For 78 years, since first grade at Sts. Peter and Paul School in Monongah, Bob Kasper and John Olesky, both Class of 1950, have been best friends.

70 years ago, they began playing golf together, first as caddies at Fairmont Field Club, then on the Fairmont State golf team, later at Monongah High Alumni Reunion scrambles and most recently when John visits Bob at his Grand Lake summer home on Presque Isle, as he did this week, or when Bob visits John at his Tallmadge, Ohio home he shares with Paula, before Bob and John sit together in Mountaineer Field to watch WVU play football.

This year Bob will be seated next to John at the Oct. 1 Kansas State game in Mountaineer Field. Right next to John’s sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville, and Jackie’s daughter, Renee Straight, a pharmacist at WVU’s Ruby Memorial Hospital.

As I’ve often written, Bob & John have exchanged the same two Christmas cards since 1955 – SIXTY ONE YEARS AGO.

Bob’s sister, Evelyn Kasper Boggess, Class of 1953, still lives in their childhood home in Frogtown, south of Monongah and just north of Swisher Hill on U.S. 19 between Monongah and Worthington with her husband, retired coal miner Okey Boggess.

As usual, Bob shot lower scores, but John was happy with his 51 and, after putting tips from Bob, a 48. As a bonus, when John returned to Ohio for his seniors golf league outing at Sunny Hill in Kent with Paula’s brother, Tom, John had 12 putts for a 46 instead of the 25 and 24 putts he had just before leaving for Michigan.

If anyone wants to fly Bob in for putting tips, I can give you his phone number, but you’ll have to negotiate his teaching rates with Bob.