T-shirts honor former Wheeling teacher, coach

A second fundraiser has been established for a proposed memorial that would honor a retired Wheeling teacher and coach.

Burt Perlow taught physical education and coached wrestling at Holmes Middle School for many years. He also was a volunteer football assistant at Wheeling High School. Perlow died last month at 71.

Friends and former students want to honor Perlow, a member of the Wheeling High athletic hall of fame, by planting a crimson maple tree on the Holmes campus. A boulder marker would be placed by the tree, too.

The people behind the memorial proposal hope to raise $6,000 to pay it. A Burt Perlow Memorial Fund was established through Fifth Third Bank for the effort.

Now Wheeling High alumnus Steve Carasso has created a second fundraiser for the project.

Carasso operates a company called Hometown Vintage Tees that sells nostalgic T-shirts celebrating Wheeling's history. He's selling shirts bearing the slogan "Perlow Steel" and donating all profits to the memorial effort.

Perlow was known for rewarding those who put in extra time in the weight room with T-shirts reading "Perlow Steel." The slogan honored the Perlow family's steel company.

"Whether he was working out in the weight room or coaching, he would frequently wear his Perlow Steel shirt," said Carasso, a 1987 Wheeling graduate who played football and was coached by Perlow. "I thought this was a great way to honor his legacy."

The shirts are available at: bonfire.com/perlow-steel. They're $23.99 each and come in a variety of sizes and colors.

Ten dollars from each shirt goes to the memorial fund, said Carasso, who now lives in Cary. He said he's raised about $650 for the project as of this week.