LAWRENCE   H   GLAAB


BORN: 20 JULY 1918

Pomeroy, Ohio

YOHI "COACH" 1947-1949

FAMILY

Coach and his wife Sue celebrated their 48th wedding anniversary in June. They have a daughter Suzanne, who followed in the family tradition by marrying a career Army Officer. Suzanne and her husband have two children, Alysen and Judson and grandson, Anthony.

MILITARY

The Coach was inducted into the Army in June 1941. That was the time when they called one up for a year and your military obligation was then complete. December 7, 1941 changed all of that. He likes to joke that his heels made Federal Route 42 as they dragged him kicking and screaming from Fort Hayes in Columbus to Camp Knox, or more affectionately known as "Tent City." Daddy got his first promotion, to corporal, by being the guy who picked up the most cigarette butts on police detail. (He said he looked for brown spots in the snow and that's how he found the most)

He decided that if he were going to be "in for the duration," he wanted a better job. They assigned him to a Field Artillery unit and didn't like all the noise. He applied and was accepted to OCS, graduating in July 1943 at Fort Sill. He wasn't sure which of the branches to go to upon graduation, so he tried aviation. When he landed the training plane upside down, the instructors suggested he look to another field. Since he'd always been very athletically inclined, what better branch than Special Services!

Those of you who knew him during his duty assignment in Japan probably have more stories than I could possibly provide.

When he left Japan in 1949, he was reassigned as the Special Services Officer at Atlanta General Depot. It was while at this duty assignment, he and my mother were married. Soon after that, they sent him TDY to Enewetok for several months. We've never been able to ascertain what a Special Services Officer was doing there, and he's never said.

Upon his return from TDY, he was assigned to Fort George G. Meade, MD, where I was born. My mother tells the story that Daddy, the Post Sports Officer, was on his way to work one morning and dropped her off at the back entrance to the hospital, or so he thought. This was a contonement hospital, so the buildings all looked alike, front or back. The front had the identifications. Poor woman had to walk, in labor, all over to find the entrance to Maternity. I was almost born in a hallway.

After Fort Meade, he was assigned to JAMMAT in Ankara, Turkey, then back to Washington, DC for a "hardship" tour, then on to the AG School at Fort Ben Harrison. In 1957, he was assigned to the General Staff at Fort Knox. Given his previous tour there, he was comforted knowing we would be living in real stationary quarters and not tents, as during his previous assignment.

He was sitting in his office one day, when he received a telephone call from one of the two golf courses on post that he oversaw. His NCOIC informed him that the pond on one of the holes had disappeared. "WHAT!?" Daddy exclaimed and charged out to have a look for himself. Sure enough, the water was gone, apparently the victim of one of the many underground caves in that area of Kentucky. They threw in everything (I think they included the kitchen sink) and refilled the pond. It didn't work. Years later, when my husband and I were stationed at Knox, I asked the golf pro if he had heard the story, and wondered if they ever refilled it. He had heard the story, and after numerous attempts, they finally eliminated the pond.

Also while he was assigned to Fort Knox, he was in charge of the 2nd Army Baseball Tournament. Fort Knox was suffering from unseasonably hot weather, killing most of the grass in the area. The ball fields were brown. Daddy, always the perfectionist, insisted the grass would be green and look good for the tournament. He had a detail DYE the fields green. No one would have had a clue, until the first guy slid on the grass. The dye went and the uniforms were REALLY GREEN.

After Fort Knox, we were assigned to beautiful Hawaii. Daddy reported to USARPAC at Fort Shafter. His responsibilities included touring the entire Pacific (including Japan and Viet Nam). He'd go TDY on a regular basis. He was also instrumental in establishing R&R in Hawaii for the troops assigned to Viet Nam.

Our last duty assignment was another "hardship tour" to Washington, D.C. Daddy was assigned to the Pentagon as the Advance Officer for entertainment going overseas. Each Thanksgiving, he'd leave us and we'd have to see him on TV during the Bob Hope Christmas specials. He also coordinated the trip for John Wayne. Daddy said Mr. Wayne insisted that his boots (size 13) had steel soles. His only concern was stepping on a punji stake.

Daddy retired from the Army in January 1967. He decided to wait out the school year for me, so he spent the winter chasing little colored golf balls around the Fort Belvoir Golf Course.

AFTER RETIREMENT

We moved to Omaha, Nebraska the summer of 1967. He took over the directorship of the Women's Job Corps. In true Glaab fashion, he made many innovations while he was there. The "young women" at the Center all thought of him as a father figure. (With THAT stare?)

