Upper Darby High School
Encyclopedia
Upper Darby High School (UDHS) is a four-year public high school located in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania
, United States
, as part of the Upper Darby School District
. UDHS is also the oldest high school in Delaware County, PA
, having been established in 1895. It is adjacent to Drexel Hill
.
As of the 2010-11 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,762 students and 256.85 classroom teachers (on an FTE
basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 17.0.
The population is diverse, with over 55 nationalities of students. It has a long-established athletic rivalry with neighboring Haverford High School, as well as a long-standing football rivalry with Monsignor Bonner High School
, located less than a block away. UDHS was part of the inspiration for Upper Darby alumna Tina Fey
's movie comedy Mean Girls
.
The mascot of Upper Darby High is the Royal, which is portrayed as a male lion
. In previous years, it was a court jester. The school emblem is the royal oak tree, the yearbook is named the Oak, and the newspaper is called the Acorn.
Upper Darby High School is home to the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, a nearly 1,800-seat theater that hosts not only school functions, but also between 200 and 400 events annually. During the summer, the arts center hosts the largest summer theater group in Delaware County: Summer Stage, with over 200 participants in multiple musicals. Harry Dietzler founded the Summer Stage program in 1976.
During the summer of 2008 Upper Darby High School Principal Geoff Kramer retired after 13 years as the building principal. Geoff Kramer was replaced by a former assistant principal Chris Dormer.
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, as part of the Upper Darby School District
Upper Darby School District
Upper Darby School District is a school district of approximately 12,000 students in Upper Darby Township, Pennsylvania.It consists of an area including Upper Darby Township, Clifton Heights borough, and Millbourne borough...
. UDHS is also the oldest high school in Delaware County, PA
Delaware County, Pennsylvania
Delaware County is a county located in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of 2010, the population was 558,979, making it Pennsylvania's fifth most populous county, behind Philadelphia, Allegheny, Montgomery, and Bucks counties....
, having been established in 1895. It is adjacent to Drexel Hill
Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania
Drexel Hill is a census-designated place in Upper Darby Township, Delaware County, Pennsylvania, United States. Drexel Hill is located southwest of Center City, Philadelphia and is part of the Philadelphia metropolitan area...
.
As of the 2010-11 school year, the school had an enrollment of 3,762 students and 256.85 classroom teachers (on an FTE
Full-time equivalent
Full-time equivalent , is a unit to measure employed persons or students in a way that makes them comparable although they may work or study a different number of hours per week. FTE is often used to measure a worker's involvement in a project, or to track cost reductions in an organization...
basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 17.0.
The population is diverse, with over 55 nationalities of students. It has a long-established athletic rivalry with neighboring Haverford High School, as well as a long-standing football rivalry with Monsignor Bonner High School
Monsignor Bonner High School
Monsignor Bonner High School is an all-male Augustinian Catholic High School in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Philadelphia. It is located in Drexel Hill, Pennsylvania, United States. Bonner was created in 1953 as Archbishop Prendergast High School for Boys...
, located less than a block away. UDHS was part of the inspiration for Upper Darby alumna Tina Fey
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
's movie comedy Mean Girls
Mean Girls
Mean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
.
The mascot of Upper Darby High is the Royal, which is portrayed as a male lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
. In previous years, it was a court jester. The school emblem is the royal oak tree, the yearbook is named the Oak, and the newspaper is called the Acorn.
Upper Darby High School is home to the Upper Darby Performing Arts Center, a nearly 1,800-seat theater that hosts not only school functions, but also between 200 and 400 events annually. During the summer, the arts center hosts the largest summer theater group in Delaware County: Summer Stage, with over 200 participants in multiple musicals. Harry Dietzler founded the Summer Stage program in 1976.
During the summer of 2008 Upper Darby High School Principal Geoff Kramer retired after 13 years as the building principal. Geoff Kramer was replaced by a former assistant principal Chris Dormer.
Notable alumni
Upper Darby High School's Wall of Fame committee recognizes individuals who have become leaders in their industries. Wall of Fame members are noted by WoF after their information.- Lloyd AlexanderLloyd AlexanderLloyd Chudley Alexander was a widely influential American author of more than forty books, mostly fantasy novels for children and adolescents, as well as several adult books...
; Class of 1940: Fantasy writer, author of the books forming the basis for Disney's The Black CauldronThe Black Cauldron (film)The Black Cauldron is a 1985 American animated fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and originally released to theatres on July 24, 1985...
. WoF - Keith AndesKeith AndesKeith Andes was an American film, radio, musical theatre, stage and television actor.-Early life:John Charles Andes was born in Ocean City, New Jersey on July 12, 1920. By the age of 12, he was featured on the radio....
