When Mount Union’s square-dance team was short a partner at the 1999 Pennsylvania Farm Show, Mr. Mac joined the students on the floor. Both teams earned blue ribbons. That small story captures a larger pattern in the newspaper record: teaching practical skills, accompanying students into competition, and participating in the community he made his home. [1999 report]
Clifford F. McElrath Jr. was born March 27, 1954, in McKees Rocks. A 1972 West Mifflin South graduate, he earned his agricultural-science education degree at Penn State in 1976 and began teaching at Mount Union that year. He advised Captain Jack FFA and the high school square-dance team. He died November 25, 2003, aged 49, while in his 28th teaching year. [Obituary]
His work also included the Huntingdon County Fair board, junior livestock activities, stockman and tractor-driving contests, youth exhibits in Johnson Hall, and the Southwest Regional Dairy Show Committee. In Mapleton he served as a volunteer firefighter and fire chief, and he held leadership roles in Jack’s Mountain Lions Club. The newspaper reports below put dates, students, and photographs alongside those responsibilities.
From a new teacher to a lasting legacy
Mount Union Welcomes New Teachers, Transfers
Rose Todaro’s introduction of the 1976–77 faculty places Clifford McElrath in vocational agriculture, grades 9–12. A West Mifflin South and Penn State graduate, he emphasized classroom respect, trust, faith, participation, and enjoyment of lessons. His interests included tennis and gymnastics, and his bottle collection numbered approximately 330.
The Daily News, p. 6. Read the source.
Capt. Jack FFA Banquet Staged
The chapter celebrated student achievements at the Newton–Wayne fire company community building in Newton Hamilton. McElrath recognized seniors Kevin McConaughey and Willis Dell, each credited with 55 points in county and tri-county competition. Citrus-fruit sales helped support the banquet. George Dunkle received the star greenhand award; Dell received the chapter senior award.
The Daily News, pp. 1, 3. Read the source.
Source note: The $100 scholarship to Kevin Varner mentioned here is an earlier award; it is distinct from the later McElrath memorial scholarship.
School-board report, continued under “Boosted”
The school board approved 100 summer hours for McElrath’s vocational-agriculture work, including field projects and the county fair. It also permitted him to take six students to the Penn State FFA summer convention, June 16–18, at the students’ expense.
The Daily News, p. 13. Read the source.
FFA—Leader for the new fields of Agriculture
A countywide FFA feature by Polly McMullin, with photographs by Barry Grubb, shows McElrath helping sophomores Dawn Moore and Larry Forgy attach a drawer front. Students were learning woodworking through small furniture projects. The Captain Jack chapter had 49 members, including five girls. In his tenth year, he was pleased that students were learning to act on their own initiative.
The Daily News, printed p. 10; archive viewer 5. Read the source.
Adults share “Treasured Gifts from Yuletides Past”
In Polly McMullin’s Christmas reminiscences, McElrath chose approval of his home mortgage as a treasured gift. He had purchased his Mapleton home in December 1987. His contribution framed home ownership as putting down roots in Huntingdon County.
The Daily News, p. B7; archive viewer 39. Read the source.
Smith, Weller, McElrath cited by Mapleton Fire Co.
Toni Hancock reported that McElrath received the President’s Award at the department’s appreciation banquet. President Mike Corbin recognized his participation across the company’s activities. He had joined in 1983 and was serving as vice president, treasurer, assistant chief, and EMS second lieutenant.
The Daily News, printed p. 7; archive viewer 10. Read the source.
Source note: William “Billy” Smith, shown in the other photograph, received the Outstanding Member award. McElrath’s award was the President’s Award.
Linda Fisher 4th Keystone Farmer recipient in family
Sherry Coons profiled Linda Fisher, a Captain Jack FFA officer and the fourth child in her family to earn the Keystone Farmer degree. Her siblings Craig, Pam, and Susan had received it in 1984, 1985, and 1987. McElrath expressed particular pride in the family’s achievement.
The Daily News, p. 8. Read the source.
Mapleton Fire Co. honors its volunteers
This report identifies McElrath as both fire chief and treasurer in the company’s 1991 officer list. Outgoing chief David Coder also recognized him with a Fire Chief’s Award for his work as assistant chief. The awards concern the preceding service year, while the officer list establishes his 1991 chiefship.
The Daily News, p. 6. Read the source.
