Judy Stewart Monell Razook, Class of 1959, was involved in a ton of activities at Monongah High.

She kept zipping along after she left Monongah, spending FIFTY FOUR years in surgery as a registered nurse. “I raised a lot of surgeons,” she quipped, “and loved every minute of it.”

Judy found time to give birth to and raise four children, two by first husband Joseph Monell and two by her second husband, John Razook.

Judy is a graduate of Fairmont General Hospital School of Nursing and Fairmont State. She lives in North Palm Beach, Florida, which millionaire John D. MacArthur developed in the 1950s only 80 miles north of Miami.

At Monongah High, Judy was on Student Council, an Honor Society officer, Junior Red Cross president, in the senior play cast, a majorette, played in class tournaments for three consecutive years, was on the Prom Court, in the Latin Club and in the orchestra, which is no surprise since her stepfather was Virgil Roman Vingle, Class of 1939, leader of the legendary United Mine Workers Band that included his brothers Anthony “Bugs” on drums and Vince, also Class of 1939, on trumpet.

Virgil married Judy’s mother, Betty, when Judy was six years old. When Virgil passed away at the age of 90 in 2010, long after Betty died, he was survived by his companion of 20 years, Irene Colosino.

Judy got a full scholarship to the Fairmont Nursing School. That’s no wonder. She was not just a joiner, but a leader, at Monongah High.

Let Judy tell you the rest of the story:

“John, I graduated in 1959 and received a full scholarship to Fairmont General Hospital School of Nursing.

“My first marriage was to Joseph Monell on November 5, 1960 (which was the birthday of John Olesky, Class of 1950; it happened in the upstairs bedroom of the Walnut Street home of my grandparents, Mary Poremba Olesky and Martin Olesky). It was a High Mass in the Monongah Catholic Church (probably Our Lady of Pompeii). A very large reception was held in the Melody Manor (in Fairmont, across the street from Drummond’s Restaurant). My father’s orchestra (the Virgil Vingle Orchestra) played.

“My first son was born May 23, 1962 at Fairmont General. Dr. Hamilton delivered. I continued my studies at FGH and was to be their last student in the Anesthesia School, but Joe accepted a job in Florida, so, after my graduation from FGH, we moved to Florida.

“In the summer of 1964 I started at St Mary's Medical Center (West Palm Beach) in the Operating Room.

“My second son was born in 1965 at St. Mary's.

“After Joe and I divorced in 1967, he moved back to Fairmont and I stayed in Florida.

“I remarried in 1972, had son #3 in 1974 and a daughter in 1976. All my children went to school in Florida. Son #1 went to Florida State University, #3 worked at Delta Airlines for six years until he joined his father in a pool cleaning/repair business. My daughter is in SLP (speech, language, pathology), working mostly with autistic children. She was a State Select Soccer Player and received a college scholarship.

“I have a grandson, Felix, named after his grandfather, Felix Monell, a granddaughter, Taylor, who is studying at Fairmont State to be a Nurse Practioner.

“I have kept in touch with my cousins in the Vingle family that still live in Fairmont. That is how I got the old Monongah yearbooks from 1937.”

Virgil was a 1939 Monongah High grad who passed along his 1937, 1938 and 1939 Black Diamonds to the younger Vingle generations.

Joe Monell’s parents were Joseph and Mary Colarusso Monell. Joe’s siblings were Jim Monell, who passed away in 2008 in Monterey Park, California, and whose widow is Susan Jane Colaneri Monell; Philip Monell; and Lena Monell Till.

All the siblings moved to California, just as Monongah's Catania siblings Angelo, Alex, Mary and Josephine did in the 1950s (to Covina). Carmella lives in San Antonio. Angelo, Alex and Josephine passed away.

At Monongah High Judy dated Joe Martin, Class of 1957, who lives on Treasure Island, Florida near St. Petersburg with wife Arlene Kitchin, who was born in Nova Scotia, Canada. Judy and Joe have remained friends.

The Yuhas girls of Carolina, Tunney and Irene, had a thing for the musical Vingle boys during their Monongah High days.

The late Tunney “thought the world of” Raymond Vingle, Class of 1945, Irene once told me. Irene dated “Bugs,” who married Mary Martha Cavrich Vingle. “Bugs” and Mary Martha both passed away.

The children of “Bugs” and Mary Martha are Barry, Scott and Robert Vingle of Fairmont – Judy’s cousins -- and Brian Vingle and wife Kathy of Concord, North Carolina.

Barry, great-grandson of Peter Urban, one of five survivors of the 1907 Monongah mines twin explosions that killed 362, owns Stick Em Up Percussion on Skyline Drive in Fairmont, which produces percussion ensemble music for high school and elementary students.

He is past President of the West Virginia Jazz Festival, in 1995 was named West Virginia Band Director of the Year for his work at Fairmont West, in 1996 received the 25 years of Distinguished Service Award from the West Virginia Music Educators Association, in 1997 received The City of Fairmont Arts and Humanities Commission's Music Award and in 2002 was inducted into the West Virginia Music Educators Hall of Fame.

Barry has played with the United Mine Workers Concert Band, the Morgantown Municipal Band, the Jim Talkington Jazz Quartet, the Royals rock band, the Virgil Vingle Orchestra, The JR Farley Band, The Sydfx Rock Band and the Orlando Colombo Orchestra and today performs with the Subway Band out of Morgantown.

He has played drum set for The Four Aces, The Shangri-Las, The Three Tenors and Fabian.

Barry also was the drummer in J.R. Farley’s Royals band for 40 years. Farley was on keyboards, Casey Shaner was the vocalist, Ed Vanhorn was on the guitar and Bob Schmit on the bass.

Delores Vingle Olender, Class of 1951, a vocalist with the Ray Vingle band, lives in Micco, Florida.