In 1966 he capped a great racing career by winning the Transatlantic race to Travemunde, Germany, sailing his 47-foot, custom built yawl, Indigo IV. He celebrated his 77th birthday in mid-ocean in that race. The owner of a series of fine cruising sail yachts, all named Indigo, he was a perennial winner in area races, sailing from the Mentor Harbor Yachting Club.
In his first year of driving offshore power boats (1975) he scored enough points in the first ten races of a scheduled 11-race series to win the National Offshore Power Boat Racing Championships of the American Power Boat Association without running the final race. Later became the APBA vice president for offshore racing.
After leading the Dandee Patches and Blepp-Coobs Sporting Goods teams to seven titles in the Lakewood Recreation League, he was appointed to select and coach an AAU team representing Cleveland in the 1939 national hockey tournament. Playing under the banner of The American Legion, the underdog Clevelanders won their first game in overtime and their next in double overtime to move into the championship game against the heavily favored University of Minnesota. The Kern-coached Cleveland club responded with a stunning 4-3 victory to annex the National AAU title.
Joined the Cleveland Barons on Christmas night, 1948, and remained with the team for 7-1/2 seasons during which time the Barons won the American Hockey League’s Calder Cup three times. Traded to Rochester for the 1956-57 season, played with the club for two full seasons and part of a third. Returned to the Barons in 1961-62 after sitting out most of the previous two campaigns and played three more years, playing on another Calder Cup championship squad in 1963-64, his final season.
Brought up to the Cleveland Barons to bolster the defense for the 1957 playoffs, he remained for 16 seasons. Set an American Hockey League record by playing in 526 consecutive games and captained the Barons for eight years. Was voted the team’s Most Valuable Player four times by his teammates and three times by the fans. In all he played over 1,000 regular season games in a Barons uniform and helped the team to the playoffs 15 times in 16 seasons. In 1966-67 he was picked as the Most Valuable Defenseman in the AHL and was named to the league All-Star first team.
One of Cleveland’s finest bowlers during the 1930s, ’40s and ’50s, he and his partner, Steve Nagy, set a record of 1453 in the doubles event of the American Bowling Congress Tournament in 1952 which still stood in 1981. Klares contributed a 755 three-game series to that score. He finished fifth in the all-events of that ABC Tournament and his team won the team all-events crown. He bowled three sanctioned 300 games and three series of 800 or better during his career, averaging 191 for 30 ABC tournaments.
A member of the Cole Furniture team which won the Women’s International Bowling Congress national title in 1952, she also shared the WIBC Doubles crown in 1958. Won Ohio state doubles and all-events championships and played for five Ohio state championship teams. Also played on three City of Cleveland championship teams and won ladies City titles in doubles, singles and all-events, as well as the City Match-Game championship. Twice elected Queen of Bowlers she was inducted into the Cleveland Women’s Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1959.
One of Ohio’s all-time great lady bowlers, she was named Queen of the Cleveland’s Lady Bowlers four times. Captained the Cole Furniture team which won the Women’s International Bowling Congress national title in 1952 and bowled on six Ohio state championship and seven Cleveland city championship teams. Won ten Ohio individual titles and 16 City crowns, including doubles, singles and all-events in both competitions. Also won two Central States single titles and played on three Central States championship teams. Her 203 average in 1965-66 was the second best in the nation and her 198 mark in 1956-57 ranked her third that season. Elected to the Cleveland Women’s Bowling Association Hall of Fame in 1973.
Won the national AAU bantamweight championship in 1923 to qualify for the U.S. Olympic Team. Competed in the Olympics in Paris in 1924. Won Cleveland and Ohio bantamweight titles in 1922 and 1923. Went undefeated during his climb to his local, state and AAU crowns.
Cleveland’s flyweight champion in 1920, 1921 and 1922, he earned the right to compete in the National AAU Boxing Tournament in Boston in 1923. Fought his way to the semi-finals of that tournament before losing a split decision to Fidel Labarbra who went on to win the AAU crown, the 1924 Olympic championship and eventually the world professional flyweight title.