Claysburg Hall of Fame to induct new members

Below is a closer look at the inductees:

Dahl Bowser — Retired Master Sgt. Dahl E. Bowser was born in Portage in 1949. After graduating from Claysburg-Kimmel HS, he enlisted in the Army and served two tours in Vietnam. Dahl continued his Army service through his work with White House Communications, dedicating 18 years to providing secure communication for our country’s leaders. Upon retiring from the Army and White House Communications, he was the first person inducted into the White House Communication Hall of Fame for his dedication and service to his job there. After working briefly as a civilian for Westinghouse, he transitioned to the United States Secret Service, where he served in the communication field for 23 years. Dahl was working out of the Secret Service’s field office in Manhattan at the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. His office was on a lower floor and he was able to escape from the building before it collapsed. Now retired from military and government service, Dahl is back in his hometown with his wife of 54 years, Lois (Briggle) Bowser. Dahl and Lois live in Queen.

Lynn and Janice Crist — Lynn was born in a farmhouse in Friesville, where the current CK Elementary School is located. He graduated from Claysburg-Kimmel High School in 1965. He entered the Army in 1966 and served through 1969 in the 24th Infantry Division in Germany. He also earned an associate degree from Penn State. Lynn retired from Sunoco on April 1, 2010, with 40 years of service.

Janice grew up in Fishertown and graduated from Chestnut Ridge High School in 1967. She started working at Central Bank’s office in Claysburg, moved to the Duncansville office, and then to the office at the Logan Valley Mall where she met Lynn.

Lynn served as a Greenfield Township supervisor, helped start up the Greenfield Township Water Authority, and was a member of the Claysburg-Kimmel school board. He was the Claysburg Area Library president when the present library was opened and also served on the Blair County Library Board.

Janice spent 13 years as a secretary at the high school and retired in 2011 from the position of Greenfield Township tax collector. Lynn and Janice have also worked together with the Claysburg Education Foundation.

Brent A. Miller — Brent was raised in Polecat Hollow, the son of Clair “Pete” and Pauline Ritchey Miller. He is a 1960 graduate of Greenfield-Kimmel High School and received a degree in Aerospace Engineering from Penn State. After graduation, he joined NASA where he conducted and then managed aerospace propulsion research for over thirty years at the agency’s Glenn Research Center in Ohio.

While with NASA, he conducted studies of manned missions to Mars and then conducted and led a number of research efforts which investigated the feasibility of new propulsion systems for flight in the atmosphere as well as in space.

In May of 2023, he was asked by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, where he holds the position of Associate Fellow.

Brent is a founding member of the Claysburg Education Foundation and urged the Foundation to make Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) a focus of the Foundation’s efforts.

Brent and his wife, Carol Decker Miller, returned to the Claysburg area in 2001, and live in Blue Knob.

Dolan Mosser — Dolan Isaac Mosser was born on August 4, 1987, the son of Dennis and Sobra Mosser and the brother of Drew and Dixi (now Baughman). He attended Claysburg-Kimmel and was very active in the high school sports program.

After graduation, Dolan attended Penn Tech college until he was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. His treatments took him to Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where he started a three-year battle fighting the cancer.

He was invited by the Ronald McDonald House for residency, and spent most of his days visiting and talking with sick children and telling them about his beloved Claysburg area.

Even when treatments were failing, Dolan was happy to volunteer for experimental procedures for his condition. He would say that even if they were not successful, the work would lead to a cure for the next person. His battle ended on April 23, 2010, when Dolan walked home with his Savior.

Dolan left behind the legacy of kind-heartedness, hope, and determination in his family and friends. Benefits held in his honor have raised over $60,000 to help bring hope to the children at the Ronald McDonald House.

Bill and Suie Burket — William Paul “Bill” Burket was born March 8, 1904, one of six children of Paul Warren Burket and Minnie Mae Feathers Burket. Suie F. Knisely was born on December 20, 1908, one of seven children of George W. Knisely and Elizabeth Wright Knisely. Bill and Suie were married on December 20, 1928.

Bill and Suie didn’t go to any prestigious schools. It is unknown how far Bill went in school, but Suie was a 1928 graduate of Claysburg High School, the first four-year graduating class in the history of the school.

Neither had a career in the military, neither received any community medals or commendations, and neither ever travelled very far from home. However, they still managed to have a positive influence on the lives of many citizens of Claysburg.

Bill took over his father Paul’s store in 1939. When first married, Bill and Suie lived in Queen on the Knisely farm. Suie had a beauty shop in Queen. In 1947, they moved to Claysburg from Queen and Suie sold the beauty shop to her niece, Peggy Piper.

Bill and Suie had a custard bar in the southern end of Claysburg (currently the Nationwide Insurance Agency), but their main business was “Bill’s Place,” the store in the center of town on Bedford Street. The store had a lunch counter and four pool tables. Along with sandwiches, snacks and pool, Suie sold quality jewelry.

Suie passed away unexpectedly on Jan. 13, 1974, and Bill, along with help from his grandchildren, continued the business until he retired in August, 1975. The business was closed until November, 1978, when it was reopened by Denny Burket, one of Bill and Suie’s grandsons. After several years of failing health, Bill passed away on May 9, 1986.

Bill and Suie’s contributions to Claysburg were not measured by public recognition or any awards that they received. They were just “good people” and were good to many people in Claysburg.

In recognition of the successful business and dedication to the Claysburg area, the Claysburg Hall of Fame Committee presents its Pioneer Award this year to the Burket’s and Bill’s Place.

The Hall of Fame Committee is made up of nine members elected by Claysburg P.A.S.T., their sponsoring organization. For more details on the Claysburg Area Hall of Fame, please visit https://www.claysburg.us/ and click the Hall of Fame tab.