MY 2 MONA LISAS HANGING OUT WITH KING DAVID IN MY LIVING ROOM

 

This is the gift I have to my 3 children, 7 grandchildren and myself along with Oil and Ivory, which explains the connection.

That’s my son, John Larry, climbing the ladder to install the famous Mona Lisa painting (a copy, of course) above by living room window where I watch birds, deer, squirrel and other animals feast on the food I put in my 2 birdfeeders, one with “WV” on it.

On the right is the finished product.

To the left of the Mona Lisa modeled by Lisa Gherardini del Giocondo, a wealthy silk mercant's wife and the mother of 5 children, are 3 photos on the wall of MY Mona Lisa, who made my life Heaven on Earth for a half-century before she passed away in 2004. Mona Lisa was my play on her birth name of Mona Elizabeth (aka Lisa in my mind) because the doctor mispelled her name on the birth certificate. It should have been Monnie, for Monnie Compton, her grandmother.

To left of that are my imported photos of Leonardo da Vinci’s great work of art and MY Mona Lisa in blue top and pearls at the 30-year anniversary of her graduation from Williamson (WV) High School.

In my living room to the left of the Mona Lisa painting, my Mona Lisa and me in loving embraces is Michelangelo’s statue of King David.

This one is only 19.5 inches tall. The one in Florence is 17 feet high and carved from one solid block of ivory. It took years to complete.

Along with the Mona Lisa and King David I gave everyone and myself a copy of the book, “Oil and Ivory,” which explains how Leonardo and Michelangelo, living less than a mile apart in Florence, conceived and begin working on 2 of the greatest works of art of all time in the early 1500s.

I’ve been 10 feet from the Mona Lisa, behind glass to prevent vandals from throwing stuff on the painting, and seen King David and Rodin’s The Thinker, 15 feet tall if you include its pedestal in a 7.5-acre garden.

And meandered in the Sistine Chapel so long marveling at Michelangelo and Raphael’s great paintings on every wall, including the Last Judgment on the entire back altar wall (floor to ceiling, left to right) of people ascending into Heaven and descending into Hell, with the face of Pope Julius II who tried to rush Michelangelo to finish his great work as one of those descending into Heaven that Vatican police forced me to leave so that others could enjoy the mind-numbing masterpieces.

Never mess with a great artist. He’ll immortalize you as a bad person even if you are the Pope.

BIG FRANK MICHALSKI'S FAMILY TOGETHER FOR CHRISTMAS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2018

 

The family of the late Big Frank Michalski, who started with Monongah High Class of 1949, and his wife, Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, still living in her Front Street Extension home on the hill just outside the Monongah town limits, had its first Christmas get-together since 2018.

Big Frank – who had an awesome Lions football career alongside fellow fearsome Bob Cottrill, Class of 1951, who lives in Melbourne, Florida these days, was smiling down on them, I’m sure. Big Frank was my playground protector at Sts. Peter and Paul School who warned those who made fun of me because of my cleft palate speech distortion to never do it again. Standing in Big Frank’s giant shadow, they never did for the rest of my time with the magnificent nuns at the school, particularly Sister Agnes who instilled in me a love for words and storytelling that led to my 42-year newspaper career in West Virginia (Morgantown, Williamson and Charleston), Florida (St. Petersburg) and Ohio (Dayton and, for the final 26 years, at the Akron Beacon Journal where it was such a joy to “work” there that I ran to work every day.

Marcia Michalski Westfall, Class of 1974, told me:

“There were 38 of us all together and the children had special Christmas games to play and the adults did a gift exchange game. We missed 22 family members and of course all our deceased family.

“It had been since 2018 that we’ve gathered on Christmas Eve. So much food and laughter with those that could make it.

“It’s great to celebrate the holidays together again.”

Indeed, Marcia. My annual family Christmas gathering included my 3 children, their spouses, 4 of their children (4 of my 6 great-grandchildren). And FaceTime phone visit with my grandson in Wisconsin, his wife and 2 children so everyone alive was there in one way or another. And I’m sure My Mona Lisa, who passed away in 2004 after us being together for a half-century, was smiling down on us, too.

Let Marcia continue her story:

“This was at mom’s house on Christmas Eve. Mom (Ramona, my “Monongah bureau chief” for this blog for years because I phoned her so often for guidance when I’m working on an article about Lions) was there in her chair enjoying her company.

