John Matkovich, Class of 1948, who grew up on Swisher Hill, offers this tribute to Bob Fox, star football and basketball player for Monongah High who passed away this week: 

“John,

“I had the privilege and honor to attend and spent my high school years with Bob Fox.  We played football and basketball together in grades 9-12.  While in the 9th grade we went to football practice every day, but I never got to dress for a game, I think maybe Bob did.  I have a picture of that well-known team, which I believe was Coach Ross's first year at Monongah High.

“Bob made the first team his sophomore year in high school, I had to wait till mid-season.  Bob played the position of fullback and he played to a very high degree.  Bob was born to play this position.  He had the right built, weight, power, strength and stamina.  He was probably the best player at fullback ever to attend Monongah

High School.

“May God Bless You, Bob Fox.”

Amen, John.

John Matkovich lives in Palm Harbor, Florida and is married to Dolores Sweede Matkovich, Class of 1953.

John was a pretty fair athlete at Monongah High, too. In the 1947 photo of the Lions’ starting offense, there’s John as an end and Bob as a fullback.

Homer Delovich, the quarterback and one of the top amateur golfers in West Virginia, passed away in 2000. The Lions halfbacks were Pete Condo and Chester Vozniak.

On the offensive line were Matkovich and Joe Argiro at ends, Holloway Williams and Gene Morris at tackles, Richard Basagic and Holloway Williams at guards and Jimmy Jacobin at center.

Frank Franze, Class of 1950, who lives in Slidell, Louisiana after surviving two wives, and Argiro were close friends at Monongah High and spent a lot of time dodging Marion County Deputy Sheriff Frank Koloskie of Monongah, particularly when Frank would check Melody Manor to be sure there were no under-age drinkers.

When their Class of 1948 headed for the Green Hills golf course in 2012, John joined 1948 grad Nick Fiori, his friend since fourth grade at Thoburn School. 

John also showed up at Green Hills in 2000 when Bob Kasper of South Lyon and Presque Isle, Michigan; Tony Eates of Fairmont; and John Olesky of Tallmadge, Ohio – all 1950 graduates – nailed down last place in the MHS Alumni scramble.

John and Dolores have missed only six Monongah High Alumni Reunions in 56 years! They were at the 2014 MHS Reunion.

I got Nick’s son, Mike Fiori, to prod Nick into attending the 2005 reunion. I guess Nick likes going now since HE is calling others, like John Matkovich, to show up for the golf (since cancelled for lack of enough participants) and the dinner.

My favorite Nick Fiori story involves playing “Marines and Japanese” during World War II while we were caddies at Fairmont Field Club, and waiting for someone to show up to play golf and pay us to carry their clubs.

Nick volunteered to be a “Japanese” soldier, and was fairly high up on a tree limb when one of the “Marines” “shot” him. Nick did a great shot/dying pose and dropped out of the tree – and into unconsciousness. The fall just knocked the breath out of him, though.

Talk about taking your acting career to the hilt!

Tributes continue to pour in for Bob Fox, who lived in Parkersburg. His son, also Bob Fox, who lives in nearby Vienna, posted:

“Thank you to all my Facebook friends who sent kind messages about losing my Father. It meant a lot to me. I was always close to Dad; loved him very much. He was a nice Man with a big heart.”

Another son, Richard Fox, also lives in Parkersburg.

1981 Mannington High grad Rhonda Trigger Rinehart Postlethwait posted:

“Uncle Bob was a wonderful man. Gonna miss his smiling face.”

Bob’s son, also Bob, posted a poignant tribute to his father:

“RIP DAD. You fought so hard for so long the most resilient man I’ve ever known. Till we meet again. I love you so very much & you’ll be missed so much but you’re in Heaven now and God will take care of you. Its time to rest; you earned it. Love, your son, Bob Jr.”

Papa Bob's widow is Lillie Bright Fox, Class of 1949.

Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, my Monongah Bureau Chief, gave me the names of Bob’s siblings:

Shirley Fox Wilson, Class of 1948, who is deceased, and the mother of Terry Wilson Tennant; Doris Fox Crislip, Class of 1946; Loretta Fox McCombs, Class of 1946;  Lois Fox Simmons, Class of 1956;  and Mary Jane Fox Hickman, Class of 1955 or 1956.

Their parents were Cora and Ralph Fox, who lived across from the Fullen family on Main Avenue in Monongah, near the East Monongah Grade School. 

Posted Ramona:

“Such a nice family and good neighbors.  They always had a smile and were so much fun to be around.  RIP,  Bob!” 

    

Leavitt Funeral Home in Parkersburg will handle Bob's services. As soon as papa Bob's obituary is published in the Parkersburg News and Sentinel, I’ll post it on this Monongah High Alumni blog.