Chris had started two fantastic projects while at Holicong - the annual Toys for Tot’s project and the Skateboard Manufacturing project. I thought these were awesome ideas and the kids really enjoyed them. For middle school students, these are fairly complex projects that really test their skills. And Chris does a great job challenging his students.

I enjoyed my time at Holicong, but something just didn’t seem to be ‘clicking.’ It was a great district, pay was good, Chris was awesome to be around every day but I just wasn’t enjoying the time with the kids like I thought I would have. I really wanted to be around high school students and felt that I would be a better educator in that environment. So I found the Hatboro-Horsham position (see my other back stories here - 

• http://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/10/7/52---52-most-influential-people
• http://www.nickpompei.com/blog/2013/11/10/52---52-most-influential-people

Deciding to leave Holicong was one of the hardest decisions I have ever had to make in my professional career. I had it good, fresh out of school making good money, a contracted position in Central Bucks school district, a great teaching partner, environment, etc. I could have stayed put and things may have been great for 30+ years there. It just didn’t feel right and so I made a huge decision to leave. And while I miss working with Chris, the decision has been a great one.

The two of us have so much in common I think we may have been switched at birth. Tech. Ed. teachers, check. Huge passion for cars (both owned Subaru’s and now we both own Nissan Trucks!) check. Enjoy photography as a hobby, check. Triathlons to stay in shape, check. And a wife named Ashley, check! Amazing! If he was only as cool as me and would have gone to Millersville instead of Cal. U. and not listen to country music (he wears cowboy boots people,) he would be my twin…

I thank Chris for our time together. Without his guidance and leadership I have no idea where I would be professionally today. I have taken his two big projects with me to employ at H-H. They have not only been a major hit with the students, but they have gotten me a lot of great press in the community. I was able to take a struggling Technology Education department here at Hatboro-Horsham and turn it into a thriving environment. I had 7 kids the first semester in my Manufacturing & Engineering class to averaging around 40 kids per semester. I was able to create my own curriculum using Chris’s skateboard project as my staple project. It’s now one of the most popular classes here at Hatboro. Not only do we do the skateboard project but I also run the Toys for Tots project every fall semester, donating 10-50+ games/toys per year to the local branch. We used to be able to get the Marines from the Willow Grove AFB to come over in their Humvee’s, but unfortunately, the base was shut down. Now we get retired Marines to come by and gather toys which is just as cool.

I miss my time with Chris. Life is obviously busy for both of us with families and hobbies. But whenever we get a chance to talk we don’t skip a beat. Cars, trucks, photography, etc. Just guys being guys. I can’t thank him enough for his guidance in helping me get my career on track. But even more than that, I thank him for being a great guy and friend - thanks Cowboy! 

Timothy Baum 12/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Timothy Warner Baum.

Finance Manager at Marty Sussman Acura. Tim has been working at Sussman Automotive group for 13 years, starting at the ripe young age of 19. Like a deer in headlights, he was clueless on how to be a professional or how to even be successful in the real world. He went from working at Perkasie Borough on the back of a trash truck to wearing a shirt and tie to work every day. Luckily, his love for cars made it easy for him to talk to people and associate with his new job. After sticking it out and climbing up the ladder he was fortunate enough to be offered the Finance Manager position at the Acura dealership. He has now been in that position for the last 7 years.

Tim is passionate about his work because he has found what he is exceptionally good at (some say he has been a salesman his whole life!) There is a lot of turnover in the car industry but Tim has been at it for 13 years now, with all of his success giving him a great deal of satisfaction. He is fortunate to have worked with some very talented people that have helped shape him along the way and taught him key things along the way. He has taken those experiences and integrated that into his own system to deliver fantastic rewards. Not everyone is lucky to have found a niche like he has.

Professionally, Tim has many accolades, although it didn’t come early on. Tim was never interested in school enough to be a good student. His teachers would comment on his report card that he was “not performing up to his ability.” However, now, he has worked hard to build the best Finance department in the entire company. Last year he finished number one in finance every single month and had 0 sick days. He told his parents that it only took him 32 years but he finally got straight A’s and perfect attendance!

Tim has many hobbies but he has been passionate about style and fashion for as long as he can remember. The earth is 4.54 Billion years old, so Tim thinks that you get 80 or so good years here on earth, so you might as well look and feel your best while you can! He hopes that his style tells more about him than the clothes themselves.

In his off time, nothing makes him happier than spending time with friends and family. Wearing a pair of sweatpants on the couch with his girlfriend Nicole and his dog Bitty or spending time with his parents or Sister’s family is when he is happiest. He’s been called many things, but nothing better than “Uncle Tim!”

Tim has had the most incredible life imaginable and for that he gives thanks every day. He could lose everything tomorrow and still be the richest man alive. He’s not that special himself - it’s the reflection and influence of his friends and family that makes him the man he is today. You won’t meet anyone as blessed as he is or anyone as grateful for those blessings. 

 

Influence 12/52Tim Baum Tim Baum doing his high fashion thing down at the creek by my house

 

Influence: 

I really have no idea where to start here! I could start literally in a million different places and could write a book on each one of those. So I will make this a mish-mash of stories.
Like when I met Tim when I was in 9th grade, him 10th (he’s nearly 2 years older than me,) and asked him to drive me home from school. He had an early 90’s chevy nova - thing was ugly,slow and an automatic. So he’s driving me home and we are flying down rt.313 and he is fake shifting this thing, like it’s a manual. We are pissing ourselves laughing as he’s shifting this thing like it’s a Ferrari - we look up and a bus was stopped unloading kids. He slams on the brakes and we come about 2’ from slamming into the back of it. Once our hearts started beating again, we went right back to laughing.

I don’t know of any times that we have hung out for the last 15 years that one of us hasn’t laughed our ass off. It’s all we do. We have careers now, bills, responsibilities, significant others, etc. and yet every time we are together we act like we are 16 again. It’s one of the main reasons we have remained friends for so long. We kind of put life aside and have a good time. Not much can beat that.

Tim and I have always been into many of the same things: cars, golf, sports, etc. Back in our youth, we would attend the Carlisle Import Auto Tuner car show out in Carlisle. We loved it - Tim and I attended this show 3-4 years in a row and even entered our own cars a few times. We were at the forefront of the import movement in it’s infancy. And ever since we have (and he still does) owned various cars that we have modified in one way or another. It’s an addiction that many can relate to! But when you are 16-20 years old, cars are the ‘it’ thing. We were in heaven out there. So many funny stories from those weekends I really can’t mention…

We would vacation and take many trips together, many times with our, at the time, girlfriends. Atlantic City was the spot of choice for us - cheap hotel rooms abound! And one in particular, the Super 8 hotel on Tennessee Avenue. That was our spot. We spent many a days there over many a years. We would request the suite, 2 beds, the pull out couch, mini fridge, little table, etc. Yeah, it was real classy! A short 150yd walk to the boardwalk and we were in the heart of it all. Vacations, both of our bachelor parties, you name it, the Super 8 was the spot! If you could only have been a fly on the wall in that room over the years, yikes…So many funny stories from those weekends I really can’t mention…

High school and a few years out were our real hay-day together. Every weekend and some weeknights we would hang out. Usually we were at his parents house in their basement hanging out with a great group of friends. We would sometimes just chill and watch tv, play air hockey, ping pong, etc. Then Tim graduated and moved out, renting a house in town with a group of friends who had already graduated. That was great - I was still in high school and my best friend had his own house. Yeah, freedom! So many funny stories from those weekends I really can’t mention…

Tim tried the college thing his first year out, but didn’t make it very long. He went to Bucks County Community College but realized it just wasn’t for him. He started working down at Sussman Honda at the age of 19. He has been with them ever since. Tim is an extremely smart guy. He is one of the savviest people I know and very personable. His personality is infectious and people seem to gravitate toward him. I have always looked up to Tim as not only a friend but someone who I respect as well. He is always trying to do the right thing and is extremely giving.

Tim also has an extreme fashion obsession. He looks good, all the time. A few years back, I took his picture inside of his “shoe” room at his old house. Check that out here: http://flic.kr/p/a2S3vw
He loves his shoes - specifically his Jordan’s. Guy is a fanatic. You can read more about that from the above link. He dresses well for almost any occasion and has shoes to match!

Time catches up with all of us and so does life. Tim puts in many hours a week at work while I have my career and two part time jobs that chew up much of my time, not to mention a family at home! So it can be a hassle anymore to plan out dates/times to hang out. But we do our best. Whenever we can over the summer we try to get out and play golf. Both of us started playing when I was out at Millersville. There was an awesome course on campus that we learned to play on and we have been hacking away ever since. I used to be the better golfer but he has turned the tide over the last few years. I barely get out anymore while he is able to play a handful of times every month. It’s ugly for me but we still love getting out and playing together regardless of who has the best day. So many funny stories over the years I really can’t mention… Ok I will - like when Tim hit a shot off my face (not joking) or when he shanked one into a parking lot and hit a car. Aaaahhhh the good ol’ days!

Tim is a lifelong best friend. He is always there for me whenever I need a favor or some advice. Whenever we can (rarely these days) we try and do breakfast. It was something we did every single Friday while in high school. We loved it. And we try to do it as much as possible these days. But later in life, once things settle down and we get older and don’t have to work as hard, we are going to go to breakfast together every Friday. You know those old guys you see at a diner every week when you go? That will be us. I always admire those old guys and think to myself, I cannot wait for that to be Tim and I. We’ll talk cars, sports, brag about our families and complain why the coffee isn’t the exact right temperature. Those are the things I look forward to - and in between now and then, we’ll have so many funny stories that we really won’t be able to mention… Love ya, Tim

Jason Jarrett 11/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Jason is a Technology Education teacher at Boiling Springs High School in Boiling Springs, PA. He has been teaching there for 7 years now and is in his 8th year of teacher; his first year at Council Rock North High School in Newtown, PA.

