CLAYSBURG — The Claysburg Area Hall of Fame Committee will induct its ninth class on Saturday, April 1, at the Claysburg-Kimmel High School auditorium.

The ceremony begins at 3 p.m. with a reception following. The public is invited, and dress is business casual. This event is jointly sponsored by Claysburg Preserving Stories, Artifacts and Traditions (PAST) and the Claysburg Rotary Club.

This year’s inductees are John and Elaine Smith, active longtime community volunteers; Donald Witherspoon, a local civil rights activist; Clyde Walter Jr, a U.S. Army soldier and Purple Heart recipient; Matthew Treon, a youth mentor and advocate; and the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company, which will be receiving the Pioneer Award.

Hall of Fame committee members will present the inductees with individual awards. Additionally, marker plaques in their honor will be placed in the Claysburg Community Park by the Hall of Fame Committee.

The Hall of Fame Committee is made up of nine members elected by Claysburg PAST, their sponsoring organization.

For more details on the Claysburg Area Hall of Fame, visit https://www.claysburg.us/ and click the Hall of Fame tab.

This year’s inductees:

JOHN AND ELAINE SMITH – John and Elaine Smith have lived in the Claysburg area nearly all of their lives. They graduated from Claysburg-Kimmel High School in 1968 and were married in 1978. They first lived in Jugtown. In 1990, they purchased the Long’s building on Bedford

Street and opened Cat’s Meow Gift Shop, which was run by Elaine and her mother Mary. When the shop closed, John and Elaine move to that location. They currently reside there with their three cats, Budrick, Betty and Loki.

Elaine was born in King, the daughter of Ethamore and Mary (Feather) Claar. Following high school, she received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Susquehanna University and a Master of Education with reading specialist certificate from Frostburg State College. She taught at Hyndman High School for six years and at Spring Cove Middle School for twenty-four years. Elaine was a member of the Iota Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota and served as chapter corresponding secretary and newsletter editor for approximately 30 years. Following her retirement in 2002, Elaine took on the role of community volunteer. For twenty years, she has done the layout for most of the ad program booklets for CACT, the Hee Haw shows, and other events. She worked on the 2004 Bicentennial Book and The Legend book. She has made thousands of raffle tickets, event tickets, posters, bulletins, and other items for a host of local organizations. Elaine is a member of the Claysburg Community Chorus, the Library Friends group, and works with the C-K FBLA on special projects.

John was born in Claysburg, the son of Roy and Dorothy (Carn) Smith. Following high school, John received an Associate Degree in Business from Altoona School of Commerce and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Managerial Finance from Dyke College in Cleveland. He graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and became a licensed funeral director. Following graduation, John worked briefly as a funeral director before taking a job teaching accounting and other business courses at Altoona School of Commerce. He spent twenty years there and also taught adult education night courses at Altoona VoTech. In 1998, he and Elaine’s cousin Harry Miller opened Miller Funeral Home in East Freedom. John currently serves as the supervisor at Leslie-Miller Funeral Home in Claysburg. John followed in his family’s tradition of being involved in the community. He succeeded his father as the treasurer of the Fire Company. A position he held until he left to attend school in Cleveland. He is a member of the Union Cemetery Board and has served as its treasurer for twenty years. He is currently the treasurer of Claysburg PAST. John has spent endless hours helping with sound for practices and performances for CACT, for both the high school and elementary school, for dance recitals, turkey calling contests and a variety of others fun events.

John and Elaine are both heavily involved in the Claysburg Food and spend many hours each week preparing for distribution. Elaine shops for items, and John makes sure the shelves are stocked. In addition to the food bank, they help with the Bulldog Backpack Program, Claysburg Library events, Ministerium programs and events, and others. They are both members of Claysburg PAST and have participated in all of the history presentations. They organize Trivia Night and have taken charge of other programs. Elaine and John are members of the Claysburg Rotary Club. They have both served as president. Elaine is currently the secretary and John is, of course, the treasurer. In recent years, they established two scholarships for Claysburg-Kimmel seniors and work with the Claysburg Education Foundation.