; Class of 1938: Broadway and film actor. - Peter Bernardino; Class of 1936: National Wrestling Hall-of-famer WoF
- Dick Botticelli; Class of 1942: Under the name Dick Richards: drummer for Bill Haley & His CometsBill Haley & His CometsBill Haley & His Comets was an American rock and roll band that was founded in 1952 and continued until Haley's death in 1981. The band, also known by the names Bill Haley and The Comets and Bill Haley's Comets , was the earliest group of white musicians to bring rock and roll to the attention of...
1953-55, singer for The Jodi mars 1955-1958, singer/drummer for The Comets 1989–present; actor WoF - Mario J. Civera, Jr.; Class of 1965: Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives WoF
- Jim CroceJim CroceJames Joseph "Jim" Croce January 10, 1943 – September 20, 1973 was an American singer-songwriter. Between 1966 and 1973, Croce released five studio albums and 11 singles...
; Class of 1960: Singer-songwriter, one Number 1 album. WoF first Wall of Famer - Mark CroninMark Cronin-Biography:Cronin graduated from Upper Darby High School and the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned a degree in Chemical Engineering. He spent five years working as an engineer in research and marketing...
; Class of 1982: Creator and producer of many VH1 shows including, Flavor of Love, Rock of Love, Rock of Love Charm School, I Love Money, The Surreal Life, etc. WoF - Heather DonahueHeather DonahueHeather Donahue is an American writer and actress who first came to public attention after appearing as the lead character in Haxan Films' 1999 horror film The Blair Witch Project...
; Class of 1991: Star of The Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch ProjectThe Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur footage. The film was produced by the Haxan Films production company. The film relates the story of three student filmmakers The Blair Witch Project is a 1999 American horror film pieced together from amateur...
and Taken. - Tina FeyTina FeyElizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer, known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series Saturday Night Live , the NBC comedy series 30 Rock, and films such as Mean Girls and Baby Mama .Fey first broke into comedy as a featured player in the...
; Class of 1988: Senior writer, Saturday Night LiveSaturday Night LiveSaturday Night Live is a live American late-night television sketch comedy and variety show developed by Lorne Michaels and Dick Ebersol. The show premiered on NBC on October 11, 1975, under the original title of NBC's Saturday Night.The show's sketches often parody contemporary American culture...
. Scriptwriter and co-star, Mean GirlsMean GirlsMean Girls is a 2004 American teen comedy-drama film directed by Mark Waters. The screenplay was written by Tina Fey and is based in part on the non-fiction book Queen Bees and Wannabes by Rosalind Wiseman, which describes how female high school social cliques operate and the effect they can have...
and the TV show 30 Rock30 Rock30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey that airs on NBC. The series is loosely based on Fey's experiences as head writer for Saturday Night Live...
. Notable player in the 2008 presidential campaign because of her impersonation of Republican Vice-Presidential candidate Sarah PalinSarah PalinSarah Louise Palin is an American politician, commentator and author. As the Republican Party nominee for Vice President in the 2008 presidential election, she was the first Alaskan on the national ticket of a major party and first Republican woman nominated for the vice-presidency.She was...
. WoF - Kermit Gordon; Class of 1933: Former trustee of the Ford FoundationFord FoundationThe Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....
and President of the Brookings InstitutionBrookings InstitutionThe Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, D.C., in the United States. One of Washington's oldest think tanks, Brookings conducts research and education in the social sciences, primarily in economics, metropolitan policy, governance, foreign policy, and...
WoF - Cindy Dee Holmes; Class of 1966: Author, Red Balloons Fly High, Slaying the Virus Villains, and a A Third Serving of Chicken Soup for the SoulChicken Soup for the SoulChicken Soup for the Soul is a series of books, usually featuring a collection of short and dense inspirational stories and motivational essays. The 101 stories in the first book of the series were compiled by motivational speakers Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen.There have been over 200 titles...
WoF - James D. Houston; Class of 1977: Received a 1991 Academy Award for design and development of Disney's CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) and a 2007 Academy Award for development of a film archiving and restoration system. WoF
- Nick Jushchyshyn; Class of 1988: Visual effects artist on feature films including Curious Case of Benjamin ButtonThe Curious Case of Benjamin Button (film)The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is a 2008 American fantasy-drama film directed by David Fincher. The screenplay by Eric Roth and Robin Swicord is loosely based on the 1922 short story of the same name by F. Scott Fitzgerald...
and The Road. - Bob LloydBob LloydRobert E. "Bob" Lloyd was an American professional basketball player in the American Basketball Association , even though he was drafted by the NBA's Detroit Pistons in the 7th round of the 1967 NBA Draft...
