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Rocker Trent Reznor makes surprise school visit
Jerry Johnson, Mindi Griffith Boysen also join alumni hall
MERCER — It’s easy to tell by walking around Mercer Area High School the pride students take in having rock musician Trent Reznor as a predecessor.
“A lot of my kids wear Nine Inch Nails shirts and garb,” said Principal Dr. Hendley Hoge, speaking of Reznor’s band.
Reznor, who graduated in 1983, has gone on to win dozens of awards for his music, including Grammy Awards and platinum records for sales of more than 1 million albums.
Reznor has returned to the area to visit family members and friends over the years, but hadn’t been to the high school in decades. He returned last week to receive his latest award — to the delight of current Mercer students.
“I kept this hush hush until the banquet started,” Hoge said. “When he came down with the two other inductees, that’s when people came out with their cell phones and cameras.”
Reznor, of Los Angeles, was inducted with John G. “Jerry” Johnson and Mindi Lin Griffith Boysen into the high school’s Alumni Hall of Fame.
Hoge said he promised Reznor there would be no press present and did not publicize Reznor’s induction ahead of time.
“I was sky high to have him back here,” said Hoge, a former music teacher. “He hadn’t been back to this high school in 23 years.”
Ms. Boysen remembered Reznor from when she was an eighth-grader and he was a senior.
“He was always in the art room when we were in there,” she said.
She also had a poem published next to one of his in the school’s literary magazine, she said.
“It definitely added to the evening,” she said of being honored along with Reznor. “I think it was a treat for everybody.”
The inductions were held as part of the district’s academic awards banquet, which honored students in grades six through 12. More than 300 students and parents attended.
Reznor, who played in the Mercer Community Band, appreciated the freedom he was given in the band and art rooms to work on ideas, Hoge said.
“He comes back now and appreciates the upbringing of being from Mercer,” Hoge said.
It’s a turnaround from past disparaging remarks he made about the area.
“Trent’s past 40 now and he’s somewhat mellowed now,” said Johnson, who sat with Reznor’s grandfathers, George Reznor and Bill Clark, who raised Reznor. “He’s 100 percent for Mercer now.” (Actually, today is Reznor’s 41st birthday.)
Johnson, from the class of 1941, has always been 100 percent for Mercer, hence, his nickname, “Mr. Mercer.” A borough councilman, Johnson is a former mayor and a former county commissioner. He chaired the Mercer County Bicentennial Committee, is a member of a number of organizations and commissions and owns an antique shop in the borough.
Ms. Boysen, a 1987 graduate, was honored for her accomplishments in the fitness industry. The Phoenix resident is a certified lifestyle and weight management consultant, personal trainer and group fitness instructor. She has taught at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, from which she graduated from, and Purdue University, and has released a series of digital video discs and a book on fitness through golf.
Hoge said the hall inducts former students — 27 so far — who have made a difference in a particular field or in society.
“It doesn’t necessarily mean you had to be the top student when you were here,” Hoge said.
Recalling his school days, Johnson said he was “probably an average student. I probably didn’t apply myself as I could.”
But, he always was inquisitive and “scientific.”
“I thank God that I’ve been able to stabilize myself and try to stabilize those around me,” he said.
Johnson, 83, said he preached a message of following the Golden Rule and acting instead of complaining.
“Nobody’s perfect. I know I’m not,” he said. “I’ve had a wonderful life. I love life and I love people.”
Johnson’s said his secret to living to an advanced age has been refusing to allow himself to get depressed.
“If I feel depression coming on, I’ll relax it down and read from the Bible or a book for inspiration and put some music on,” he said.
The diversion usually puts him to sleep, and he wakes up in a better mood, he said.
The inductees are honored with a plaque and photograph of them from high school, which is posted at the school.
While Ms. Boysen said she’s not happy with her high school picture, Hoge said those pictures were chosen because “I thought it was important for the students to see a high school kid, one of their own peers, who has made a difference. I want them to read the bios and say, ‘I can be that, someday.’”
Ms. Boysen said she believed the three inductees presented a wide range of career possibilities to the students.
