TOM's INSPIRATION AT FRANKFORD

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Graduating in January of 1964, many of my teachers and coaches (Coaches Odie Surrick & Al Angelo and Chemistry Teacher Mike Lewchuk and English Teacher Martin Rugg) helped shaped me into the man I am today.  I played on  baseball and football; was a member of the Thirteen Club and President of the Class of January 1964.

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I got a good education.  I was taught the importance of being a team player.  Hard work and taking responsibility for your actions was always emphasized at Frankford.

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TEEN LIFE DURING THE 1960S

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What was it like being a teen in the 1960s?  I would think everyone would answer this the same way no matter when you “came of age”.  The freedom to make decisions on your own and the friendships that were formed (and many still exist today) had a huge impact on who I am today.

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President Kennedy was assassinated in my senior year.  While I don't think he was a hero image to this day, I remember where I was and what I did that day.  

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RIGHT PLACE AT THE RIGHT TIME

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I applied to work in the Philadelphia School System, with the hope of getting back to Frankford.  When I was interviewed, there were no openings at Frankford, so I was recruited to teach and coach at North Catholic. 

Over the 4th of July holiday, my former chemistry teacher at Frankford, Mike Lewchuk, passed away and an opening at Frankford became available. 

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Martin Rugg, my English Teacher, was the acting principal that summer when Mike Lewchuk passed and knew I was on the Science Teachers list.  He called the School District and requested that I be assigned to Frankford. 

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Once again, I happened to be in the right place at the right time.  When I started teaching, the school store had been closed for several years.  Students asked me to advocate for re-opening it. 

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Mr. Killough, the principal, said, "no one wanted to run it.  But, if I took on that responsibility, we could open it."  I got student volunteers to take their lunch period in the store, and it turned out to be a success in promoting school spirit and providing a service for the school.

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KAMPUS KLOTHES IS BORN

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While at Frankford, a jacket manufacturer asked me to sell jackets to parents whose kids were in the same schools as my kids.  The Council Rock school district did not have a school store, and school jackets were the “hot” Christmas present. 

I was able to sell enough to pique my interest. 

From there, people began asking if I could get printed garments.  I started printing shirts in my basement--and the company just grew from there.  Kampus Klothes is a  family-owned and operated business.  Today, we employ over 65 full time and part time employees.  (Which includes my wife, four of our children, two sisters, a nephew, and seven grandchildren)​

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