Professionally, Jason is passionate about his teaching. He likes being a Graphic Communication teacher because it allows him to work with different types of digital media such as digital photography, digital video, image editing, web design and animations. He loves seeing students using technology to be creative and advance their technical skills. He is always striving to motivate students to take pride in their work, challenging themselves and pushing the limits of their abilities. The “Mr. Jarrett, is this good enough?” is not something he ever wants to hear in his classroom. "Challenging ourselves mentally and physically is a great way to improve not only yourself but the people around you."

Jason’s career accolades are very impressive for a 30 year young professional. He has a Bachelors of Science in Technology Education from Millersville and a Masters of Science in Classroom Technology from Wilkes University. He is the TSA (Technology Student Association) advisor at his school, he is the TSA Region 3 Coordinator/Board of Directors member, the Jumpers/Sprinters coach for the High School Track team and last but not least an Eagle Scout!

Personally, Jay is passionate about his family and friends. At times he can be a complete loner, searching out solitude (his words not mine!) But he is happiest when he is around the people that he cares about. He loves spending time with his lovely wife Jenn and their dog Conrad. He is the oldest of three boys, Justin and Jonathan, with two wonderful parents, Craig and Nanette. Growing up his family was always outside which gave Jay his love for the outdoors. When not spending time with family and friends, Jay likes hunting, camping, biking, scuba diving, shooting at the range and working on home improvements. When he wants to be lazy, he spends hours reading books, watching movies and of course, plenty of video game playing!

Before turning 30 this past October he was able to experience many great new things. He met his wife Jenn while on a cruise in the Caribbean, hiked 100 miles of the Appalachian Trail, went scuba diving in Honduras and Jamaica and rode 250 miles to the New Jersey coast with his brother and father. In the last year he went whitewater rafting with a group of best friends, got married (who would have thought!), went on a Mediterranean cruise to Spain, France and Italy for his honeymoon and last but not least, just went skydiving with Jenn for his 30th birthday. He finished his 20’s with no regrets! 

 

Influence 11/52Jason Jarrett Jay standing out on Pole Steeple near the Appalachian trail. A cool fact: Pole Steeple's summit and the rest of the South Mountain were created during the collision of the last Pangaea as North America slammed into the continent of Africa. If that doesn't blow your mind I don't know what would! 

 

Influence: 

Jay is one of my best friends and is easily my best friend from college. And lucky for us, we stay in touch and see each other every few months. It’s a great friendship and one that I am lucky to have.

I met Jay my very first semester at Millersville. We had our Energy, Power and Transportation class together at a satellite campus in Lancaster (Osburn Hall at Millersville was under complete renovation my first year.) It was one of my first Tech. Ed classes that I had at Millersville so I was a bit nervous and excited all at the same time. Jay sat across the room from me and seemed to have a group of friends he was hanging out with. Let’s just say that Jay was, well, a bit “cocky” shall we say! He seemed like he knew everything - little did I know, his dad was a Tech Ed teacher, Jay was super involved in Tech Ed classes and organizations (TSA) growing up. So, umm, yeah, he did kind of know everything! He had connections at Millersville and he was a smart kid with plenty to offer. So I was a little put-off by Jay at first. But we slowly started to talk, worked together on some things in class and before you knew it, we were inseparable. After that class, we had nearly every class together for next 3 years. We tried scheduling our classes together and planning out our semesters so we could either be lab partners or at the very least able to hang out as much as possible during class.

I loved being around Jay in most of my classes - he is smarter than me. Who doesn’t like being around people who are smarter than them?! I often leaned on him during our Graphics classes because he was a whiz. I had very little training from high school in that area, where Jay was an award winning high school talent in Graphics. Needless to say, I sat next to him whenever I could! I learned a ton from Jay. He has an eye for graphics that I don’t. So being as I like to learn new things and learn from people who are good at what they do, it was only natural for me to soak up Jay’s skills.

We also liked being around each other outside of class. We would often get together to bitch about professors, dumb kids in class, etc. We had a great clique of four friends that all got along together so well. Myself, Jay, Vanessa and Dave were usually always together. Between class, during and outside we really enjoyed being with each other. Each of us had our own strengths and weaknesses in Tech. Ed. that we all helped each other with. Our personalities also mixed well - we helped each other through the stressful and sometimes difficult times of college. Every Wednesday night we had our weekly happy hour meeting. The local dive bar served up free food every Wednesday along with cheap (at the time it felt expensive) beer. We went religiously and it was always something we looked forward to during class. We would be on hour four of a lab, headaches roaring and all look at each other and say what we thought was for dinner. Meatballs, hot ham, hot roast beef, sloppy joes and of course, french fries. God I loved Wednesday nights!

Jay and I are very alike. We enjoy teaching and being involved with our kids in clubs. We love being outdoors and hanging out together. We plan out dates/weekends every year to get together. We have our annual Tech. Ed. conference that is only 20 minutes from his house. So I spend a few nights there hanging out with him. We also have our TSA state conference in April that we get to see each other for a few days to hang out. We used to go to Dewey Beach every summer (7 years+ I believe) to hang out with another Millersville grad. That was easily the highlight of my summer. Right after college was done we would head down, or once we got done teaching in June, that first week off we would shoot right down. We would be on the beach drinking by 10am some years! Nothing like it! But life has caught up with me and family time has taken over in place of warm sand and late nights! We also try to hang out at a few other times throughout the year so we don’t go too long without seeing each other. It’s a great friendship that I cherish. He has meant a great deal to me and my career. He is someone who I always look up to. He is a perfectionist when it comes to teaching and I really admire that. Without Jay I can easily say that I would not be as creative and hard working in teaching. He always raises the bar and I strive to stay on his tail! Thanks for being a great colleague and an even better friend - love ya! 

 

Ms. Lori Gallagher 10/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Lori Gallagher - Art Teacher and former Tech Ed/Family Consumer Science/Art/Music Department chair. Now currently a teacher-on-assignment instructional coach for grades K-12.

Lori has been teaching Art for 25 years, all of them at Hatboro-Horsham H.S. Lori is 1/12 finalists for the 2014 Teacher of the Year for Pennsylvania. She is absolutely honored to be nominated and is anxiously awaiting the results next month.

Lori is extremely passionate about her students. She enjoys learning who they are, their interests, what their desires are for their futures and ultimately what she can do to help them achieve their goals. She takes great pride and deep satisfaction in watching her students achieve what they once thought to be impossible.

Lori's personal passion lies with her family, her art, traveling and spending as much time at the beach as possible. Her family time is spent enjoying sports with her nephews or hanging out in Sea Isle City reading on the beach or playing in the waves. When not playing on the beach, she loves to paint - watercolor and colored pencils are her choice of medium. Other than the beach, her art is inspired by her travel to Italy and Canada. To her, very few places are as beautiful as Tuscany and as unique as Venice. She would go back in a heartbeat!

 

Influence 10/52Ms. Lori Gallagher Lori in her classroom

 

Influence: 

Lori is one of the first few people I talked to at Hatboro-Horsham. If you recall my recent blog post with my Principal, Dennis Williams, I spoke with him first when I called to inquire about the open Technology Education position. He then directed me to Lori who was the head of the Art/Family Consumer Science/Tech Ed. department. I vividly remember that conversation with her. I was sitting outside on my patio of our old apartment after work one afternoon.  I was asking her all about the Tech. Ed. department - what they had to offer, equipment, supplies, classes, etc. She was so nice and answered everything as good as she could for me.

A few days later, I got to meet Lori and she showed me around. I then had my interview with her and Dennis. It was a fairly easy interview for me since I currently had a job at Central Bucks and didn't need to leave. But I wanted to be in a high school and I was getting a great vibe being in the building and around her as well.  You can see how that story has gone!

Lori is an awesome teacher. Her students create pieces of art that you just marvel at. I can really appreciate their artwork because I literally have zero artistic talent! And I know many people do not, which is why it's amazing to see her in action and getting her kids to create such amazing work.

Lori is very down to earth and her room is always open for students to hang out in and get work done. She really has created a great learning environment for her kids. Many of her students have gone on to be extremely successful both professionally and personally. And I know that is from her knowledge and guidance. As a department head, (currently not this year as she has taken on a year's position as an instructional coach) Lori always has our back. In the field of the 'Arts' as we are, you need someone who will fight for your staff. Budget cuts, various state level student tests, furloughs, demotions, etc are all part of the annual fight we face in our areas. But Lori helps keep us relevant within the building and district. Her success as a teacher is an obvious reason why. It's hard to cut a program or programs when she has brought such success to the district. Her passion for teaching, for the students and for Art is a major reason why we have such a great department here at H-H. So thank you Lori for being a great teacher, mentor and department head! Best of luck as the 2014 PA Teacher of the Year - You deserve every part of that award! 

 

 

Larry Kieffer 9/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

The Person: Larry Kieffer. Father-in-law

Larry is one of those people when you put into writing what he has done over his life you think, "wow!" Larry spent the past 32 years working for Synfin/TSG Finishing in various positions, with the last 12 years being the Director of Engineering. Over the 32 years, he retrofitted old equipment, photographed company and industrial needs, redesigned their lab into a state of the art textile R&D facility, created a company newsletter and helped the company transition to North Carolina as part of the companies consolidation. After the company decided to move south, Larry chose to stay here to spend time with his family and grandson.

Larry has many career accolades including having one of his pictures featured in a trade magazine, helping develop a lamination procedure for Kevlar bulletproof vests, various car seat fabric embossing designs and designing and constructing an in-house wash down water treatment system that was replicated at a local water department.

Personally, Larry has many many interests. He is an avid musician who loves playing guitar and composing his own music. He loves nature and being outdoors on his canoe, hiking, and being on the beach. He also has enjoys woodworking, carpentry and construction (didn't I mention how he does it all?!) He loves creating something from start to finish!

Larry also has enjoyed the last 18+ months of his new Grandson. He feels really lucky and blessed to have him in his life. Any time he is around, all of his cares seem to go away. He is happily married to his wife of 32+ years, has raised two wonderful children, has a son-in-law(awesome guy!) and a soon to be daughter in law who have also joined his family. 

