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Buckalew, Continued from page 4
CC: There’s a saying that it takes
a village to raise a child, and I imag-
ine it takes a similar collective ap-
proach when it comes to ensuring
that a school runs smoothly. How im-
portant is it that school staff get on
well together?
TB: If you’re in an elementary
building, you’ve got a relatively small
group of teachers, so everyone has to
be involved in everything. As you
move up to middle school, maybe
more teachers can get involved in
this or that. When you get to the high
school level, it’s almost like every
teacher needs to do something. Un-
fortunately, not every teacher does
something. But they need to do
something. One teacher might be
working with Honor Society, another “My wife made
teacher might be involved in coach-
ing, etc. Everyone just kind of finds tremendous sacrifices
a way to fit in. And it isn’t just the when I was coaching,
teachers. Our custodians at John
Glenn were tremendous people and and I appreciate that
certainly contributed to helping the
kids. So, back to your question, a great deal.”
what makes a school run? It’s every-
body. Tom Buckalew
CC: Tell me about your family,
which I know includes your beautiful
wife, Claudia. How many years have TB: I wrestled in high school, and
you been married? And what have I wrestled in college. And I worked
you found to be the key to a relation- as an assistant for the man who
ship’s longevity? started the [wrestling] program at
TB: It’ll be 56 years in August. As John Glenn, Bob Lusk, who passed
for longevity, a great deal of toler- away last year and was a wonderful
ance. My wife made tremendous sac- human being. I knew a lot about
rifices when I was coaching, and I wrestling, but I didn’t know a lot
appreciate that a great deal. She was about coaching. I learned a lot from
the principal parent in the house for him. And after he retired from coach-
much of that time and covered for ing, I took over as the head coach. I
me. I think we really care for and was the head coach for eight years
love each other a great deal, that cer- and had about 20 years in the pro-
tainly is important. And we give each gram. After I got out of coaching [at
other some space. I have my golf, Glenn], I spent a couple of years
and she has her activities with her coaching as an assistant over at
family and now, recently, with the Adams Middle School.
Historical Commission and Garden CC: Technological advancements
Club here in town. So, we’re free to aside, I think, in some ways, educat-
go our own way from time to time. ing our youth has become more chal-
We have our space, and we have our lenging than ever. What, in your
together time. opinion, is something you’d like to
CC: And how many children do see more of in the realm of educa-
you share together? tion?
TC: We have two. Our daughter TB: I’ve gone to so many parent-
lives in Manchester; she has two teacher conferences as a teacher and
adult children, both in college. My sat around looking at the wall. More
son lives in Westland, just about a parent involvement would be a
half a mile from us. And he has two tremendous boon to their students’
sons. education. If it’s true that making a
CC: I can’t end this interview with- school successful includes every-
out infusing at least a little bit of body working in the building, it in-
wrestling… cludes the parents, too.
The Wayne Dispatch · August 2023 · 11