“I think all of the kids could relate to at least one of us,” she said. “Just because you’re from the little town of Mercer doesn’t mean you can’t do big things.”
Johnson said he enjoyed being around so many young people at the banquet.
“It was nice to be with the younger people and see the future is going to be good,” he said.
Ms. Boysen’s Web site is at www.boysenbodies.com The Nine Inch Nails Web site is www.nin.com
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Actors visit Camelot
The magic and mysticism that abounds in the King Arthur legend has been just as prevalent in the life of a woman who has written a three-part play chronicling the history of Camelot’s famed ruler.
Youngstown native Carol Weakland said she’s been working for 12 years on the play that premiered last weekend: “The Arthurian Trilogy Part One, Arthur and Merlin: The Making of a King.” She was never able to assemble a cast to play the demanding roles or “whittle down” the lengthy script into a compact but complete show. But this year, everything came together.
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Annual senior fair is Friday in Sharon
State Rep. Mark Longietti will hold his fourth annual free Senior and Health Education Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Sharon American Legion, 1395 E. State St., Sharon.
The fair will feature farmers market coupons, free health screenings, about 50 vendors, door prizes and free information and services.
For more information, call 724-981-4655. -
Dolata carves time for local fest
Walter Dolata shows and sells his wood carvings at arts festivals — sometimes large ones — in New York, Maryland and Ohio.
But he always makes time for the arts festival in his back yard: the Hermitage Arts Festival, which runs this weekend at Rodney White Olympic Park.
“I like it,” said Dolata, who lives in Hermitage. “It’s a local festival. It’s a nice little festival.”
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Farmers market vouchers for seniors available
Mercer County Area Agency on Aging Inc. is again offering the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program to eligible Mercer County Seniors.
This program is made possible through the Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Bureau of Food Distribution.
The purpose of this program is to encourage older adults to eat more fresh fruits and vegetables produced by local growers.
Eligible seniors can pick up vouchers at locations in Greenville, Grove City, Mercer, Sandy Lake/Stoneboro and the Shenango Valley . -
Victorian Weekend begins Friday evening
Step back into a gentler era during the 22nd annual Victorian Weekend Festival, planned for Friday through Sunday on the historic Mercer County Courthouse Square.
The weekend begins with “A Victorian Concert” by the Mercer Community Band at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the bandstand on the east side of the county courthouse; the warmup concert starts at 6.
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Girl Scouting gold goes to RHS grad
Lorrie Lehman, daughter of Dave and Rosemary Lehman of Reynolds and sister of Tommy, was recently awarded the Girl Scout Gold Award from Girl Scouts of Western Pennsylvania.
The Gold Award recognizes leadership, hard work and service to the community and for exemplifying the ideals of the Girl Scout Promise and Law. Only five percent of Girl Scouts nationwide earn this recognition annually.
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Public invited to annual Farm Safety Day
Our annual Mercer County Farm Safety Day will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday at the Leslie N. Firth Learning Center, home of Mercer County Cooperative Extension, and the adjacent 4-H Park, 483 N. Perry Highway, 1 1/2 miles north of Mercer in Coolspring Township.
Our staff, along with event sponsor, the Agricultural Health and Rural Safety Advisory Committee, invite you and your family to attend and actively participate in a full day of safety demonstrations and open dialog on an issue which affects us all. Our goals are to make rural residents more conscience of common hazards, risky behaviors, and cultural traditions which often contribute to farm and rural accidents.
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Urban League offers outdoor movie series
It’s been decades since movies have been shown on a big screen in Farrell.
The Shenango Valley Urban League is changing that this summer, with its “Films in the Square” series, to be held Friday nights at Veterans Square.
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Fourth of July activities
There's no lack of Independence Day celebrations planned in the area.
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League levels the playing field
It might not look like a traditional baseball game at first glance, that is, the baseball game one would see in the Brookfield Community Park on summer Sundays.
Some of the players are in wheelchairs, others use walkers and canes and most are mentally challenged, but they all come out every week for the same reason: the chance to play baseball, and it’s an opportunity they might not otherwise have.
It’s called the Challengers League, a baseball league for the mentally and physically challenged. - More Community Headlines
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Actors visit Camelot
