Guy who ran against Gus Yatron in 1972 is dead

There's an obituary in today's paper for one Eugene Wesley Hubler, 87, that mentions, in a sentence fragment, "A well-liked, intelligent man, he lived life in his own way; running for congress in 1972."

I helped organize George McGovern's presidential campaign in my little Schuylkill County state legislative district in 1972, and I remember driving down to Reading to see the candidate. Walking along the shoulder of the road, near Hamburg, a placard ID'ing him hanging from his chest, was Gene Hubler, hiking from Reading to Pottsville, waving at all the cars that went by.

A stunt, to be sure, but an unforgettable one.

I never forgot it.