Gene Gephart

Gene Gephart

Darrell E. Hamilton

Gene Charles Gephart was born on April 8, 1931 to Elmer Irvin and Opal Stanforth Gephart in Circleville, Ohio. He is one of two children. His brother, Robert Gephart lives in Sarasota, Florida.

The Gephart family has been in Ohio a long time. E. I. Gephart, Gene’s father was born in Delaware, Ohio. His mother, Opal was born in Africa, Ohio a little town just west of Columbus, Ohio. His parents met as when they were both teaching at Delaware High School. Gene’s father was principal at Delaware High School and then was principal of Circleville High School.

Circleville was a small farm community in 1935. Circleville was not one of the better paying school districts. The Ashtabula school district did not pay more than anybody but the Ashtabula school system paid a lot more than the Circleville school system. In 1935 the Gepharts moved to Ashtabula where Gene’s father became principal of Ashtabula High School.

When the Gepharts first moved to Ashtabula, they lived on the west side of Ashtabula. After about a year they moved to the east side of Ashtabula on East 42^nd Street.

The country was in the great depression. In 1936, money was very tight in Ashtabula. Everyone who worked for the city schools who had a contract was on a monthly contract.

Growing up in the Gephart family meant you couldn’t get away with too much as far as school was concerned. Gene’s mother had taught school for while. She taught English, Latin and Spanish. Before his father become principal, he taught math and social studies. As far as he studies in school, Gene said, “I did just enough to please my mother.”

The east side of Ashtabula was a great place to grow up. Everyone got a long with each other. There were a lot of doctors, lawyers, businessmen and teachers that lived on the east side at one time. The east side of Ashtabula was such a popular place to live when Gene was growing up, that’s when the city elected everyone at large, the entire city council, the city manager and city solicitor all lived on the east side within three blocks of each other.

Gene’s first job was the same job that a lot of boys had for their first job. He delivered newspapers for the Star Beacon. His route consisted of State Rd. and the streets running east of State Rd. Two yearslater his brother Bob delivered newspapers for the Star Beacon on the streets west of State Rd. At the time the Gephart boys delivered newspapers for the entire east side of Ashtabula City.

At an early age, Gene became interested in sports. Whenever the principal had to work late at State Rd. school, she often let Gene come in and shoot baskets.

With World War II in progress, the shortage of men in the work force was felt all over the country. Gene was able to obtain a job at Coca-Cola Bottling plant on Valley View Bld. at the age of fourteen. He was paid 75 cents an hour. Later on when he sold cases of Coco-Cola, he also received commission sometimes making over a hundred dollars a week, good money for those days. It would be a job that he would keep through high school and college except the summer he worked for the City Playground Department while in college.

Gene attended State Road Elementary school for nine years. Even though there was no public kindergarten in 1936, some of the more well to do people on the east side of Ashtabula rented a room, hired a teacher and started their own kindergarten class at State Road School.

After eighth grade, Gene went to Park Junior High for ninth grade.

In high school Gene excelled in sports. He played football, basketball and ran track. In his very first year in basketball at Ashtabula High School, the team advanced to the state semi finals losing to the eventual state champion.

Gene can remember all of his teaches and liked all of his teachers. His favorite teacher who taught Gene English was Robert Ball who was also the basketball coach at Ashtabula High School. The Ball family became very good friends of the Gephart family.

Gene graduated in 1949 and received a scholarship to DePauw University in Indiana. With the money Gene made from working at the Coco-Cola plant in Ashtabula and the scholarship he received, Gene’s father did not have to pay a cent towards Gene’s college education.

At DePauw University, Gene was the starting quarterback for three years. He played enough basketball at DePauw to earn a letter in his sophomore year. He thought he was not big enough, (5’6”) or good enough to get much accomplished in basketball at the college level. After his sophomore he quit basketball and concentrated on football.

Gene liked the small college (2,500 students) atmosphere that DePauw offered. Gene received an excellent education at DePauw and thought the small college atmosphere was great for meeting people. Gene’s brother came to DePauw in 1951.

Gene graduated DePauw in 1953 with a double major in English and Heath and Physical Education.

