Sunday afternoon concluded a busy week for Harry Sicker as the Tyrone School District dedicated the Athletic Park in his honor.
The long-time Tyrone resident played a significant role in the announcement of the opening of the former Westvaco plant as the American Eagle Paper Mill as an investor in Team Ten LLC.
He also was united with his five children and wife Delores to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on Saturday.
“When the idea came about to name this complex for Harry, he was quite reluctant at first,” said Dr. William Miller, Tyrone superintendent of schools. “I played the George Czap card. For many years, George would say to me: ‘Dr. Bill, when is the school district going to do something to honor Harry for all he has done?’ My reply was: ‘It was being taken care of.’ Today, it is taken care of.”
The Harry K. Sickler Jr. Athletic Park is the home to the Tyrone High School baseball, softball and cross country teams, serves as a practice facility for the Tyrone Junior High football team and Tyrone High School marching band. It is also the home of the youth soccer program in Tyrone, and home field for the Tyrone Legion baseball team in the Kelley Federation League and the Family Clothesline in the City Baseball League.
The original cost of the facility was $1,431,246 when it opened in April of 1999. A $563,126 renovation was completed before the start of the spring sports season in 2003, bringing the total cost of the complex to nearly $2 million.
In his introduction, former athletic director and school board member Pete Dutrow spoke of Sickler’s generosity.
“If there was anytime a coach had a problem, Harry’s door was always open,” said Dutrow. “There were many times that a booster club wanted to do something special for a team or an athlete wanted to attend a camp. Harry was always there to step up, but always asked that the contribution was from an anonymous donor. Harry has always been there for the Tyrone athletic programs.”
Tyrone athletic director Tony Yaniello recalled a trip to the PIAA State Track and Field Championships.
“Most of the time at States, there is the parents of the kid who is participating and maybe a few friends there for support,” said Yaniello. “One of our athletes won the State Championship in the high jump (Joe Thomas) and I was probably was the only one jumping up and down. Then I looked around and saw Harry there. His commitment to Tyrone athletics as a whole is second to none.”
Harry’s daughter Suzanne Sickler Tomer spoke of his commitment to his family.
“I have three children and I can only imagine the dedication and patience to raise six children,” said Tomer. “In retrospect we were living the American dream. We went to church together, we attended catholic school, celebrated birthdays and holidays always together and went to the seashore every summer. I remember one summer when I was five or six. One evening, Dad took us to see the boats at the dock which he did every summer. I insisted on going barefoot. At one point we had to walk across gravel to get to the boats. I asked Daddy, please let me ride on your back. Without saying a word, he lifted me up on his shoulders. Later that evening, something woke me up and I walked into the living room and there was my mother putting solarcane on my Dad’s back. I heard my mother say Harry, why didn’t you tell Suzie that you were sunburned. I felt so guilty, but at the same time I thought my Dad was a hero. From that day on, I thought my Daddy could do anything. He has always put others before himself especially his children.”
Tyler Mertiff, Harry’s grandson presented a plaque to mark the occasion.
After receiving the plaque and before making his comments, Sickler put on a Hagg’s Farm hat.
“This is the first place I was ever fired from,” Sickler joked. “I was 10-years-old and they tried to teach me to milk cows. It didn’t take them long to find out that I just couldn’t do the job, so they fired me.
“I want to thank the school board and Dr. Miller and anybody that had anything to with this program. This is a great honor. There are probably many people in the audience who deserve this more than I do. I want to thank you all for coming. The first thing I saw was my harem. The many great girls who worked for me and many who still do. What a beautiful group of women that is and Becky (Emenhiser) you joined that team. Even though one of them is from Bellwood, that was tough to take, but Pauline rooted for us.
“Georgie Czap was one of my best buddies along with George Stever and Trixie (Gene Hagg). Georgie and I played ball against each other. He played at Philipsburg and is still a legend at Clarion. I want to thank my family.
“I don’t know how many of you get Legion magazine, but the last issue had a story about the fact that the heroes in our country are going to have to come from the military. The sports heroes are wife beaters and the stars out in Hollywood are drug addicts. The real heroes are the people who come through the service. My brother-in-law Bill Trimble drove all the way in from Arizona. Bill and I went to school together. He left school early to go into the Army and served in Korea. He earned a Bronze Star, Purple Heart and many other medals. He got out of the Army when the Korean War ended and Vietnam War came up, he decided to go back in. This time, he went in the Air Force. Bill, you are one of my heroes.”
