Herbert "Lonnie" Cramer

Class of '60 Sponsor

I knew Herbert Cramer before I even entered GHS.  His father,  Lon Cramer, and my grandmother were first cousins.  Each year the Cramer Clan had a reunion which was well attended by all who could claim to be part of the Cramer blood line.  Lonnie, as he was known by family, was always at the center of the family organization.

Even though he spent many years with dozens of different Junior and Senior Classes, Mr. Cramer had a very special place in his heart for our Class.  He often mentioned   Ron Robinson, Ron Gantar, Lou Antonucci, Wolf Mathiesen, Joe Concannon, Jimmy Ward, Eugene Simon, Ron Teeter and others that have faded in my 67 year old memory.  He would buttonhole me at our family reunions and ask dozens of questions about our classmates.

Cramer had a unique curiosity about everything in our universe.  I remember he took our class to a very intellectual lecture on the Ambiguous Electron in Pittsburgh. He was the only one on that field trip who really understood all that the lecturer was saying.   I remember the excitement in his voice as he tried to explain it all to us on the return to Girard on the bus.

He had the same excitement in his voice when I spoke with him 2 weeks before he died of Leukemia.  He was in an experimental program (now standard practice) and was living in a bubble room as the doctors tried to rejuvenate his blood production.  He spent 20 minutes giving me the details of what they were trying to do.  "Just imagine the possibilities," he said.

Sadly that was just the beginning of this revolutionary treatment for Leukemia that has been very successful recently. 

We all lost a friend when Cramer died.   We all are better to have known him.   You left your legacy, Lonnie.  It is recorded on this website.   Your kids of the Class of '60 have done you well--  Ed DeChant

If you would like to contribute to Memories of Mr Cramer please send them to eddechant@earthlink.net.