Local historian Chuck Langerman shared that longtime Cheltenham High School English teacher Mr. Mike Houghton, known to friends as “Hawk” and to students as “Frog Man”, passed away on June 17, 2021 at the age of 75.

Mr. Houghton taught in the Cheltenham Township School District from 1968 to 2003. He served as an assistant girls’ basketball coach for nearly three decades, helping his former Bloomsburg State College classmate Bob Schaefer build the Lady Panthers basketball program from anonymity to a statewide powerhouse. The team won two state titles during his tenure.

Mr. Houghton also coached girls’ cross country and track at CHS and was part of the “chain gang” at Panther home football games, Langerman said.

From his obituary:

He could often be found fishing, reading, cultivating roses, raising a glass, completing crosswords, gambling, watching classic movies, reminding his daughter not to end a sentence on a preposition, and napping in his recliner. The fact that so many friends stuck by Hawk despite that 120-decibel snore is a real testament to his warm, charismatic personality.

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