Claysburg Area Hall of Fame Announces 2023 Inductees

The Claysburg Area Hall of Fame has announced the induction of its ninth class on Saturday, April 1, 2023, at the Claysburg-Kimmel High School Auditorium. The ceremony begins at 3 p.m. with a reception following. The public is invited and dress is business casual. This event is jointly sponsored by Claysburg P.A.S.T. and the Claysburg Rotary Club.

This year's inductees are John & Elaine Smith, active longtime community volunteers; Donald Witherspoon, a local civil rights activist. Clyde Walter, Jr, a US Army soldier and Purple Heart recipient; Matthew Treon, a youth mentor and advocate; and the Claysburg Volunteer Fire Company which will be receiving the Pioneer Award. Hall of Fame committee members will present the inductees with individual awards. Additionally, marker plaques in their honor will be placed in the Claysburg Community Park by the Hall of Fame Committee.

The Hall of Fame Committee is made up of nine members elected by Claysburg P.A.S.T., their sponsoring organization. For more details on the Claysburg Area Hall of Fame, please visit https://www.claysburg.us/ and click the Hall of Fame tab.

The Herald will publish two bios of the inductees in this edition. The remaining inductees will be featured in next week's edition (March 30).

JOHN AND ELAINE SMITH

John and Elaine Smith have lived in the Claysburg area nearly all of their lives. They graduated from Claysburg-Kimmel High School in 1968 and were married in 1978. They first lived in Jugtown. In 1990, they purchased the Long's building on Bedford Street and opened Cat's Meow Gift Shop, which was run by Elaine and her mother Mary. When the shop closed, John and Elaine move to that location. They currently reside there with their three cats, Budrick, Betty and Loki.

Elaine was born in King, the daughter of Ethamore and Mary (Feather) Claar. Following high school, she received a Bachelor of Arts in English from Susquehanna University and a Master of Education with reading specialist certificate from Frostburg State College. She taught at Hyndman High School for six years and at Spring Cove Middle School for twenty-four years. Elaine was a member of the Iota Chapter of Sigma Alpha Iota and served as chapter corresponding secretary and newsletter editor for approximately 30 years. Following her retirement in 2002, Elaine took on the role of community volunteer. For 20 years, she has done the layout for most of the ad program booklets for CACT, the Hee Haw shows, and other events. She worked on the 2004 Bicentennial Book and The Legend book. She has made thousands of raffle tickets, event tickets, posters, bulletins, and other items for a host of local organizations. Elaine is a member of the Claysburg Community Chorus, the Library Friends group, and works with the C-K FBLA on special projects.

John was born in Claysburg, the son of Roy and Dorothy (Carn) Smith. Following high school, John received an Associate Degree in Business from Altoona School of Commerce and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Managerial Finance from Dyke College in Cleveland. He graduated from the Pittsburgh Institute of Mortuary Science and became a licensed funeral director. Following graduation, John worked briefly as a funeral director before taking a job teaching accounting and other business courses at Altoona School of Commerce. He spent twenty years there and also taught adult education night courses at Altoona VoTech. In 1998, he and Elaine's cousin Harry Miller opened Miller Funeral Home in East Freedom. John currently serves as the supervisor at Leslie-Miller Funeral Home in Claysburg. John followed in his family's tradition of being involved in the community. He succeeded his father as the treasurer of the Fire Company. A position he held until he left to attend school in Cleveland. He is a member of the Union Cemetery Board and has served as its treasurer for twenty years. He is currently the treasurer of Claysburg PAST. John has spent endless hours helping with sound for practices and performances for CACT, for both the high school and elementary school, for dance recitals, turkey calling contests and a variety of others fun events.

John and Elaine are both heavily involved in the Claysburg Food Bank and spend many hours each week preparing for distribution. Elaine shops for items, and John makes sure the shelves are stocked. In addition to the food bank, they help with the Bulldog Backpack Program, Claysburg Library events, Ministerium programs and events, and others. They are both members of Claysburg PAST and have participated in all of the history presentations. They organize Trivia Night and have taken charge of other programs. Elaine and John are members of the Claysburg Rotary Club. They have both served as president. Elaine is currently the secretary and John is, of course, the treasurer. In recent years, they established two scholarships for Claysburg-Kimmel seniors and work with the Claysburg Education Foundation.

They would like to thank their family for all their help and support - Alan and Kathy Claar, Bethany Claar, Sean and Brittany Svitana, and Amelia and Eli, too - who have been drafted volunteers for countless events over the years, most notably, soup sales. Elaine and Alan have made thousands of quarts of chicken rivel soup for various community fundraisers. John always serves as the dishwasher and the rest of the family pitches in to help as needed.

For their volunteer work and community involvement, the Committee is pleased to welcome the Smiths into the Claysburg Hall of Fame.

MATTHEW TREON

Matthew Treon was born in Altoona, son of the late John E. Sr. and Margaret Jane (Decker) Treon. Treon graduated from Cambria Heights in 1983. He married Sondra Dodson on June 20, 1992 in Altoona. They have a daughter Claressa Harr and three sons - Dalton, Christian and Gavin.

Treon was employed as a road foreman for Greenfield Township for over 20 years and served as Township Supervisor from 2018 until his death in December of 2021. He was previously employed at the Claysburg Elementary School, Blue Knob Ski Resort, and Reighard's Service Station.

He was active in the community of Claysburg even through it was not his hometown. He worked with the Claysburg Little League and also served as Cub Scout Master. He was a father figure for his nieces and nephews and also influenced many other individuals. Treon's true passion was his interaction with children. Not only did he adopt his two youngest children, but all who came in contact with him were always entertained. He worked hard to make sure all kids had a good time and were able to participate in all things with which he was involved. He received the Appreciation Award in 2004 from Communities That Care. He enjoyed hunting, fishing, camping, and gardening.

During Treon's time as Supervisor, he advocated for the yearly community cleanup day, invested in the community park and also continued to investment in the Greenfield Township Community Center.

For his work in the community, especially with young people, the Committee is pleased to welcome Treon to the Hall of Fame.