Gary B. Weber '67
Loyalty to Mechanicsburg Area High School
If you grew up attending the Mechanicsburg Presbyterian Church you would have seen Gary Weber, along with his parents Milt and Phyllis, on any given Sunday. Or, you might have seen Gary returning to his home on Coover Street. Then again, you might have noticed Gary in his father’s hardware store at the corner of Frederick and Main Streets. And, if you attended school in Mechanicsburg, you might have seen Gary in Ms Kelly’s Kindergarten School in the basement of what is now the PNC Bank. He attended Broad Street Elementary School and in seventh grade went to Junior High in the now Simpson Street apartment building. High school took Gary to the Elmwood Avenue building where you would have known him for his participation in music. He was in both the band and chorus throughout high school. Gary graduated from Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School in 1967.
It was his love of music that led Gary to attend Lebanon Valley College in the fall of 1967. There he majored in his special gift, music. He also participated in Chapel Choir, Concert Choir, Musical Theater and intramural sports. Gary graduated from Lebanon Valley College in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts Degree.
Talented as he is, Gary could have gone anywhere to teach music. His first couple of years he taught at GreenwoodSchool District and Northern York. In 1975, he returned to his hometown. His first assignment in the Mechanicsburg Area School District was at the Junior High/Middle School where he served as a vocal music teacher conducting the chorus. He also conducted the Special Ensemble. Notable achievements while in these positions included his devotion to his students, and field trips to NYC to see Broadway Musicals. In addition, he orchestrated and managed annual shows at the Junior High/Middle School, complete with costumes and elaborate sets. Some of these included Annie, Cats, Music of the Night, Lenny’s Diner, and the Starlight Express. His singers entertained at various community events, performed at Middle School Conventions and for the Governor of Pennsylvania at the State Capitol. He was the Assistant Director of the Musicals at the Senior High School for 16 years. Eventually, Gary earned the position of Vocal Music Department Chairman. He was the recipient of the Citation of Excellence from the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association. Gary also coached girls’ volleyball at both the Middle School and High School. After thirty-one years of teaching at Mechanicsburg, Gary retired in 2006.
Throughout Gary’s stellar teaching career, he was involved in numerous community activities. These almost always included either music or something to benefit Mechanicsburg Area Senior High School or the Borough of Mechanicsburg.
Early on Gary started his own music group, “Webz.” Years later, he also joined a local music group “Rich Clare’s Pentagon,” as the keyboardist and vocalist. Gary and the members of “Pentagon” were inducted into the Central PA Musicians Hall of Fame, and they celebrated fifty years as a band in 2021. For several decades Gary organized fundraising concerts that raised tens of thousands of dollars for the Mechanicsburg Music Alliance and the Mechanicsburg Swimming pool to name a few. He also organized “Mechanicsburg Night,” with the Harrisburg Senators and represented the Borough by singing “God Bless America” during the seventh inning stretch.
Gary served for twenty-eight years in the PA Air National Guard Band where he was a vocal soloist and emcee. During this tenure, he received the prestigious John L. Levitow award as the Honor Graduate of the United States Air Force Leadership School Class 90-C at Luke Air Force Base, Arizona.
Other community activities throughout his adult lifetime included time with Mechanicsburg Little League, Mechanicsburg Soccer Club, Mechanicsburg Swim Club, Easter Egg Hunt, Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts, Tri-4-Kids and the Honor Bus for WWII and Korean War Veterans. Gary was a member of the Mechanicsburg Museum Association where he was the project manager for the Frankenberger Garden Project. On Sundays, Gary was active in his church as a Deacon, Elder, and interim choir director. Gary is a former President of the Wildcat Foundation where he guided the organization in giving thousands of dollars in grants helping students at the Mechanicsburg Area School District. In retirement, he became involved in local government. Following a successful write-in campaign, Gary was elected to the Mechanicsburg Borough Council. During his eight years of service on the council he served on numerous committees and was the Council President for the last two years of his second term. Currently, Gary serves as President of the Mechanicsburg Alumni Association and is a member of the Mechanicsburg Cemetery Board of Directors.
Jeanne Fernbaugh Souder (class of 1964) nominated Gary. In her nomination she said of Gary, “If anyone bleeds Maroon and Steel more than Gary Weber, I would love to meet them. Gary has dedicated his life to the Mechanicsburg Area School District and the Borough of Mechanicsburg. One former principal coined the name “Mr. Mechanicsburg” when referring to Gary.
Gary and his wife Lorrie have lived in the same house on Main Street for forty-seven years. They have two grown children and three grandchildren.