50th Reunion is on August 6th
See the 50th Reunion link to the left for sign up and information!
Renee Plonski Heller (‘72) has written a children’s book entitled Hide and Seek. It was published by Archway Publishing Co. and is available for sale on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Nicki Weisman Adler (‘72) did the illustrations. Both Nicki and Renee were available at an outdoor (socially distanced) book signing on 7/26 from 11 am - 2 pm. Anyone interested can email Nicki @ nickinacks@sbcglobal.net or Renee @ rhlegal@aol.com for more information.
- Renee Heller
Coach Jim Cappelletti
James Richard Cappelletti, Sr. Born December 7th, 1933 – May 2, 2019
COACH JIM CAPPELLETTI age 85, loving father of Sharon Mahoney, Kathy Cappelletti and Jim Jr.; devoted grandfather of Mikel and Jenifer Mahoney, Matthew Mahoney-White, Mia and Carly Milosevic; cherished son of the late James Leo and Mary (nee Pelosi); dearest brother of Don Craig and Judy Clark; former husband for 50 years of Nancy Fleming; treasured father-in-law of Sasa Milsoevic; dear uncle and great-uncle of many.
A caring, giving, and loving father who was devoted and selfless to his family, friends, colleagues, students, and teams. He was hard working, rarely taking a day off from work, where he spent 45 years in the CH-UH District as a teacher and head basketball coach for the Cleveland Hts Tigers, winning 539 games in his coaching career, and leading the Tigers to the State Final Four six times (1975, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1997, 2003), the finals twice (1975 and 1995), and winning the Division I State Championship in 1997 when he was named Ohio Coach of the Year. Coach Cap’s teams also won the Lake Erie League title 11 times. He was inducted into the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2011. The Cleveland Heights High gymnasium now reads “Cappelletti Court” insignia on each of the baselines.
Contributions may be made in memory of Jim to Hospice of the Western Reserve, PO Box 72101, Cleveland, OH, 44192.
Cremation by DeJohn Crematory. Family will receive friends to pay tribute to Jim at THE DeJOHN FUNERAL HOME & CELEBRATIONS CENTER OF CHESTERLAND 12811 CHILLICOTHE ROAD (Rt. 306, just south of Mayfield Rd.) SATURDAY MAY, 11, 2019 FROM 2-5:30 PM WITH A CLOSING PRAYER AND EULOGY SERVICE AT 5:30. Celebration of Life Service in memory of Jim will take place SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2019 at 2 PM at Cleveland Heights High School Cappelletti Court located in the Competition Gym.
William D. Thomas, 68, of Chester Township, passed away March 25, 2011, at Holly Hill Nursing Home in Newbury Township.
Born Aug. 24, 1942, in New Brighton, Pa., he was a resident of Chester Township for two years and a former resident of Cleveland Heights for 35 years.
Mr. Thomas graduated from Indiana University of Pennsylvania with a Bachelor's Degree in Music Education, and The Pennsylvania State University with a Master's Degree in Music Education.
Mr. Thomas began his teaching career in Peters Township, Pa. In 1968, he moved to Cleveland Heights to become the director of the Girls Glee Club and the Men's Chorus at Cleveland Heights High School. Under his direction, the size of the group doubled in the first year and continued to thrive, reaching 250 students at its peak. Mr. Thomas directed numerous musical productions and toured with the chorus throughout the United States and Canada. The group, also known as GGC-MC, became the Heights Singers in the 1980s. In 1997, he was named in Who's Who Among American Teachers. Even after his retirement in 1998, the reputation of the group and the traditions that were built by Mr. Thomas continue today.
Mr. Thomas worked as Director of Music at Grace Lutheran Church in Cleveland Heights for more than 30 years. In 1969, he began working summers at Cain Park as a technical hand, where he worked back stage on the summer productions at the theaters, eventually working through the ranks to the position of operations manager. As operations manager, he spent tireless hours maintaining the park and preparing for the annual Arts Festival until his retirement in 2002. He was named "A Friend of Cain Park" in 2003.
Survivors include his wife, Jane (Monroe); daughters, Beth (Robert) Davis and Janet (Justin) Henry; son, W. David (Heidi, nee Honner); grandchildren, Marissa Horton, Kaitlynn Henry, Nathaniel Henry, Faith Henry, and Amalia Thomas; sister, Shirley (Bradford) Mitchell; and brother-in-law, John (Deb) Monroe Jr.
He was preceded in death by his parents, William Duwaine and Ellen Delores (Sayre) Thomas.
Visitation will be 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Gattozzi and Son Funeral Home, 12524 Chillicothe Road, Chester Township.