 

Influence 9/52Larry Kieffer Larry in his canoe at Lake Galena (Peace Valley Park)

 

Influence: 

Father-in-law, do-it-all, and one hell of a fun guy! Larry is one of those people who you want to be around all the time. He is fun, down to earth and good natured.

I met Larry a little over 12 years ago now when I took Ashley out on our first "date." He and his wife Debby have been such a huge influence in my life. At a time when I was stuck at home, working for my dad and grinding out night classes in college, they were a welcome relief to be around.

Larry is very kind and extremely talented. Want a beer? No problem, he picked up some that you like. Need help doing something? No problem, he'll be right over. Want to know the most obscure, random and completely useless information in the world? No problem, Larry knows everything! No, seriously, he knows everything. You somehow made it onto "Who Wants to be a Millionare?" I will give you Larry's number right now for phone a friend. Haha, guy just knows stuff!

Larry is also a stark contrast to my father. Larry just wants to have a good time and to relax. So it is a great contrast that I have with my father-in-law. Hanging out with my in-laws is a blast. They just want to have fun. I know some people just laughed out loud because they don't have the best relationships with their in-laws. It's funny because I obviously don't know any better. I think it's weird that other people don't like spending time with their in-laws!

One of my most memorable moments with Larry was during our wedding. At the reception, by the pool, Larry broke out his guitar. The DJ moved a microphone over to a chair where he was setup and Larry started playing. He was singing a song to Ashley and I. And not just any song from the radio. Larry made up his own song. He made up all of the lyrics and guitar notes himself. He played that song right there in front of everyone. It was an awesome song and he still sings that song every few weeks while we are over at their house. 6+ years later he still knows that song inside and out. See, that's Larry - he took his passion for music and his kids and turned it into something that we were able to enjoy. Thanks for being a great Dad, Larry! 

 

 

Steve 'CP' Pattison 8/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Steve 'CP' Pattison. CP is a strength and conditioning coach who spent 17 years as the Football strength coach. He is now is the proud owner of a gym in Perkasie, PA - CP's Metal Health. CP has been involved in weight lifting for over 30 years.
CP is also the distinguished owner of 7 world championships of his own, while being coach of the year 3 times along with multiple world teams . In the little town of Perkasie, PA, CP has been involved with coaching 30 world champions!

CP is a humbled grandfather of 4 kids and has watched his own children have success inside and out of the classroom. In 2006, he was involved in a near death accident. He was hit by a drunk driver and left for dead on the side of the road. He was clinically dead and put into an induced coma. He suffered multiple injuries including both knees and shoulders being replaced, 4 fractures in his back and loss of touch from nerve damage. The doctors said if he made it out of the coma that he would most likely never walk again or be able to take care of himself.

I personally don't think the doctors knew who they were dealing with! While it has been a struggle every day recovering, he has come back and is walking and talking to prove them wrong. The guy is still competing in power lifting competitions even to this day! He loves lifting and that has motivated him to keep moving forward and getting better. He is thankful every day for being where he is in his life now. 

 

Influence 8/52Steve 'CP' Pattison CP standing proud in his gym - 'CP's Metal Health'

 

Influence: 

So CP was one of the very first people to ever show me how to lift. And by lift, I mean properly! In the off-season of wrestling CP would be the coach in our weight room instructing athletes in working out. I loved being around him and soaking in all of his knowledge. He was rough, tough and extremely motivating. But he was also extremely caring and invested in you. He would come down to our wrestling matches every night to watch his lifting wrestlers compete. While he was not an official coach of the team, he would be there cheering us on and motivating us before we went out onto the mat. And believe me, when CP got a hold of you to pump you up, it worked! He is intense!

At our High School, Pennridge, CP started a power lifting team. I was there in the first few years we got started. CP asked me to come along to a powerlifting competition at Glen Mills high school. While I was not nearly strong enough to compete for any sort of award, he wanted me to come along and get experience. I learned how to properly power lift with all of the rules associated. And it was great seeing fellow students lift incredible amounts of weight. Something you don't forget. Now a days, CP has turned the power lifting team into a national power house. He brings handfuls of kids out to Las Vegas every year to compete, never leaving without world records and titles! Amazing how far they have come and all under CP's guidance.

Even though CP is more or less a 'power' lifting coach, he stresses technique. In power lifting, you actually need proper technique. If you don't hold a lift long enough, it is not considered legal. So he always stressed to me how important technique was. And this has stuck with me for the last 16+ years since being with him. My philosophy is not necessarily the weight, but the proper form. I am a firm believer in form over weight. Ever see a big guy in the gym doing bicep curls with tons of weight on? And ever see that exact same guy rocking back and forth while trying to lift that weight?! Yep, totally wrong. Using your back and momentum to lift that weight is doing nothing for your biceps. Lower your weight and do it properly.

As I have become the strength and conditioning coach for our wrestling team for the past 5 -6 years, I have stressed this same moto. I always make my kids start with low weight and learn how to properly lift. Too many people have no clue how to lift and especially how to do it properly. And you cannot really blame them, they never had anyone train them or teach them properly. This is why CP was such an awesome guy to learn from. And I am extremely grateful to have had him in my life, especially when I did. As a young 14-15 year old kid, learning from CP set me up for the rest of my life. I now get to pay that forward every year with my student athletes. I am not only teaching/coaching my athletes but I am lifting right there with them. I try to be that role model and give them something to model after. "Mr. Pompei, you have the craziest form I have ever seen when you lift. It's, like, perfect." I hear it every single year from my athletes. And every time I hear that I smile and think to myself, "Thanks CP!" 

 

 

Mr. Dennis M. Williams Jr. 7/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Dennis M. Williams Jr. - Principal, Hatboro-Horsham High School

Mr. Williams has been in the education field for 17 years now with 7 of those years as a Social Studies teacher . He is currently in his 10th year as an administrator, 9 of them as the building principal.

Dennis has been selected to speak at various county, regional and national conferences in his tenure as Principal. He has also participated on the Pennsylvania Department of Education panels and has received awards and recognition for his commitment in the education field.

Dennis is passionate about creating an environment where students and faculty are comfortable, feel safe and believe that there is the continuous potential for growth academically, professionally, socially and emotionally. The excitement and unexpected nature of ever day is exciting to him. Mr. Williams enjoys the positive impact his leadership can have on an organization. He likes watching the passion and innovation exhibited by some of the teachers and the desire they have to make the learning process relevant and engaging for students. He takes pleasure in his profession and the impact that he is able to have on an entire organization with a clear and focused vision, a talented staff and a community that supports what we do.

 

Influence 7/52Mr. Dennis M. Williams Jr. Dennis standing in front of the High School

 

Influence: 

Dennis is my boss. And he fits the description - the students and staff respect him. He is the kind of guy you like working for. He is understanding but can put the hammer down when he needs to! He is a big guy, dresses well and doesn't mess around! But, he is also understanding. He was a teacher and understands how things work. He lets the staff do their thing and handle our business in the classroom. And he feels that is where we as a staff can be successful. And to me, that is paramount.

I first contacted Dennis back in the Spring of 2007. I was teaching at Holicong Middle School for Central Bucks School District. I got that job right out of college and life was good. But I just wasn't feeling the middle school vibe even though I enjoyed the staff at Holicong. So I found out that Hatboro-Horsham (HH) was hiring a Technology Education teacher at the High School. I really knew nothing about HH but figured I should inquire. So I called the contact person, who was Mr. Williams. Little did I know, he was the Principal! So I called him and we spoke for a few minutes and he sounded like a great guy and seemed excited that I was interested in the job. He then gave me Lori Gallagher's name (you will see her soon!) Lori was the department head of the Family Consumer Science, Art and Technology Education department. So I gave her a call and she was great in describing the school, department, etc.  Long story short, after a great interview, I got the job. Leaving Holicong was not easy and honestly was one of the hardest career decisions I have ever made. But I have not regretted that decision and have loved every second of being here at HH. And Dennis is one of those reasons why.

Every school has its issues, hurdles and trying times. In today's education field, times have never been harder. Terrible decisions from the State and National level force schools into a corner in nearly every scenario. We have become a society solely dependent upon test scores. How did your school/student score in this test, in that test, etc. It's been somehow used to determine how good a school is these days. Which is a shame because testing has no real world value in society.  Can you imagine coming out of college, going in for an interview and the interviewer going "so, back in the 11th grade, how did you test on your Keystone Science test?" Get out. It's meaningless. The employer will be asking you what type of real world experience you have in your field, what  can you contribute to your staff/colleagues , how involved are you in extra-curricular activities, do you belong to any professional organizations, etc. We are forced to teach to the test. Not to the student. And that is a sad part of today's education. The decisions being passed down are short sighted. Tax payers want teachers and schools held accountable. And honestly, there is nothing wrong with that. But when you have to find a way to analyze a teacher/administrator and do it by test scores alone, there is a major flaw there.

Dennis is a great leader and someone who understands the hurdles we face going forward. He is the perfect guy to delegate when he needs to and be hands off when he needs to. You can't ask for much more than that!  

 

 

Mr. Mark Buckley 6/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Mark Buckley - Childhood Neighbor, Businessman and Father

Mark has been in the "sales" world for 13 years now, but currently at his management position for 3.5. He was a graduate of Lock Haven University with a BS in Mass Communications/Journalism in 1999. He loves good craft beer - "No Coors Light Please!"

Mark has been happily married to his lovely wife, Ashley for 11 years (what's crazy about this is that my wife Ashley and I attended this wedding. We still consider it one of the funnest weddings we have ever been too!) Mark and Ashley have 3 beautiful daughters, Layla(8), Abby (5), and Samantha(1). The teenage years are going to be awesome! He is also a big supporter of the Berks County United Way and the Southeastern PA Easter Seals Foundation. 

