Longtime community leader Hank Commodore coordinates event to honor others — only to receive surprise honor

Hank Commodore was too busy focusing on the police, firefighters, other first responders and educators he was honoring at a community event at Arnold’s Roosevelt Park to notice he was being honored as well.

To his surprise, Commodore, a longtime New Ken-Arnold basketball coach, teacher and guidance counselor, was presented with a proclamation from New Kensington Mayor Tom Guzzo.

“Mr. Commodore is so well known throughout the community,” Guzzo said. “I knew him as a school teacher in the New Ken-Arnold school district, a coach, guidance counselor, someone who really cared about the community.

”After he retired he continued that and really quadrupled his efforts throughout the entire community working with at-risk youth.”

Among the initiatives Commodore has spearheaded is “Get on Board with Love and Kindness,” “Help the Needy, not the Greedy” and “The Youth Program.”

“This is about doing the right thing. We have people from all over joining together as one. All lives matter, we’re all in this together,” said Commodore. “We want to instill that in the youth, the kids in school.”

Part of the focus of Saturday’s event was providing a day of fun for kids returning to school.

“We want the community to come together, so we provided school supplies, backpacks, free food, entertainment — just pretty much give the kids a welcome back party,” said Donielle Owen, executive director of The Youth Program. “Everyone’s getting along, there’s great harmony. I couldn’t ask for a better day.”

Commodore was a basketball star at Ford City High School and in college at Northwestern State University in Oklahoma — where he still holds the all-time scoring record.

He was presented with a jersey of his favorite team, the Los Angeles Lakers with his name and his No. 22 on the back.

This was despite the fact that the NBA team that drafted Commodore was the Philadelphia 76ers.