Those who graduated from Allentown High School more than 50 years ago and rose to prominence in their fields recalled some of the teachers who helped them to succeed.
Left: Allentown High School Hall of Fame inductee Dr. John Smith takes his wife, Doris, on a tour of his alma mater during the third annual induction ceremony on Nov. 17. Above: Hall of Fame inductee Theodore Smith (center) talks about the good old days of the high school he taught in for many years. ERIC SUCAR staff The third annual Allentown High School (AHS) Hall of Fame members were inducted in front of a student assembly on Nov. 17. Superintendent Dick Fitzpatrick said that in New Jersey, teachers have not been shown the respect they rightly deserve.
“Our honorees all talk about their achievements in light of an AHS teacher who changed their lives,” he said, adding that teachers touch the future by inspiring one student at a time.
David R. Atkinson, currently residing in Bucks County, Pa., graduated from AHS in 1956. He received a degree in general agriculture from Cornell University in 1960, served as an officer in the U.S. Navy and then earned a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School. Atkinson served in many positions in the financial industry, including a stint as a vice president at Morgan Stanley. He retired as an investment manager at a Philadelphia-based firm and still manages money for private investors.
Atkinson and his wife, Patricia, donated $25 million to the Princeton-Plainsboro Hospital Building project, and endowed Cornell University’s David R. Atkinson Center for a Sustainable Future with $80 million. Atkinson told the assembly that while older people often reminisce about “the good old days,” the school that students attend today is far superior to the AHS of 54 years ago.
Atkinson grew up on a farm outside New Egypt. He gave students several pieces of advice, including “Learn how to learn — you need to learn your entire life.” Atkinson said they should find a career doing something they enjoy, ideally something they would do for fun.
“You’ll be happier and more likely to succeed,” he said, adding that if they are stuck in a job they dislike, they should look for something they enjoy doing, even if it means less pay.
“The biggest failure is not to learn from failure,” he said. “The harder you work, the luckier you’ll be. It’s impossible to know where hard work ends and luck takes over.”
Dr. Irwin M. Lachman joined the ceremony via Skype from his home in California. A 1948 AHS graduate, he went on to earn his undergraduate degree from Rutgers University, a school he praised highly. He then went on to earn a graduate degree in ceramic engineering from Ohio State University. After serving as a first lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force, he began his career as a research engineer working on ferroelectric and ceramic materials. The holder of 47 U.S. patents, he co-invented the ceramic substrate found in catalytic converters, an invention that reduced auto emissions and airborne pollutants. A member of the National Inventors Hall of Fame, he received the National Medal of Science and Technology in 2003 from President George W. Bush.
Lachman said his first exposure to science was at AHS under the tutelage of Warren Kaufman.
“He taught all the science courses,” Lachman said. “He inspired me to go on to engineering.”
Dr. John B. Smith, AHS class of 1951, also attended Rutgers University. He graduated from the University of Maryland and the Howard University College of Dentistry, where he received the Endodontic Award at his 1962 graduation. He served his community as a dentist from 1964 until 2004.
Now a Somerset resident, Smith is a past president of the Bound Brook-Middlesex Rotary Club and is involved with the work of his local A.M.E. church and its cemetery preservation, as well as with the Gateway Foundation, which provides scholarships to AHS students.
During his years at AHS, Smith was on the basketball team and the Student Council and was a member of the Science Club. He recalled his years at AHS fondly, saying he had a “great time at school.” He went through the Allentown school system from kindergarten to high school graduation. Back then, AHS was located in the Bailey Building, “with none of the amenities you have in this facility,” he said. He also recalled Kaufman as a great teacher, and said another teacher who had a profound influence on his life was Earl Freyberger, a history teacher.
“He was one of the greatest people I’ve ever met,” Smith said. “He was my mentor, and one of the toughest instructors I had.”
He said that Freyberger would assign a subject and give students one week for research. Then they had to go up in front of the class, where they would be questioned
by students and the teacher.
“Kids would actually try to hide,” Smith said. “He taught me to be determined, know finances, and taught us that we could accomplish anything we wanted to in the world.”
Smith advised students to find someone who can give them encouragement, and to take that encouragement and use it to the fullest.
“As you go along in life, try to reach back and pull someone else along,” he said.
Ted Fish didn’t graduate from AHS, but he has worked there since 1956, and at age 81, he still substitute teaches. The lifelong Yardville resident organized the first marching band, concert band and dance band. He also developed the instrumental music program for grades 4-12. He also served as assistant baseball coach and varsity basketball coach.
“AHS has been my life,” Fish said.
When he began, it was not unusual for students to come to school with cow dung on their shoes, he said, because they had to get up at 4:30 a.m. to milk the cows. He said he doubted that more than 10 percent of the first graduating class he taught went on to higher education. Years ago, people looked down on AHS, and Fish said he has been around long enough to see a change for the better.
He called the current faculty one of the best the high school has ever had.
Fish told the students, “Do nothing, say nothing, see nothing, and you will turn out to be nothing. Be active.”