2009 SAGA NHS Spotlight: Robert Sheskey

Robert Sheskey’s Community Spirit Lives on at the Food Cupboard

from 2009 SAGA  

NHS Spotlight:  Robert Sheskey

Robert Sheskey was a familiar face in the halls of Nelsonville High School, on the football field, basketball court, and baseball diamond.  He was admired and respected as a teacher, coach, and colleague.

Mr. Sheskey graduated from Buchtel High School in 1943 and entered the service during World War II.  He served in the CBI Theatre as combat engineer building bridges in Burma.

After being discharged from the Army he attended Ohio University on the G.I. Bill and majored in Physical Education with a minor in American History.  When we sat down with Mr. Sheskey to talk about his lifelong career in education he revealed that he actually began teaching in South Bloomingville, Ohio; then on to Jacksonville-Trimble for five years before his long career at Nelsonville.  He was quick to mention the many marvelous teachers at N.H.S. that he was fortunate to teach with, among them, Mary Sharp, John Daughtery, the Hoffees, Monica Stedem, Kathleen Hartley, Helen Washburn, Roger and Louise Wolf, and countless others.  He also admired Jim Standall, Pres Dexter, and John Clouston, our bus drivers and custodians who took such pride in caring for our school buildings, grounds and students. 

Mr. Sheskey followed in the footsteps of Lowell Cole as “Coach”.  He was varsity football, basketball, baseball, and golf coach at Nelsonville High School during some portion of his long career in the sporting arena.  Coach Sheskey stated that many great athletes came through his hands while he was coach and many were fortunate to earn athletic scholarships to area colleges.  When we spoke with some former N.H.S. athletes they stated that Coach Sheskey went above and beyond what was normal in those days to alert college coaches and scouts about the athletic and scholastic abilities of his players.  Sheskey provided films, made phone calls, and arranged visits for students to interested colleges and universities.  Sheskey was often seen munching his way through a bag of popcorn but his true passion and inspiration were the young athletes he was empowered to guide.

“Our big rival in basketball was Athens; we only lost two games in the Southeastern Ohio Conference play during our ’64 season,” remarked Sheskey.  Both of those losses were to Athens.  The coach stated that hard work, great effort, and team play were always the aspects he stressed to all the young men that he was fortunate to coach throughout his career.  He gave much credit to the success of his teams to assistant coaches, recalling such names as Bob Penrod, Phil Fawcett, Ed Keating, Jack Sowers, and Barney Andrews.  When pressed to name or list the most memorable coaching or teaching event in his career, he laughed at the thought and said there were too many to single anything out. 

Mr. Sheskey was named Principal of the newly created high school in 1969, the second year of the consolidation.  He served in that capacity until his retirement in 1983, ending his thirty-three year career.  He was responsible for helping shape our youthful endeavors during those formidable teenage years and we are sure that some of us challenged him in that respect.

Mr. Sheskey was responsible for the summer athletic program and our city swimming pool between 1956 and 1966 and served on Nelsonville City Council in the 1970’s.  Like a number of our teachers and leaders he wore many hats.

After his official retirement, he his wife Joanne turned their attention to feeding the hungry in our small community.  Mr. Sheskey had witnessed, first hand, hungry school children and Mrs. Sheskey’s career in social work had provided evidence that there was a real need to provide food for the hungry.  For eleven years they spearheaded the Nelsonville Soup Kitchen, which was a collaborative effort among our community churches.  Bob and Joanne helped administer, shop, cook, serve, and do dishes for this worthwhile endeavor.  They have also worked for over twenty years at the Nelsonville Food Cupboard/Pantry, a satellite of the Southeastern Ohio Regional Food Bank/Feeding America.  As we prepare for some tough times Mr. Sheskey continues to lend his hand to this worthwhile project.  We are inspired by his spirit of caring for his neighbor and ours.