Upon my graduation from high school in 1969, we "came home" to Lancaster, Ohio, where Daddy directed military and government sales for Anchor Hocking Glass corporation. Anchor Hocking supplied most of the glassware and tableware to mess halls, and clubs throughout the different services. My husband and I tried to get him to go on a "sales call" to the Embassy and Officer's Club in Seoul, Korea while we were stationed there, but he declined, saying he'd seen ENOUGH of Korea with Bob Hope. He spent 16 years with Anchor Hocking before deciding to "hang it up".

Since then, he avidly follows the stock market, plays golf and keeps 10 of the 13 acres they own mowed. When winter comes, they wimp out to Panama City Beach, Florida until the worst is past, then come back to get ready for the next golf season.

At 80, he still plays a mean round of golf, and HATES to lose money to his opponents. His mother and grandfather lived into their 90s. His grandfather died of pneumonia as a result of a broken hip when he fell off the roof while trying to repair a leak, in a driving rain storm. So, the Coach will be around for a LONG time! He's still the most handsome man (excepting my husband) that I know. He still looks like a cross between Jack Palance (the malevolent), Dennis Weaver (the action) and Clark Gable (the King).

YOHI - A GREAT RECORD

First Lieutenant LAWRENCE H GLAAB - Yokohama American High School Athletic Director ("Coach") from the opening of the school in August 1947 until his Army reassignment in 1949. Initially this was a period of severe facility, equipment and "high school type" competitor shortages - especially for the Football Squad which was the first sports activity created at the school - all as explained by an unknown author in the 1948 Yearbook. ".......The idea to have a football team came about one Monday afternoon when a call for candidates was issued. The rest was comparatively easy, everyone did his share. You could say that every unit in the Tokyo-Yokohama Area contributed to our cause. Of course a few items were extremely hard to find but we managed to get them and that's the important thing.

Knowing that each new school year would bring about the same problems and with the idea of saving future students the inconveniences we had experienced it was decided that an Athletic Fund should be established. .... All awards, uniforms, equipment and entertainment would come from that fund.

Since we were the proud possessors of the only high school team under the Far East Command it was necessary for us to schedule service teams (MILITARY TEAMS) as opponents. We found them to be very able (BOY DID WE - BIG, TOUGH, "PRO") competitors and good sportsman.

On the succeeding pages of this Annual you will see our athletic teams in action against opponents far more powerful than those faced by the average high school (THAT EXPLAINS THE SCORES GUYS)..... Their record may not go down in history but their efforts will not be forgotten". (NOR THE BRUISES - THANKS "COACH").

OTHER NOTABLE 1948/49 YEARBOOK EXTRACTS

1947 FOOTBALL SEASON - Lou Gehrig Stadium

10 Oct - Pep rally and dance in gym
15 Oct - (FIRST GAME) 598th Engineer Base Depot - entire school present - ?-?
28 Oct - SECOND MAJOR PORT - (night game) - 6-6
2 Nov - HEADQUARTERS COMPANY, SECOND MAJOR PORT - 6-0 - "and the team's much improved performance reflected the excellent coaching of its athletic directory, Lt Glaab".
5 Nov - 12TH SPECIAL SERVICE - 19-0
15 Nov - 229TH ORDANCE BASE DEPOT -?-7

1948 BASKETBALL SEASON

6 Jan - YOHI 38, ST JOSEPH COLLEGE 17
9 Jan - YOHI ?, 8001ST TRUCKING CO (WE WON)
? ? - YOHI 99, KYOTO HIGH SCHOOL 22
? ? - YOHI 49, 72ND SIGNAL SERVICE BATTALION 41
16 Jan - YOHI 44, ST JOSEPH COLLEGE ALUMNI 22
10 Feb - YOHI 28, 933 AAA BATTALION 14
? ? - YOHI 47, 12TH SPECIAL SERVICE COMPANY 9 (REVENGE)
17 Feb YOHI 53, HEADQUARTERS COMMANDANT 87
24 Feb - YOHI 47, 46TH ENGINEER BATTALION 36
? ? - YOHI 60, HQS CO 2ND T MAJOR PORT 45
? ? - YOHI 75, YOKOHAMA AREA ENGINEERS 61
1 Mar - YOHI 34, EIGHTH ARMY SPECIAL SERVICE 17
5 Mar - YOHI 64, TOKYO HIGH SCHOOL 27
12 Mar - YOHI 44, 598TH ENGINEER BASE DEPOT 34 (REVENGE)
20 Mar - YOHI 63, KYOTO HIGH SCHOOL 8 (Championship game)
26 Mar - YOHI 26, TOKYO HIGH SCHOOL 21
26 Mar - DEVILETTES 17, TOKYO HIGH SCHOOL 19

"QUOTES": "Neighboring High School teams proved to be no opposition whatsoever. It can be said that we were the HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONS OF JAPAN". "During the regular season we played 20 games, winning 16 and losing 4. Of the 4 teams that defeated us, one was decidedly outclassed in a return engagement....When the season ended we had just completed an 8 game winning streak". "A good job, we done".

