By Edward Master
Greg (Butch) Whitmer was more than just my friend. Greg was a teammate in basketball (for a squad that won 18 games in 1966-67), a fraternity brother (Phi Sigma Epsilon), and best man in my wedding (too many moons ago). And, most probably, a partner (tongue in cheek) in crime.
There were certainly a few 'road trips' involved, especially when we were each a Phi Sig and included other fraternity brothers. Slippery Rock at another Phi Sig chapter would have been relatively close by, but another trek involved a summer-time trip to Williamsburg, PA, for a birthday celebration at 'Siggie Sam' Rorabaugh's home. That trip definitely fell into the 'lost weekend' category.
That expedition included Bobby Braymer from Sagertown and the Glossners (Blue and Pinky) from Lock Haven. We settled for the night among noises and offensive odors in Sam's refurbished basement rec room. It proved to be an ordeal, but someone had to do it.
Greg often spent his summers as a lifeguard at the Emlenton pool and in later years at the Grassy Flats bridge with everyone else enjoying fun in the sun, especially on weekends. Once, when he was working at a metal fab plant in Reno, Greg made and installed, a metal bracket for an 8-track tape player in my Gremlin. That made the trips across Eastern Pennsy to and from home much more tolerable. I was teaching 8th-grade science at the time in Kutztown, PA.
I really never referred to Greg as Butch much. I left that to his 'kid' sister Wanda. She was in my class at AC Valley. His younger brother Doug also called him Butch. He was Greg or Whitmer in college.
Greg was quite the outdoorsman, too. After graduating college he took a teaching position in elementary education around Aurora, CO, that I believe was in physical education. As summer employment, he became a wilderness guide in the Aurora vicinity. He was leading a tour when he dove into a stream unfamiliar to him. Unfortunately, he hit a sandbar on his dive and broke his neck. He was paralyzed from the waist down. He admitted to me in later years that he knew better than to dive into unchartered waters.
Ultimately, Greg was fitted with specially-controlled van, and he returned to teaching, albeit from a wheelchair. He even returned once to Emlenton for a visit. But, the injury eventually sapped him from living and he passed at a much too young age.
Speaking of sports
How upset will fans be when Paul Skenes doesn't get a chance to display his skills in the playoffs?
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