news Panther Prowler • Dec. 7, 2018
3
Faculty remembers George Hurley Gianna Spiro Ad Manager In the midst of the many tragedies and suffering in the community, NPHS lost a beloved coach. George Hurley, more commonly known as Coach Hurley, served over 40 years at NPHS as a teacher, coach and mentor. Hurley began his teaching career in 1972, before he coached the Panther football team for 37 years. After fighting cancer for 14 years, he passed away on Nov. 19, but his legacy and many memories will last forever. Ryan Hurley, campus supervisor and Varsity Football and Track coach, reminisced about his childhood and the popularity of his father in the small community. “My dad had a great sense of humor, he was very sarcastic and witty. I definitely grew up idolizing him, almost feeling like he’s a celebrity back then in Newbury Park. Wherever we went people knew him,” Hurley said. Kelly Welch, assistant principal, knew Hurley since 2006 when she began coaching girls’ soccer. Coaching at the high school level was a new experience for Welch but Hurley and a few other coaches that she considered her mentors helped her “address the whole student-athlete.” “Coach Hurley was always friendly, always had a smile, always had a word of encouragement or something positive to anyone he encountered. He was very impactful to me, and helped me become a better coach,” Welch said. When Jason Klein, athletic coordinator, first became the head coach of NPHS in 2007, he received two things from Coach Hurley. “He brought me a little small coaching handbook that he had for a long time, which emphasized that the safety and wellbeing of the kids came first. When we won our first game, he got me a little trophy. Those two things showed the thoughtfulness and how he always put others before himself,” Klein said. On campus, Hurley was well-known by many students and faculty for his caring personality. “He was passionate about working with students and being a positive influence in their life. He cared about them and their issues, whether it was inside or outside of the classroom, on or off of the field. (He was) just an all-around genuine person,” Welch said. “Coach Hurley was everything it means to be a Panther. We talk about NPHS standing for nobility, potential, humanity, scholarship, and
Coach Hurley embodied all of those characteristics and expected those things out of his student-athletes.That helped to create the culture here at this high school.” Gary Fabricius, teacher and former coach, always liked that “he was very family oriented.” “My wife was always grateful, because he put family first...but if we ever came to him and said ‘my wife needs this or that’ he would say ‘go, it’s ok,’” Fabricus said. “He would always allow family obligations to come first. He was big on not bringing the players in on Saturday...George was one of those that said, ‘Saturday is for you to be a kid.’ And that stuck with me as well -- it’s not a job, it’s supposed to be high school fun and he kept that in perspective.” When Hurley retired after the 2009-2010 school year, he continued to help out and make an everlasting impact on NPHS. “He always put others before himself. He’s really going to be missed. Even when he stopped coaching he still help(ed) coach our lower levels. He always helped out with study hall, or helped me out with wrestling...he’ll really be missed,” Klein said.
Giving direction (above)- George Hurley coached the NPHS football teams for 37 years, creating an encouraging atmosphere on the field while emphasizing family and fun over competitiveness. He is also remembered for his thought-provoking quips. “He was very, very funny. He’d fire off a joke really quick and you would have to think about it, and go ‘gosh that was really good,’” said Coach Jason Klein. “Just his humor really stands out.” Courtesy of Pawprint Yearbook Ear to ear (left)- In addition to football, George Hurley also coached wrestling. He poses with a grin for a picture in the yearbook. Courtesy of Pawprint Yearbook
Daniel Cravens leaves behind fond memories Manas Khatore Staff Writer Daniel Cravens, a student at Moorpark Community College, passed away on the morning of Nov. 17. An NPHS alumnus, the 20-year-old touched the hearts of many here on campus. Julie Cravens, senior, Daniel’s sister reminisces the memories that she made with him. “Honestly, I consider him my first best friend… Sometimes he would keep me up until 2 a.m. just talking to me about a story,” Julie Cravens said. She describes him as an introverted person who cherished the close relationships he made throughout his life. “As soon as (Daniel Cravens) got comfortable around anyone, he would be extroverted,” Julie Cravens said. Many of the relationships that Daniel Cravens formed at NPHS were with his teachers, where he had a reputation for being a standout student. Lucia Lemieux, English teacher, taught him in his 10th grade English class and remembers Daniel Cravens for his mature character. “He was very beyond his years in a lot of ways. He had this wit and wisdom that most people his age don’t have,” Lemieux said. In particular, Lemieux appreciated Daniel Cravens for his dry sense of humor. “He would come up with these one-liners ever so often, but he’d do it in such a dry, calm way… as you got to know him better, it was quite endearing.” Along with his sense of humor, Daniel Cravens had a knack for writing. Lemieux introduced Daniel to the Acorn’s Fiction in
a Nutshell contest, which he won in his senior year. In his senior year, Daniel served as a TA for Lemieux’s creative writing class and was an integral part of the learning process. “He’d always come up with really astute critiques and point out exactly what needed to be fixed in this piece… we really enjoyed having him there,” Lemieux said. One of Daniel Cravens’ greatest passions in high school was singing. “He was in every single choir you could be as a guy,” Julie Cravens said. John Sargent, choral music director, can attest to his talent for singing and his exceptional character. “He was one of our very best basses… a person of quality character and high values. I treasured him deeply,” Sargent said. During a choir festival in San Francisco, Daniel Cravens won the Maestro award, an accolade given to only one student at each festival for an outstanding performance. “He had a real artistic slant to him, artistic abilities that went beyond singing,” Sargent said. In his short life, Daniel Cravens was able to form close connections with many people. “It’s actually going to be my goal to publish and to finish his stories for him,” Julie Cravens said. When asked how she wanted Daniel to be remembered, Lemieux responded with the three facets of his personality that she cherished the most. “His smirk, his witty comments, and his glorious voice. All of those things,” Lemieux said.
Smiling seniorsenior Daniel Cravens poses in a tux and bowtie for his senior photo. He graduated from Newbury Park High School in 2016. Courtesy of Pawprint Yearbook
