Warner M. Houth
I knew John as both as teacher and coach at Walt Whitman High School in Huntington Station, New York. John was a solid student of mathematics and he was the finest high school athlete I have ever been associated with during my many years in education. As a senior, John was all-league in three sports—football (QB), baseball (shortstop) and basketball (point guard). I believe that in John's senior year WWHS won the championship in the top Suffolk Country (NY) league. He was the brains behind every championship. In basketball, two of the starters went on to play Division One. I loved John as a student of mathematics. He would keep plugging until he got it right. His smile would light up a classroom, but on the court or field, he wore his "game face" and led by example and effort.Yesterday I spoke to one of his football coaches, Merle Stilwell, and he said that with John at the helm, WWHS was never out of a game. I'm certain his baseball coach, the late Ralph Lewis, and his basketball coach, the late Frank Gugiliotta, would echo those sentiments.I often made efforts to get John interested in taking his skills to the next level, but he seemed to be happy to find a job in the Huntington area and play on local teams. In fact, John and I ended up playing softball and basketball on the same team. There was ten years difference in our age, but he said that the was "carrying me".Seeing that he did some coaching in the Fort Myers area pleased me, as I know he had a great deal to offer young athletes. My condolences go out to John and his family. We all lost a terrific person.