By Marcia Moore
The Daily Item
BEAVERTOWN March 29, 2010 07:23 pm
— Armed with degrees from George Washington University, a gift for music that had him rubbing shoulders with Johnny Cash and Patsy Cline, and unencumbered by a wife and kids, Cloyde "Bill" Wagner could have settled anywhere. He chose his hometown, Beavertown, population 877, where he's served as mayor since 1990.
"Deep, deep roots which I started to appreciate," brought Wagner home after serving a tour in the U.S. Air Force between 1948 and 1952. "I've lived in London, Barcelona, Paris and Topeka, Kansas, but this is home. Everywhere I look reminds me of my heritage."
After graduating high school, Wagner enlisted in the military and was tapped for the Army Security Agency when he scored high on an I.Q. test.
He always carried a guitar and while stationed in Germany, it caught the eye of a young J.R. Cash. The pair began a lifelong friendship that endured even after J.R. became "Johnny," the popular country music star.
Later, while studying at George Washington University, his love of music brought him close to several well-known and up-and-coming singers, including folk singer Pete Seeger, Jimmy Dean and Patsy Cline.
"When you sang with Patsy, she was a spritzer," Wagner said, mockingly wiping his face with his hand. "You may think they're stars, but they're just folks to me."But music was, and is, only a hobby. Wagner had considered a career in law, but traveling the world with the Air Force for five years and Sputnik piqued his interest in education.
"I was a Cold War warrior, so I switched my major to education. I thought if the Russians are that far ahead of us, my goal should be in (reinforcing) our infrastructure to battle the Russians," he said.
Wagner left the Washington, D.C., area after college and returned to the Valley to teach at West Snyder High School.
"The kids here weren't interested in the Cold War. They wanted to soup up cars or find a date," he recalled. "My true motivation was to save the world. I might have had the skills, but I didn't have the audience."
He left the education field and moved on to a job as a caseworker with the state Department of Public Welfare.
Over the years he worked as a consultant for the Avon Corporation and the University of Michigan, but always kept close to Beavertown where he was actively involved in the community.
Among his proudest achievements have been helping to establish the Interagency Council of the Central Susquehanna Valley, the Beavertown Historical Society and monthly Beavertown News.
"I cannot sit around and waste time," Wagner said. "I want to leave some tracks. I don't have children, so I get involved."
He's stepping down from his long association with the McClure Bean Soup Festival, but isn't slowing down.
Over the years, Wagner forged a friendship with Cash's brother, Tommy, and occasionally joins him and his Cash Crew Band on tour around the world.
In early March, Wagner spent several days in Dublin, Ireland, serving as the band's master of ceremonies and is considering joining the tour in Australia where they'll perform for a month in November.
"I may go along, but I can't take that much time off," Wagner said. "Mayor is only one of the 28 different things that I do, but I take it very seriously."
Beavertown mayor Bill Wagner sings at the Middleburg V.F.W.
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