This isn’t the first time George Hancock of Scalp Level Borough has submitted an entry to The Tribune-Democrat’s “Your Story” series, but this time, he is a winner.
“I submitted all four times to this one and about all the times in the previous one, maybe I missed one,” Hancock said the day after Thanksgiving when he heard his entry had won.
“This made a good Thanksgiving weekend happier.”
Hancock is no stranger to having his writing published in The Tribune-Democrat.
Since 2008, he has been an occasional contributor to the editorial page of The Tribune-Democrat and also has written for the Somerset Daily American.
A longtime writer with a large personal library, Hancock has been stringing words together since he was in high school and college.
He graduated from Bishop McCort High School in 1971 and Pitt-Johnstown in 1975 with a bachelor’s degree in history.
Hancock also is no stranger to writing for a serial format such as “Your Story.”
When he was younger, he submitted his work to various publications that required the writer to complete or add to a story.
A dedicated runner for 37 years, Hancock combines his love of writing and running by writing for two running magazines.
“I’m senior writer for Runners Gazette and I have written a monthly column since 1986,” he said.
“I’ve also written for The Streak Registry since 2000, on running issues and profiles. I run every day.”
Hancock averages more than 20 road races a year and has run more than 88,000 miles.
“I outline stories and mull articles and writings while on the run,” Hancock said.
“I’m always looking for ideas on the roads.”
That is exactly how he came up with his idea for chapter four of “Your Story.”
“I get up at 5 a.m. for an early morning run,” Hancock said.
“That Sunday, ‘Your Story’ was the first thing I went to in the paper. I went out for a run to decide what direction I would go with it.”
When he came back from his eight-mile run, Hancock knew what direction his entry would take.
“Working with fiction and writing dialogue is tough, but it’s a lot of fun,” he admitted.
“The challenge is in the deadline. I appreciate The Tribune-Democrat doing this. It’s a really good story this time.”
Hancock works in the business office at Pitt-Johnstown, dealing with student accounts and internal business.
He has worked for the university for 17 years in various offices and also is a noncredit instructor in various history-related courses for the outreach office.
Previously, he worked for more than 17 years in retail for the Gee Bee department store chain.
Hancock grew up in the Oakland section of Stonycreek Township and lived in Richland Township for 10 years before moving to Scalp Level Borough.
For the past 17 years, he has lived in the Mine 40 section of the borough with his wife, Brenda, and son, Cory.
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