1948 TRACK AND FIELD SEASON

29 Mar - HIGH SCHOOL TRACK MEET "KINNICK" STADIUM TOKYO - WE WON AGAIN.

1948 FOOTBALL SEASON

"High school football in Japan set out on the road to recognition during the 1948 season. In the Far East Command three schools fielded football teams. Our own Yokohama High School was the true champion of this group. The Red Devils won their second undisputed title as "High School Champions of Japan" by soundly trouncing their school-boy opponents of equal potentialities.

After losing the inaugural tussle to 2nd Medium Port and a heart- breaking second game at Keio School Command, Yokohama High School went on to beat Headquarters Company, 2nd Medium Port 53-0, Camp Coe 13-6, Meguro High School 33-6, and Narimasu High School 14-0.

The Red Devils proved their degree of proficiency in the last two games of the season when called upon to face the rival Tokyo schools. Smartly clad in their traditional red and white they furnished their followers with a full 48 minutes of well executed football".

1949 BASKETBALL SEASON

YOHI 12, 155TH STATION HOSPITAL 12
YOHI 18, 2ND MEDIUM PORT 0
YOHI 0, KEIO SCHOOL COMMAND 6
YOHI 53, HQ CO 2ND MEDIUM PORT 0
YOHI 6, YOKOHAMA AREA ENGINEERS 0
YOHI 13, CAMP COE 6
YOHI 33, MEGURO HIGH SCHOOL 6
YOYI 14, NARIMASU HIGH SCHOOL 0

1949 BASEBALL SEASON

YOHI 45, KYOTO HIGH SCHOOL 22
YOHI 30, ST JOSEPH COLLEGE 17
YOHI 39, 304TH SIGNAL BN 28
YOHI 41, HDQTRS 2ND MEDIUM PORT 15
YOHI 47, 12TH SPECIAL SERVICE 28
YOHI 29, NARIMASU HIGH SCHOOL 30
YOHI 56, 243RD TRANS PORT CO 35
YOHI 98, SIBONEY HIGH SCHOOL 31
YOHI 26, MEGURO HIGH SCHOOL 24
YOHI 42, 2ND MEDIUM PORT 28
YOHI 45, ST JOSEPH 30
YOHI 40, ZAMA AIR BASE 18
YOHI 18, NARIMASU HIGH SCHOOL 28
YOHI 49, 933 AAA BN 37
YOHI 23, OSAKA HIGH SCHOOL 26
YOHI 48, KYOTO HIGH SCHOOL 34
YOHI 42, SIBONEY HIGH SCHOOL 16
YOHI 38, 64TH ENGINEER BN 26
YOHI 22, MEGURO HIGH SCHOOL 31
YOHI 52, 46TH ENGINEER BN 35
YOHI 44, SENDAI HIGH SCHOOL 34
YOHI 47, ST JOSEPH COLLEGE 36
YOHI 32, EIGHTH ARMY ENGINEERS 14
YOHI 55, 46TH ENGINEER BN 21
YOHI 15, NARIMASU HIGH SCHOOL 26

ALUMNI COMMENTS / MESSAGES

..........

Jim Hughes -Class 1950

A special Happy Birthday Coach Glaab.

Jim and Iva Hyatt - Class 1948

In the past 10 years Iva and I have been in contact with hundreds and hundreds of Yohi Alumni - students and faculty from each of the 50 classes. They just bubble over with excitement at the prospect of a conversation with and about Red Devils - the Red Devils you named. More importantly, each of them clearly exhibit a genuine gratitude and affection for the school, and respect and love for one another. Obviously those attitudes didn't just happen - they are the result of exposure to a YOHI environment created as someone's master plan ( Loren's and yours) - clearly a major role played by the staff and faculty of the school. Those of us from the early era of the school hold you responsible for assisting in the establishment of that high standard, which has been carried forward to the current 1998 Graduating Class. Your leadership has favorably impacted on the lives of hundreds, and on behalf of all of us we thank you for helping us on our way thru life.

Bill Wollenberg - Class 1949

Coach: just a short note to say Happy Birthday, and to express our appreciation for all of the interest , understanding and affection you have shown to me and Doris and to all of the rest of the YOHI family. For the past 50 years you have been friend, mentor, and in the early years even tormentor, to most of us. There is not a one of us who is the worse for that relationship. On the contrary, we are all better people for having passed your way. To quote a famous man, "You are our friend." Love, Wally & Doris Wollenberg.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Date: 98-07-27 23:46:17 EDT
From: szanvarney@yahoo.com (Suzanne Varney)
To: Jameshjim@aol.com

Daddy was very pleased with his present from the Yo-hi "kids". He spent several days going over the cards that came in the mail. It gave him something that will DEFINITELY be memorable. Please thank everyone who participated, it was was phenomenal..

Suzanne