Originally published on 10 November 2016 in the Pasadena Independent, Arcadia Weekly, Monrovia Weekly, and Sierra Madre Weekly

In the early 1960s a determined high school athlete from Michigan named John Paciorek set his sights on a successful Major League baseball career and was, by all indications, on his way there.  But chronic back problems and a subsequent spinal surgery quelled that ambition and led him in a far different direction from where he started.  

The rise and fall of this once promising baseball star was recounted in a biographical book titled ‘Perfect’ written by Steven Wagner in 2014. Paciorek’s experience was hailed as  “… a tantalizing story of hope and inspiration for young players aspiring to greatness.”

Paciorek’s story began in Detroit, where he was born the eldest of eight children to a father who worked at an automotive factory and a stay-at-home mother. They were so poor they had no money to spend on entertainment, and there were times when they had to rely on government welfare assistance.

However, Paciorek’s father made it a point to play some sport with his children after a long and arduous day as an assembly-line employee at Chrysler-Plymouth.  He also instilled in them the importance of spirituality and value of education; he sent all his kids to Catholic schools.

Says Paciorek, “I think I was too young for my class. Coupled with that, I must have been dyslexic because I had a hard time reading. Fortunately, sports offered another avenue for me to do well at something. In high school I was an excellent athlete and, coming from a poor family, I dreamed of getting out from poverty through sports. That dream became a reality when I was recruited by the Houston Colt .45s (which later became the Houston Astros) in 1962. I was a 17-year-old kid and was supremely confident that I was meant to be in the Major League!”

While Paciorek didn’t receive an extraordinarily huge amount in the way of signing money, the contract included a college scholarship that his father insisted on. That, in hindsight, proved to be a stroke of genius. From that bonus, he gave his family $15,000 and bought himself a brand new Chevrolet Malibu convertible. And he was off to what he anticipated would be a long  professional baseball career.  

September 29, 1963 was a memorable day for Paciorek. The Colt .45s, fielding a team of eight rookies, played against the New York Mets at Colt Park. Right fielder Paciorek made history when he had three hits, two walks, scored four runs and three RBIs. He had a perfect game.

It should have been a foreshadowing of a magnificent career but instead it turned out to be the only game Paciorek would ever play in Major League baseball. The persistent back problems he’d suffered from since childhood, exacerbated by a rigorous regimen, landed him in the minors.   

Eager to get better once and for all, Paciorek underwent a spinal fusion surgery. He spent a year in a back brace and missed two baseball seasons. While recovering, he pursued a degree in physical education at the University of Houston. There, he happened upon the Christian Science Reading Room and learned about the teachings of its founder, Mary Baker Eddy. 

“I was raised Catholic but converted to Christian Science. I discovered in it an expression of everything I felt but which had never been articulated.” Paciorek explains. He hadn’t known it at the time but that singular decision was the pivotal point in his career and his life.     

Paciorek graduated from the University of Houston and later worked as a physical educator at the Jewish Community Center. “It was then that I heard about a school in San Gabriel, California needing a Christian Scientist P.E. teacher,” Paciorek relates. “I had been out in California during baseball practice and I liked it. So I applied and got the job.”

Randall Hall at Clairbourn School | Image taken from Clairbourn School’s website

“It has turned out to be an ideal post for me,” says Paciorek four decades later. “Clairbourn School has a beautiful field and a large area where we can simulate seasonal sports. In the fall we have boys’ football and girls’ volleyball; next season, we’ll have boys’ soccer and girls’ basketball and the reverse after that. Track season begins in mid-February through the end of March; our final season is boys’ volleyball and girls softball.”

“We belong to the Middle School Independent League (Pasadena Area). Our teams play against Chandler, Mayfield, Poly and Prep and we’ve had championships in all sports,” Paciorek says proudly.

But championships and trophies aren’t top of mind for Paciorek. More than wining, he instills in students a love for outdoor activity and playing for fun. He can motivate even the least athletic kids to be the best they can be; he is their Number One supporter and cheerleader. He is a coach and mentor who truly cares about children’s development, academically, and athletically.         

While the school has successfully won trophies, Paciorek doesn’t emphasize winning. As his wife, Karen, who is Clairbourn’s lower school director, points out, “John teaches basic skills and he sees the potential in every single student. He has a true connection with children and you can see that in his interaction with them. But at the same time, he bonds with parents.” 

“It’s rare for us to go somewhere and not see someone he remembers from school,” Karen recounts. “And each time we do, he would recall all the children’s, parents’ and even the dogs’ names. He would have an exchange with the parents and get caught up on how the kids are doing in high school or college. It’s as if he’s on an ongoing conversation all along and is just picking up from where he left off. It’s pretty amazing.” 

Clairbourn School’s East Hall walkway | Photo courtesy of Clairbourn School

“The kids also have fond memories of John. Several years after they’ve left Clairbourn, they would remember the nickname that he gave them when they were students,” Karen continues.  “John gets letters and notes from former students who are now fathers, who say they use the same life lessons they learned from him to teach their children.”   

A lesser man would have become bitter after such an auspicious start in professional sports then end up teaching P.E. But not Paciorek; he has remained sanguine through his disappointment. 

Karen says, “I have never heard or seen any bitterness from John on what he might have become had back injuries not sidelined him. At the time he achieved what he did, he didn’t know he had done something remarkable. But even after he found out, he wasn’t overly excited. Momentous as it was, that event was just a small part of his experience. He’s always expressed gratitude for finding his way to Christian Science and Clairbourn.”

Dr. Robert Nafie, headmaster of Clairbourn School, describes Paciorek’s impression on the school and the community, “John Paciorek took over a physical education and interscholastic sports program that was lacking direction and vitality in 1976. Through his leadership and vision he has inspired multiple generations of Clairbourn students and San Marino-area young people to see physical conditioning and competitive sports as a life-long pursuit.” 

“More than any other faculty member, John Paciorek is the most sought-after educator from Clairbourn alumni when returning to campus,” Nafie adds. “He has touched the lives of thousands of young people through his professional level of instruction and guidance, and his personal life-long example of high spiritual and ethical values.”

“We are very grateful for what John has brought to the school, the knowledge and skills he shared with our students. Indeed, Major League Baseball’s loss has been Clairbourn’s gain. And while he won’t be a daily presence on campus after this school year, his impact will forever linger,” Nafie concludes.

Paciorek will be retiring in June of 2017, after 41 years of dedicated service to Clairbourn. In his honor, the school will construct an aptly named Coach Paciorek Bat 1.000 Batting Cage. It will be at once a symbol of his lasting influence on Clairbourn and the school community’s loving tribute to him.       

Clairbourn students aren’t aware that he is an important Major League baseball figure. To them,  he is Coach Paciorek, a teacher who has provided as much encouragement as he did training while they navigated elementary and middle school. 

John Paciorek’s imprint will be etched for ages not only in the minds of kids aspiring to greatness but of all the young people he inspired to reach for a dream. It may be a legacy far more significant than a record of a perfect game in The Baseball Encyclopedia.