Admiral King Cheerleaders – Sept. 11, 1970

Back when Lorain had several high schools, the Journal used to feature a photo of each school's cheerleading team in the weeks leading up to the football season. 

The above photo, featuring the Admiral King High School cheerleaders, ran in the paper on September 11, 1970 – fifty years ago this month.

I like that the photo's headline can be taken not only to mean to cheer for the school’s team, but for the man as well.

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Even after all these years, I still think the Lorain school system goofed when the Admiral King name was discarded as a high school name, and reassigned to an elementary school.

From a practical viewpoint, having the one high school in Lorain called Lorain High School made sense. And it was nice to let the kids decide what they wanted to be called, with the final decision being ‘the Titans.’ 

But a lot of history and pride was lost when the Admiral King name was abandoned. Never again would the name of Lorain’s most famous and accomplished son get regular exposure on the evening sports reports. Anyone who followed high school sports knew that Admiral Ernest J. King was from Lorain, Ohio. While Lorain will never forget him, he is doomed to be forgotten by the general public.

By going with the Titans, Lorain lost the opportunity to keep a maritime theme (the Admirals) for its sports teams as well, despite the city’s shipbuilding history, its harbor, its river, its iconic Lighthouse, its location on Lake Erie, etc.

Meanwhile, other nearby cities like Vermilion (the Sailors) and Avon Lake (the Shoremen) got it right, and reinforced their lakefront heritage and identity with their team names.

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UPDATE (October 4, 2020)

A month later, the Journal published photos of both the Southview Saints cheerleaders and the South Amherst majorettes.

From October 14, 1970 Journal

From October 17, 1970 Journal

New Teachers at Admiral King – Oct. 25, 1963

Here's something you're not very likely to see in the Morning Journal in 2017: an article listing all of the newly hired high school teachers along with their backgrounds, teaching credentials and home addresses. It ran in the Journal on October 25, 1963.

This particular article highlights the new teachers at Admiral King High School that year. Perhaps you'll recognize a few teachers. (At least one was still at King when I was there, ten years after the article was written.)

It's sad that times have changed so much that the idea of profiling new teachers in a local newspaper is just a memory. Besides the obvious privacy issues that would make the practice impractical today, families simply have more choices than ever as to where to send their students – with the public schools not always the first choice.

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Looking back at my high school years, I had a lot of good teachers at Admiral King – but one of the best was Dr. Cathy Dietlin. She inspired and motivated us to do our best, and did it in a way that was upbeat and fun, thanks to her great, energetic personality.

But she was tough as well, and held her students to high standards. I still have one of the compositions that I wrote in her class; she knocked my grade down a little bit because I didn’t use the correct format for a footnote or something.

As a testament to how effective she was as an educator, I still remember the structural concepts for writing a paper that she taught us.

I had a nice email exchange with Dr. Dietlin a few years ago. She remembered me, and even recalled where I sat in her classroom! She filled me in on her post-Admiral King years. 

"After leaving the classroom,” she wrote, "the next nine years were spent as a Central Office administrator for the Lorain City Schools.” She served as the Executive Director of Project 419: The Redesign of Teacher Education (Ohio Department of Education), which implemented the law for all Ohio’s colleges of education requiring 300 hours of field experiences prior to student teaching for teacher education students. She was also the Secondary Supervisor for the Lorain City School District. 

From 1986-2008, Dr. Dietlin was the Assistant Superintendent for the Rocky River City Schools. But she was back in Lorain County for her next position. 

"From 2008 to the present, I have been the Executive Director of REACHigher (Lorain County P-16 Council) and am housed at Lorain County Community College.” She retired in 2012, but remains on the Board of Directors of the Lorain County Community College Foundation as Vice Chairman.

In view of Dr. Dietlin’s lifelong commitment to education, it’s only fitting that her name adorns the Dr. Cathy Dietlin Scholarship for Secondary Education Majors at Lorain County Community College.

