1971-33-55-204: IN HONOR OF MR. HINE

mr. hine: THE MAN, THE MYTH, THE LEGEND!

In 1967, Chester Hine graduated from St. Nicholas High School, where he earned four letters in basketball and three in baseball. He was named first team all-star in his senior year. In 1971, he graduated from King’s College in Wilkes-Barre with a bachelor’s degree in mathematics and was quickly hired as the first-ever teacher at Bishop Hoban (now Holy Redeemer) High School, when he was just 22 years old. A fateful walk from King's to his Wilkes-Barre home ended up launching his epic 55-year teaching career and 33-year coaching career at Hoban/Redeemer, which began before the Hoban building even officially opened.

Mr. Hine, who is retiring at the end of this school year after a record-setting tenure, imparted not only knowledge but faith and life lessons from his hallowed Room 204, where he officially taught algebra, geometry, and calculus but unofficially taught life.

He eventually became the chairman of the math department – a post he held for decades  - and coach of boys varsity basketball. Mr. Hine has faithfully coached at Hoban/Redeemer for 33 years. His teams have won multiple Wyoming Valley Conference championships and P.I.A.A. District 2 championships and appeared in the state semifinal and quarterfinals tournaments numerous times. Mr. Hine was named Wyoming Valley Coach of the Year several times and received the P.I.A.A. Officials Sportsmanship Award multiple times as well. 

And the game that will long be associated with Mr. Hine's coaching career? The 1979 Sam Bowie Game, in which humble Hoban notched an unlikely 65-60 victory over Lebanon Valley in the state playoffs, managing to sideline Sam Bowie, a 7-foot-tall future Kentucky Wildcat, U.S. Olympian, and No. 2 NBA draft pick.

Though his influence is national and most likely global, Mr. Hine, a native of Wilkes-Barre, did not have to stray far from his first home in Wilkes-Barre to make such an impact on the world. He now resides in West Pittston with his wife, Donna. They have four children: Jennifer, Carolyn, Christopher, and Matthew.

This NEPA Gives, we ask anyone whose life Mr. Hine has touched in any way to consider making a gift at one of the following levels in a special tribute to our legendary math teacher's impressive set of personal numbers over his career:

1. $19.71 – or, if you can swing it, $1,971 – in honor of the year Mr. Hine began his storied teaching career.
2. $33 in honor of Mr. Hine's years as a coach at Bishop Hoban and Holy Redeemer.
3. $55 in honor of his record-setting 55-year Bishop Hoban/Holy Redeemer teaching streak
4. $65.60 in honor of the score of the legendary 1979 Sam Bowie game in which Hoban vanquished Lebanon Valley and a future basketball Olympian and No. 2 NBA draft pick. IYKYK.
5. $204 in honor of the hallowed Room 204 classroom where it all began and where it all will end this year.
6. $564 in honor of the number of career wins Mr. Hine has had in his basketball career!

All donations made in his honor will be used to create an additional fitting legacy in the form of a scholarship fund established at Holy Redeemer in Mr. Hine's good name.