Hospital Births

Letter to the Editor: Mohegan Sun Arena undersized to consistently draw the big acts

<p>Would it be a good idea to &#8230;</p><p>&#8230; celebrate the high school coaching career of the late George Curry by holding a charitable event in his honor every year?</p><p>Curry, best known as the sideline spark plug behind the Berwick Bulldogs&#8217; championship seasons in the 1980s and &#8217;90s, died last week at age 71. Tributes quickly appeared on social media from the heads of football programs at Temple University, his alma mater, and Penn State, plus many of the former players, now grown men, he had taught. As heartfelt as their words might be, the messages are fleeting.</p><p>Wouldn&#8217;t a more powerful and permanent honor be to conduct an annual charity game, or maybe a day-long athletic festival, in his memory? A late-summer festival before the start of high school football season, for example, could feature a variety of contests for people of different age groups, including alumni he had instructed over 46 years as a coach. It&#8217;d be an opportunity to rekindle old friendships and to reminisce.</p><p>Curry&#8217;s legacy speaks for itself: He amassed more victories, 455, than any other Pennsylvania high school football coach. He motivated players to excel. He imparted lifelong lessons. Aside from holding the top coaching jobs at Wyoming Valley West and Lake-Lehman high schools, he also shared his gridiron knowledge for three years on WNEP2 television&#8217;s &#8220;Coaches&#8217; Corner.&#8221;</p><p>Last year, the Wilkes-Barre Chapter of UNICO permanently named its most valuable player trophy in Curry&#8217;s honor &#8211; a classy gesture.</p><p>Curry, of course, had detractors, some spawned only because they found their favorite teams on the losing side of the scoreboard and others who rightly questioned certain of the coach&#8217;s tactics.</p><p>If someone does start a Curry memorial athletic festival, maybe one of its featured contests should be called the &#8220;Bury the Hatchet.&#8221;</p><p>Proceeds of the entire festival could go toward improving area schools, or conducting research into ALS &#8211; a disease that afflicted the coach &#8211; or some combination of causes. Organizers could rotate the event&#8217;s location between Berwick and Kingston, the coach&#8217;s beloved fields.</p><p>Does this idea have merit? Or would the notion have made the coach cringe?</p><p>Give us your feedback by sending a letter to the editor or posting comments to this editorial at timesleader.com.</p><p>Likewise, tell us your ideas for improving the community and making area residents&#8217; lives better. Maybe we&#8217;ll spotlight your suggestion in a future editorial and ask readers, &#8220;Would it be a good idea to &#8230;&#8221;</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Curry.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">High school football coach George Curry&#8217;s shadow will long be sensed on area sidelines. Could a charitable event be established in his memory? </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/web1_Curry.jpg</photo0><caption0>High school football coach George Curry&#8217;s shadow will long be sensed on area sidelines. Could a charitable event be established in his memory? </caption0><photoCredit0>Times Leader file photo | Pete G. Wilcox </photoCredit0></div></div>

Our Opinion: Coach George Curry’s fans should consider holding charitable event in his memory