Richard Ernest Buckley, 92, of Central Avenue in Ludlow, PA passed away Wednesday (March 13, 2024) at the Lutheran Home at Kane.
Born May 26, 1931, at Mercy Hospital in Pittsburgh, he was the son of the late Ernest R. and Mary J. Buckley. He was married to Ila (Peg) Buckley who passed away in 2008.On October 3, 2014, in Mechanicville, NY, he married Claire Ann Olson Depto who survives.
Dick was a 1949 graduate of Bradford High School and received his B.S. Degree from Slippery Rock College in 1954. in 1966, he received his Master’s Degree in Guidance and Counseling from IUP. He also had an Administrative Certification and Letter of Eligibility (Superintendent) from St. Bonaventure University which he received in 1971. From 1954 through 1971, he served in the military.
He taught Social Studies at Bradford Jr. High School for two years before moving to Williamsburg where he served as a math and social studies teacher for seven years and guidance counselor for three years. While there, he also coached the Blue Pirates High School basketball team for ten years where his team compiled a 207 wins and 44 losses record. The team went to the state finals in 1961, 1966, and 1968, with the 1966 team winning the P.I.A.A. “Class C” State Championship with a 25-0 record.
In 1969, Dick moved to the Kane Area Jr. High School where he taught math for one year and served as guidance counselor for four years. In 1975, he was appointed Kane Area Jr. High School principal and remained in that position until his retirement in 1993. Dick was inducted into the Blair County Sports Hall of Fame in 1966. In 2016, the Blue Pirates Basketball team was also inducted into the Hall of Fame.
You never heard a former student or player call Mr. Buckley by his first name. He represented the true meaning of respect and esteem. He stressed the importance of setting goals and taught his students and ball players how to achieve them. He motivated so many with his energetic approach to life and many of them followed to become teachers and coaches themselves. He inspired everyone to his very last days. His bark truly was worse than his bite. His kind soul will be missed.
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