“Those in attendance included deceased sister Mary’s daughter Tracy and husband Josh and their son, Liam.

“(Brother) Mike (Class of 1969) and his wife, Jan, and their son, Tony, and wife, Holly and their son, Anthony.

“Marcia and husband Dave (Westfall, Class of 1972) and their children Brandie and husband, Kiley and their children Caleb and girlfriend, Grace, Kiley Marie and boyfriend Julian, and Aiden.

“Daughter Amy and husband Chad and their children Ally and boyfriend Sam, Brevon and Ethan.

“Son Davey and wife Nichelle and their children Lucy and Forrest.

“Deceased sister Carol’s husband Bob (Drake). (Carol was Class of 1968.)

“Monie (Ramona’s daughter Ramona Marie Michalski), Jay and wife Debby and their grandson Caiden and son Brad and wife Britney and their children Bailey and Bryce .”

Big Frank and Ramona's daughter, Mary Gapen, was a legendary teacher in Barrackville.

And Big Frank smiling down on all of them. And protecting me, as usual.

CATCHING UP WITH BOB COTTRILL, CLASS OF 1951

 

Bob Cottrill, Class of 1951, made a most welcome Christmastime phone call to me and we caught up on a lot of things about other Monongah High graduates.

Bob exchanges phone calls with Arlene Marteney Decker Edgell, Frances Wimer Miller and Duane Harbert, all in Bob’s Class of 1951. Arlene lives in Fairmont, Frances in Tulsa with husband Ken Miller and Duane is a widower living in Marlton, New Jersey. 

I got together with Arlene and husband Okey Edgell, Class of 1944, at Monongah High reunions and the gathering of Lions I arranged in 2014 at the Three Ways Inn in Fairmont in the recent decade. 

Duane and I communicate with each other regularly, too. Arlene has another birthday coming up on January 18. 

Duane’s mother, Goldie, taught at Worthington Grade School. Duane’s father, Frank Harbert, was principal of Thoburn Elementary in Monongah. Duane’s brother, John Harbert, Class of 1955, and his wife, Karen Colvin Harbert, also class of 1955, are deceased.

Bob also had a reunion a few years back with Delores Vingle, part of the musical Vingle family at Monongah High, “a great singer” who also lives in Florida.

Arlene, Bob said, “is having a hard time with her health problems.”

Bob was the toughest player on the Lions’ football team, knocking out more than one tackler who tried to stop him. Bob didn’t evade tacklers. He mowed them down.

Bob fondly remembers how “Big Frank Michalski,” as Bob calls him, and Bob would pair up on defense. Bob said he told Frank, who was my protector against playground bullies at Sts. Peter and Paul School who made fun of my cleft palate speech defense (one warning from Frank and they never did it again):

“You do the body blocks (to take our offensive linemen) and I’ll do the rest.” Big Frank did. Bob did. Big Frank’s widow is Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, still living on the hill of Bridge Street Extension just outside the Monongah town limits.

Bob said he was reminiscing with his son, Randy, who lives in Tampa “three hours from us” in Melbourne, Florida, about his Monongah High football days, which came before Monongah High won 5 state titles in 1952, 1955, 1968, 1969 and 1973.

Bob’s daughter, Rhonda, lives 9 miles from Bob and his second wife, Thelma. Bob's first wife was Barbara Henderson, whose best friend was Thelma, who still visits family and friends in North Carolina where she was living when she took trips to see Barbara and Bob.

BBob noBoBob no longer drives because of macular degeneration and no longer jitterbugs after he fell doing that in 2019 when he tried to slide and his “wrong kind of shoes” didn’t go along with his move. Lions opponents’ defenses couldn’t take him down, but his cracked thigh bone did. “Other than my walking,” Bob said, “everyone is spot on” health-wise.

“My traveling days are over,” Bob said, “and I’m not driving any more.”

Bob worked with his father in the coal mines while attending Monongah High. He also drove a Marion County school bus to help pay for his Fairmont State education and helped Steven “Bucky” Satterfield, get a job as a Marion County school bus driver, too. 

Bob attended college on the GI Bill after he left the Navy in 1956. Bob graduated from Fairmont State in three years, began a teaching career in biology and general science and coaching at Ohio's Wapakoneta High School – astronaut Neil Armstrong’s hometown.