Admiral King Class of 1977 – 40th Reunion

From left, Jane (Kretovics) Stephanchick, George Vida,
Diane (Corrao) Flock, Debra (DiFrancesco) Miadock,
Pat (Derrer) Resor, me, and Karen (Satterfield) Amormino
(Photo courtesy Debi Kretovics)

I would be remiss if I didn’t mention my Admiral King High School Class of 1977 40th Reunion, which took place Friday night down at the Black River.

Our reunion committee did a good job of organizing the event, which shared its location with the traditional Friday night Rockin’ on the River concert. Although turnout was a little low for a class of more than four hundred members, a good time was had by all who attended.

Although I was a little nervous when I headed over to the reunion tent, my fears were soon allayed. The committee members immediately made each returning classmate feel welcome, and it was only a matter of minutes before everyone was catching up with what’s been going on in our lives and our hometown since the last reunion in 2007.

It’s amazing how much our Lorain school days of the 60s and 70s left an imprint on our lives that has not faded after all these years. Most of us immediately recognized each other; we knew where each other lived back then, what neighborhood it was, with whom we walked to school, who we played with, etc.

Will today’s students be able to say that someday? I doubt it. School is the glue that holds a community together and creates lifelong bonds.

Although all of us at the reunion went to Admiral King High School, many of us had attended kindergarten at Charleston together as well. Even more of us shared Masson as both our elementary and junior high school. Now all of those schools are gone.

But the memories linger on.

There were a few funny moments for me at the reunion. I really disappointed one of my classmates, who was surprised that I wasn’t a doctor or lawyer and kept going on and on about it. I finally had to tell him that I was sorry to disappoint him, but if he kept talking like that I was either going to have to go home and hit the bottle, or jump off the Bascule Bridge.

Another classmate pointed out that I looked like I was perpetually twelve years old. He meant it as a compliment and I accepted it as one. But it’s easy to look roughly the same when you still have all your hair (grey as it may be), and haven’t grown a beard or handlebar mustache.

Goodbye A.K.H.S. Band Room

The view this past Saturday morning

For all of you out-of-state ex-Lorainites that read this blog (especially the Texas Brady contingent), the demolition of the former Admiral King High School began last week.

You can read about it here and here.

I drove over there this past sunny Saturday morning to take a gander through the fence. Naturally, they decided to knock down the band room first. It's sad to see it all torn up.

Anyway, it'll be very melancholy indeed to see the whole building eventually leveled. I don't think the controversy of abandoning the Admiral Ernest J. King name will ever be put to rest.

Could anyone watching the pomp of the dedication ceremony in October 1961 (below) have imagined that in slightly more than 50 years, the building, the name and a big chunk of Lorain's Naval heritage would be gone?

Photo courtesy of the Black River Historical Society

Admiral King High School Open House

It was a strange experience walking around the former Admiral King High School on Sunday afternoon after being away for thirty-five years.

Some of it seemed very familiar, other parts of the tour were kind of foreign.

While I could overhear other alumni dragging their unfortunate families around and saying things like "Here's where I had Spanish class, here's my old locker, etc.," I could barely locate my old homeroom. But I did (below).

I also found the row of lockers that contained mine, but I couldn't tell you my old locker number if my life depended upon it. On the other hand, I still remember my combination: 12-44-6!

I walked all around the school, surprised that I had forgotten how big it was. There were wings of the school offering views that I barely remember at all.

I know I don't remember pic-a-nic tables – I mean – picnic tables out in this courtyard. Going out there used to be strictly verboten.

The cafeteria was as I remembered it, though, although a little more colorful now perhaps.

Being in the cafeteria reminded me that I probably brought peanut butter sandwiches every day for four years. And strangely enough, I still eat peanut butter for lunch at work almost every day.

And I certainly remembered the auditorium – the scene of so many concerts in which I participated  – as well as that memorable musty smell.

I roamed around the building for about an hour, snapping away for no particular reason.

I guess I'd been gone so long that little of the tour had much of an emotional impact on me.