Mark considers himself very blessed to have a job and a position that he loves.  He works for AcuSport, Inc, which is the best in the shooting sports industry. He truly enjoys going to work. His team is considered the most knowledgeable and professional group within their organization. He enjoys learning from them as they learn from him as well. The most exciting thing about his job is the fact that their team has endless opportunities to grow their business…and the best part about that, is that they do this through their passion for the shooting sports industry. While a very controversial industry to work in, their love for hunting and target shooting is held very dear to all of our hearts, as they all grew up enjoying the great outdoors and the history of gunsmithing in our country and around the world. Companies turn to Mark not just for products, but for web site development, legal counsel, marketing and in depth business consultation.  One of the most important aspects of what he does, is the fact that they've achieved success by working with the Independent Business Owner only!  Mark and his company sell nothing to Big Box stores (i.e. Walmart, Cabela’s, etc.)…they believe the independent business owner is what makes this country so great.

Personally, Mark enjoys spending time with his family. They like being outside, attending various sporting events from the High School level up through the pro's. They do some hiking and enjoy all of the local places they can explore where they live in Berks County. There are no video games in this house (which, as you read below may come as a surprise!) They love taking their annual road trips to Virginia, North Carolina and Florida, where they go boating and fishing while visiting friends and family. 

 

 

Influence 6/52Mark Buckley Mark walking on our old street with an old school Nerf Turbo football

 

Influence: 

Mark was one of my first real friends. Sure I had other friends but Mark was the first one who I spent a lot of time with. And I mean a lot. I considered him my big brother and I loved hanging out with him. And best of all, he was my neighbor. 

Growing up on West Rock Road in Perkasie, there isn't much to do. And that is putting it nicely. There was woods, trees, woods, fields, some trees, rocks and a few wooded areas. But damnit, we were young and determined to have fun! He had a great yard with his house right on the street and I lived about 200 yards behind him. His front yard was perfect for Nerf turbo football. We played every weekend, snow, rain, you name it. Sometimes it was just the two of us but a lot of times we would try to get some of the neighbor kids to come over. Mark was "all-time" quarterback. You know, when he would play quarterback for both teams. He was older, bigger and played football. A natural fit. We played what seemed like hours at a time. He would be Joe Montana and I would be Jerry Rice. We were untouchable on his yard.

He had this huge pine tree right at the corner of his property. So we had, like 30-40 yards between his driveway and this pine tree. We would use this pine tree as our end zone area. Basically anything to the left of it was in bounds (his yard) and anything into the tree or to the right (road) was out of bounds. No need for instant replay here folks. Then he had another big pine tree right next to his driveway, same as the other with about 30 yards in between the two. It was a perfect field. Well, one day we are out there and it's just the two of us. We are backed up to his driveway and he says "Go deep, post pattern towards the pine tree." I take off, hit my break like Jerry Rice in his prime and bolt for the tree. Mark puts the ball up as soon as I come out of my break and it's going deep. I am in a full sprint now, eyes and head back looking up at the ball. I catch this thing and nearly instantaneously am destroyed by said pine. I ran full speed into this thing and had no clue I was that close to it. I was a solid 4'-5' deep in this tree (Mind you the base of this tree has to be 15' across) and am wondering what the hell just happened. I've got pine cones up my butt, pine needles in my mouth, branches stabbing me from every direction. But as was the case in my youth, I held onto the ball. Touchdown 49ers! After about 45 seconds of climbing back out of this tree, I find Mark on the ground hysterically laughing. He nearly peed his paints. Quarterbacks never appreciate their receivers... 

Mark is older than me, so needless to say, during our friendship he introduced me to a lot of things. Many I will not mention but one that I would be remiss without mentioning was Techmo Bowl. Nintendo, circa like 1992 (yes I know original Techmo Bowl came out in 1989.) We are talking original here people, not Super Techmo Bowl (although we played that too.) 12 teams and you pretty much only picked four of them - Chicago (Singletary, Dent, Payton, Gentry); NY Giants (Simms, Bavaro, Taylor); San Francisco (Montana, Rice, Taylor, Lott, Craig); Raiders (Jackson & Allen) That's it. The other teams were just not good enough. We would play this for hours on end. Seeing who could have the longest Walter Payton or Bo Jackson run of the day was always fun. Not to mention how many sacks you could get with Lawrence Taylor. Those were video games, simple and so much fun. 

We had some great times. But Mark was older, he was getting late into his High School days and soon was going off to College. So obviously we grew apart and didn't spend nearly every weekend together. But he would come home fairly often and we would get a chance to hang out. That will lead me into another great story - Mark had a big party at his parents house one summer. In fact, it was the night before my family was heading to the Outer Banks for vacation. I was 15 years old and pumped to see Mark and hang out with his college friends. My best friend at the time, Eric Baker was hanging out that day so we went down together. Plenty of 'fun' and hours later, we went back to my parents house. I was leaving at like 5am so I needed to get at least some sleep. Not sure what time we got back but it was safe to say it was after midnight. So I get up and wake Eric up so he can leave. We roll out to my driveway to start packing and his car is not there. Hmmm. Wait, his car is not parked in my driveway?! Ok, where the hell is it?! I asked Eric, "you did put the parking brake on right, I mean it couldn't have rolled back into the pond could it?!" (We had a pond about 150 yards from where he parked) "No way" we both said. So after aimlessly trying to find this car for about 30min I had to leave. So he was going to stay and call his mom to pick him if he somehow couldn't find it. Long story short, I come to find out later that Mark and his buddies (drunk mind you) snuck up to my house around 3am and hijacked Eric's 1985 volkswagen rabbit! They pushed this thing all the way down my parents driveway (a LONG driveway mind you,) crossed over West Rock Road and plowed it into the high grass field on the other side of the road. You could barely see this thing hiding in the weeds! To this day I have no idea why they did it (Mark still says he has no idea why or how!) but man do we laugh about it every time it comes up. Hilarious story. 

Mark comes from a huge family, 6 total - 4 brothers and 1 sister. Yeah, huge family! But he was the youngest and the rest of his family had moved out of his parents house when we starting hanging out. It was just him, his mom and dad. I would often wonder why he was so nice and would take care of me. I think Mark wanted a younger brother, someone to look over, like his older brother's had. He wanted to be the "big brother" so to speak. Not sure if that is the case or not, but I cherish all of the years we spent together. He was my big brother and I learned so much from Mark. I grew up fast because of him and certainly appreciated it. There are so many stories and unforgettable moments from our times together - it is so much fun thinking back to then. Young, not a care in the world and just boys being boys. I really hope my son Cooper can have those same moments. You hold them with you forever. 

Thanks Mark, you're the big brother I never had.

 

 

Mr. Allen Androkites 5/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Allen Androkites - Teacher. Mr. Androkites is the Woodworking and Technology Education Coordinator at Pennridge High School. He has been teaching for 33 years, 31 of them woodworking. 

Mr. A was fortunate to have parents who supported him and thought that education was important. His father was a skilled 'fix-it-all' guy . Mr. Androkites went to Millersville University to study Technology Education and then became the wood lab assistant and graduate assistant for 2 years. He saw how the system ran and fell in love with the place. He had the honor of learning under Dr. George Hauber (who many contest as the best professor to ever teach in the Technology Education dept.) Dr. Hauber taught him design and craftsmanship and also gave Mr. Andorkites the idea to write a book about Paul Eshelman; who was a retired professor that inspired many students. 

Professionaly, he get's the most from teaching his students his passion - woodworking. He enjoys seeing his students grow from year to year and all of their work displayed at the annual Art's festival in May. And most of all, he enjoys motivating his students enough to go to Millersville to study Tech. Ed. 

Outside of school, he enjoys spending time with his family (wife and three children.) He is an avid woodworker who likes building Windsor chairs, turning wood on the lathe, going to Lancaster for the day, and eating and cooking. 

 

 

Influence 5/52Mr. Allen Androkites Mr. Androkites working on his wood lathe, turning a walnut leg for a chair

 

Influence: 

Old School. Classic. Throwback. The "old guard." "They don't make 'em like they used to."

That right there, that is Mr. A. This guy is one of the best woodworkers in this area, hands down. And the best part, he is a teacher! Mr. Androkites was my wood shop teacher at Pennridge and I was lucky enough to take all of his classes. Learning from Mr. A was an experience many people do not get the fortune to have. I don't know about you, but I love watching people who are extremely talented at what they do. Athletes, musicians, etc. Watching him during my short 3 years taking his classes was one of those times. I was always in awe of what he could do in the wood lab. 

He introduced me to tools and machines I had never used before. Coming from a construction background, I was almost always around machinery. Helping my dad every summer got me a ton of experience working with my hands. So having Mr. A teach me the finer ways of working was an incredible experience. 

What made Mr. A so unique was his way of going about it. He is dry, slightly rough around the edges and hilarious with a shallow filter. And that is what makes him the best! In the beginning of every semester we had to take our safety testing. Get an answer wrong, you had to hand write it 10x. Imagine that. And if you would rock back in your chair while he was teaching, forget it. Pushups. Immediately. You had to do a minimum of 10 pushups right there in front of everyone. Imagine that. And the best part was that no one said a word, no whining, no complaining. He caught you, not much had to be said. No one fought back. He had such a demeanor about him that made you think "hmm, I don't want to mess with this guy." And rightfully so. Because the things he taught you were awesome. You wanted to listen, pay attention and soak it all in. 

See wood shop is the most unique class in all of schooling. That's not just my opinion but I feel as though it's a fact. Wood working is a life skill. It's something that everyone should learn. You should know how to use a hammer, a screw driver, make something on your own. Learn how to manipulate nature. Get down to the nitty gritty. It is, in my opinion, the very basics of life. And if you have ever taken a wood working class you know exactly what I am talking about. Geometry, measuring. They are just taught and forgotten in a math class. Now, go square up a 2x6x10 rough stock of red oak and it will make you remember those long lost math skills that were merely written down on a piece of paper and throw away after class. Using a table saw, band saw, router, etc., it humbles you. As a punk 15-18 year old kid there is no greater way to settle you down. Having a solid piece of maple nearly fly back in your face because you didn't pay attention to directions - yeah that will wake your ass up! 

