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TOWER
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Summer 2014
love and commitment to a place thatmade a true difference
in his life.
Another amazing story is
STEVENGERMICK ’39
.
Steven, 97, passed away this February inHouston. I firstmet
Steven and his late wifeRose in 2000whenKU football
opened the season atMaine,where he spent his summers.
He reached out to us before the game, andwe arranged to
have him on the field tomeet the coaches, players and admin-
istrators.Amazingly, it was the first time Steven had seen a
Kutztown game since he left campus in 1939.The experience
he had that night inPortland stuckwith him, andwe devel-
oped a friendship over the next decade.AnAir Force flight
instructor inWorldWar II, Steven became a test pilot for
GrummanAircraft flyingNavy fighters.After the war, he
spent three years withPanAmerican as a pilot, then four years
as a pilot for the infamous BrooklynDodgers baseball team.
After 25 years of piloting andmanagingTexaco’s flight depart-
ment inHouston, he retired.Although he never returned to
campus, he had a special place in his heart for KU, and became
amember of theOldMain Society in the 2000s, leaving
GoldenBear Athletics in his will.
DR. BOBWOLFF ’55
passed away inMarch at the age
of 80.AKUHall of Famer from his playing days,Bob
advanced to the rank of Lieutenant in theNavy before begin-
ning a long career in education, including several decades as a
KU professor.His passion for athletics kept him involvedwith
theGoldenBears through the years, as an assistant football
coach and a very successful coach of theKU tennis teams. In
themid-1970s,Bob played amajor role in starting the
AthleticHall of Fame at KU, and served loyally on the com-
mittee until a few years ago.Above all,Bobwas aGoldenBear
fan, and supported the teams and student-athletes like few
others.He is laid to rest inFairviewCemetery, alongside other
GoldenBear legends, and the campus he truly adored.
Al Leonzi,ClaytonGum, StephenGermick andBobWolff
all greatly contributed toKutztownUniversity.What I will
always remember is how they always cherishedwhat KU did
for them.They are gone, but will not be forgotten.
AL LEONZI
passed away inFebruary at age 71.As a longtime
professor in theCollege of Education,Al helped hundreds of KU
students achieve their dreams of becoming teachers and educa-
tors.An assistant football coach for 19 seasons,Al served
as interim head coach in 1984 and permanent head coach during
his second stint in the 1990s.At his wake,Al’s wifeRoseann
toldme that when he was head coach, he would come home after
work and proudly declare, “I am the head coach of theKutztown
University football team.”Al lovedKU.He bledmaroon and
gold, and stayed on the sidelines as a supporter through last
season.University Field will not be the same without him.
TheKU family lost
CLAYTONGUM ’50
inOctober at the
age of 89.Clayton (featured in the summer 2010Tower) was also
a great friend of the university, and stayed involvedwell into the
2000s. I knew of Clayton’s love for KU and themany years he
gave of himself as a teacher and coach in theEaston area.That
awareness grew on a fall day in 2009 during a visit withClayton
and his wifeHelen at their home. I learned that Clayton lost his
dad as a child during theGreatDepression, forcing hismother to
scrape together nickels as a waitress.As a young gunner in the
Navy inWorldWar II,Claytonwatched the battle ofOkinawa
rage from theUSSVestal.He attendedKutztown after the war
and displayed his diplomas with pride.He spoke tome about his
love for KU and toldme that he owed somuch to his time here.
He wanted to give others the same opportunities he had.That
day, I witnessed him empty two savings accounts to establish an
endowed athletic scholarship. It was a gesture of
Kutztown University and Golden
Bear athletics recently lost some
extraordinary individuals.
GoldenBear Greats
LeaveBehind a Legacy
MATT SANTOSM ’03
, Dir. of University Relations
The lateAl Leonzi is carried away
after aKU football victory. Leonzi
was on the coaching staff for
almost three decades.
