Richard "Buster" Schoenberger of East Weissport, currently a resident at The Summit Nursing and Rehabilitation Center in Lehighton, will celebrate his 94th birthday on Oct. 27.

Born in 1920, Richard is the third born of the late Thomas and Helen Schoenberger of East Weissport. He had two brothers and four sisters. He got his nickname "Buster" from his father on the day of his birth.Growing up, he loved to swim in the Pohopoco Creek.He graduated in 1937 from Weissport High School, which only had 11 grades, and from Lehighton High School the following year.Four years later, he was drafted. During his time in the Army, Richard served as a cook and a baker on bases in the Aleutian Islands off the coast of Alaska, as well as St. Pedro and Catalina Island in California.He recalled that the waves near the Aleutian Islands were a couple stories high because the islands were located at the narrowest point of Alaska.After being discharged in 1945, he worked at Snyder's Country Store in Weissport and for Sears.Growing up, Richard was fascinated by stories about his family and served as the family's genealogist for many reunions.Through his research, he met distant relatives from Germany, who own a German brewery, as well as other Schoenbergers who were able to trace the family's roots back to the 1400s.Richard is a member of the Lehighton American Legion and the Last Man's Club.