I made furniture in that class that is still being used in 4 homes today. My parents house, my friends house, my cousin's house and my grandmother's house. And all of them are on display, actually being used. Because they are beautiful hand made pieces of furniture that you cannot buy. They are all custom made, one-offs. 

Mr. Androkites is an avid historian about woodworking and his alma mater, Millersville University. He even went as far to write a book about one of his famous professor's, Dr. Paul Eshelman and his works as a woodworker. Mr. Androkites is an extremely talented wood worker. He has a niche for the 'shaker' style furniture and creates beautiful pieces that he sells and displays at shows.

His classes that I took in school were some of my most memorable. Making beautiful furniture all on my own was such a huge accomplishment. And he was very meticulous in his grading and opinion of your work. He made you better every time you walked into the lab. And if you messed up, he would play tic tac toe right onto your wood (sometimes in sharpie) so you would have to sand it down. Haha, that always sucked.

He sends a handful of his students to Millersville every year. His influence in my teenage years is one of the reasons I went to Millersville. I wanted to keep that craft in my life and learn even more. He helps keep the Technology Education teaching profession alive and more importantly, teaches the future of this country how to use their hands and how to do it the blue collar way, with a bit of sweat and elbow grease. I cannot stress how important that is in today's day and age. It is a dying art form - but Mr. Androkites is right there to keep this fundamental way of life around. Keep it up Mr. A, you have taught me things in life that I cherish every day. 

 

 

 

Mr. Robert Miller 4/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Robert Miller - Teacher. Mr. Miller is a Technology Education Teacher at Pennridge High School. He has been teaching for 26 years and, as he puts it, "enjoying the ride for 48!" He specifically teaches Architecture, drafting and AutoCad. 

Mr. Miller is a father of two sons, Bobby and Danny. His sons are very involved in sports, especially ice hockey. He and his wife have enjoyed the opportunity to share in their experiences, with a lot of highs (a district championship for both of them) and a few lows (with a serious injury.) Mr. Miller has been to over 800 ice hockey games but he is not the biggest ice hockey fan. He says once the boys are done playing he may never go see a game again. But has enjoyed every second of watching them play. It's an opportunity many parents never get to have.

He has been fortunate enough to work with many great kids over the last 20+ years. The rewarding part of teaching is when his students learn and grow. He enjoys students walking into his room with no experience working in CAD but walking out of his classroom at the end of the year with a professional portfolio and a sense of accomplishment. Every year his students amaze him and themselves in what they can accomplish. 

His career accolades come from the "Thank You's" from many students and parents past and present. Many of his students have gone on to become successful and he is happy to be a part of that success story. If you cannot tell, Mr. Miller is a modest man. 

 

Influence 4/52Mr. Robert Miller Mr. Miller at one of his drafting tables in his classroom

 

Influence: 

Where to start with Mr. Miller. Let's start with this: GOOD GUY!

Mr. Miller was my Drafting/Architecture teacher in high school. He somehow put up with me and my antics in his class. And boy am I glad he did because he changed my life. While that sounds dramatic, it's the truth. See I had no vision or direction my freshman and sophomore years at school. I screwed around in class and didn't care. His classes were one of five that I cared about my entire four years at Pennridge (Lunch, Gym, Home Ec.[foods] & Wood shop.) Now while that may be true for some people out there, it didn't help that I tried to be a class clown many of the times as well. I could tell you many, many stories about how I was a real ass in his classroom. I honestly feel bad how I acted in his class, how I didn't seem to care. But I knew deep down he cared about me and could tell I wasn't a bad kid. But I kept pushing and I know I let him down sometimes. I think about that often and it's a shame I didn't realize what I had in front of me at that time. I mean, I loved his classes and him. It was one of the reasons I wanted to go to school.

I met a lot of great friends there, learned things I still use today. But something was missing. I was crying out for something. But when you are 16 or so, you don't care about many things. I cared about my car, my girlfriend, where I was hopefully partying the following weekend, etc. So you can kind of see where I was heading. 

It was October or November of my Junior year, taking his Architecture I or II class when the life altering event happened. I went to the college fair at school and was thinking of being a big wig business man in NYC or something. Because, as a kid, who didn't want to study business, make six figures and live in NYC? It was the easy way out. I really had no idea. I came back to class with a bunch of college pamphlets and brochures and sat down. He came over as I started to get my floor plans laid out on my desk. 

Mr. Miller: "So, what you find out?"
Me: "Oh, I have no idea. Some school stuff. I really have no clue what I want to do. Maybe business or something."
Mr. Miller (signalling with his hand): "Come over here, I want to show you something."

He walked me over to the wall above the hand washing station and showed me a gold/yellow flyer hanging up.

Mr. Miller: "See this. This is a flyer from Millersville University. Read that."

The flyer read: Critical Shortage of Technology Education Teachers in the state of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Miller: "Millersville is a college in Lancaster, PA where I went to school and so did Mr. Androkites (you will see him soon!) You seem to really enjoy yourself down here taking our classes. Why don't you look into this. You could teach classes just like I do. It's a lot of fun and Millersville has one of the only two programs in the state. And in my opinion, it's the best."
Me: "Wait. I can go to school to do what you and Mr. A do?!" And get paid for it?!" 

And the rest, as they say, is history. Bucks County Community College for two years (Deans & Presidents lists [3.8 gpa]) then to Millersville (Cum Laude [3.64gpa] graduating with honors and an Athletic Coaching minor Faculty award.) I will never forget that day and still tell that story every 6 months or so to my students.

You see, I  teach many Nick Pompei's. Kids who maybe don't exactly know what they want to do. They don't have the vision yet, the drive. Most of them have no idea of what Technology Education is and what they can do with it. They might not be good test takers, can goof around a little too much, etc. So I share this story with my kids to let them know that there is something out there for them. I am proof of that. They need to button down, work hard and realize that when an amazing opportunity falls in their lap they need to seize the moment. Work hard, put your nose to the grindstone as they say and go get it. That's why I am where I am today. 

Sometimes life can change on a dime and present you with a fork in the road. And having a guy like Mr. Miller standing at said fork with a giant sign that says "Yo Nick, this way dude!" is that opportunity. That's why Mr. Miller changed my life. Everything I have now may not have been without him. Wife, son, career, house, etc. It's a butterfly effect and philosophical to think about really. Kind of trips you out! 

So taking all of his architecture classes taught me many life skills. But it gave my life a new outlook. And I try to pay that forward as best I can. That's what good teachers do and better yet, that's what good people do. Mr. Miller, thank you sir. Job well done.
 

 

 

 

 

Dr. Len Litowitz 3/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dr. Len Litowitz - Educator. Dr. Litowitz is a professor at Millersville University, in the newly renamed Applied Engineering, Safety and Technology department. Dr. Litowitz has been teaching at Millersville for 28 years now. Before Millersville, he taught at Bowling Green University and the University Minnesota while pursuing his degrees. 

Dr. Litowitz is passionate about teaching and working with young people. His quote, "In my mind I feel like I am still 16, although my body is a lot older." That is a classic line from Dr. Litowitz! 

His passions include international travel, going to the shore and all water sports. He enjoys a good boat ride on the bay, a day at the beach, reading, eating good food and cheering for his New York Rangers and New York Yankees (we will overlook this...) playing with his cats and a big glass of cheap wine. "Save the snobby stuff for someone else!." Another classic Dr. Litowitz comment! Haha.

His professional highlights include a study/tour of Britain's Design & Technology curriculum with other Pennsylvanian's, serving as President of both PA State and National Associations, authoring a number of grants, writing his own books (to which I still own!) and plenty of passionate teaching. Personal highlight are a 30 year marriage milestone that is approaching, raising two children, and surviving a heart attack.

 

Influence 3/52Dr. Len Litowitz Dr. Litowitz standing in Osburn Hall - our Applied Engineering, Safety & Technology building at Millersville University

 

Influence: 

If you could gather from the funny quote's above, Dr. Litowitz is a character. He was one of the first people I met while on a visit to Millersville. Actually, he wasn't the first. He came after meeting two "higher administrative" people when I went on my first official visit. I met with those people first because I was in need of some help in getting into MU. I needed to, well, do some ass kissing. See, my grades stunk. I screwed around my first 2.5 years of high school and had poor grades along with an SAT score that would rival a 4th grader. Needless to say, trying to get into MU's education program was not going to work out. These "higher administrative" people wouldn't give me the time of day. My parents and I drove out there to be told I would need better grades, scores, etc. It was a waste of time. At least, I thought. See, I got to meet Dr. Litowitz later that day when touring the campus. I went into his office and he introduced himself. He was the first person I met at MU who cared. He told me what I needed to do, how to get in, etc. He had a heart and I will never forget that. 

The irony of this story is that not long after that meeting, Dr. Litowitz had a very bad heart attack. Luckily, he survived and was able to come back teaching. So sadly, when I finally got to MU, Dr. Litowitz was recovering and I could not take his Energy, Power and Transportation class. This was an iconic class at MU and every who went through MU talked about. Unfortunately, I didn't get to have Dr. Litowitz as a professor that first semester, I was able to have him later on as a professor and he became my pseudo counselor. My assigned Tech. Ed. counselor also could care less about me, but not Dr. Litowitz. He had his own students to guide but he helped me out whenever I asked. 

Dr. Litowitz is a worker. He is constantly involved in his profession. And it's not only his involvement, but his promotion of our area of study. He is constantly attending conferences and has helped lead organizations to further Technology Education. He is extremely dedicated to the University and his students. I enjoy seeing Dr. Litowitz every year.
                                                                                        * warning, acronym overload...*
It's guaranteed that I run into him at our TEEAP (Technology Education & Engineering Association of Pennsylvania) conference and out at the TSA (Technology Student Association) conference in Seven Springs. While at MU, I was part of a club, TECA, (Technology Education Collegiate Association) which was the most enjoyable time I had educationally. We went down to Virginia Beach every year to compete and had a great group all 3 years we went down. It was a blast. Dr. Litowitz was the lead advisor and he was great to have around down there. Experiences like that you never forget. I loved hearing his stories that he told with a hilariously dry humor. 