Memorial service will be 4 p.m. Saturday, April 2, 2011, at Lord of Life Lutheran Church, 17989 Chillicothe Road, Chagrin Falls, OH 44023. Pastor Rob Henderson will officiate. Private inurnment will be in St. John's Cemetery in Sagamore, Pa.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the National Parkinson Foundation, Gift Processing Center, P.O. Box 5018, Hagerstown, MD 21741-5018; or to Lord of Life Lutheran Church, (address above).
Online tributes and condolences at www.gattozziandson.com.
Published in The News-Herald from March 27 to March
2/2/11 - This is an email I received from the President of the Alumni Association. If you are interested, please contact them directly.
The Alumni Foundation is working on a project and I hope you can help us out as the contact we have on file for your class reunion. What we are looking for is 10 to 15 names from each class who you feel would be Heights alumni interested and able to support the Clock Tower Campaign.
In our efforts to restore and renovate the Clock Tower at Heights, we have received a generous pledge towards our efforts, but we need to match this pledge to activate it. What we are seeking are 100 alumni willing to donate $500, as this would raise the $50,000 needed to receive a pledge of $50,000. With this combined $100,000 we would then be over 70% towards our goal and able to launch our final fundraising effort.
In place of an enormous and expensive mailing, it is our hope that you can help us identify alumni within your class who may be able to support us at this level and quickly facilitate this project moving forward.
Any aid and assistance you can give us on this effort is greatly appreciated and feel free to contact me with any questions.
Thanks,
Eric J. Silverman '87, President
Cleveland Heights High School Alumni Foundation
www.heightsalumni.org
St. Edward fires longtime area track coach Dick Mann
Tim Warsinskey, The Plain Dealer, October 27, 2010 1:51 p.m.
LAKEWOOD, Ohio - Hall of Fame track coach Dick Mann has been fired by St. Edward. Mann said he was informed over the phone by Athletic Director Paul Michalko on Oct. 12 -- Mann's 78th birthday.
"They let me go. It's so muddled I don't understand it," Mann said. "I think there's a group [of parents] there that was instrumental in getting rid of me, but I really don't know.
"The program was nothing when I took it over. I don't think they'd won a dual meet in five years. I thought we did a good job."
Michalko said the move had nothing to do with parents, but declined to elaborate why the school let Mann go.
"It was time to make a change," he said. "[Parents' complaints] is not any different than any of the other 14 sports we have. Input from parents has nothing to do with who we hire."
Michalko said a coaching search has begun and there is no timetable to make a hire.
Mann, who has coached area high school and college track since 1961, was hired at St. Edward in 2004. Mann's St. Edward teams produced one individual state champion. Their best state finish and most points scored was 16th place with 15 points this year.
His teams were 37-6 in dual meets, and St. Edward was district runner-up to St. Ignatius five straight years, 2006 to 2010. The Eagles were fourth at this year's Division I regional.
Mann has 396 career dual meet victories as a high school coach. He coached at Cleveland Heights from 1961 to 1997 and was inducted into the Ohio High School Track and Cross Country Coaches Hall of Fame in 1976. He also coached at John Carroll.
Mann has been an assistant cross country coach at Laurel School this fall and said he plans to help the track team at the all-girls private school next spring.
Mann is widely appreciated for what he and his wife, Donna, do for teams beyond coaching. Each of his athletes receives a handmade scrapbook after the season, and this year's edition totaled 408 pages. Donna baked 68 dozen cookies for a team trip to West Virginia.
Richard "Coach Dick" Mann, 80, passed away Dec. 31, 2012.
Dick was a track and field coach and a cross country coach for 54 years. He was inducted into five Hall of Fames and was given an award from the Ohio Association of Track and Field and Cross Country Coaches for a combined 103 years in track and cross country this past year. Dick coached at Cleveland Heights High School for 36 years, then at John Carroll for six years, from there he went to St. Edward for seven years and in 2012 he finished his seventh year at Laurel School. He was the owner of Pappy Mann Driving School in Euclid for many years. Dick was a proud veteran of the
U.S. Air Force.
He was the beloved husband of Donna (Bykowski, Radigan); dearest father of Cheryl Ford, Tod (Debbie) Mann, Scott (Carol) Mann and Leigh Guido; stepfather of Linda Bykowski, Steve Bykowski, Sandra Bykowski and John Bykowski; grandfather of 14; and great-grandfather of seven.
Funeral services will be 10 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 5, at Brickman Bros. Funeral Home, 37433 Euclid Ave., Willoughby, where family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday. Interment will be in Knollwood Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Mary Mavec Opportunity School, 21701 Lake Shore Blvd., Euclid, OH 44123.
www.brickmanbros.com
Published in www.News-Herald.com from January 2 to January 3, 2013