Just as I credit math/algebra/geometry teacher Mary Turkovich for instilling discipline in me, Bob credits Kathleen Snoderly, a social studies teacher at Monongah High, for instilling in him the importance of discipline if you want to be a good teacher. 

Bob was an education administrator in Northfield School District in Summit County, Ohio, about 15 miles from where I live in Tallmadge. He became an expert on school financing and integration.

KITTY MORRISON FALLS, GETS BRUISES

 

Kitty Morrison, Class of 1968, fell and banged her arm and knees.

Kitty reporter:

“At least didn’t open up and bleed when I hit arm. Knees are bruised. Left feels swollen. Have ice on. Going to buy a huge roll of bubble wrap.”

Kitty dealt with elbow, wrist, thumb and hand pain in June of this year. And gastro problems in January.

In December 2021 she had a cat scan to try to figure out why she was having pain in her right side. In 2017 she was dealing with a kinked esophagus.

Kitty has a lot more fun galivanting around Aruba, which is only 21 miles long and 6 miles wide. I’ve been there. Paula and I traversed the entire shoreline in one day. Nice sand and warm place, though, unlike Ohio in the winter.

As I know, at the age of 90, aging brings on problems. But then I see Monongah High alumni and friends passing away and I know that my aches are minor compared to what their families are going through over the dearly departed.

RAIN SHORT-CIRCUITED 7 OF MONONGAH'S CHRISTMAS STREET LIGHTS ... AGAIN AND AGAIN

 Rain, rain, go away

So Monongah’s Christmas street lights

Can shine on Christmas day!

 

No matter how hard Susan Staron Sanders and her Christmas street lights committee tried, “There are a few that we just could not get turned on for Christmas,” the Angel of Thomas Street reports.

Actually, all 64 street lights were sparkling and brightening the skies but, as Susan explained:

“They were all lit for a while till the rain started which trip the plugs (on 7 of the Christmas street lights). Ryan from Rogers Electric came back out 3 tmes to turn them back on free of charge. (When the rain darkened the lights again) we could not keep asking him to do that.”

Boy, this sure is an example of raining on Monongah’s parade!

Susan continued:

“I promise you we tried but know this, next year will be bigger and better. This was a huge experience for us with 22 extra lights (for a new total of an astounding SIXTY FOUR Christmas street lights!).

“We thank you for being so kind and understanding. It was hard on all of us.”

Seven street lights that didn’t get lit up this holiday:

Candle – Walnut Street

 Reindeer - Upper Traction Park

 Frosty – Thomas Street, Susan Sanders’ light  

Reindeer - Shooting Star - Cook Brothers new apartment complex

Tree - Lyndon Ave

Holly - Lyndon Ave

Shaver Street - Angel & Tree

My pearl in a seashell on Church Street next to my childhood home dodged a bullet and lit up U.S. 19, Church and Thomas streets.

This is a great tradition that has been bestowed upon Monongah, but it’s costly, too.

Like $1,570.55 for 24 Faceplate kits to hang the newly acquired Christmas street lights on.

And $3,271.94 to Mon Power to pay for the electricity.

If you can help out, send your donations to:

Susan Sanders
Monongah Christmas Lights Fund
Post Office Box 9051

Monongah, WV 26554.

The name on the check should be to:

Monongah Christmas Light Fund

Astronauts in space will continue to see Monongah lit up every Christmas if you do.

This Charge of the Lights Brigade, as I like to call it, started in 2015 when White Hall replaced 7 of their old street lights and donated the old lights to Monongah. Susan took over from there, and in 7 years it’s up to 64 Christmas street lights in Monongah in 2022.

Maybe Susan and Monongah should consult McAdenville, North Carolina, which has fewer than 700 residents (nearly 300 less than Monongah) but is known as Christmastown, USA because it has lit up the town for more than 60 years with red, white and green lights, including more than 375 trees adorned with lights.

 

Bernville, Pennsylvania, a 2-hour drive from Philadelphia, has more than ONE MILLION bulbs lit up. But it doesn’t say how many Christmas street lights displays, like the angels and other symbols on Monongah’s streets, are in Bernville.

 

Santa Claus, Indiana has a 1.2-mile-long Christmas lights display.

 

As E.T. would say, the Monongah Christmas street lights light up my heartlight!

 

And I say to Susan what Keys said to Elliott in the E.T. movie: “It’s a miracle. And you did the best that anybody could do.”

