Despite the strong winds and cold weather, the sun was able to break through the clouds long enough on the morning of April 21 for a special ceremony on Salisbury High School’s baseball field to recognize the new scoreboard.

Standing behind the podium was Dr. Stephen Kulik, of Allentown Chiropractic Center PC, on East Emmaus Avenue.

For Kulik, SHS holds special meaning as his children are graduates and his grandchildren are current students. He believes in the school district and its athletic program.

Last year, he was in the bleachers with his family watching his grandson Aidan Smarch play in a baseball game and noticed something wasn’t quite right.

“We are looking at the scoreboard and it’s blank. And I thought you can’t go to a ballgame as a fan and not know the score. The boys in the field have to look up once and a while and know the count,” he explained.

After getting the details, he made a call and partnered with St. Luke’s University Health Network to get a new scoreboard.

According to Aaron Boggs, program manager (West Region) for St. Luke’s Sports Medicine, helping out the community and the district is an integral part of their mission.

“Hopefully, this will make a difference to the community,” he said shortly after the ceremony.

While watching seniors play with Salisbury Youth Association baseball players on the high school field during the baseball camp after the scoreboard ceremony, SHS Athletics Director Monica Deeb reflected on the significance of this donation from St. Luke’s and Kulik.

She said “it’s wonderful” to have a family and St. Luke’s give back to the school this way and emphasized how appreciative everyone is of the gesture.

This was also a personal moment of family pride.

Class of 1995 graduate Dr. Tamara Kulik Smarch is proud her father gave back to the community this way.

“I love the school district, the community, the students. Obviously, my kids go here and I choose for them to go here as well. So, I’m very happy to see his name up there, for quite some time I hope,” Kulik Smarch said. “I opened my practice on East Emmaus Avenue in 1972 and I always backed the teams from the youth league all the way up. I just enjoyed sports myself as a kid and I think that’s it, I’m just a kid at heart,” Kulik explained.

He has fond memories of watching his own children partaking in different school activities in the 90s.

His granddaughter Ava will graduate in June from SHS and grandson Aidan who is on the JV baseball team, also attends SHS.

Reflecting on the significance of the morning, Kulik said, “It’s about supporting the local people. They support me quite well and it’s just sort of payback time.”