by Gregg Meadows
He was the school’s leader when they needed one, hired by and called to duty by Jefferson High School superintendent Norbert Kurtz in the fall of 1962 – and coincidently – at the same time that the Jefferson Jayhawks cagers tipped off their back-to-back state title journey that put Dresden on the map.
He was most instrumental in the consolidation and transition of bringing three rural – and rival – school districts (and communities) together into one entity, in the fall of 1966, as the new Tri-Valley School District took root.
And that was a major act of work, as the meshing of three established and decades old standing school districts – who’d butted heads competitively on the athletics fields and in their own communities as well – were asked to forget their differences and join as one to form a new high school education center under one roof for area prep students in northern Muskingum County.
And Anderson got to see the proud looks on the student’s faces when they moved from the old Jefferson High (built in 1922) into a shiny new Tri-Valley High School in the fall of 1970.
Sadly, Jack Anderson passed away on October 16, 1971 at the young age of 53 – just a year after TVHS students moved into their new building, but his unforgettable legacy most definitely lives on.
A few generations have come and gone since the passing of legendary Jefferson High and TVHS principal Jack Anderson. And many of the thousands who have frequented the Scottie football stadium that bears his name over the past few decades, probably knew nothing of the great man who absolutely defined the word – respect.
So in the fall of 2007, that quandary was corrected, as a large plaque with the infamous portrait of Anderson that has hung in the school’s Commons Area for four decades (with an accompanying biography) was dedicated at the season home opener, with Jack Anderson’s daughter Ann Leppla on hand for the rededication ceremony.
But still – 17 years from that observance – and 52 years removed from when the stadium originally was christened as ‘Jack Anderson Stadium’ (Anderson’s late wife Marie was on hand for an emotional ceremony on the stadium floor in the 1972 Scottie home football opener) and 62 years from when the personable, giant of a man took the reins of Jefferson High School, most of the fans and families that converge on the facility that bears his name, know little of the man who moved mountains to bring three separate school districts and communities together to form the present day Tri-Valley Schools District.
And he did all of that with three distinct qualities – strong character, strong will, and an infectious sense of humor.
So….for the present day Tri-Valley Schools district moms and dads, and students – and many surrounding area residents, here’s a capsuled look at Mr. Jack Anderson.
John Pilling ‘Jack’ Anderson was born on June 25, 1918 in his native Coshocton, Ohio, the son of parents Lou and Irma Pilling Anderson.
He was a 1936 graduate of Coshocton High School where he was a standout football and basketball player, and academic success as well for the Redskins. Anderson was president of his freshman and junior classes, president of the Latin Club, and a member of the school’s Honor Society.
He excelled on the gridiron as well at Georgetown College in Kentucky, and received his Bachelor’s Degree in Education from there in 1941. He later earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Ohio State University in 1952.
Anderson met his wife Marie while in college at Georgetown; the couple married in 1943 and were blessed with the birth of their daughter Ann, in 1951.
After graduating from Georgetown College, Anderson returned to his native Coshocton and taught – and coached football and basketball – at Coshocton High School for a few years.
Anderson was drafted into the U.S. Army, performing a tour of duty in the final years of WWII. At the completion of his military service, Jack picked up right where he left off in the education and coaching field, leaving his hometown to teach and coach football at Mt. Vernon High School in 1945-46.
He actually had a short stint in Dresden at Jefferson High School in the early 1940’s as a teacher and coach as well.
Anderson left the academia world in 1951 to take a position with Stone Container, back in Coshocton.
After 10 years of supporting his family as a factory worker at Stone Container in Coshocton from 1951-61, Anderson tired of the monotony of the industrial grind and headed back to the classroom in the winter of 1962, taking a position with Newark City Schools from January to May as an educator, then applying for – and getting – an administrative position in Muskingum County in Dresden, replacing principal George Stanford as the Jefferson High School principal.
And for the next nine years, Jack Anderson ruled first, Jefferson High, then Tri-Valley High School in a manner such that may never be seen again.
Just ask any of the hundreds of students whose lives he affected… they’ll tell you.
Lillette (Corder) Holdren, a 1966 Jefferson High School graduate and long-time Tri-Valley Schools administrative employee, describes her principal and former boss Jack Anderson as “a man who gave strength to the weak, self-confidence to the insecure, and reprimand to the deserving.”
Former students remember the man they called ‘Mr Anderson’ as a giant of a man – gruff somewhat on the exterior, but owner of a most generous heart that was filled with love for family, friends, school….and football.
Another former student with fond memories of Jack Anderson is Nancy (Lapp) Cameron. Nancy is a 1970 TVHS graduate, and just like her good friend Lillette Holdren, was a former cheerleader and secretary in the high school office as well who remembers her principal – and later boss – in glowing terms.
“Just saying his name brings a smile to my face and brings back a flood of memories, says Cameron. “Consolidating the Adamsville, Frazeysburg and Dresden school districts into one was not an easy task, and the hardest job fell to the high school principal. There was no one more qualified for the position than Jack Anderson.”
“Mr. Anderson had the ability to instantly connect with every student and cared about our emotional well-being as much as our academics. Change is often difficult, but he gained the respect of the staff, the student body, and the community. Jack was the guy that got it going and the glue that held it all together; it only took a year or two for school spirit and loyalty to our alma mater to rise back to the top!”
“After graduation,” Cameron continues, “I had the privilege of working for him and with him and got to see another side of his personality. His sense of humor and love of practical jokes made going to work FUN every day! He often set a cup of water above the office door to “surprise” the UPS driver when he opened it to come in!
