But cancer, apparently, wasn’t even on the CET radar.
“He told me that they’d already researched me and that there were several reasons they wanted my participation,” Ganz said, “my teaching career, my years in community theater – my whole life, almost.”
While she has brought hours of enjoyment to local theater patrons through her work with Greater Hamilton Civic Theatre and the Mad Anthony Theatre Company, Ganz said that from her perspective, the most important things she’s done with her life has been as a teacher, 30 years with the Ross Local School District where she created and sustained a drama program.
“Being a teacher has far-reaching implications,” she said, “especially staying in the same school district because you start teaching the students of your students.
“I could win 50 more awards for directing, but I’ll never do anything as important as being a teacher.”
Ganz’ commitment to education and theater — especially theater for children — goes back to her own days at Taft High School in Hamilton.
“In the 1962-63 school year, we did ‘Peter Pan,’ our first children’s play,” said Janet Markoff, the Taft High drama director from 1960 to 1968. “Pat auditioned, but wasn’t right for any of the parts, so I made her my student director. I had never done a children’s play before, so I wanted someone that I could count on.
“I have a very vivid memory of standing on the edge of the stage with Pat as she sewed parachute harnesses, adjusting them to fit the children playing Wendy and the boys, happily working her little heart out.
“As a teacher, like a parent, you want your students to excel and do more than you did,” Markoff said. “I am very proud of all the things Pat has accomplished.”
Markoff said her best memory of Ganz as an actress came during a production of “The Miracle Worker,” in which Ganz played Helen Keller’s mother.
“I still get goosebumps when I think about the scene when Helen Keller finally made the connection between the word and the symbol being struck in her hand.
“I remember her eyes glistened with tears. She was so excited and so good in that part,” Markoff said. “That moment is burnt into my memory, how talented she was.”
When Ganz came to Ross High School in 1974, there was no drama department to speak of, and except for a few dedicated administrators, most notable principal William Strunk, now deceased.
“They never had a real drama department before and people were frightened by what they don’t understand,” Ganz said.
She recalled illustrative incident from when she was directing her first children’s show at Ross, a musical version that she and long-time friend Henry Cepluch co-wrote.
When they made the famous gingerbread house, they used real candy to decorate it. But because the stage was in the school gymnasium and the dressing rooms doubled as the locker rooms, there were many conflicts with the athletic department.
“One day, we came in and the baseball team had eaten all of the candy off the gingerbread house,” she said. “They thought it was funny. And when they had to use the stage, they just pushed the set back and broke all of the supports.”
But her students just remember the joy of being on stage for Ganz and the lessons they learned from her example.
Chery Salzman was Cheryl Alvis, a senior during Ganz’ first year and played Mildred, the witch, in that production of “Hansel & Gretel.”
Salzman, who appeared last season as Mother Superior when Ganz directed “Meshuggah-Nuns” for Mad Anthony Theatre Company, said that even though she was with Ganz only that one year at Ross, her influence was deep and enduring.
“I’ve never forgotten how much fun it was and how important it is to perform and speak on stage,” she said.
Salzman became an educator and drama director herself, at Pleasant Run Middle School, and said that Ganz continued to mentor her as she began her career.
“We were doing ‘You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown’ and Pat had just done it at Ross,” Salzman said. “She gave us the entire set. That’s how loving and generous she was.”
Indeed, Salzman said that the most important thing she learned from Ganz was to have a giving spirit.
The Voices interview, however, covers more than just her teaching experiences and it was, she said, was “overwhelming.”
“Not only was I wondering why they picked me, but at the same time they were asking me questions no one had ever asked before.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 820-2188 or rjones@coxohio.com.
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