They would like to thank their family for all their help and support – Alan and Kathy Claar, Bethany Claar, Sean and Brittany Svitana, and Amelia and Eli, too – who have been drafted volunteers for countless events over the years, most notably, soup sales. Elaine and Alan have made thousands of quarts of chicken rivel soup for various community fundraisers. John always serves as the dishwasher and the rest of the family pitches in to help as needed.

For their volunteer work and community involvement, the Committee is pleased to welcome John and Elaine Smith into the Claysburg Hall of Fame.

MATTHEW TREON – Matthew Treon was born in Altoona, son of the late John E. Sr. and Margaret Jane (Decker) Treon. Matt graduated from Cambria Heights in 1983. He married Sondra Dodson on June 20, 1992 in Altoona. They have a daughter Claressa Harr and three sons – Dalton, Christian and Gavin.

Matt was employed as a road foreman for Greenfield Township for over 20 years and served as Township Supervisor from 2018 until his death in December of 2021. He was previously employed at the Claysburg Elementary School, Blue Knob Ski Resort, and Reighard’s Service Station.

He was active in the community of Claysburg even through it was not his hometown. He worked with the Claysburg Little League and also served as Cub Scout Master. He was a father figure for his nieces and nephews and also influenced many other individuals. Matthew’s true passion was his interaction with children. Not only did he adopt his two youngest children, but all who came in contact with him were always entertained. He worked hard to make sure all kids had a good time and were able to participate in all things with which he was involved. He received the Appreciation Award in 2004 from Communities That Care. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, and gardening.

During Matt’s time as Supervisor, he advocated for the yearly community cleanup day, invested in the community park and also continued to investment in the Greenfield Township Community Center.

For his work in the community, especially with young people, the Committee is pleased to welcome Matthew Treon to the Hall of Fame.

CLYDE E. WALTER, JR.. – Clyde Walter. Jr., who was born and raised in Claysburg, was a member of the Claysburg-

Kimmel High School Class of 1967. He worked for Pennsylvania Shoe Company, helped at the church, and volunteered at the Claysburg Fire Company. Clyde entered the US Army on September 18, 1969 at Fort Dix. He trained at Fort Polk, Fort Gordon and Fort Carson. He was assigned to Company D, 2nd Battalion of the 12 Cavalry, 1st Cavalry Division (airmobile) in South East Asia Republic of Vietnam. On the morning of October 11, 1970, while on a protection reaction mission, Clyde’s platoon contacted North Vietnam enemy forces. As a result, Clyde and one other soldier were mortally wounded.

For his bravery and gallantry in action, Clyde was awarded the Sliver Star, the Air Medal, the Army Commendation Medal with “V” device for his heroism. Clyde was also awarded the Purple Heart. Prior to his death, the United States Army had awarded Clyde the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Badge with Machine Gun Bar attached and Sharpshooter Badge with attached Rifle Bar, and a Good Conduct Medal. Clyde was appointed corporal in 1970, by the US Army while serving in Vietnam. In his short stay in Vietnam, Clyde actively participated in more than 25 aerial missions over hostile territory in support of counter insurgency operations. To this day, Clyde’s fellow platoon comrades remember and speak of the heroism of Clyde. They continue to give Clyde’s family support and show their continued gratitude for the sacrifice Clyde made for all of them.

For his military service and heroism, The Claysburg Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Clyde E. Walter, Jr.

DONALD T. WITHERSPOON – Donald Witherspoon grew up in Claysburg, the son of the late Ernest and Mary (DuPree) Witherspoon. He graduated from Greenfield-Kimmel in 1960, and was in the Navy during the Vietnam era. He married Linda Miller and had four children, eight grandchildren, and 6 great grandchildren. Although he moved to Altoona, he never forgot his hometown and spoke fondly of the years he spent in Claysburg. He continued to have many friends in the area over the years. He was one of the many great parade marshals for the Claysburg Homecoming parade.