“When I walk into Jack Anderson Stadium on football Friday nights, I always think of him and am reminded how much he loved football, the student body and the Tri-Valley community. Jack was truly one of the best men I have ever known, and even after all these years, his advice moves me forward every day,” concluded Cameron.
Fred Graham is a most respected, retired TVHS teacher and coach – and member of the TVHS Athletic Hall of Fame for his coaching feats. He’s a member of the first TVHS graduating class of 1967, who always jokes that he – and every member of his class first TV senior class – are the oldest living Tri-Valley graduates!
Graham has little problem pointing out the virtues of Jack Anderson.
“Speaking for myself, and probably many others of the first Tri-Valley senior class, I was nervous and excited about the first day of school. How would we get along, coming from three previously separate and rival schools: Adamsville, Frazeysburg, and Dresden Jefferson? It would take a special person to guide us in the blending process,” explains Graham.
“Fortunately, we had that special person, Mr. Jack Anderson.”
“We Dresden Jefferson students already knew Mr. Anderson as a strong and effective leader,” states Graham. How would the students from the other two schools react?”
“With only occasional glitches, that first year went surprisingly well,” states Graham.
Four qualities that Mr. Anderson possessed made him the ideal person to integrate these “strangers” into a cohesive student body:
Respect – Mr. Anderson earned
our respect by showing respect for
ALL students, regardless of what
school they had previously
attended.
Fairness – Mr. Anderson treated the
students fairly, whether doling out
needed discipline or bestowing
praise. It did not matter which
school we previously had attended.
Accountability – If a student
strayed from school policies,
consequences would soon follow,
tempered with kindness. Mr.
Anderson was an intimidating-
looking figure. Yet after
administering needed behavior-
altering measures, he would quickly
reestablish good rapport with the
offender.
Sense of humor – Many times,
when walking into the gym at lunch
time, and the atmosphere was a
little too loud and rowdy, Mr.
Anderson would bellow out a re
sounding “Hey !!” and it was
immediately so quiet you could
hear a pin drop. He would then
crack a big smile and walk out. We
got the message! His sense of
humor was also apparent in the
office. To foster a friendly working
environment, Mr. Anderson often
teased and was teased by the office
staff.
“Sadly, Mr. Anderson’s time as TVHS principal was much too short, due to serious illness. But for Tri-Valley Local Schools, Mr. Jack Anderson was the RIGHT man, at the RIGHT place, at the RIGHT time,” concluded Graham.
Jack Anderson! “Saying Mr. Anderson was unique is almost an understatement.” offered 1965 Jefferson HS graduate and member of both Jayhawk state champion basketball teams, Paul Lacey.
“At times he could be the pure definition of an enigma,” continued Lacey. “Mr. Anderson was an excellent teacher in his own right, and an outstanding administrator. He was firm but fair. He was feared yet loved. He was serious but yet could be a consummate practical joker.”
“I say that most teacher’s, administrator’s goal is to hope to have a life changing, positive influence on a few, maybe only one youngster in their career! Mr. Anderson did that for hundreds, perhaps thousands of young people! Yes, he was unique!” concluded Lacey.
Anderson’s daughter Ann Leppla is a life-long Coshocton resident, a 1969 Coshocton HS graduate, and a 1972 graduate of Ohio State. She taught Science at Coshocton High School for 30 years. Ann and her husband John, have a son Matt, who is a Coshocton City Schools employee.
Just like her father, Ann Leppla is an outgoing, enormously friendly, and civic-minded member of her community. Fifty-three years after her father’s death, memories and stories of her legendary Dad still flood to the forefront from Ann.
“My Dad always referred to all of his students as ‘his kids”,” explains Ann. “I never took offense to that; I knew what they meant to him, and I knew what he meant to all of the students he looked after all those years – they loved and respected him.”
“He did so many things for so many students that went unnoticed,” continues Ann. “When he was at Jefferson HS in the 1960’s during summer break each year, he worked at GE in Coshocton, and helped many of his former students get jobs there.”
“He sometimes had unique ways of reprimanding students who broke the rules at school as well,” Ann explains. “Back in the day, students were allowed to either go home for lunch or to local eateries, then return to school. But a few upperclassmen broke the rules and would go to a local bar for lunch; my Dad caught wind of this and contacted their parents, and the next time that gang went out for ‘lunch’, their parents were waiting for them inside the establishment, much to their surprise!”
“And yes, he was indeed the consummate jokester – on the job at school and at home,” admits Ann. “I remember when his secretary Lillette got engaged, he wore sunglasses in his office at school for a week because he said the bright shine of her engagement ring hurt his eyes!” “And he would frequently put charges in Jefferson HS music teacher Dick McCluggage’s cigars; he got a charge out of that!”
Ann also pointed out a unique fact about her Dad and his involvement with his hometown Coshocton community. “At the same time he was Tri-Valley HS principal, he was a member of the Board of Education for Coshocton City Schools in his hometown, which would be unheard of these days. He was instrumental in the development of both new high schools, Coshocton in 1969, and the new high school at TVHS in 1970-71,” states Ann.
“My Dad packed a lot of living in his 53 short years, for sure; we all were so fortunate to have him in our lives,” concluded Ann.
Jack Anderson’s secretary, in his final years at TVHS – Lillette (Corder) Holdren – gives a final perspective on the man she admired so.
“Disciplinarian, jokester, father figure to all, sports fan, historian, detective and so much more,” recalls Holdren. “Behind that gruff guise was a huge caring and generous heart of gold! Fifty-three years later, we all still miss you “Mr. Anderson” – and will never forget you. Thanks for the memories…
