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- [[Hartford Courant . Hartford, Conn.: Jun 4, 1995 . pg. H.2
Whether he's discussing cellular respiration in biology class or pulling down a rebound on the basketball court, Harry L. Hoar shows a quiet self- assurance.
Those who have watched him through his four years at Bolton High School say it wasn't always that way.
Hoar, a lanky 6-foot-3 senior with short, sandy hair and a faint goatee, was an all- conference athlete, helping lead the Bolton High Bulldogs to their first winning season in 19 years. He is a strong contender for valedictorian of the graduating class.
But looking back to freshman year, teachers and coaches recall a young man who had to overcome asthma and painful foot and leg injuries. He did it, they say, through a persistent work ethic not unlike that of Hoar's sports hero, Boston Celtics star Larry Bird.
"The growth that I've seen in him, both academically and athletically, from the unsure, unsteady freshman to the outstanding achiever as a senior, is outstanding," Principal Joseph Fleming said.
Basketball coach Rich Dineen said Hoar was playing junior varsity ball when Dineen took over a struggling basketball program, vowing to make Bolton a factor in the Charter Oak Conference.
"As a freshman, he lacked a lot of basketball skills," the coach recalled. "He wasn't a natural athlete, but I wish every kid that played for me had his work ethic and his inner strength."
Told by Dineen that he was a long-shot prospect for the varsity team the next year, Hoar said he "took his words as a challenge." Over the summer he read books on basketball techniques. He shot 100 foul shots a day. He lifted weights and did sprints. In the evenings, he spent hours doing ball-handling drills.
"There was rarely a time when I did not have a basketball with me," Hoar recalled.
Biology teacher Thomas Dilworth, who coached Hoar in soccer as a freshman, said the shortness of breath brought on by his asthma put Hoar on the bench for part of some games. "But he continued to work hard throughout the season without complaints or excuses," he said.
His diligence paid off. Hoar was recognized as most improved player at the end of the 1992-93 basketball season, and went on to be a tri- captain of the Bulldogs. After winning just five games in 55 over the previous three years, the team posted a 14-8 record this year.
Max Schardt, a close friend and teammate, said all the players knew of Hoar's injuries. "He never stopped running, and you knew he was in pain. This year he really emerged as a leader."
Reserved by nature, Hoar's role in the classroom is more low profile. In an evaluation, guidance counselor June Krisch described him as "an active observer and participant when called on, but not . . . a catalyst for class discussion."
That should not be read as a lack of enthusiasm, Dilworth noted. "He gets excited about things," he said. "When a student gets excited about aerobic cellular respiration -- I mean, it's the basis of life but it's very difficult -- for me, as a teacher, that is really rewarding."
This fall, Hoar, who turns 18 this month, is bound for Rochester Polytechnical Institute, where he plans to study biology or the emerging field of biomathematics. Having lost a grandmother to cancer this spring, he said he hopes to do research on cancer and other diseases.
Basketball, he said, has taught him lessons that work on the court -- and in the classroom, too: "The more you put into it, the more you get out of it."
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The H600 Project Genealogy DB
1977 - 