MILL HALL — The Keystone Central Foundation Alumni & Friends Association is pleased to introduce each inductee into the first class of the Keystone Central Hall of Fame.

Inductees will be honored at a ceremony at Central Mountain High School on Saturday, Feb. 19, at 5 p.m. Tickets, congratulatory messages, and ads can be purchased for the event program at www.kcfoundation.com or calling 570-660-1306.

HARRIS and JOHN LIPEZ

Lock Haven High School Class of 1933 and 1961

JOHN LIPEZ

The name Lipez is synonymous with radio broadcasting in Clinton County. Whether it’s John Lipez on air today with our high school sports play-by-plays or his father Harris, who co-founded WBPZ radio back in 1947.

For Harris Lipez, his entire professional life was that of a communicator, from news reporting to sports broadcasting. He received myriad commendations and awards for this life of connecting people with one another and with the larger world.

Harris was the co-founder of Radio Station WBPZ in 1947, bringing radio to Lock Haven for the first time. He also did a broadcast on WRAK Williamsport from the Piper Aircraft plant during World War II, helping the war effort. He served in the US Army during the last year of the war. Harris was considered a pioneer in sports broadcasting, especially wrestling, in Pa., and received many accolades and awards for these efforts over the decades.

He was the original host on the WPSX-TV show “TV Quarterbacks” with Penn State football coach Joe Paterno in 1967. He also did early television coverage of Lehigh University wrestling and Penn State gymnastics. He was a member of the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters Hall of Fame.

Harris was involved in many aspects of Clinton County civic life from his active membership in the Kiwanis Club to his run for the state Senate. He also served on the PA Horse Racing Commission, multiple terms on the Keystone Central School Board, and coaching for Little League and American Legion Baseball. He was also a longtime member of baseball for boys, the organization that oversaw Little League Baseball in Lock Haven during the early years of the league.

His ongoing involvement in the PA Broadcasters Association was evidence of his continued effort to understand and meet new challenges in the radio business and its place in the social and economic life of the commonwealth.

Perhaps his greatest contribution was his lifelong promotion of team and individual sports as models for good citizenship. Harris promoted teamwork in all aspects of life, and especially in sports. His famous sign-off at the end of his nightly sports news broadcasts was, “If you like good sports, be one.”

Harris’ son John certainly followed in his father’s footsteps. John is a 1965 graduate of Penn State School of Journalism with a degree in Broadcasting. He has continuously learned to hone the craft of providing news to the readers and listeners as radio and newspaper have evolved over the decades. He transformed the oldest newspaper in Clinton County from a paper copy to an online media outlet, reaching people around the world.

Since 1965, John has made a career as a communicator. His reach is wide with radio programs such as “Talk Back” and broadcasting local elections and sporting events at all levels.

John’s impact in our community has extended beyond radio and print. He served in the National Guard. He helped locally during the 1972 flood and served on city council. He coached various levels of local youth baseball including little league, junior league, and legion baseball. He served the public interest as a public trustee while owning the local radio station.

John has also collaborated with many community groups to enrich our local area. He served as an early member of the Clinton County Community Foundation — where he served on the board for four decades. He worked with officials to develop the summer concert series and streams many local events of interest such as Flaming Foliage. His work with sports broadcasting took on a whole new level with the pandemic. When parents were not allowed to attend their children’s sporting events, John worked with the school district to stream even more sports — home and away. In doing so, he and The Record Online have been able to engage those who now live out of the area too.

Full tributes for all inductees can be found at kcfoundation.com. Others honored in the Class of 2022 include: Rich Wykoff, Yvonne Weaver, Howard Peters, Malcolm Heimer, and Stephen “Turbo” Toboz.