By George Taylor

gtaylor@tnonline.com

What a time to get a flat tire!

I had just completed what I thought was a pretty successful interview at Tri-Valley High School. They were looking for an English teacher and I was looking for a job.

I was somewhat familiar with Schuylkill County, having just completed my student teaching at Schuylkill Haven. And I had an ulterior motive for getting a job in the area: I met this lovely young lady, Mary Ruth Rizzardi, from Minersville.

I had planned two interviews that day. The second was in Tamaqua. And I was going to be a little late for that one. This was a time before cellphones, so there was no way to let them know at Tamaqua that I would be coming — a little late and a little dirty from changing a tire.

I’m not sure just how late I was arriving for that second interview, but I made my apologies and the interview began, first with Curt Steigerwalt, the high school principal. He asked about my background and a few general teacher-type questions.

Then Dr. H. Bruce Geiger, the assistant superintendent, arrived. He was interested in me because he had heard some good things about my student teaching stint at Schuylkill Haven. I have to thank Dr. Jim Fogarty for that.

Tamaqua wasn’t just looking for an English teacher. Geiger had a vision for a new type of program — a program specifically aimed at the communication arts. In fact, that’s what he called it: the Communication Arts Curriculum, or CAC.

Now this was an educator whose background was in the sciences, and he was good at it. Geiger had students participating at science fairs at the national level and had some national winners. But he felt the traditional school curriculum did not meet the needs of all students.

His idea allowed a senior in CAC to take the basic requirements but spend the majority of his or her day working on projects in the art field of his or her choice. What Geiger proposed was a school within a school, or something very much like the Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts in Bethlehem. As they say, he was a visionary way before his time.

CAC was funded by a federal grant for three years. During that time, Tamaqua was able to establish a television studio which provided career exploration opportunities for many students.

When the funding ran out, CAC gradually faded away, but the love of the arts has remained at Tamaqua Area High School, as is visible in many wonderful ways.

Geiger eventually became district superintendent, and one of the most difficult conversations I have had was when I had to tell him I was leaving teaching after 14 years to work at a newspaper.

Few teachers or students at Tamaqua today would be aware of “Doc” Geiger’s influence, but his leadership years ago made the district one of the best.

When that interview ended some 45 years ago, I was on my way to my car in the parking lot. Geiger came out of the school to tell me he hoped I would consider coming to Tamaqua. To be honest, what he had proposed was way out of my comfort zone. I didn’t think I could do it. But he did.

So when I got job offers from both Tri-Valley, a nice, safe little rural school, and Tamaqua and its CAC, I trusted Geiger’s judgment, hoping he was right about me, and chose the road less taken … “and that has made all the difference.”

Thank you, Doc.

Dr. H. Bruce Geiger, 91, of Owl Creek, Tamaqua, died on Oct. 15. George Taylor is the editor of the Bethlehem Press.