; Class of 1963; NCAA First Team All-American1967 NCAA Men's Basketball All-AmericansThe Consensus 1967 College Basketball All-American team, as determined by aggregating the results of four major All-American teams. To earn "consensus" status, a player must win honors from a majority of the following teams: the Associated Press, the USBWA, The United Press International and the...
and then American Basketball AssociationAmerican Basketball AssociationThe American Basketball Association was a professional basketball league founded in 1967. The ABA ceased to exist with the ABA–NBA merger in 1976.-League history:...
player - F. Joseph LoeperF. Joseph LoeperF. Joseph "Joe" Loeper is an American politician who represented the 26th senatorial district from 1979 through 2000 in the Pennsylvania State Senate...
; Class of 1962: Former majority leader of the Pennsylvania Senate WoF - David MacAdamDavid MacAdamDr. David Lewis MacAdam was an American physicist and color scientist who made important contributions to color science and technology in the fields of colorimetry, color discrimination, color photography and television, and color order.-Education:MacAdam grew up in Philadelphia, attended Lehigh...
; Class of 1928: Discoverer of MacAdam ellipseMacAdam ellipseIn the study of color vision, MacAdam ellipses refer to the region on a chromaticity diagram which contains all colors which are indistinguishable, to the average human eye, from the color at the center of the ellipse...
s; former head of image structure at Eastman KodakEastman KodakEastman Kodak Company is a multinational imaging and photographic equipment, materials and services company headquarted in Rochester, New York, United States. It was founded by George Eastman in 1892....
Research Laboratory, former President of Optical Society of AmericaOptical Society of AmericaThe Optical Society is a scientific society dedicated to advancing the study of light—optics and photonics—in theory and application, by means of publishing, organizing conferences and exhibitions, partnership with industry, and education. The organization has members in more than 100 countries... - Shannon MeehanShannon MeehanCaptain Shannon P. Meehan is a public speaker, author of a critically acclaimed memoir and spokesman for veterans' issues. He is a retired Captain in the United States Army. He was a tank platoon leader in the storied 1st Cavalry Division. He served with the U.S...
; Class of 2001: Iraq War hero, author, disabled Veterans activist. WoF - Hwang Young Min (Tim (singer)Tim (singer)Hwang Young-Min , best known by his stage name Tim , is a Korean American k-pop ballad singer. His songs are mostly about unrequited love or parted lovers. He has come into the spotlight as the next successor of male ballad singers in South Korea after Shin Seung Hun. and Lee Seung-Hwan...
); Class of 2000: Korean-American Pop Artist - James J. Morris; Class of 1966: Vice President, Engineering and Manufacturing for Boeing Commercial AirplanesBoeing Commercial AirplanesBoeing Commercial Airplanes designs, assembles, markets and sells large commercial jet aircraft and provides product-related maintenance and training to customers worldwide...
- Edward Murphy; Class of 1953: Hollywood director ("Raw Force" 1982; "Heated Vengeance" 1985)
- Terrence J. NolenTerrence J. NolenTerrence Nolen, usually called Terry Nolen, is an award-winning American theater director and the Producing Artistic Director of the Arden Theatre Company....
; Class of 1981: Artistic director of the Arden Theatre Company (Philadelphia)Arden Theatre Company (Philadelphia)-Introduction:The Arden Theatre Company is a full-service professional regional theatre located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, offering the highest quality theatrical and educational productions and programs to artists, audiences and students of the greater Philadelphia region. The company includes... - Dorothy Germain PorterDorothy Germain PorterDorothy Germain Porter is an American amateur golfer.Born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dorothy Germain began playing golf at 11. She graduated from Beaver College, where she played field hockey...
; Class of 1943: Amateur golfer, winner - U.S. Women's Amateur in 1949, U.S. Senior Women's Amateur in 1977, 1980, 1981, 1983. WoF - Jack RamsayJack RamsayJack T. Ramsay is an American former basketball coach, commonly known as "Dr. Jack" . He is best known for coaching the Portland Trail Blazers to the 1977 NBA Title, and for his broadcasting work with the Indiana Pacers, the Miami Heat, and for ESPN TV and ESPN Radio...
; Class of 1942: NBA coach, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame 1992, seventh-winningest coach in NBA history WoF - Todd RucciTodd RucciTodd Rucci is a former professional American football player who played guard for seven seasons in the National Football League from 1993 to 1999. He was a starter in Super Bowl XXXI for the New England Patriots...