Don retired from Small Tubes Products Inc. after 20 years. He was a longtime president of the Blair County NAACP and was a

Silver Lifetime member. Along with Senator Bob Jubelirer, Don was instrumental in passing the Anti-Cross Burning Law. Don fought endlessly for Human and Civil Rights for all people.

In 2016, he was awarded the Respected Citizen Award from Central Blair Recreation & Park Commission. After Don’s passing in December of 2020, the Booker T. Washington Basketball Court was renamed the Donald E. Witherspoon Memorial Court. The Degol Family Foundation awards an annual $1500.00 scholarship to a Claysburg-Kimmel Senior in the memory of Don. The Sheetz family is building a Tennis Court in Claysburg and giving an annual scholarship in Don’s name.

According to Don, his mother always told him to treat people the way you want to be treated and you’ll make the community better for it. That is what Don spent his life trying to do.

For his work to promote civil rights for all people in our area, the Claysburg Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Donald T. Witherspoon.

CLAYSBURG VOLUNTEER FIRE COMPANY – STATION 70 – The Hall of Fame’s Pioneer Award is presented to the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company which is celebrating its 80th anniversary. It was organized at a meeting held Thursday, March 11, 1943 in the high school gymnasium. Prior to that, residents of the area had to rely on fire protection from other communities. The meeting was held to elect officers for the organization. Officers chosen at the time were Orville Ebersole, president; Ken Ziegler, vice president; Grant Bruckman, secretary; and Wilmer Bennett, treasurer. Henry Lingenfelter became the first fire chief.

The company’s first truck was a 1932 Model A Ford, a chemical truck that was converted to a 500-gallon pumper. With no firehall, the truck was housed in a garage owned by General Refractories. In 1946, the company ordered their first new fire truck at a cost of $6,761 and began fundraising to pay for it. Other pieces of equipment were also added. Sally Lingenfelter organized a Ladies Auxiliary to assist the fireman.

In 1947, the company purchased a piece of land by the railroad tracks near the current Cox Refractories. The property had two buildings on it. One was torn down and the other was converted into a firehall. Throughout the years, the firehall was used for Scout meetings, union meetings, and a host of other events. It served as a temporary unemployment office and in 1952-53, became a classroom for Greenfield-Kimmel High School during their construction project. In 1953, Sparky Walter, the scoutmaster, incorporated the Explorer Scout Troop into the first Junior Fireman Program. In that same year, a vehicle was purchased to be used as an ambulance. This provided even greater protection for the Claysburg community. That firehall continued to be used until

1972 when it was torn down to construct a firehall and garage near the same location along Bedford Street.

The completion of the new firehall furnished the company with much needed garage space and provided the community with a larger meeting/event space. All the interior and finishing work for this building was done by volunteers with donated materials from community businesses and residents.

In 2008, the company saw the need to expand again. The current garage/firehall was built at 13223 Dunnings Highway. This location provides ample parking and an opportunity for further expansion.

In 2019, the main engine vehicle had a catastrophic breakdown and necessitated the ordering and purchasing of a new 2022 Spartan pumper. With great community assistance, the financial needs for this vehicle were met. In addition to the main engine, the company currently has a 2015 Spartan rescue vehicle, a 1999 tanker, a 2005 brush truck, and a 1919 Model T Ford pumper that is used for parade purposes.

Current officers of the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company are:

Chief 70: Scott Eicher; Deputy Chief 70: CJ Raneri; Assistant Chief 70: Dustin Caldwell; Assistant Chief 70-1: Chip Eckard; President – Bill Lightner; Vice President – Travis Finnegan; Treasurer – Bob Clark and Secretary – Troy Crist. Additionally, there are 65 members who assist to meet the needs of the community.

Through the years the company has met the needs of the Claysburg community by minimizing fire and accident disasters. They attribute their success to their dedicated members. In some cases, second, third and fourth generations are giving their service to the company and to the community. As they celebrate their 80th anniversary, they plan to offer vital services to the Claysburg area for years to come.