It was only when I made a beeline to the place where I had the most fun in high school – the band room – that a wave of nostalgia washed over me.

Walking down that familiar narrow hall...

Past the practice rooms...

Finally arriving at the band room.

I took my familiar seat in the trombone section and surveyed the view (below).

I also had to check out the view outside the band room. Standing in front of this door probably had more emotional impact on me than anything I saw all afternoon. This was the door I remember going in more than any other, especially if it was Friday night and the band was getting ready to march over to George Daniel Stadium.

I was tempted to bang on the door for entry like in the good old days, but I was afraid I might open some sort of Twilight Zone-like portal and find myself face-to-face with my younger self in 1976. 

Anyway, it was a satisfying visit to the old Alma Mater. 

Don't forget to say goodbye to A.K.H.S.

Don't forget about the open house planned for this Sunday from 1 to 5 p.m. at the former Admiral King High School. If you haven't heard by now, the building will be torn down at the end of the school year to make way for the construction of the new Lorain High School. (Here's the link to the Morning Journal's story.)

I'll be there. Why? Like everyone else, I'd like to take one last stroll down memory lane.

It's been 35 years since I left, and I can still remember the day I walked out of there the very last time. I remember because I was sad.

As opposed to the spouse – who hated school and couldn't wait to get out of Brookside – I really enjoyed going to Admiral King. While I have many wonderful memories of Admiral King High School – including my fellow classmates and my great teachers – band will always be my favorite.

Being in band was some of the most fun I ever had in my life. It was exciting performing at football and basketball games, and marching in parades down Broadway.

Despite really enjoying my time at A.K.H.S., I'm not upset about its demolition. My great memories aren't going anywhere (for now, anyway). Plus I have my copies of the Trident.

But it won't be the same to look down W. 26th Street by George Daniel Stadium and not see that familiar brick building.

Admiral King High School Memorabilia

During the dedication of Admiral Ernest J. King Elementary School, there was a nice display of Admiral King High School memorabilia, including an original dedication program (above). I like the simple layout and design, with the Admiral 'looking on' in spirit.

There was also an architect's rendering of the school (below).

Last but not least was a list of the school staff during that inaugural year (below).

I was surprised to see how many of my teachers during my years there (1973-1977) were there right from the very beginning, including Frank Hicks, Ben Cotton, Keith Larimore, Esther Lankenau and Ralph Pisanelli.

It was also interesting to see that the Lorain City School Superintendent that I remember as doing a great job, Dr. Joseph F. Calta, was the first very principal of Admiral King High School. Hopefully my beloved hometown of Lorain will get back to the idea of promoting from within – someone with roots in the community who cares about the city – as they search for a new superintendent.

1977 Admiral King Sheepskin

The article in the Morning Journal about the Lorain High School Class of 2011 being allowed to select which high school they wanted on their diploma (Admiral King, Southview or Lorain High) made me go and dig mine out of storage. It had been years since I had seen it.

Courtesy of Morning Journal website

The Admiral King version that the graduates could select is actually pretty nice, with the school crest on it. (See photo at left.) Mine has a large, nondescript school board logo on it instead.

I hate to say it, but I agree with the letter to the editor in which the letter writer didn't like the idea of giving the graduates the choice. The two former high schools simply don't exist any more – why is the school board pretending that they do now?

As someone who cares about history and accuracy, I just don't think it's right.

Anyway, one thing that I do like about my diploma is the nice rendering of the school building that is on the left hand side of the diploma.

While studying the rendering, I began to walk the hallways again in my mind. I guess you never forget the layout of your high school, since it was such a big part of your life.

No Name High School

Over the weekend, I happened to be driving over by my Alma Mater (the building formerly known as Admiral King High School) and noticed that all of the signage has been quietly removed, including the Ohio Historical Marker honoring Admiral King. It's a strange sight.

Last week the Morning Journal included an article that matter-of-factly mentioned what was going on with the various schools slated for replacement. After the brouhaha earlier this year over the renaming of Admiral King High School, I guess the school board wasn't going to pussyfoot around with the elementary schools and middle schools.

