CATCHING UP WITH THE CLASS OF 1963

 

Catching Up With the Class of 1963 has been a long and arduous and interesting venture on my part.

The reunion 2013 reunion photo above, which I originally posted on this blog in 2015, got me hooked.

Hassan Basagic III. Monongah High history is filled with Basagics, including Pete Basagic, Class of 1962.

Carol Kenzior Van Meter.  Married  to David Van Meter. Carol is a Fairmont State graduate who worked at Rite Aid.

Donna McGinnis Suppa. Married  to Bernie Fullen. I have prized photo of the three of us at an annual Monongah High Alumni Banquet. Donna is a Fairmont State graduate. She’s from Worthington and is retired.  Bernard’s sister is Geraldine Fullen Ross.

Kenneth Shaver. Another family that shows up throughout Monongah High history. Jenny Shaver had to settle for being a 1989 North Marion graduate because Monongah High ceased  to exist after the Class of 1979 graduated and MHS was consolidated into North Marion.

Phil Colanero, Jr.  His siblings include Tom Colanero, Class of 1968, who is married to Julie Khur Colanero, and Paulette Lynn Colanero Oconnor, who was on Coach Gene Kendzior’s 1960 Monongah girls softball team that won the Marion County title.

I had several reunions with Phil and his Morgantown mate Betty Hanlin before going to Mountaineer Field games before Phil passed away. Nice guy.

That’s just for starters.

Cheryl Boydoh Fordyce. She married Richard Fordyce in 1963, who passed away in 2020 after 56 years of marriage and, Cheryl  told me, “was the love of my life.”

They had four daughters, Myra Jones in Pennsylvania, Kimberly Zainea l in Grand Rapids, Michigan (CheryI has lived with her for the last four years), Jamie Davis in Cambridge,  Ohio and Paula Hill in Columbus, Ohio.

Cheryl has 9 grandchildren and 4 great-grandchildren.

Cheryl added: “Dick and I spent the first 6 years of our marriage in West Virginia and  the next 38 years in Cumberland, Maryland where we raised our daughters. We moved to Grand Rapids in 2006 to be near one of our daughters four years ago after Dick’s health declined we built an addition to our daughter’s home.

“I loved growing up in Monongah.  My parents also graduated from Monongah High and my dad was Mayor of Monongah in the 60s .

“I love reading about what is happening in  the lives of @MHS graduates.”

So do Lions from California to Maine to Florida, Cheryl. That’s why these Catching Up With article double the number of his to this block, which gets 3,000 views a month! Lions want to know about other Lions!

Carol Winston Dorn. She lives in Milwaukee and graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. Joyce Winston Greenlee is Class of 1966.  Wanda Winston Newton is Class of 1961.

Constance Koldres Cameon. She married into another family that shows up often in Monongah High history.

Such as Bill Cameon, Class of 1960, who lives in Highland, Utah and worked for All Systems Electric. Like most Cameons, he grew up in Carolina.

 

Bill’s parents were Clyde and Maggie Cameon of Carolina whose other children were Virginia Cameon Mezzanotte, married to Pat Mezzanotte for 52 years and living in Fairmont; Nathaleen Cameon Oliverio, Class of 1948, of East Chicago, Illinois, who was at Monongah High during my time there; Pete Cameon, Class of 1958, of Clarksburg; Linda Cameon, Class of 1966, of Carolina; and, all deceased,  Albert Cameon, Class of 1947, Arthur Cameon, Class of 1946; Joe Cameon and Rudy Cameon. 

 

Albert passed away in 2014. His siblings were  Bill Cameon and Peter Cameon and Virginia Cameon Mezzanotte, Natalie Cameon Oliverio of East Chicago, Indiana, Linda Cameon of Carolina.

Pete’s son, also Peter Cameon, a North Marion and WVU grad, and wife Beth Passarella Cameon live in Morgantown.

 

Other Cameons at Monongah High:

 

Jean Cameon Onitus, Class of 1939.

 

Francis King Cameon, Class of 1942.

 

 

Angela Cameon Viney, Class of 1968.

 

Joanna Cameron Reeves, Class of 1971, married to Adam Reeves. 

 

Francine Cameon Jurasko, Class of 1978.

 

Virginia’s nephew, 1981 North Marion grad Stan Cameon, lives in Fairmont with his wife, 1980 North Marion grad Sheri Slamen Cameon.

 

Cynthia Cameon, who lives in the Italian hotbed of Clarksburg, runs a Cameon family Facebook group page that includes:

 

 

Christopher Cameon, a graduate of Eastlake (Ohio) North High.

 

 

Denise Cameon Jett, assistant manager at Jo-Ann Fabric who lives in Farmington and is from Carolina.

 

Craig and Laura Cameon.

 

Brian Cameon.

 

Carol Echols-Winston Dorn. She lives in Milwaukee after a career in Milwaukee Public Schools.

 

After her University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee graduation, Carol worked for Agoodlook ENT in artist development.

 

Carol is big on family reunions, too. She whipped a fine one into shape in July 2012, when Fairmont's Red Roof Inn was the gathering place for the Echols and Winston family members.