Do you know those people who never say no to anyone? They could be busier than the President but it wouldn't matter. They are always willing to help. That is Dr. Litowitz. Without his help and guidance I never would have graduated on time. He put me into the classes I needed to be in and helped me figure out my schedule every semester. He is an awesome professor who loves what he does. He is the type of person you always want to be around to hope some of his energy wears off on you. Anytime I run into him he is always asking how I am and how teaching is going. And more than that, he is a mentor who I consider to be a friend. 

Thank you Dr. Litowitz - your guidance got me through MU and into an awesome career! 

 

 

 

Sean McKnight 2/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Mr. Sean McKnight - Educator. Sean has been teaching for 21 years now at all levels. Currently, he is teaching at Penn Manor school district and Millersville University. Sean teaches high school in the morning, elementary in the afternoon, then off to Millersville for evening classes with college students. He loves teaching and helping out all levels of students and feels that learning is a lifelong venture.

Sean is passionate about his family and spending time with them as they grow. In his spare time he likes to hike, fish and spend time outdoors. Sean is a football guy at heart too. He has coached every level from Pop Warner all the way to the professional level for nearly 20 years. He is also currently employed by the Philadelphia Soul Arena League team. As I said, the guy is one busy and hard worker!

He has many accolades in his career: He has won several photography awards, was named the Outstanding Educator from Penn Manor School District, has piloted and started the first elementary school applied engineering program in the state, recognized by TEAP (Technology Education Association of Pennsylvania) for the article of the year, won a national championship with the Reading Express indoor football league and was most recently recognized for the outstanding Elementary Applied Engineering program in the state! Like I said, this guy does it all!

 

Influence 2/52Sean McKnight

Influence: 

Sean was my mentor teacher during my student teaching while at Millersville. I could not have asked for a better person to help me along as I was learning how to be a teacher. Penn Manor (which is the High School in the town of Millersville) has an incredible Technology Education department. They have a huge wing all dedicated to Tech Ed with multiple teachers working in a multitude of concentrations. All the guys in the department were great to be around and very helpful. Not to mention, they made me feel like I was part of the department which really helped my confidence at the time.

I was lucky to get placed with Sean who mainly teaches digital photography, some graphic design and printing. It was a perfect situation for me. Sean has a commanding presence about him. He's a big guy and teaches with authority, yet has a fun personality with the kids. After just about 2 weeks of being with him, I felt at home in his classroom and he let me start teaching lessons by myself. I had command of the classroom and it was awesome! I really enjoyed the group of students I had while at Penn Manor and they will always be a special group for me. Sean was always there, giving me insight, pointers and tips to help me along. He never gave me a perfect score on my observations and explained he really wouldn't until the end of the semester. And I am glad he didn't because it kept me hungry to strive for perfection.

Sean got me involved in TSA (Technology Student Association.) This is a national club for Tech Ed students to create projects, compete in events, etc. I had been involved in TSA but Sean let me become an advisor for his club and take them to their competitions. One of those was the State conference out near Pittsburgh (Seven Springs Mt. Resort.) This trip taught me how to handle kids outside of the classroom, interact with them and got me experience that I use every day. I now run my own TSA club at H-H and take my kids out to the State Conference every year. It's something I look forward to every year and so do my kids. I may not have ever gotten involved in TSA if it weren't for Sean. And worse yet, my kids wouldn't get the experience they do now because of it.

Sean is a tireless worker and the guy never stops! It's his work ethic that inspired me back then and still does now. I can always call or email Sean for advice and he is always there to help. What's great now is Sean's son is a wrestler. This past year at a tournament out near Lancaster, I ran into Sean cheering on his son while I was coaching. Pretty cool how life works!

The 4 months or so I spent at Penn Manor with Sean is an experience I will never forget. I learned a ton and had even more fun doing it. That is all thanks to Sean and his great leadership. And to think this experience almost never happened - I was actually scheduled to be at another High School and with another teacher. For some reason or another, that fell through. And my advisor and professor Dr. Litowitz (hint, hint, see next week!) told me he had to put me with Sean McKnight over at Penn Manor in a graphics lab. I said "ok, that sounds good to me." Little did I know it was one of the best things that ever could have happened to me! I am a big believer in things happening for a reason. This is a prime example!

Thanks. Sean! 

 

 

Dr. Julie Lombardi: Influence 1/52
 

 

Meet The Person:

Dr. Julie Lombardi. Dr. Lombardi, is a tenured professor at Millersville University for nearly 20 years now. She got her Doctor's in Physical Education at Indiana University and moved into the Lancaster, PA area to start teaching at Millersville in 1993.

Dr. Lombardi is a lifelong teacher. She loves going to school, being able to interact with her students and the staff. She has a passion for being active outdoors in her personal life and also used to coach boys/girls swimming at the collegiate level. 

Dr. Lombardi 1/52

Influence: 

I had the honor of taking Dr. Lombardi's Kinesiology class while obtaining my Athletic Coaching minor. I was thrilled when I found out that Millersville had an Athletic Coaching degree. It was a struggle taking a minor while majoring in Technology Education. Tech. Ed. is a strenuous program that requires more credits than any other degree while at MU. So adding a minor was risky. But I wanted to coach and felt it would really benefit me in the long run. I was right. These classes were extremely beneficial and I learned lifelong lessons. That is where Dr. Lombardi comes in.

Her Kines class was awesome. It was her class and her influence that kick started my passion and interest for wellness and nutrition. I was always into lifting weights to stay in shape. But learning the entire human body, muscle structure, etc. helped me understand what muscles do what. And exactly how to work out to utilize those muscles. I still have the book from her class. Who does that anymore?! 

Also, she emphasized nutrition. Our units on foods and the human body was the game changer for me. It was then that I completely changed my outlook on my body and what goes into it. Sure, I was still in college but I did a complete 180. Less and less onto my plate at the dining hall, eating multiple small meals a day, healthy foods, etc. It all sunk in and stuck with me. It was her class and those lessons that have reshaped my life. I got Ashley to start eating better. That steamrolled into family members doing the same. People would, and still do, make fun of me for being picky when eating. It's only funny to those people because they all eat horrible. Go to the grocery store and look at someone else's cart. It's embarrassing and shows you why this country has weight issues. Sure, I can eat unhealthy at many times. And lately with a 17 month old, it's much harder. But it has been my way of life now since her class and I plan to keep it that way forever! 

So Dr. Lombardi, I thank you for your influence. You helped change my life and for that I am forever grateful. Not to mention, my athletes now benefit from my knowledge. Being able to ingrain my knowledge on health and nutrition into their lives is what I like to call things coming back full circle! 

Thanks. Dr. Lombardi! 

 

 

Cooper: 0-12 months
 

 

Here is the entire 52 week project series. I have been getting requests asking me which one I liked the best. I certainly have my favorite(s) but I am here for the people. So why don't you decide! I will be posting this Blog post to my Facebook page for voting. Pick your #1 favorite shot from Cooper's collection. Facebook has a poll option built in so I am going to give that a try ( I know I know I hate it too but give it a try!)

The slideshow is below - it will play each picture for 10seconds. If you want it to go quicker, just mover your mouse over the pic and hit the right arrow. If you want it to slow down, there is a Pause button in the bottom right. Each week's number is in the top left. So just remember which week you like best and head over HERE to vote! 

Cooper: 0-12 months
 

 

Here is the entire monthly shot series. It is full res - like 7'+ in size! So if you have photo viewer or another picture viewing software, you can zoom in on each picture and see it in complete detail. So do yourself a favor and open this thing on it's own - its great!

       Full Resolution Link (download, open and see it in complete detail) - 

https://www.dropbox.com/sc/sdcepq8artvhjle/Esx_nkBUyB

 

 

Cooper: Week 52/52
 

 

Well, 52 weeks! The big one year old final picture. Amazing it has been 52 weeks already. And what a difference the last month has been. Coop has really grown so much in his personality and now he's walking. It's crazy what a few weeks will do. From barely standing on his own to walking on his own in like 2 weeks.

Just wanted to say thank you to everyone who has followed us along this journey. I appreciate all of the kind comments and expressed pleasure in follow this project. It was extremely rewarding for me and while not easy, it was a lot of fun. So thank you for your continued support. I will be posting up some extras this week and next so stay tuned.

I will be taking a few weeks off before starting my next project. I have 2 weddings next month and a mini vacation - so I will be enjoying myself before getting started again. But stay tuned, this next one will not dissapoint!

Cooper - Week 52

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mmL
1/100 @ f/3.2
ISO 400

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

11 month shot

Cooper - Week 47

 

10 month shot

Cooper - Week 43

9 month shot

Cooper - Week 39

8 month shot

Cooper - Week 34

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

So the last Jeremy speak - hope it was insightful. If you have been following me over the last 2 years I hope you have learned a lot. If not, you were not paying attention - test next week!
Remember the best picture you took is the last picture you took. The worst picture you took is the one you never did. Thanks everyone!

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 51/52
 

 

The big 1yr birthday party! We went, well overboard and had ourselves a blast. I setup a photo booth for everyone to have fun. Coop doesnt look like he is enjoying himself here but he had a lot of fun at his big party!
 

Cooper - Week 51

Camera:
Canon Rebel T3i
Canon 18-55mm (IS)
1/125@ f/7.1
ISO 300

Strobist:1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/64, firing bare at subjects and triggering 2 Canon 430exii's
2 - Canon 430EXii's, fired into shoot thru umbrella's, camera left and right, ~ 4' from subject, 4' high.

 

 

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

I have plenty more of these shots to put up. And I will explain the entire photo booth setup in a blog later this week!

