Down River 9/2

 

By John Lipez

A Special Man, Part of a Special Day:
Saturday was a great day in Clinton County, a great day to honor those among us who have served our follow citizenry in one capacity or another.

It began with the morning Hometown Heroes ceremony recognizing men and women for their service, whether through the military, first responders, or health care personnel. The day continued with the unveiling of plans for a new Veterans Park across from the Clinton County Courthouse, a well thought out upgrade to recognize all who have served our country in the armed services.

Kudos to the Downtown Lock Haven group for the immense task in staging the Hometown Heroes event and to Dave Harger, Steve Getz and Harger Utility Charities for their work in bringing the Veterans Park project to fruition in the very near future.

And then the Saturday afternoon First Island Bridge dedication ceremony in honor of Petty Officer Stephen “Turbo” Toboz, Jr., a retired Navy SEAL of epic proportion, a giant among us. Multiple speakers lauded Toboz for his remarkable accomplishments with the SEALs, specifically his bravery in a March 2002 battle which almost cost him his life and earned him the Silver Star.

Ceremony participants used phrases such as “resilience…toughness…lethal…most talented” and more as they lauded Toboz for his accomplishments, not just in March of 2002, but his career with the SEALs and his continued training of SEALs; as one speaker noted, Toboz “continues to give back every day…a true inspiration…(there are) warriors around the world he has touched.”

It is not likely that Toboz gets back to Lock Haven often, his parents no longer living in the area (but very much in attendance Saturday and very much in good spirits, their deserved pride in their son apparent to one and all).

Given his extended time away and his travails in the interim (including a relatively recent successful battle against cancer), it had to be gratifying to Steve and his family to see the outpouring of love directed his way from so many who knew him as he grew up in Lock Haven.

Because he was an outstanding athlete, many of those who came out Saturday were former team members or coaches.

It is hard to put into words to adequately describe the heartfelt love they expressed to him. It was particularly poignant to see his high school football coach, the long retired Don Malinak, and his high school wrestling coach, Doug Buckwalter, spend a few moments reminiscing with Toboz following the impressive ceremony.

Now an assistant wrestling coach at Central Mountain High School, Buckwalter as a wrestler at Lock Haven University and as a life-long coach since then, has always exhibited and instilled in his wrestlers those same characteristics that have served Buckwalter well in the gym and Toboz on the field of battle. Resilience and toughness were a couple of the words the program speakers ascribed to Toboz, traits learned in the wrestling room that helped him through the hell on the other side of the world in 2002.

Given the Buckwalter – Toboz connection from better than three decades ago, Down River asked Doug to offer his thoughts on a young Steve Toboz during his high school wrestling days:

Steve was one of a group of talented athletes I was fortunate to have coached early in my career.

He was one of those guys you really enjoyed having in your room as a coach. Many of my memories were from the practice room where he took on every challenge and usually had a big smile on his face while doing it.  Steve was athletic, worked extremely hard, and loved to compete!  He was an undersized football player but his toughness and physicality was evident with the bruises that remained when he came to the first day of wrestling practice.

My greatest memory of Steve on the mat was when he was instrumental in helping Lock Haven defeat Bald Eagle Area in the West Main Street gymnasium, which didn’t happen very often. Steve was not favored to win his match but hit a five-point move with a Peterson Roll and held his opponent on his back for the remainder of the period to secure the win.

What a joy it was to see him honored for using his skills and abilities in service to our country! His example of heroism has been and will be an inspiration for many students/athletes at CMHS and throughout our community.

It was only appropriate that more than a few past and present wrestlers turned out to pay tribute to the now retired Petty Officer Toboz. They included, among others, the current Lock Haven University wrestling team; his former Clarion University coach (and Lock Haven native) Bob Bubb; former teammate Steve Krause; current Central Mountain head coach Biff Walizer; and many more.

There was some irony when Toboz, in his well delivered speech, noted that the First Island Bridge now graced with his name was where he did his running as he trained for football, wrestling and track during his formative high school years. Those treks, he said, “made me strong, made me the man I am today,” adding, “I hope it serves as an inspiration for those who cross it.”

An inspiration it surely will be for those crossing the Petty Officer Stephen “Turbo” Toboz, Jr. Bridge. All those in training have to do is pause for a second or two and consider what can be done; Steve Toboz set an example they should all try to emulate.