Winn set to lead Connellsville JROTC program
CONNELLSVILLE — As U.S. Army Col. Ulysses Winn walks through the corridors of Connellsville Area High School, he garners the attention of students.
It is clear that the newest staff member is making an impression.
Winn extends a greeting to each of the students and they, in turn, acknowledge his inquiries.
He was hired in November by the school district to lead its Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) program that will begin at the start of the next school year.
Also hired was Chief Joseph Cordier, who will serve as the senior program director.
In addition to purchasing textbooks and working with art teachers to design a uniform patch for the JROTC uniform to be worn by cadets, Winn is creating interest in the program.
Winn’s path to Connellsville began in White Side, a Pittsburgh Hill District neighborhood where he grew up and attended high school.
“We referred to it as the ‘University of White Side’ because there was a diversity of race and religion,” he said. “We had a little melting pot there.”
His hard work in the classroom, on the football field and basketball court paid off with him earning an athletic scholarship to attend Bethune-Cookman University in Florida. His journey to the Southern university in 1961 was due in part to the coach that was about to make his debut at the school.
“(Former Pittsburgh Steelers player) Jack McClaren was up for the coaching position,” recalled Winn. “He took about seven of us from the Pittsburgh area with him. He knew us and thought we’d be able to help him.”
In addition to playing sports, Winn also took advantage of the educational opportunities and received a degree in education.
When he graduated in 1965, he returned to Pittsburgh and the classroom as both a teacher and student.
As opportunities arose, Winn took advantage of them.
The following year, Winn joined the Army National Guard and began a 35-year distinguished military career.
He also obtained his master’s degree from the University of Pittsburgh and was selected for its doctorate program in education and counseling.
Although years away, while at Pitt and serving as an ROTC instructor, Winn decided that some day he would become a JROTC instructor.
“(While at the university) I had the opportunity to coordinate some programs at Oliver High School,” he said. “I fell in love with it and the kids.
“The students would come over to Pitt and play ball with us; it was a great opportunity,” he added.
A second chance to be involved in the program came during a military stint in Arkansas.
Some time later, Winn returned to the Pittsburgh area and learned of the need for a JROTC senior instructor at Westinghouse High School and applied for the position.
“It was a rough area, but I wanted to take on the challenge,” he said, adding that the program was listed as unsatisfactory when he was hired. “I was given the task of bringing it back to a merit unit and it was when I left three years later.”
The opportunity to initiate a new JROTC program lured him to the Albert Gallatin School District in 2003.
In its inaugural year, the program drew 90 cadets and continued to grow throughout his eight-year tenure with the district. It also earned distinction as being one of the most highly rated JROTC programs.
While he was certain the Albert Gallatin program was where he would stay as its director, Winn saw another door open at Connellsville Area High School.
When Connellsville administrators visited Albert Gallatin to discuss with Winn the overall program benefits and other issues tied to implementing a similar course at Connellsville, it became clear that he, like the JROTC program, would be an asset to the school.
“(To take the position at Connellsville) was probably one of the most difficult decisions that I’ve had to make in my life,” said Winn. “I had a good program at Albert Gallatin; everything was in place.”
It is his goal to have a highly rated program at Connellsville.
The program will be open all students as an elective course, said Winn, and include physical training, team-building and other military curriculum.
“While the program is based on military principals, it is not a recruitment tool for the military,” said Winn. “It is a program aimed at self-improvement and teaches self-discipline, confidence and pride in a job well done.
“Some may graduate and want to go into the military, but everyone that goes through the program will develop their own leadership skills,” added Winn.
Students interested in enrolling in the program are urged to contact their guidance counselor.