Others provided me with this photo of 1963 Monongah High Lions football players Roger Duckworth, Leslie Black, Lindey Huffman, Shockey Mayle, Leroy Thompson, Kenny Ray Shaffer, Gary Myers and Huly Hardesty with Coach Jim Feltz.

The 1963 team was in a long line of outstanding Monongah High football teams. It came within 12 points of going undefeated.

The 1963 Lions won 7 games, lost 2 contests and tied 1 battle. 

Monongah beat East Fairmont, 13-7; Morgantown’s University High, 27-0; Mannington, 19-0; Rivesville, 39-7; Shinnston, 60-13; Barrackville, 38-25; and Fairview, 28-20. The Lions tied Farmington, 6-6, and lost only to Bridgeport, 14-6, and Phillip-Barbour, 27-26.

So I wondered: Where are they now?

I have some of the answers, with a lot of help from other Lions. You can help me fill in the blanks for the others by emailing John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com with your information about the current whereabouts of the 1963 team and what happened to them after they left Monongah High.

Taking them from the top of their identifications in this photo:

Roger Duckworth is Class of 1965. I don’t know what happened to Roger after Monongah High, but Meredith Duckworth and Betty Duckworth Sutphin both are Class of 1964, Sharon Menear Duckworth is Class of 1965 and Stephen Duckworth and Elton Duckworth are both Class of 1966.

Linda Sawyer Duckworth, Class of 1966, lives in Meredianville, Alabama and is a sister of Patricia Sawyer Skeen, Class of 1965, of New Martinsville. Linda once was a pharmacist for Giant Eagle in New Martinsville, West Virginia, where her sister, Patricia, also lived and was in the Tyler County school system. Linda’s husband, Steven Duckworth, Class of 1966, was in the Wetzel County school system.

Donald Duckworth, Class of 1975, after having a heart attack, was hospitalized and had a stent inserted to prevent further blockage. His friend is Richie Basagic, also Class of 1975. Donald’s mother, Betty Zane Duckworth of Idamay, passed away in 2014.

Judy Duckworth Campbell, Class of 1972, is Betty’s daughter and Donald’s sister.

Leslie Black I have no information on Leslie after Monongah High. Again, if you know what happened to Leslie, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com

Shockey Mayle, Class of 1964, was at the 

2014 Monongah High Alumni Reunion and the 9^th reunion of former Four States Mine #20 survivors at Parrish Run Park on Four States Road. Only former Four States miners and their surviving family members attended. 

Also at the Monongah High Class of 1964 Reunion in 2014 were the Gary Myers, in the 1963 football photo, Sandra Ashcraft, Donald Bragg, Monongah High Alumni Association board member Jim Gandy, Raymond Greynolds, Fred Moorehead, Michael Mudry, Patricia Beccaloni Murphy, Larry Myers, Harriet Kovacevich Nelon, Bob Nichols, George Postlethwait, Carolyn Caffee Roach, Margaret Stottlemire, Irene Vozniak Stroud, Rocky Tetrick, George Leroy Thompson, Jerry Thompson, Stan Vance, Linda Willis and, of course, Jim Davis, the guy most responsible for rounding up his fellow 1964 classmates to show up for the reunion. 

Jim Davis also was the ringleader for the Four States Mine #20 survivors reunions.

Kenny Ray Shaffer. I have no information on Kenny Ray after Monongah High. The late Michael Shaffer, Class of 1957, was a pitcher on Monongah High’s 1955 state champion baseball team. He was the first husband of Sandy Weils Shaffer Cook, Class of 1959, who live in Fort Myers, Florida with current husband Bob Cook. 

Gary Myers, Class of 1964, lives in Bridgeport and attended the 2014 Monongah High Alumni Reunion with Larry Myers, also Class of 1964, who lives in Fairmont.

Lindsey Huffman, son of Paul and Pauline Wells Huffman, grew up on what today is called Riverview Avenue. He served in Vietnam in the 1960's. He had a sister, Robin. Pauline was a sister of Donnie “Dickie Bird” Wells, Sr., a Monongah High grad. "Big" Don was married to Lucy Barta from Idamay. They lived above the C&P telephone exchange in Monongah and had five children -- Joanne, Donnie Jr., Timothy (Timmy) and twins John (Johnnie) and James (Jimmy). Big Don was the son of Clyde and May Wells, who lived at Main Street and Mt. Vernon Avenue

Leroy Thompson, Class of 1964, as noted in Shockey Mayle’s information, was at the 2014 Monongah High Alumni Reunion.

Huly Hardesty I have no information on Huly after Monongah High.

Coach Jim Feltz brought Monongah High its first two state football titles in 1952 and 1955 and only baseball title in 1955. The late Lions legendary leader, with the help of his widow, Betty Lynn Wilson Feltz, Class of 1954, produced the son, Jay Feltz, who quarterbacked Monongah High to the 1973 state title and was named state Amateur of the Year for his athletic exploits. 

The late Coach Earl Keener brought Monongah the 1968 and 1969 titles, thanks in large part to a pair of state champ track runners, Kerry Marbury and Charlie Miller, who both played football for West Virginia University.

Jim and Betty’s daughter, 1980 Fairmont West graduate Jaimie Jo Feltz Riley, at the age of 50, passed away after decades of battling multiple sclerosis. She has two sons from her marriages, Jayce Riley and Andrew Sestito.

Jaimie and Jay’s brother, Jon Pat Feltz, taught math at Monongah Middle School for decades. He shares a home with their mother, Betty, who grew up as the daughter of a banker and a Monongah High majorette who married the football coach shortly after her graduation.

Jay and wife Beth’s children, Jason Patrick Feltz, the Eastside quarterback who played in South Carolina’s annual North-South high school all-star game with former record-setting University of South Carolina punter Jay as his coach, and Jody Elizabeth Feltz, passed away at the ages of 30 and 25.

Jayce Riley, Jaimie’s son, was on the Fairmont West team that competed in the state baseball tournament. Jayce was best friends with Adam Morris, grandson of Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955. Adam’s mother is Belinda Straight Morris, Jackie and the late Dave Straight’s daughter.

Jay, Jon Pat and Jaimie’s grandparents were Fay and Dorothy Wilson and Dominic and Eva Feltz.

Remember, if you have additional information about any of the 1963 football players in the photo, in particular Huly Hardesty, Leroy Thompson, Gary Myers, Kenny Ray Shaffer, Roger Duckworth and Leslie Black, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com and I will add the new details to this article. 

This Monongah High Alumni blog is a joint Lions family effort. It takes more than a retired 43-year newspaper editor’s skills to make it work.

Thank you.