; Class of 1988: Played for the New England PatriotsNew England PatriotsThe New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National... - Todd RundgrenTodd RundgrenTodd Harry Rundgren is an American multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and record producer. Hailed in the early stage of his career as a new pop-wunderkind, supported by the certified gold solo double LP Something/Anything? in 1972, Todd Rundgren's career has produced a diverse range of recordings...
; Class of 1966: Musician and award-winning record producer - Alvin SargentAlvin SargentAlvin Sargent is an American screenwriter. He has won two Academy Awards for his screenplays and has been involved in the writing of all movies to date in the Spider-Man film series.-Life and career:...
; Class of 1945: Two-time Academy Award winner for screenplays (Julia and Ordinary PeopleOrdinary PeopleOrdinary People is a 1980 American drama film that marked the directorial debut of Robert Redford. It stars Donald Sutherland, Mary Tyler Moore, Judd Hirsch and Timothy Hutton....
). WoF - Lou Schonder; Class of 1977: Director and Founder, earthMed (2007). Director of Medical Programs, Project Open Hearts (2006–07). President, Philadelphia Area Medical Instrumentation Association (1993–94). Association for the Advancement of Medical InstrumentationAssociation for the Advancement of Medical InstrumentationThe Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation founded in 1966, is a voluntary consensus organization which promotes knowledge and use of medical instrumentation. It creates standards, educates and certifies technicians, and publishes technical documents, books, periodicals, and...
(AAMI)/American College of Clinical Engineering (ACCE) Robert L. Morris Humanitarian Award (2007). - Jerome SocolovskyJerome SocolovskyJerome Socolovsky is the religion reporter for Voice of America.From 2002 to 2010, he was a freelance correspondent stationed in Spain, mainly reporting for NPR, but also for Jewish Telegraphic Agency, and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation....
; Class of 1982: journalist, radio correspondent formerly with National Public Radio NPRNPRNPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
and currently with Voice of AmericaVoice of AmericaVoice of America is the official external broadcast institution of the United States federal government. It is one of five civilian U.S. international broadcasters working under the umbrella of the Broadcasting Board of Governors . VOA provides a wide range of programming for broadcast on radio...
(VOA). - "Uncle" Marty Stern; Class of 1954: Coach, best known for his success with the women's cross country team at Villanova. WoF
- Sterling Voltz; Class of 1939: Research Scientist, Missile and Space Division of General ElectricGeneral ElectricGeneral Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, listed in American Men of Science, American Men and Women of Science, Who’s Who in Science and Engineering, and Who’s Who in the World WoF - George WackenhutGeorge WackenhutGeorge Russell Wackenhut was the founder of the Wackenhut private security corporation. The son of William and Francis Wackenhut, he grew up in Upper Darby, outside Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and graduated from Upper Darby High School in 1937. He was inducted into the school's Wall of Fame in...
; Class of 1937: Founder of Wackenhut CorpWackenhutG4S Secure Solutions is a private security company. It was founded as The Wackenhut Corporation in 1954, in Coral Gables, Florida, by George Wackenhut and three partners ....
, major security contractor WoF - Floyd WedderburnFloyd WedderburnFloyd E. Wedderburn is a former professional American football player who played guard for three seasons for the Seattle Seahawks. Floyd attended Upper Darby High School, where he lettered in football, basketball, and track and field . Floyd went on to play football for Joe Paterno at Penn State...
; Class of 1994: Played for the Seattle SeahawksSeattle SeahawksThe Seattle Seahawks are a professional American football team based in Seattle, Washington. They are currently members of the Western Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The team joined the NFL in 1976 as an expansion team... - Carolyn "Bunny" Welsh; Class of 1961: SheriffSheriffA sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....
of Chester County, PennsylvaniaChester County, Pennsylvania-State parks:*French Creek State Park*Marsh Creek State Park*White Clay Creek Preserve-Demographics:As of the 2010 census, the county was 85.5% White, 6.1% Black or African American, 0.2% Native American or Alaskan Native, 3.9% Asian, 0.0% Native Hawaiian, 1.8% were two or more races, and 2.4% were...
. One of only 22 female sheriffs in the US WoF - William WhartonWilliam Wharton (author)William Wharton , the pen name of the author Albert William Du Aime , was an American-born author best known for his first novel Birdy, which was also successful as a film.-Biography:...
; Class of 1943: Writer, best known for his first novel BirdyBirdy (novel)Birdy is a 1978 novel by William Wharton.It was Wharton's first published novel, and was published when he was more than 50 years old. It won the National Book Award for first novel, and was made into a film, directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage.Naomi Wallace, a poet...
, which was also successful as a filmBirdy (film)Birdy is a 1984 American film directed by Alan Parker and starring Matthew Modine and Nicolas Cage. It is based on the novel of the same name by William Wharton.- Synopsis :...
. WoF