Dick Moscovic laid a solid foundation for thousands of high schoolers over the past 47 years.
“I feel very blessed,” said Moscovic, building trades teacher at his retirement party, June 19, at Oakland Schools Technical Campus Northwest.
“In the last 27 years being in this building, there wasn’t a day I got up when I didn’t look forward to coming to work. Not too many can say that.”
About 50 of his colleagues gathered for the breakfast celebration, sharing stories and memories.
“They call him coach, which is really appropriate,” said Dean Chuck Locklear, who has worked with Moscovic for 16 years. “He has been more than just an instructor. He’s a mentor, a role model.”
Moscovic moved to Michigan from Pennsylvania in 1968. He was recruited by Lake Orion, but soon found himself applying to Clarkston.
“I walked in the front door of the high school and said ‘I’m looking for a job,'” he said. “That afternoon I had a contract in my back pocket. It goes to show you how things have changed.”
He’s proud of the work his students have done in the community, learning the building trades.
“They were all good. Some more challenging than others,” he said.
“The last one we did in Waterford on Elizabeth Lake, a lifeskills training center for young women at risk ? it offered a lot of challenges. It’s been a great career. I feel very, very fortunate to be in the physical shape I’m in. Hopefully I can keep that up the next several years.”
He plans to stay in Clarkston with his wife, Toni, which is also where their three sons, Dean, Derek, and Drew, have settled with their families.
“Seven grandchildren, all pretty busy,” he said. “I’ll put more energy into the building company (Dick Moscovic Building Company) and hopefully keep doing things right.”