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 50/52
 

 

It was a really nice weekend and you can finally feel spring in the air. We took a short walk down to the local park for some fun. Coop and Mommy heading down the slide!
 

Cooper - Week 50

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mm (1.4)
1/1000 @ f/2.2
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Cooper - Week 50-2 Cooper - Week 50

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

When you have a slide or anything really, you need to make sure you can get the sun behind your subject. So you may have to move yourself around in order to make that happen. The one slide on the opposite end of the park was facing into the sun and it really was not ideal in terms of lighting. Luckily, this slide was. So you almost always want to keep the sun to your subjects back.

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 49/52
 

 

Happy Easter! Looks like the Easter bunny came to our house...
 

Cooper - Week 49

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mm (1.4)
1/3200 @ f/1.6
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

As soon as we got Cali into position we put Coop down on the ground. He literally lasted about 4 shots and then he started crying and Cali got up and had enough! haha. So this is the best we got. But it's so damn funny I don't care!

Last minute bunny ear purchase at Walgreens - why is it so hard to find bunny ears these days?! Jeez.

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 48/52
 

 

Well, this spring blows. Winter has been about 5 months too long and its getting old. Snow tomorrow?! Get out. Coop did, he hopped on his private jet (G6) and went south. Lucky kid.
 

Cooper - Week 48

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mm (1.4)
1/100 @ f/4.0
ISO 100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, manual powered (1/8), zoomed at 24mm, inside 6' parabolic umbrella, about 3' high and about 4' from subject

 

Cooper - Week 48

 

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

We had no idea what to do this week. So Ash was going through some of Coop's clothes today and I saw some fun beach attire. I figured let's give it a shot. It's not nearly as good as the DJ picture, but it works!

This is one of the first times I have used the giant 6' parabolic umbrella. Its huge. I figured I would mimic the sun and throw some serious light onto him. I think it works well in the scene of the beach. Not bad?!

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 47/52
 

 

Cooper is 11 months today. Wait, say what?! Yes, Cooper somehow went from a newborn to an 11 month old in like 3 weeks. Ok not really but man does the time fly! One more of these! 

Cooper - Week 47

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/2.5
ISO 640

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

10 month shot

Cooper - Week 43

9 month shot

Cooper - Week 39

8 month shot

Cooper - Week 34

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Whoops, used the 5d3 again! Haha. 

 

 

 

Now an award winning Photographer!
 

Check it out - I am now an award winning photographer/videographer! Just found out a few days ago that the video work I did with the http://jtwofilms.com guys for http://fcintermedia.com won an Addy award!!!

Their brandscape video that I helped shoot last year won the 'Self Promotion, Digital Advertising' award at this year's Philadelphia Addy awards. I will post the video below.

Cannot say thanks enough to Justin, Travis and the entire Full Circle team (read below, James Brown - THE James Brown doing the voice-over!!!) for allowing me to work with them. It was my first big venture into DSLR video and it proved to be a winner with this award! Looking forward to our work in the future!
 

Addy award (1)

 

 

Define Yourself from FullCircle Intermedia on Vimeo.

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 46/52
 

 

This weekend was so nice out so I didn't get much of a chance to setup anything good for this week. So, Coop eating dinner will have to do!
 

Cooper - Week 46

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/50 @ f/2.0
ISO 400

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, on camera, ETTL, bounced off camera left

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Sorry but nothing out of this world today. After last week's shot, it was going to be hard to top!

Simple bounce flash - I hardly ever shoot on camera flash anymore so this was good to mix it up a bit

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 45/52
 

 

In what can only be described as awesome, I bring you CJ the DJ. Adidas jacket, check. Headphones, check. Sideways hat, check. Mixing board, check. Club with lights, check. Gold Mr. T junior starter necklace, check. CJ the DJ spinning the 1's and 2's all night long baby!

 

Cooper - Week 45-5

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/200 @ f/7.1
ISO 640

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/8 (-.3), zoomed to 35mm, fired in Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 4' from subject, 3' high.
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/8, zoomed to 105mm, fired in Cheetah Qbox 24" softbox, gridded, ~ 5' from subject, 3' high.
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/8, zoomed to 105mm, gridded, ~ 6' from subject, 5' high.

 

Cooper - Week 45 Cooper - Week 45-3 Cooper - Week 45-4

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

About 2 weeks ago Ash bought the Adidas zip up you see him wearing. It looks so cute on him so I had the great idea to put him in that and shoot him standing at his little sound table thinger. Then I thought to add in a sideways Phillies hat and grab my big headphones I use for video. We wanted to grab a dollar store gold necklace but forgot so gave him one of Ashley's necklaces to put on.
 

I setup the studio with three lights. The main light is to his right, the big softbox. I put this on my boom light stand so I could tilt it down 90deg. to the floor and bring it in close just out of frame. The 2nd light is inside my Cheetah Qbox that is gridded. I gridded this softbox so it wouldn't throw extra light onto him. I wanted to keep it concentrated but still provide a large enough light source. And finally I put a bare flash with my DIY grid, behind him to his right. You can see that light hitting his right arm. I gridded this so it would really stay beamed just onto his right side. You can see from the behind the scenes shot above where each light was positioned. The only light you cant see is the the bare flash, that is behind the flat to the left. Not bad right?!
 

 

All together we only needed a handful of shots to nail it and his expression in this picture is priceless.
I did some quick editing in Lightroom and brought it into Photoshop. I found this club picture online, layer masked it and a little brushing and editing later - bam. CJ the DJ is spinning the 1's and 2's. Haha!

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 44/52
 

 

This was a shot Ashley and I had been talking about this week. We wanted to shoot him naked with a teddy bear, facing away from the camera. But things changed and trying to keep him still for one good shot was nearly impossible.

Coop and Mr. Elephant both in deep thought!

 

Cooper - Week 44

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mmL
1/60 @ f/2.8
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/32(-.3), fired inside shoot thru umbrella, ~ 3' from subject, 3' high.

1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/64 , fired inside shoot thru umbrella, ~ 4' from subject, 3' high.

 

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

So this shoot started as an idea between Ashley and I to have him naked, with a teddy bear facing away from the camera. I then thought of putting down the fake paper flooring that I have to add something to the shot. Ash then said, lets have him with socks on and no pants and with this elephant (because, you know, he matches!) SO, this is what we ended up with!

Now, shooting this scene was really tough. Just to the right of the frame is our dining room closet door and garage entrance. So the flash is literally jammed into the doorway and cannot move any further out. Meaning, a lot of the flash was not falling onto his face and it was falling more onto his back. That meant we had to scoot him back into the wall a little more so it was helping light more of his face.

Same problem with the left flash. Just left of frame is our dining room table. So again, the flash is jammed into the table without much room to go.
So for a few shots before this one, I had him split light (basically only lighting from the sides and not the front.) So we had to readjust a bit to light him up more. Oh, and Mr. Elephant too! 

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 43/52
 

 

Double digits - 10 months! Amazing we are just 8 short weeks away from this kid being a year old. Craziness! Birthday party planning has already commenced - yikes. 

Cooper - Week 43

Camera:
Canon 5d3
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/2.5
ISO 640

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

9 month shot

Cooper - Week 39

8 month shot

Cooper - Week 34

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

I left my 5d classic at school so I used the new 5d3. The focusing on this camera is amazing. But I will tell you, for the money I would take the 5d classic in terms of image quality. Sure, it cannot hold a candle to the 5d3 in terms of ISO and autofocusing. But man I love my classic! That camera will die with me! 

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 42/52

 

Cooper - Week 42-4

 

Snow! Real snow! We didn't get a foot, but it's enough to get outside and play. Cooper and Ashley are all bundled up enjoying the snow. 

Camera:
Canon 5d3
70-200L (2.8) IS
1/1250@ f/2.8
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Cooper - Week 42 Cooper - Week 42-2

Cooper - Week 42-3 Hey look, I even made it into the picture! Amazing! haha

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Shooting outside, with bright white snow can be challenging. The camera wants to underexpose the picture by a few stops. So in order to combat that, you have to 'shoot to the right.' Meaning, you intentionally overexpose the picture. This means that if the camera wants to underexpose the picture by 1 stop, you overexpose by 1 stop and you end up with a picture that is pretty good. It's funny how even a great camera has the same tendencies as an old cheap one! 

 

 

Cooper: Week 41/52

 

Cooper - Week 41

 

Coop, Cali and I were hanging out while Mom was at work. Between eating, crying, playing and sleeping, I managed to get a few off of the kids! Here's my favorite.

Camera:
Canon 5d classic
35L ( 1.4)
1/40@ f/2.8
ISO 1250

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Nothing fancy here. Just trying to get him to stay (yes, him, not Cali!) was hard enough. He started crawling towards me, Cali realized and put her head down in disgust! It was hilarious. He crawled towards me and luckily I was able to nail focus.

 

 

Cooper: Week 40/52

 

Cooper - Week 40

 

Its. Cold. Outside. I have been wanting to get Coop a picture in this hat. So we bundled up and went outside into the fresh snow. He was laughing and smiling about 2 minutes earlier I swear!

Camera:
Canon 5d3
70-200L IS(2.8)
1/1600@ f/2.8
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

I wish I could get him to smile on command sometimes! He was having a ball getting into his snowsuit and then I brough him out and bam, he was stone faced!

The new camera with my 70-200mm lens is great. I just hope I can shoot more with it soon because I am itching! 

 

 

Cooper: Week 39/52
 

Cooper - Week 39

Coop's had a rough week. He had a stomach virus and really has not been himself. At least he gave us a split second without crying!

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/2.2
ISO 100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

8 month shot

Cooper - Week 34

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Like I said above, he has pretty much been crying non stop for a few days now and getting him to look at that camera was good enough for us!

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 38/52

 

Cooper - Week 38

 

Well we are finally back! Back at home in the office that is. My computer is basically all back to 100% so this is my first edit since upgrading.

Ashley and I have been planning this shot for a while now and since the weather was terrible today we decided to give it a try.

Cooper is not feeling well (teething) but he had fun hanging out with his buddies!