Apparently, Irving Elementary is going to be replaced by Admiral King Elementary at the site of the former Lorain High School. It sure sounds like Lincoln and Hawthorne elementary schools (which will open later this year) will retain their names. (So much for my suggestions for new names: Woody Mathna Elementary or Father Guido Sarducci Elementary!)

A new Whittier Middle School is being built next to the former Southview High School. The old Whittier and present Irving Elementary may be demolished.

It's kind of funny that the new Lorain High School will be (temporarily) over at the former Admiral King High School site, and the new Admiral King Elementary will be at the former Lorain High School site.

I guess that's one way to bury the hatchet and settle old scores!

Anchors Away, Admiral King High School

A few days ago, the Lorain school board announced that the name of the new high school to be built will be Lorain High School. (Click here to read the Morning Journal's online article.) 

I have no problem with this; it makes sense. My only objection is that the current Admiral King High School will be "rebranded" (see, there's my advertising background coming into play) as Lorain High School this fall, before the new school is even built.

In my opinion, the Admiral King name should have been retained for now out of respect for any surviving King family members. And during the first week of school, there could have been an assembly to welcome the new students and a presentation made to remind all of the students who Admiral Ernest J. King was.

The school board may still attach the Admiral King name to another school yet to be built. I'm not sure how I feel about that. I agree with the comments posted here by my brother that a much better idea would be to honor the Admiral with a lakefront park.

When Admiral King High School was New Part 2

Here's a photo that ran in the Journal a few days before Admiral King High School opened in September 1961. And here's the article that accompanied it as well.

57,000 Students To Enter Area Schools This Week


Upwards of 57,000 public and parochial students will enter Lorain area schools this week as classes resume for another year.

While a few of the area schools opened today, most will begin the 1961-62 school year on Wednesday.

Students at one school, Tenneyson Junior High in Sheffield Lake, won't have to report until Thursday, however, as construction workers are still cleaning up the hallways. All other students in the Sheffield Lake public school district will report to classes on Wednesday.

Highlight of the new school year will be in Lorain, where Admiral King High School will be filled with students and teachers for the first time.

Construction on the new $4.5 million high school began in March, 1960, and although not completed will open Wednesday. Workers will remain in the building until mid-October, but according to Principal J. F. Calta they will not interfere with classroom studies.

A tentative total of approximately 2,050 students is expected at Admiral King when the doors are officially opened Wednesday morning.

Throughout Lorain, almost 14,000 students are scheduled to enter the public schools.

Lorain High School is expecting a population of a tentative 1,577 students, including 272 seniors, 309 juniors, 444 sophomores and 552 freshmen.

Total enrollment of the two high schools in Lorain will be approximately 3,625 students.

Teachers in the Lorain public school system attended a general staff meeting held at the LHS auditorium this morning. It was followed by a luncheon, sponsored by the Lorain PTA Council, at the Emmanuel Evangelical United Brethren Church. In the afternoon teachers reported to their respective schools for further meetings.

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Student populations sure aren't what they used to be. According to information found on a website called Public School Review, there are approximately one thousand less high school students in the two high schools in Lorain now as there were in AKHS and LHS in 1961. (3,625 students in 1961 versus 2,660 now.) In my opinion, if Lorain waits a few years, it won't even be necessary to build a new high school, whatever its name may be.

When Admiral King High School was New

Since I've got Lorain high schools on my mind, I might as well keep going with it as a topic. Here's another photo and caption that ran in the Journal on December 7, 1960. (Click on it for a close view.) It shows a nice aerial view of Admiral King High School, which was then under construction.

Since I've been out of there for more than 30 years, the labeled photo is a nice refresher course to reacquaint myself with the layout of the building and campus. (This knowledge will come in handy during my next trip to the building, which will undoubtedly be in a few years when the inevitable 'say goodbye' open house occurs before the wrecking ball swings!)