History with Chuck: Remembering Mr. Waymon Butler, Jr., unified arts teacher | Arthur Ashe once played tennis in Cheltenham High School’s gym

Mr. Waymon Butler, Jr., a unified arts teacher at Cheltenham High School from 1967 to 1993, passed away in February 1994.

Mr. Butler taught electrical drafting, architectural and technical drawing, and metal shop at Cheltenham.

According to local historian Chuck Langerman, he received his bachelor’s degree from Cheyney University in 1965 and his master’s in education from Temple University in 1972.

“Mr. Butler was a committed, dedicated teacher who often went the extra mile to help his students at CHS,” Langerman said.

In a related story, tennis legend Arthur Ashe once competed in the sixth annual Philadelphia International Indoor Tennis Championships held in the gymnasium at Cheltenham High School in February of 1967.

According to Langerman, Ashe defeated his former UCLA roommate Charlie Pasarell, 7-5, 9-7, 6-3, in the finals.

The event was held at Cheltenham High in 1966 and 1967 before switching to the now-defunct Spectrum in 1968. 

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