CLEVELAND, Ohio -- John Betchkal, an executive at General Electric Lighting, took on leadership roles and came up with a plan to light up monuments across Cleveland and eventually the nation. He died on June 28 at the age of 88. Betchkal was born in Milwaukee in 1936, the only child of George and Ruth Betchkal.
His father was a travel agent, and his mother was a high school home economics teacher. The family lived in Racine, Wisconsin, before relocating to Cleveland when Betchkal was 10. As a child, Betchkal played street hockey.
He found a lifelong friend in . They would go on to work together and serve in the U.S.
Army side by side. Betchkal attended Cleveland Heights High School, where he ran track and wrote for the school newspaper. Decades later, he would be inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame.
While still a student there, Betchkal began writing for the Cleveland Press, covering high school football games. He would continue to write for the paper while at Ohio State University. John Betchkal While in college, Betchkal joined ROTC, and was commissioned as a second lieutenant after graduating.
He served for two years in Fort Bragg, at the Special Warfare Center, where he edited the newsletter. “He was proud of his service but he was ready to get back to civilian life,” said his wife, Kathleen Betchkal. “He really wanted to get back to the newspaper.
” After his first tour of duty, Betchkal returned to the Cleveland Press, covering the federal government beat. .