Gus John KLEKAS
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Saturday 28 March 2009 [Bishop, CA] Inyo Register, pgs A-2 & A-5
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Funeral services for Gus John Klekas will be held at 11a.m. at Larkin
Sunset Gardens, 1950 E. 10600 S., Sandy Utah, where friends may call one hour
prior to services. Interment will be at Larkin Sunset Gardens. Condolences may
be sent through www.larkincares.com.
There will be an additional memorial service on Wednesday, April 1 at 7
p.m. at Bishop High, Gus Klekas Gymnasium, Bishop.
Born Dec. 8, 1927, in Magna, Utah to John and Wilma Mageras Klekas, Gus
John Klekas, beloved, father, husband, grandfather, great-grandfather and
brother, died at home on March 25, 2009, in South Jordan, Utah. He fought a
courageous battle against esophageal cancer for the past year and a half and
appreciated the medical services he received that enabled him to live as long
as could.
Gus was the fourth of eight children: seven brothers and one sister.
Gus attended Cyprus High School in Magna, Utah and as a senior helped lead
Cyprus to the State Football Championship of 1944. He was drafted into the
military in 1945 and served in the Air Force for 18 months, stationed in the
Philippines near the end of Word War II.
Gus and his wife Bea met in Salt Lake City at Westminster College and were
married in January of 1951 in Las Vegas. After marriage Gus completed his
degree at Westminster where during his senior year, he served as Student Body
President and also lettered in Football, Basketball, Baseball and Track and
Field. He spent his first year teaching in Hoglan, Mont. and then they moved
to Bishop.
In Bishop, Gus and Bea would raise a family and Gus would teach and coach
for the next 34 years, the first two years at the Jr. High in Round Valley and
32 years at Bishop High School.
Gus loved coaching, especially basketball and football. He also served as
the athletic director most of his time at Bishop High. He didn’t believe in
cutting players who tried out for his teams, often keeping 20 or more players
on a basketball teams and approaching 100 players on JV football teams.
From 1972 to 1983, his teams set a then state record for 12 consecutive
league/region championships in varsity basketball. His basketball teams at
Bishop High qualified for the state playoffs some 30 out of 34 years and
played for the Californian Southern Section State 1A Championship on two
occasions.
He considered all his former players and managers like sons and did his
best to instill the attributes of preparation, hard work, discipline and
competitiveness.
He loved his association with his fellow coaches, teachers and
administrators. He was very proud of the accomplishments his former players
achieved after graduation from Bishop High.
The community and School District honored him in 1981 when they re-named
the High School Gym after him. He could not have had the success and
accomplishments without the loving support of his wife, Bea.
He loved his grandchildren and great-grandchildren and was proud of every
one of them. He loved to support and encourage them in all their activities
and goals. He enjoyed his retirement years with Bea, spending a lot of time in
Southern Utah at Zion National Park and as much time as possible with his
grandchildren. He and his family greatly appreciated the efforts of the staff
at First Choice Home Health and Hospice. He will be greatly missed.
He was preceded in death by his wife, Bea; his parents; his sister, Irene,
and brothers, Frank, Mike and Louis.
Gus is survived by his children and their spouses, Joe and his wife Pam of
South Jordan, Ann and her husband Karl of Sandy, Utah and Chris and his wife,
Julie of Elko, Nev.; 17 grandchildren; and seven great-grandchildren; and
brothers, Nick, Harry and Bill.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to: BUHS Athletics,
Memory of Gus Klekas, 301 North Fowler St., Bishop, CA 93514
[Source #1]
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Article
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Saturday 4 Apr 2009 [Bishop, CA] Inyo Register, Page One
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Community Remembers Beloved Coach Klekas
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Retired Teacher, Coach & Lifelong Mentor Passes At Age 82
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By Kellie Caparula, Inyo Register Sports Staff
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On Wednesday night a crowd gathered at Bishop's Gus Klekas Gymnasium to
celebrate the life of its namesake, legendary Bishop coach Gus John Klekas,
who led JV football and basketball and taught and served as athletic director
in the Bishop area for 34 years, two years at Round Valley and 32 At Bishop
Union.
Klekas passed away at his home in South Jordan, Utah after and year-and-a-
half battle with esophageal cancer on Wednesday, March 25, at the age of 82.
Those who gathered to celebrate Klekas' life included former players,
colleagues, friends and family.
They shared memories of a coach and teacher who used a clipboard to get
students' and players' attention, whether by throwing it on to the ground or
knocking them on the head with it. On a memorable, personal note, former
players from Kelkas' teams mentioned one of their teacher's favorite jokes.
