- The late Mark Gerrity never won a state title when he wrestled
for
- legendary Shamokin coach Mal Paul in the late '60s or had a
great
- deal of involvement with the sport when he returned from the
- Vietnam war. But when the District 4 Wrestling Coaches
- Association inducts its newest members into the district's
Hall of
- Fame later this month, Gerrity's name will be on the list.
Gerrity's
- greatest contribution to wrestling came more recently as the
District
- 4 representative to the Pennsylvania Wrestling website,
which was
- created by Tom Elling of Lock Haven. Gerrity spent countless
- hours collecting information for the site that is visited by
thousands
- of wrestling fans across the state and the country. "When
the
- District 4 site became available, Mark plunged into it full
- force,''said Elling. "Often he would stay up until the wee
hours of
- the morning to find information for the sight. He loved the
coal
- region where he grew up.'' Gerrity's greatest personal
- accomplishments came during the war in Southeast Asia. A
Marine
- platoon sergeant at the age of 19, Gerrity took part in 28
major
- operations during his two tours of Vietnam. He won the
Silver Star,
- the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry, a pair of Purple Hearts
and the
- Navy Commendation Medal with a V for valor. Mark Gerrity
died
- last Tuesday, after a heroic battle with cancer. He was 51.
Said
- Elling, "Mark Gerrity was a true American hero. He was
unique
- because he thrived on doing for others. Losing Mark is like
losing a
- cherished member of the family. I am sure all of District 4
wrestling
- salutes his efforts on their behalf. No one loved District 4
wrestling
- more than he did.'' Gerrity's Hall of Fame class will
include former
- Shamokin coach Paul Stehman, Montoursville's Rick Snyder,
- Shamkin's Bill Welker, Lee Hall and Wayne Rider of
Hughesville,
- and Southern Columbia's Greg Haladay.
