CHS Class of 73 Holds 70th Birthday Picnic and Remembers Classmate Gerald Read

CHS Class of 73 Holds 70^th Birthday Picnic and Remembers Classmate Gerald Read

Photo Caption: Clearfield Area High School Class of 1973 at their 70^th birthday picnic held September13, 2025

Photo Caption: The Gerald Read Memorial Scholarship primarily supported by members of the Clearfield Area High School Class of 73 marked 11 years of awarding scholarships to graduates of Clearfield Area High School who have achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Pictured with Bill Guthridge is the 2025 recipient of the Gerald Read Memorial Scholarship Luke Dixon who is attending the Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

On Saturday September 13th members of the Clearfield Area High School Class of 1973 gathered for their 70th birthday picnic at the VFW in Clearfield. As an ongoing tribute to their fallen classmate Gerald Read, the Class of 73 members provide ongoing donations and support to the Gerald Read Memorial Scholarship which provides annual scholarships to graduates of Clearfield Area High School who achieve the rank of Eagle Scout.

In September of 2013, Gerald Read died during a domestic terrorist attack in Alexandria Virginia. Classmates remembered that after graduating from Clearfield Area High School, Gerald Read went on to have an exemplary military career serving in military law enforcement and management information systems. He served in South Korea and rose to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the Army

and served with the U.S. Army Material Command supervising efforts to supply and maintain forces deployed overseas during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars.

Following his retirement from the military, Read moved into civilian service as an information assurance specialist with the Navy Sea Systems Command. It was in this position where he was working on Monday, September 16, 2013, the day of the terrorist attack at the U.S. Navy Yard, Washington.  As the attack unfolded, Read took heroic action as he protected and shielded a female co-worker from the shooter and lost his own life as a result.

In the immediate aftermath of the news, Read’s classmates from the Clearfield Area High School Class of 1973 organized the Gerald Read Memorial Scholarship with the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation. Within a few short months, the scholarship committee raised sufficient funds to award the first scholarship in honor of Gerald Read to a graduate of the Clearfield Area High School Class of 2014. One of the main criteria the committee decided on was to award the scholarship to an Eagle Scout in recognition of the same rank Gerald Read had attained during his time in the Boy Scouts.

Scholarship Committee Chairman Frank Barba said “Over the 11 years we have awarded the Gerald Read Memorial Scholarship, the committee has selected recipients that Gerald himself would be extremely proud of.  For the Class of 1973, we still feel a great loss with Jerry’s passing, but we continue to honor his memory with the scholarship and hope that all scholarship recipients carry on Gerald’s legacy”.

Barba concluded “We welcome all donations and gifts to the Gerald Read Memorial Scholarship Fund.  Recently, Gerald’s only brother David Read passed away and donations can be made to the scholarship fund in Memory of David Read. Donations can be mailed to the Clearfield County Charitable Foundation, PO Box 1442, Clearfield PA 16830 – make check payable to CCCF – Gerald Read Memorial Scholarship Fund or donate online by visiting www.clearfieldcharitablefoundation.org, click ONLINE DONATION TO A SCHOLARSHIP FUND, then scroll down to SCHOLARSHIPS STARTING WITH THE LETTER G and click the button DONATE TO THE GERALD READ MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP FUND to make a secure donation via PayPal”.

All donations to the Gerald Read Memorial Scholarship Fund are tax deductible and donors will receive an acknowledgement letter for their donation.