Word: restic
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...started in the small town of Hastings, Pa, about 110 miles east of Pittsburgh. There, Restic was one of 10 children born to Louis Restic, a Ukrainian-born coalminer, and his Polish wife. He attended a one-room red schoolhouse in the city where all eight grades were taught by a Mrs. Mary Kline, a woman crippled by polio. Every day for all of Restic's eight years at the school, she would painstakingly write lessons on the board with her crippled right...
...Restic began working in the coal mines when he was 15. According to Pennsylvania state law, you were supposed to be 17, but because his boss was a family friend and because his family needed money, Restic was hired. Thus, while many students his age spent their time after school at the drugstore drinking sodas, Restic spent his shoveling sand out of 45-ton boxcars...
This tough balance between school and hard, hard labor worked to mature Restic very quickly, a fact evidenced by his volunteering for the Army Cadet Program in 1943 at the age of 16-and-a-half. Because of the different nationalities of his parents and the ethnic variegation of Hastings in general, Restic was proficient in three languages: Slovak, Russian and Ukrainian. This background made him an ideal candidate to be a Special Agent in the European Theatre of Operations...
...when kids today are just old enough to get in to see R-rated movies, Restic became a special agent. Working mostly alone, he penetrated enemy lines, merged with the masses of Europeans fleeing Hitler's terror, and relayed information back to the Allies. Putting his life on the line several times while dealing with double agents, the brave, hardworking youngster earned the overwhelming respect of his superiors...
After the war, Restic went to college. Discovered by Jim Leonard, the head football coach at St. Francis College in Loretto, Pa. while kicking a football in his barefeet in his yard, Restic went on to play for Leonard at St. Francis and later at Villanova as a receiver and a defensive back. He starred for both teams, earning the nickname "Razor" from his teammates for his 6-4 195 pound frame, lightning speed, and hard-hitting tendencies. Restic received his degree from Villanova...