Zuber to head S. Hill parade

to have as part of our community. He is well deserving of the honor of being grand marshal. The members of the Legion and parade committee are proud that he will be leading the parade this year. I keep running into people who ask me who the grand marshal will be this year. When I tell them Stanley Zuber, they all have pretty much the same reaction - 'Oh, that's great! He deserves it!'"

A 17-year member of the post, Zuber, admittedly, is a "Legionnaire first and foremost," noting he devotes much of his spare time to the service organization. In addition to serving as finance officer there for the past 11 years, he is literally the "chief cook and bottle washer," as well as the one who freshens up the grounds by taking care of the flowers, monuments, etc.

"I enjoy being there, doing what they want. All those guys accepted me and treated me as if I was there all the time. So, as long as I can, I'll continue to do what I can," he said.

A son of the late Walter and Catherine (Porambo) Zuber, he and his wife, a daughter of the late Horace and Mary Whitehead, are first generation immigrants, his father being from Poland and her's from England. Ever since his childhood, Stan recalls, "I remember Memorial Day being such a special special day in Summit Hill," noting, "It's been that way ever since I can remember, and I only missed the parade in those four years when I was in the service."

Zuber has been an active "marcher" with his comrades, and he does it with great pride. He commented, "It's good to be able to march with those guys. It's a special day not only to remember, but to not forget. It's about respect and honor.. We go and put flags out on the graves, and we know that feeling, but all of the people who visit Summit Hill that day know how special it is too."

Stan graduated in 1953 from the former Summit Hill High School and in the Fall of that year, he and about a half dozen alumni joined the service.

He entered the Air Force in October and served 10 months at Keesler AFB, Mississippi, before going overseas to Germany and Austria, where he spent the remainder of his four-year hitch as a ground radio operator/cryptographer with the 604th Aircraft Control & Warning Squadron during the time of the Cold War.

After his discharge in October 1957, he enrolled at Penn State, Hazleton. He and Louise were married Aug. 16, 1958, and in September of that year, he began studies at East Stroudsburg University, where he graduated with honors in January, 1961, with a bachelor's degree in education concentrating in science.

He worked in New Jersey for a year, before joining the faculty in the Lehighton Area School District, where he was employed for 34 years before retiring in 1996.

Zuber taught science in the junior high school, earned his master's degree in 1969 from Kutztown University, and became a counselor in the junior high school and middle school, a position he held for 24 years.

During his later years, Zuber developed a special fondness for the Legion.

He explained, "I always thought it was a place to go to to have a cold one, but I found out it's a real solid community organization that quietly goes about our business, doing what we can for the community. I never realized that until I went there and became a part of it."

In his earlier years, Zuber was involved in many community endeavors, including the Summit Hill Little League Association, Panther Valley Knee-Hi Association and clubs at Panther Valley High School, where he and his wife's four sons attended school and played athletics.

He was the first president of the Panther Valley High School 12th Man Club, serving for two years, and served Carbon County as an advisory board member for the Office of Children and Youth Services.

He had been active in the former St. Stanislaus Catholic Church, Summit Hill, where the family worshipped, and he and his wife are now members of St. Joseph Catholic Church in the community.

The Zubers have four sons: Stanley, and his wife, Leslie, of Berwick; Mark, and his wife, Korry, of Missoula, Mont.; Christopher, and his wife, Sandra, of Schnecksville; and Philip, and his wife, Maureen, of New Columbus. They also have 11 grandchildren.

Stan is one of eight siblings, five of which served in the military.

They include a deceased brother Mitchell, who served in the Army during World War II; Walter of Freehold, N.J., a former paratrooper; Joseph of Summit Hill, a Korean War veteran; and Frank of Reading, a lieutenant who entered the Army after a JROTC stint at Penn State. His other siblings include John of Summit Hill and Mary Adams and Natalie Mace, both of Perkasie.

Instead of his usual march around the community this time around, Zuber admits, "Riding will be special."

He added, "I think it's awesome that the guys at the Legion think I deserve this and the parade committee members go along with that. It's an honor I'll never forget."