As the story goes, Klekas would often ask an individual if he or she knew
how a crow landed on a fence. If he or she said no, Klekas would demonstrate
with a powerful grip on the upper arm.
Though Klekas will always be remembered as one of Bishop's all-star
coaches, he will also be known as a father who loved his children. One woman
shared about the day Klekas' daughter Ann was born and how he cried and said,
"I've got a girl on my team."
Former players shared memories of a coach who expected them to be
disciplined, wear ties on game days and keep their hair trimmed. It was also
said that he was a man they didn't want to disappoint and a coach who
genuinely cared about them and their success not only as athletes but as
people.
His players returned the favor by helping Klekas lead the Broncos
basketball team to a state record of 12 consecutive league championships from
1972-1983. Klekas' teams also qualified for the playoffs about 30 times in his
32 years.
Andy Holmes, a retired Bishop Girls basketball coach who not only played
under Klekas but also coached with him during his 12 league championship run,
said that the coach knew how to prepare for games. Holmes said that Klekas
would have a clipboard stacked with notes about the competition each game day.
"Gus knew everybody and called other coaches to pry information out of them
about his competition's star players," Holmes said.
Klekas would have former players who were visiting from college, imitate
Bishops next opponent's stand-out athletes to help better prepare the team.
Holmes said that Klekas taught him how to treat his players.
"He exemplified that it wasn't for the Glory of Gus Klekas, but for the
glory of his players," Holmes said. "Klekas' success may never have happened
pr, at least not in Bishop, if it wasn't for a job offer that his brother
received from Round Valley School," said Ken Kilgore, who had a son that
played for Klekas and another who worked as team manager for him.
One of Klekas' brothers put in for a job at Round Valley School and decided
not to take the job, so Klekas, who was originally from Magna, Utah showed up
and took the position.
In his first year at Round valley Klekas lead a team much smaller than its
counterparts in Lone Pine and Bishop, with only about seven or eight players,
to a junior high school basketball championship Kilgore said.
Before coming to Bishop he taught in Hoglan, Mont. after getting his degree
from Westminster College in Salt Lake City, where he met his wife Bea. In his
senior year , Klekas was student body president, lettered in football,
basketball, and track and field. He also served in the Air Force during World
War II.
After arriving in Bishop, Klekas refused to put down his basketball,
joining a league team comprised of local teachers that, Holmes said, was
pretty aggressive.
Irwin Spector, a former Bishop math teacher and football coach, teamed up
with Klekas on the team. Spector said that it wasn't that the team or Klekas
was too physical, but he did add that if the referees counted fouls, Klekas
would have fouled out.
"We ran people down," Spector said. "Klekas was a pretty hard player; he
didn't like to lose."
When he wasn't beating people at basketball, Klekas was helping his
players, students and managers.
Klekas worked hard for the program and kept his players busy and working
hard during the year, including taking them to various camps during the
summer, Spector said.
Howard Frost, who covered as a sportswriter for The Inyo Register, echoed
the feelings that Klekas worked hard for his players and school.
"He was a great coach because of his never-failing enthusiasm for the
Bronco programs," Frost said in an e-mail. "He also worked at it year-round."
Klekas' year-round dedication to his students and players helped keep kids
who were going down a bad path [stay] out of trouble Kilgore said.
"The thing about being around Gus was that you didn't have to know what
direction you were going, because Gus would send you there in a hurry,"
Kilgore said.
At the memorial it was mentioned the Klekas must have touched more than
1,000 players' lives, a number Kilgore said he finds "amazing."
"The numbers are staggering for the number of kids who went through his
program and are now successful adults," Kilgore said.
Kilgore's son Jeff who was a manager for Klekas said it wasn't just his
players that he cared about, it was everyone under his wing.
"If someone needed something or had a problem you could always go to Gus,"
Jeff said.
Klekas wasn't just for his players when they were a part of the Bronco
program, but kept in touch with players and students long after their school
days, and even when his coaching days were over.
Klekas' son Chris was coaching in a playoff game in Elko, Nev., where he
was a head basketball coach and former Bishop players came to the game because
they knew Klekas was going [to be there].
[Source #2]
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Sources:
1. Saturday 28 March 2009 [Bishop, CA] Inyo Register, pgs A-2 & A-5
2. Saturday 4 Apr 2009 [Bishop, CA] Inyo Register, Page One
[Both Transcribed by Charlotte S. Bryant, Inyo/Mono County Volunteer
Transcriber]
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• Married: 6 JAN 1951 in Las Vegas, Clark, NV

1. Living KLEKAS
2. Living KLEKAS
3. Living KLEKAS