A few years ago, while visiting Bob Cottrill, Class of 1951, in his Melbourne, Florida home he gave me a stack of photos from the 2009 Monongah High Alumni Reunion that featured his Class of 1951.

Well, I finally got around to putting this montage together of 1951 graduates then and now.

Katherine Slaymen and Tom Paknik, who were at the 2009 reunion, have since passed away.

Bob also gave me a photo of the 1949 Monongah High football team’s starting offense. Carroll Rogers and Benny Salopek are in the backfield with Bob.

On the offensive line are such familiar faces, to me anyway, taking them from left to right, as the late Frank Michalski, whose widow is Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, who lives in Monongah; someone neither Bob nor I remember; Don Felton; the late Bob Raymond; another person we couldn’t identify; Eugene “Hammer” Tartell at center, who is retired and lives in Dayton, Ohio; the late Tom “Bum” Orsini, whose widow, Peggy Rauer, Class of 1959, lives in Titusville, Florida; Frank Watosky; and Junior “Cocoa” Orsini, Tom’s brother.

If you can identify the two Bob & I couldn’t name, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com and I’ll add that information to this article.

The Class of 1951 has been one of the most active pride of Lions when it comes to showing up at reunions and gathering among themselves on the Friday before the Saturday all-classes reunions.

Kathryn was the leader of gathering the 1951 troops. They still miss her.