Third in a series on a pillar of the community, Mel Vaara, as he remembers more than a half century of Clarkston history, and looks to the future.

BY MATT MACKINDER
Clarkston News Staff Writer

One of the last times Mel Vaara was in the Clarkston public eye was when Clarkston High School basketball coach Dan Fife was honored at a retirement celebration during a game against Wayne High School on Dec. 14.
Vaara attended the event to honor a coach he hired some 36 years earlier.
“My health isn’t the greatest,” said Vaara. “My wife and my kids have always helped me out, but for that night, I wanted something unique for Dan because he had done so much for Clarkston, and not necessarily as a basketball coach. He’s a father of three boys (Dane, Dugan, Jeremy), he loves kids, and he’s a straight shooter that parents respect. I wanted to recognize Dan that night, and I want to do the same thing for (CHS football coach) Kurt Richardson when he retires.”
Vaara said that night in the CHS gym, since renamed the Dan Fife Fieldhouse, provided memories to last a lifetime.
“It was good to be there with Dan, but I think it was important for Dan to know my wife (Jo) and I were there, too,” Vaara said. “My wife had Dane Fife in kindergarten. It was important for us to be there. Dan always made the most of everything. He played at the University of Michigan, and all that stuff, but that night was special to have the gym named for him. It’s been done for special coaches throughout the country, but it was a great night be part of.”
One other legendary individual in CCS that Vaara mentioned was former band director Cliff Chapman.
“Our band had only 30 kids, and I thought, ‘This is ridiculous,’” said Vaara. “Two of my kids were in band, and I thought about this for 2-3 days. (Former athletic director and CHS assistant principal Dom) Mauti and I had gone to the city of Marlette and asked bus mechanics, people in restaurants, gas stations and barber shops, what they thought of Cliff Chapman. We had to get the right person. They all came back and said, ‘He’s the man.’ He changed our whole band format. I took more flack for that hiring than I did with Dan and basketball, but it all worked out, I think.”
Sports and band certainly played a role in Vaara’s legacy, but showing his humble side, he always wanted to do more.
“I think I retired too early,” Vaara said. “But I made the decision that I was going, so I left (in 1992), and went to work in other districts.”
He started teaching in Clarkston with the 1955-56 school year at Clarkston Elementary.
Still, Clarkston schools will always be a source of pride for Vaara.
“I think Clarkston is an outstanding district,” Vaara said. “Teachers and administrators are loaded with responsibility, dealing with the safety and health of children. They teach 28-30 kids and shouldn’t have to worry who’s coming in the door, who’s going out the door. They have a lot on their mind. Administrators are supposed to help teachers become better teachers. That’s still happening in Clarkston.”

Check back next week for the final feature in our series recognizing Mel Vaara.