historian

Clymer Borough's Historian

John F. Busovicki
Clymer Historian 2003

John F. Busovicki was born on December 10, 1939 in Clymer, Pa. the son of John and Blanche Cernik Busovicki. His father worked as a miner for the Clearfield Bituminous Coal Corporation in Clymer. John graduated from Clymer High School ( now part of the Penns Manor School System ) in 1957. After graduation, he took a job working for the Youngstown sheet and tube Company in Youngstown, Ohio. He worked in the Rod and Wire Division making roof bolts until 1961.

After being laid off in 1961, John returned to Clymer and enrolled at Indiana State College ( now IUP ) in Indiana, Pa. While attending Indiana State College from 1961 to 1965, he worked the night shift for Magas Welding in Clymer as a mechanic. In 1962, he married Rose Ann Felichko, a 1959 graduate of Clymer High school. Their four children are John, Joseph, David and Lisa who all live in the Clymer area. Four grandchildren, Joseph's Nicole and Diane and David's Lyndzey and Zachary, complete their immediate family.

In 1965, John graduated from Indiana State College with a Bachelor of Science Degree in education specializing in Secondary Mathematics. In the summer of 1965, John began teaching mathematics for the United School District in Armagh, Pa. He taught Geometry, Trigonometry, and Advanced Mathematics, along with being the Yearbook Advisor for three years. In 1968, he was awarded a National Science Foundation Academic Year Institute grant from the University of Notre Dame where he received a Master of Science Degree in Mathematics in 1969.

In September of 1969, Indiana University of Pennsylvania ( IUP ) in Indiana, Pa. hired John as a mathematics professor where he taught in that capacity for 31 years until his retirement in 2000. While teaching at IUP, John helped author many mathematics textbooks working as a textbook reviewer for such companies as West, Sanders, Macmillan and Addison Wesley Publishing.

Over the years, John has served on the board of directors of the following organizations: Historical and Genealogical Society of Indiana county, Indiana County Sports Hall of Fame and the Indiana Coin Club. He currently is the Bourse Chairman for the Indiana Coin Club, charged with setting up the club's two coin shows each year since 1984. Along with the three organizations mentioned above, John belongs to the Indiana University of Pennsylvania and University of Notre Dame alumni Associations. Pennsylvania Association of Numismatic, American Association of Numismatic, Liberty Seated Coin Society, Indiana County Bow and Gun Club, Clymer Days Committee and the Church of the Resurrection in Clymer.

John's other avocations include hunting, fishing, guns, stamps, postcards, old photos, local history books and lore, local Indiana County artifacts, mining memorabilia and antique cars.

John's interest in local history began in1952 when he became a member of the George Clymer Junior Historians, a history club founded by Clarence Stephenson at Clymer High School. The Junior Historians along with the George Clymer Senior Historians, under Mr. Stephenson's tutelage, wrote a history of the Clymer area called THE CLYMER CHERRYHILL STORY in 1953. This book was Clymer High School's contribution to the Indiana County Sesquicentennial celebration of 1953.

Clymer High School was the first and only Pennsylvania high school to do a history of their town, have this history printed in a book and sold to the public. In 1995, 750 copies of the second printing were ordered and sold. John started in 1952 collecting postcards, pictures, books and other local memorabilia and his collection contains over 10,000 pieces of memorabilia.

In January of 2001, Clymer Borough appointed John the Official Clymer Historian. Upon retirement from IUP in 2000, John began writing his Postcard History Series - Indiana County, which was published by Arcadia Publishing in May of 2003. This history book features about 230 postcard views of Indiana County scenes along with captions. The first printing sold out in 10 weeks and John is currently selling copies of the second printing.

You may call him 742-254-2471 or write 510 Walcott Street, Clymer, Pa. 15728-1427. The price of the books is $19.99 with postage of $1.60 and Pa. sales tax of $1.20.

John Busovicki