 

Camera:
Canon 5d Mark 3
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/125@ f/2.0
ISO100

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/32, fired inside Cheetah Qbox 24" softbox, ~ 4' from subject, 4' high.

1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/64, fired bare, 4' behind subject

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Trying to keep him stable in the basket, the stuffed animals looking good and getting him to smile was not easy! But, we got a few good ones.

I used the bare flash behind him to add some separation from the background.

Cooper - Week 38-2

 

Cooper: Week 35/52

 

Cooper- Week 35

 

Merry Christmas everyone! I snapped off this quick shot over at my parents' new house. If you remember back to my 52 week project last year (http://flic.kr/p/aEoXwG) I took this picture of my Dad down in the basement. Well, they finally moved in. I was over there today and got Coop with his biggest fans!

Camera:
Canon 5d classic
Canon 50mm (1.4)
1/320@ f/2.0
ISO800

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

The main light source here is a nice big patio door. I put them in front of the window for some nice side lighting.

I then positioned myself so I could see their Christmas tree in the background. Now, my Mom has the world's ugliest and skinniest fake tree. So it was hard to get all of the lights in the shot, but I did ok!

 

 

Cooper: Week 34/52
 

Cooper - Week 34

Well after about 2 of these shoots, it has gotten difficult again for my model. He just wants to crawl and fall off the chair! Coop has really gotten mobile, crawling and climbing. The Christmas tree never knew what it was in for!

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/3.5
ISO 125

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

7 month shot

Cooper - Week 30

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

This time was really hard to keep him by himself on the chair. He just wants to lean forward and start crawling. So its a bit scary to quick shoot, then Ash has to run back to make sure he doesn't do a head off the front!

 

Baby photography is not easy!

 

 

 

Cooper: Week 33/52

 

Cooper - Week 33

 

Today is a lazy day so I apologize. I got sick last night after spending 2 days in a gym with wrestling. So today was a quick shoot.
But I broke out my old 'lens baby' lens. We have our tree up and Coop was crawling all over the floor this morning. Trying to focus with this lens on a crawling baby = nearly impossible!

Camera:
Canon 5d
Lens Baby 2.0
1/100@ f/2.0
ISO1250

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

A lens baby lens is basically a flexible focus lens that can really create some cool effects. It takes a while to practice and figure out but once you use it a few times it's very fun.

Think of this lens like a flexible dryer vent with glass attached!

 

 

Cooper: Week 32/52

 

Cooper - Week 32

 

And we are mobile! Cooper just starting crawling a few days ago! He was sitting up but never got moving forward on all fours. Then it clicked and off he went! He can even pull himself up now, as you can see here. Things are about to get real... haha.

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35L 
1/200@ f/1.8
ISO1000

Strobist:
Natty Light

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

The more I keep shooting the 5d classic and 35L the more in love I fall! It's just an awesome combo. ISO 1000 on this camera is still so clean. It's a camera from 2005 so it's no spring chicken but it handles noise really well for its age.

ISO is more or less the camera's sensor's sensitivity to light. The higher you go, the more sensitive it becomes. This is good in low light situations where you may not have flash or want to. The negative to raising your ISO is the fact that most cameras get very noisy - think specs or a pixelated looking photo. New cameras can handle noise better than ever. But this old 5d classic is great with noise up to 1600.

When shooting outdoors, with plenty of light, you should always keep your ISO as low as possible. In fact, you should try to keep your ISO as low as possible all the time!

Full frame is the real deal and let's hope Santa is good to me so I can upgrade my 7d!!!

 

 

Cooper: Week 31/52

 

 

Cooper - Week 31

Happy Thanksgiving, Pilgrim! hahahahaahha

This is how you feel after eating all day Thursday!

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35L 
1/40@ f/2.2
ISO125

Strobist:
1 - Canon 430EXii, 1/32 (-.7), fired into shoot-thru umbrella, ~ 2' from subject, 2' high.

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Just when I cannot possibly take on any more ventures, I added another - crafting. Yes, I made this here Pilgrim hat. Some googling found me rough directions and I whipped it up. Not bad right?! Ashley put him into this cute outfit and we put some little pumpkins around him to give that Harvest feel. 

Cooper - Week 31-4 Cooper - Week 31-3

 

Cooper: Week 30/52

Cooper - Week 30

Well Coop has really grown up this past month. He is gotten smart and has learned the power of 'persuasion.' Meaning, cry and receive attention! So we have not been sleeping very good this past month. But we are learning how to adapt and so is he. It has become a lot easier the last few nights after implementing new tactics!

Not long before he is crawling too! He is up on all fours and rocking - won't be far off!

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35mmL
1/80 @ f/3.5
ISO 320

Strobist:
1 - Canon 530EXii, 1/16 (+.7), fired inside Wescott Apollo softbox, ~ 3' from subject, 4' high.

 

 

6 month shot

Cooper - Week 26

5 month shotCooper- Week 22

4month shot

Cooper- Week 17

3 month shot

Cooper- Week 13

2 month shot

Week 8

1 month shot

Week 4

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Now that he is older, you can pretty much get him to smile on command - minus being in meltdown mode! But trying to get him to look at me while shooting AND smiling is another! It's always a battle with kids - but you have to be patient and nail it when it happens!

Oh and take a loot at the onesie he is wearing - same as the 6 month shot. He has the 80's look going on with the slightly off-shoulder collar. Then look at this month - yeah he shops at baby Gap! ahhaaahha

 

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Tidewater Inn, Easton, MD - October 13, 2011

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 70

Dan & Colleen called me last year to see if I would travel down to Easton, MD to photograph their special day. Hell yeah I said! This was my first real destination wedding, even though I had shot down at the shore before. I will consider this my first! These two are beautiful people who looked great in front of me all day. And we all know my motto when it comes to photographing good looking people! Can't say thanks enough for the hospitality - best of luck you guys! 

 

Please see their entire album here - http://www.nickpompei.com/hughes

 

 

Here are some of my favorites from the day. I will add a few notes below each picture to provide some insight or information from a photographer's point of view.

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 10

Dan had one request all day - he wanted an Abbey Road shot! The little town of Easton, MD is a really cool town. Great old buildings with relatively quiet streets. We had just a few seconds during this shoot and after snapping away like crazy on my 7d, I think we nailed a good one. Now, to all of you Beatle aficionados out there, certainly this is not a direct replica. But considering we didn't stop traffic and had us a wedding party here, I think we did damn good! Oh, did you catch the street sign here in the far right of the frame?! That is NOT Photoshoped - how freaking cool is that?!?!?!!??!

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 11 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 13

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 8 Hahaahhaah, Mr. Hughes hamming up the situation here. Dan is looking all classy and there is Ryker doing his thing! If anyone knows Ryker, he's a class act himself and a great guy. But this is hilarious.

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 15 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 19 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 21 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 24 Colleen looked incredible and her dress was killer. She was awesome in front of the camera and these shots are some of my favorites before the ceremony. The lighting in her room was awesome and I used it to highlight her great lines. The last shot is in the stairwell going into the lobby. She fit right into the scene.

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 2 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 4 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 6

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 29 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 27

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 38 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 40

 

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 97

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 100 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 101 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 102

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 43 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 45 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 46 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 53 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 60

 

 

 

Hughes Wedding - Favorites 62 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 66 Hughes Wedding - Favorites 65

Cooper: Week 29/52

 

 

Cooper - Week 29

This picture is nothing fancy, no special setups. Just a first - Cooper's first Halloween parade at daycare. He has his superman costume on but his bib and sweats are covering it up. He had no clue but it was cute. All the teacher's bring the infant room kids out in the cribs and stroll them through the parking lot. Then the bigger kids come out and walk through the line of parents.

I felt really old there with my camera taking pictures of my kid in his first parade! Haha

Camera:
Canon 5d
Canon 35L
1/500 @ f/2.0
ISO 100

Strobist:
Natty Light

 

Objective: (Jeremy speak)

Again, nothing special here. I had to quickly lean into his crib to get a picture of him. I called out his name and he looked up. I was lucky to have the sun being blocked and giving me nice even light.

 

Eagles vs. Falcons - My NFL Sidelines Experience

 

 

Eagles vs. Falcons 2012 53

Well this is a really fun blog post. And one where I don't know where to begin! Let me break this down into three areas: 1) How I got onto the sidelines of an NFL game, 2) My gear, 3) My experience at the game

 

1. The Background:

JTWO Films - Can't say enough. Justin and Travis have become good friends and business partners of mine. They have a great thing going right now - http://jtwofilms.com/. These guys have done some serious work in the last few years. The main project they were working on was a sports documentary on Kurt Coleman, the Eagles Safety. JTWO teamed up with James Brown, yes the JB of sports lure on Showtime and various other media outlets. JB hooked them up with Kurt and the ball got rolling. Here is the full feature documentary:

Coming Home Complete Show from Kurt Coleman on Vimeo.

 

So after doing this with Kurt, Trav and Justin wanted to do some more work with the Eagles. They asked the NFL and the Eagles if they could do some filming from the sidelines of a game this season. The NFL said no video, but we can give you a pass to shoot still. Unfortunately for these guys, they are not photographers like they are filmmakers. So I got one of the greatest phone calls of my life. It went like this: 

Justin - "Yo dude, good news and bad news. The bad is we can't film from the sidelines."
Me - "Oh that sucks man."
Justin - "Yeah, but the good news is we got one media pass to shoot stills only. They will let us take pictures. And since we are not as skilled as you, we figured you should be the one to go."
Me (babbling at this point) - "I think I might have a family shoot that day. Ummm, well. So wait, I can take pictures from the sidelines of the Eagles vs. Falcons game?!"
Justin - "You got it boss. Full media credential."
Me - "Oh my god. Sersiously?! Oh crap, my sister's wedding is the night before!"

Haha. So that is basically how it went. And from there, well it was all history. Luckily, I stayed in good enough shape to get to bed at a decent hour the night before and wake up feeling good.