Hadley,
who grew up in Sandy Creek, NY, graduated from Springfield (Mass.) College.
He taught physical education for one year in Ilion, NY, before moving
to Solvay in 1917. A year later, however, his teaching career was interrupted
for service as a Marine lieutenant in World War I. In 1920 he returned
to Solvay High where he coached the football, basketball and baseball
teams for many years, winning several league and county championships
with each team.
He
was way ahead of his time in preaching on behalf of soccer, finally
establishing a team at Solvay High in the 1950s, though most of us remained
unimpressed with the game even after we'd played it for four years in
Hadley's gym class. (Many probably also remember Hadley's challenge
that none of us could do a one-handed pull-up. A lot of us tried, none
of us succeeded. Maybe it just can't be done.)
Hadley
died in 1967, and in 2003 the new Solvay High School stadium was named
in his honor.
