Mark Klusman: runner, teacher, photographer, role model, server of the community, Elder alum…etc.

These are just a few titles exemplifying the type of quality man that was Mr. Mark Klusman.

On Saturday December 9, 2017 Mark Klusman was involved in a “hit-skip” accident while serving the Price Hill Community. He was then taken into emergency care while undergoing several surgeries.

Klusman died on December 26th at the age of 74. After serving more than 50 years at Elder High School, Klusman left his legacy of humility, love, and service to others.

Due to his impact on so many, involving the Price Hill community and Elder, a memorial has been dedicated to him on the corner of Warsaw and Wilder near the sight where he was struck. Tom Gamel did all the organizing to complete the memorial with assistance from Patti Hogan.

I talked with Patti Hogan who gave me some insight on the upbringing of this memorial. She told me, “After his tragic loss last year, the East Price Hill community wanted to create a lasting memorial to commemorate a great man who tirelessly gave so much to so many.”

The memorial marker includes an image of Mr. Klusman with his long hair and “snowy white beard.” It also contains images of some of Klus’ favorite things- biking and running, as well as his famous saying “Make a Good Day”.

I got to talk with Mr. Klusman’s long-time coworker and friend , Roger Auer. Mr. Auer taught at Elder for many years serving as the Head of Campus Ministry working alongside service projects with Klus. Mr. Auer had a few words to say about Mr. Klusman, “As far as his job in the computer area, there was no expectation for him to go out and do the type of service he did.” He went on to tell me how thorough Klusman was in everything he did, and to quote his words, “When he said he was going to be there, he was going to do it.”

Along with this newly dedicated memorial, several other events have happened this past year to commemorate a life well lived. This included the renaming of Vincent Avenue as “Mark Klusman Way”.

Along with the street renaming ceremony, T-shirts were designed and sold by the students in honor of all of Mr. Klusman’s wonderful attributes. The t-shirts included a long-sleeve pictured saying: “My life was inspired by Coach Klusman”.

The short-sleeve t-shirt was created by senior Maxwell Deters and Tyler Macenko as it was designed to portray the outline of Mr. Klusman’s beard filled with qualities he illustrated.

NOTICE: the short-sleeve t-shirts are for sale again this year for anyone that didn’t get one last year or would like to purchase one.

Aside from the dedication of “Mark Klusman Way”, the Mark Klusman memorial, and the t-shirts, a newly formed scholarship has been started in honor of Mark Klusman’s name. The scholarship was funded by an anonymous donor from the class of ’79 and will be awarded next school year. Money from the donor and proceeds from the t-shirt sales will all contribute to the Mark Klusman Scholarship Fund.

With all these events dedicated to Mr. Klusman, there is no question what kind of religious, spiritual, and emotional impact he had on everyone he knew and taught. Certainly more than just a teacher, Mr. Klusman left a foundation of service and love that will continue on at Elder forever.