Write a commentThe following is re-published Re-Published with permission by Palladium Times and Mr. Mike McCrobie:
One word. Sometimes all it takes is one little word to set off a chain of events or a call to action.
When I taught high school journalism, I tried to emphasize the impact of the written word and the power of the press very early each semester. I thought about those lessons recently when one word prompted a phone call I received.
This paper ran what appeared to be a very informative front-page story under the headline “SCHOOL CAPITAL PROJECTS MAKING LONG-TERM INVESTMENTS.” Reporter Greg Caster did a nice job with this feature, updating the project’s various phases. The accompanying photo showed the sod being rolled out, providing what they call in print media, a second entry-point to the piece.
But the caption, or cutline, beneath the photo raised some graying eyebrows among my friends and former colleagues. It began: “Redevelopment of the former Wilber Field site at Oswego High School . . . .” Actually, only the word “former” caught their attention. It might as well have been written in bold face, 36-point type for former OHS teacher, coach, and administrator Bill Symons. Bill cares about Oswego and Oswego High School as much as he ever did, despite being retired for twenty-six years.
“FORMER Wilber Field?” He asked me in a phone call one evening. “FORMER? Just because they relocated the field doesn’t mean they’ve done away with Joe’s name, does it?” he further inquired.
Symons then wondered if I could possibly use my power of the press, in this column, to address the topic. And anybody who knows Mr. Symons—whether you were a student to whom he assigned detention, or a teacher in his charge, you know he’s not the kind of guy who takes no for an answer.
I asked a Board of Education member, Sean Ohnmacht, if he could find out what the district’s plan was for naming Wilber Field. He brought the subject up at a Board meeting last month. A brief discussion ensued, and the general consensus was that there is often talk of naming facilities, and at one time, the Board “pursued” a policy, but as far as everyone knew, there was no protocol or Board policy in place at that time. I haven’t heard anything in the past few weeks that would’ve changed that.
Despite the district’s contention that there’s no policy to name facilities, we have four elementary schools, a gymnasium at Frederick Leighton Elementary School, a track at the middle school, a high school theater, and the high school library named after historically-significant Oswegonians.
In addition to it being an opportune time to formulate a policy, this might also be a good time for a brief history lesson for the current Board members and administrators—many of whom have no idea who Joe Wilber was. For 14 years, Joe was a physical education teacher, while coaching the “big three” sports of his era—baseball, basketball, and football—for more than a decade each. He then became the Director of Health, Physical Education, and Athletics. As an administrator, along with his women’s PE staff in the ‘70s, he ushered in Title IX and interscholastic girls’ sports. He’s certainly on the Mt. Rushmore of Oswego Athletics.
Joe was by no means a pencil-pushing administrator. He would often be seen raking a field or chalking lines, in his short-sleeve white shirt and thin black necktie, prior to a home game. In short, he was no “average Joe.”
His influence lasted well beyond his retirement as the “Joe Wilber Coaching Tree” includes long-time coaches Ted Kerley, Bill Symons, Helen Kessler, “Jeep” Dewey, Tom Frawley, Helen Jermyn, Lou Crisafulli, Pete Sears, Elmer Akley, Mike Clyne, Mark Mirabito, Paul Deritter, Jim McCaul, Ron Ahart and others. In the spirit of full disclosure, I am proud to admit that I am a member of that group as well.
One of Joe’s greatest legacies was an athletic program in which sportsmanship was paramount. His Oswego teams were respected throughout Section III and New York State by opponents and officials alike.
I admit that Joe Wilber was a personal and professional friend of my dad, who was also the kind of man that they name buildings and fields after. So I know the pride that kids and grandkids take when they see the name still prominently displayed for all to see. I think that’s why it pained me to see the wrecking ball take down the Joe Wilber Field sign when the capital project began, but it would be even more agonizing not to see a Joe Wilber Field sign constructed at the new complex.
Just because a dedicated field is renovated or relocated, doesn’t mean the contributions of the honoree should be forgotten. Quite the contrary. As time goes by, the story of Joe Wilber should be told and re-told to a generation who never met him, but benefitted immensely from his lifelong commitment to the Oswego School District and its student-athletes.
Mike McCrobie is a retired Oswego High School English/Journalism teacher and coach. His column appears here every-other Tuesday. His two books, “We’re from Oswego” and “Our Oswego,” are currently available at The River’s End Bookstore and at amazon.com.
His writing has also appeared nationally in Chicken Soup for the Soul Inspiration for Teachers, Chicken Soup for the Soul My Crazy Family, and Reminisce Magazine.
He can be reached at ouroswego@gmail.com or at mmccrobie@palltimes.com