MUAHS vo-ag students visit “show-me” state
Brad Moore reported a six-day Kansas City trip beginning November 8. McElrath accompanied Clint Staley, Matt Kline, and Mike Kline to national cattle judging competition. The team placed 22nd; Mike Kline earned an individual gold medal and placed 38th. Their itinerary also included the Agriculture Hall of Fame, TWA overhaul facilities, and the American Royal Rodeo.
The Daily News, p. 9. Read the source.
Source note: The article appears to repeat Mike Kline’s name in conflicting medal descriptions. The other individual medal assignments remain unresolved. The adjacent square-dance photograph is a separate story, not a photograph of this trip.
Jack’s Mountain clubs’ new officers observe 10th year
Toni Hancock’s report and the installation photograph identify Cliff McElrath as president of Jack’s Mountain Lions Club for 1996–97. The occasion was the club’s tenth anniversary charter-night banquet.
The Daily News, printed p. 6; archive viewer 3. Read the source.
Trojan square dance teams take first
Student writer Katrina Kirsch reported that both Mount Union teams earned blue ribbons at the January 11 Pennsylvania Farm Show. Coaches were Cliff McElrath and Dorothy Corson. McElrath danced with Team B because it was short a partner. Weekly practices lasted two to three hours at the Raystown Roller Rink or the vo-ag room. The teams also performed for residents of care homes.
The Daily News, p. 8. Read the source.
Farm Show wrap-up
Polly McMullin’s roundup reports that the Captain Jack FFA folk-dance team, ages 15 and over, won first place in its class under McElrath’s direction. This documents the program’s success in his final year. The page’s lead headline concerns a separate award to Sam Hayes; McElrath’s mention concerns the dance team.
The Daily News, printed p. 10; archive viewer 5. Read the source.
Clifford F. McElrath obituary
Clifford F. “Mac” McElrath Jr. was born March 27, 1954, in McKees Rocks and died November 25, 2003, aged 49. He graduated from West Mifflin South in 1972 and Penn State in 1976. The obituary places him in his 28th teaching year. It records Captain Jack FFA and square-dance advising, Huntingdon County Fair leadership, junior livestock and youth activities, fire service, and Lions membership.
Pittsburgh Tribune Review / Legacy. Read the source.
Source note: The dates describe service from 1976 to 2003, ending in his 28th academic year. His father, Clifford F. McElrath Sr., is a separate person.
Hoss’s buys champion beef, donates for scholarship fund
Polly McMullin documented a livestock-sale benefit for the newly created Cliff McElrath Scholarship Fund. Hoss’s purchased Will Nichols’s champion steer and donated it for resale; Mike Riling bought it in the second sale.
The Daily News, printed p. A12; archive viewer 6. Read the source.
Mid-Atlantic Alliance of Cooperatives: Gilkinson, Schriver named leaders
The Mid-Atlantic Alliance of Cooperatives recognized McElrath posthumously for his work with its one-day business and leadership training program in south-central Pennsylvania. The article also connects the memorial scholarship with vocational-agriculture students pursuing higher education.
Farm and Dairy. Read the source.
Source note: Its sentence attributing establishment of a memorial fund to McElrath himself is ambiguous. The fund’s founding arrangements need independent documentation.
Youth dominate show ring
Becky Weikert’s report from the Huntingdon County Fair identifies Sawyer Werner as the latest winner of the Cliff McElrath Memorial Trophy. It says the Premier Showmanship Contest began in 2004, following McElrath’s death, and describes continuing scholarship support from 4-H and FFA members and others.
The Daily News, pp. A1, A3. Newspaper issue retained in the BrickTownPA research collection.
Source note: The article gives 2004 as the contest’s first year; its stated anniversary count is inconsistent with that date.
Mr. Mac in the newspaper
The seven original newspaper crops below are identified by their printed captions. They retain the source’s grain and contrast.
Another view of the 1981 FFA photograph
Preserving the record
The memorial scholarship’s exact founding arrangements remain unresolved. The 2004 newspaper benefit documents a fund in his name; it does not establish that he personally created a memorial fund. Printed newspaper pages sometimes differ from archive viewer numbers, so both are recorded above.
Additional leads include FFA debates in November 1976, a May 1983 leadership-conference photograph, November 1987 fire-company recognition, an April 1998 state FFA officer visit, and a September 2004 flood-response remembrance. These remain leads rather than verified additions to the biography. A complete year-by-year list of his community offices has not yet been established.
Research draws on Newspapers.com, NewspaperArchive, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Farm and Dairy, and the project’s local Daily News collection. Share a photograph, classroom memory, or correction.