Central Catholic Honors Two Veteran Graduates at Football Game

Central Catholic honored two 1957 graduates who served in the military during its football game on Friday at Gallagher Stadium.  Students were dressed in red, white, and blue to honor our country and our military.  The veterans, Ron Glick and Ron Zak, were recognized on the field between the 3rd and 4th quarters as the Fighting Irish took on rival Whitmer.

Ron Glick, Class of 1957
US Army

Ron Glick played basketball at Central Catholic, and he graduated from the University of Toledo in 1961.  He began working for Owens Illinois but was drafted by the US Army.  He was assigned to the Military Police and was sent to Heidelberg, Germany to work as a bodyguard for the Commanding General for the US Army in Europe.  He was on duty the night that President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in the United States, which led to confusion overseas about whether or not the country was at war.  

Ron married his high school classmate, JoAnn Hankenhof, in 1962.  They lived in Germany for 18 months while he was serving in the Army, and their first child was born there.  They returned to the US and after 2 years in the service, Ron resumed his work at Owens Illinois, heading up the forest products division.  He became president of the division in the mid-1980s.  

Ron was president of Central Catholic’s Board of Directors in the 1980s during Fr. Marty Donnelly’s tenure.  Under his leadership, CCHS determined that it needed more land for the school and facilities, and it acquired the 2 blocks of land extending to Delaware in order to expand the campus.  In 2001, Ron was awarded the Order of the Celtic Cross for his service to Central Catholic.

When OI was sold in 1987, Ron and JoAnn moved to Seattle for 10 years, and Ron worked for Weyerhaeuser, a timber, land, and forest products company.  Once Ron retired, they returned to the Toledo area to spend more time with their children and grandchildren, and they settled in Perrysburg.

Ron and JoAnn have 5 children, 3 of whom attended Central Catholic.  They have 14 grandchildren, including 3 sets of twins.  They also have 4 great-grandsons.  Ron is very proud to be a CCHS graduate.  He stays connected to Central Catholic by attending football games as well as monthly luncheons with the Class of 1957.  

Ron Zak, Class of 1957
US Marine Corps

Ron Zak was a 3-sport student-athlete at Central Catholic, playing football, basketball, and baseball.  He graduated in 1957 and went on to attend the University of Notre Dame.  After college, he knew he was going to be drafted into the military, so he decided to join the Marines.  He was active for 6 months, and he welcomed the challenge of infantry training at Parris Island and Camp Lejeune.  He was then in the reserves for 6 years, attending drills once a month and training for 2 weeks each summer.  He ended his time in the Marines as a sergeant. 

After his military service, Ron worked as a teacher for 29 years at Cardinal Stritch Catholic High School, teaching history and business classes.  He also coached football, basketball, and baseball, and he served as the athletic director and the development director.  He then became a special needs teacher at Libbey High School for 15 years, where he also served as the athletic director.  Ron served on the Oregon City Council and on the Board of Directors for the Little Sisters of the Poor.  He is a member of the Central Catholic Athletic Hall of Fame.

Ron and his wife, Ronnie, recently celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary.  Ronnie is a 1962 graduate of Central Catholic.  They have 3 children, and their 2 grandchildren - Noah and Brandi Zak - also attended Central Catholic.

Central Catholic history teacher, Hank Wetzel, introduced the idea of honoring CCHS alumni veterans during the home football game on Labor Day weekend.  “I think it’s important for our students to see what these veterans have done for our country and to have an opportunity to interact with them,” he said.  Hank teaches a World War II class at Central Catholic, as well as American History and Geography, and he has many family members who are veterans.

This is the 3rd year that Central Catholic has honored a veteran.  Last year it was 1943 graduate and World War II veteran Harold Hoffman.  In 2022, CCHS honored William Rhodus, Class of 1975, who served in the Army and worked as a police officer for 35 years, retiring as chief of the Sylvania Police Department in 2019.