Gene’s football coach at DePauw knew about a graduate assistantship opening at the University of Illinois. Gene took the job and completed his master’s degree at Illinois. Because of his coach at DePauw, his master’s degree didn’t cost him a cent plus he had a little spending money.

In 1954 after Gene received his master’s degree, he joined the Army. After his basic training in Kentucky, Gene was sent to Germany. Gene said he couldn’t say he was much of a soldier. He made the Army corps’ basketball team, the baseball team and played quarterback on the corps football team.

Gene got to travel to many European cities playing on those teams. Having been the runner-up in the European-African basketball tournament, a general gave them two weeks leave for the team andthey traveled all over Europe sight seeing.

After a two year hitch with the Army, Gene came back to the states. He hadn’t planned on comingback to Ashtabula. He applied to the Indianapolis school system. Not hearing anything from the Indianapolis school system, Gene took a job at Conneaut High School to start his teaching and coaching career.

Andy Garcia was the basketball coach at Conneaut at the time. Gene liked Conneaut but it was apparent that Andy Garcia would be the basketball coach there a long time and that’s what Gene wanted to do.

In 1950, Gene’s father had become the superintendent of the Ashtabula City Schools. E. I. Gephart didn’t like the politics he saw coming to his job and school system so because of that and his health, he resigned in 1958. He then became a guidance counselor at Ashtabula High School where he finished his career in 1969 at age seventy. Not that E. I. Gephart wanted to retire but he was required by the school system. He missed four days of work in his entire career.

In 1957 Gene was married to Georgana Pettiboni. Gene and Georgana have two children, Jane Miller who lives in Wickliffe and Bob Gephart who lives in Sarasota, Florida.

Right after Gene’ father retired as superintendent, a job became available at Ashtabula High School. Gene became Tony Chiacchiero’s assistant in football. He also became assistant basketball coach under Robert Ball for three years. When Robert Ball retired as coach after twenty eight years, Gene became the head basketball coach.

Gene had a very successful career as the basketball coach at Ashtabula High School. He had only one losing season in eleven years at Ashtabula High School. His best team was the 1967-68 team that finished 20-2. Gene thought the most satisfying and rewarding team was the 1968-69 team. After losing all the starters from the 1967-68 team and the sixth and seventh man on the team, Gene did not expect them to finish above. .500. However they surprised him and finished with a 14-7 record.

In 1974 Maurice Rowley retired after twenty four years as principal of Ashtabula High School. Gene Gephart became principal of Ashtabula High School and resigned as head basketball coach.

After being principal of Ashtabula High School for eleven years, Superintendent Bernard Wise ask Gene if he would like a change of venue and become the principal of Harbor High School. Gene decided to go and was principal of Harbor High School his last four years of his career. Gene enjoyed meeting new people at Harbor High School and thought the staff was excellent.

Gene worked thirty two years in the school system. He would have liked to work a little longer but decided to retire because of eye problems.

After retiring Gene helped out with the foreign exchange student program and was a substitute in English for awhile. He worked on the school bond issues and has served as a board member of the County Touchdown Club. Today, Gene lives by himself but keeps very busy. Finding him at home would be a difficult task.

Gene has also worked until recently with Jim Cordell and Pat Sheldon since 1970 on WFUN high school football broadcasts and the next year basketball was included.

Gene’s parents died in 1987. E. I. Gephart was eighty-eight and his wife Opal was eighty-six. They died within two days of each other. He died on a Tuesday and she died on a Thursday. They had a joint funeral on Friday. They were married sixty years. E. I. Gephart and Robert Ball and their wives are all buried beside each other at the cemetery on Austinburg Road.

Gene: “My father was a fair man to everyone including me." Your parents did a very good job Gene. Happy Birthday!


*E.I. Gephart*	*Opal Gephart*	**Opal, Gene, E.I. Gephart August 31, 1931**

*Gene Gephart 7 Months*	Gene age 4 & Bob age 2	*Gene & Bob Gephart*


Gene & Bob Gephart - 1947	*Left to Right: E. I. Gephart, Bob, Gene & Opal*


*Jane Gephart Miller*	Robert Gephart

Gene Gephart

Taken on his birthday at his home on April 8, 2004

Darrell E. Hamilton