 

Monongah is SO lucky to have The Angel of Thomas Street, Susan Sanders, who also is the town’s councilman!

LIONS ROAMING THROUGH MY MEMORIES AT CHRISTMAS

 

Christmastime gathering of Rosemary Raymond Pagliaro, Father Meo, Brenda Manzo Vandetta and Greg Vandetta, a photo taken by David Manzo, stirred memories for me.

Rosemary, Class of 1958, was Monongah High three-sport athlete Bobby Raymond’s peanut-sized sister. One of the few girls at Monongah High smaller than me, who weighed 99 pounds still my growth spirt between my junior and senior years shot me up to 125 pounds.

Bobby and I were best friends living one door from each other, the Olesky family the last house on Thomas Street before the Raymond house on Church Street that my parents eventually purchased from Consolidation Coal Company when Rosemary and Bobby’s parents Angelo and Mary moved to their Frogtown area home near the Swisher Hill part of U.S. 19.

Such good friends that, when I began first grade at Sts. Peter and Paul School but Bobby was too young to attend, he ran away from home and came to the school to be with me. The nuns got a kick out of it and called Bobby’s mother Mary Dudiak Raymond to pick him up.

Greg Vandetta was a GREAT mayor for Monongah. His Vandetta Construction company helped the town fix things. I ran into Greg and wife Brenda Manzo Vandetta in the Light Blue Lot before a WVU game in Mountaineer Field one year. Greg is Class of 1975, Debbie, Class of 1973. Their children are Jessica, Bethany and Greg II. They also have at least 6 grandchildren, maybe more since I last checked.

My Monongah memories, at the age of 90, are SO heartwarming. Yours, too, I’ll bet.  

My most treasured Monongah High memory is Robert “Satch” Kasper, Class of 1950. He mailed me a Christmas card in 1955 about “old times, old friends” at Christmas. I sent him my card. Every Christmas after that we sent those 2 cards back and forth with the year and family members’ names on it. Since passed away this year I keep one card on my den wall as a constant reminder of our 84-year friendship. Bob’s son, Steven, kept the other card to show his children – Satch’s great-grandchildren -- the value of a long and deep friendship.

Satch and I (as June Bug) were part of what I faceitiously labeled The Gang That Terrorized Marion County. We were mischievous but didn’t terrorize anyone just acted out like teenagers do. Also in our harmless gang was Ronnie “Cooley” Delovich, Anthony “Plumber” DeMary, Tony Eates, Frank Franze, Lawrence “Sonny” Godby, Donald “Jake” Halpenny, Donald Duane Harbert, Joe Manzo (who survived being a medic in Vietnam), Steven “Bucky” Satterfield and James “Judge” Starcher. Cooley, Plumber, Tony, Sonny, Joe and Judge have passed away but remain in my memories.

Bucky was Class of 1949. Plumber, Jake, Tony, Sonny, Satch, Joe, Judge and me were Class of 1950. Cooley was Class of 1952.

I’m sure you have similar memories of your Monongah High days. If you email (jo4wvu@neo.rr.com) or Facebook them to me I’ll put together and article about other Lions’ memories of Lions. In particular I’d like to hear about your MHS classmates you still are in contact with today.

CATCHING UP WITH LEATRICE YOKAY GREASER

 

Leatrice Yokay Greaser, Class of 1950, and I exchanged “Merry Christmas” in a phone call today.

Leatrice, who grew up in Carolina, lives in Fairmont. I visit her almost every time I come to Marion County to visit my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville, or friends and former classmates in Monongah and Fairmont, or the annual Monongah High Alumni Banquet.

Leatrice has been in the hospital several times in recent months and is confined to her home. Physical therapists and nurses visit her. She’s house-bound except for her trips to the hospital.

“Nobody” in her family still is alive, Leatrice tells me. Her brother, John Yokay, Jr., passed away in January 2022. Their sister, Patty Yokay Maddox, Class of 1948, passed away in 2020.

“Carolina and Monongah High are my best memories,” Leatrice said. I second that emotion. In my case that would be Monongah High and Monongah, where I was born in my grandparents’ house on Walnut Street in 1932 amid the Great Depression, then moved to a Thomas Street rental, then to nearest home to that on Church Street that my parents purchased. It’s the one next to the pearl in a seashell Christmas street light that I purchased.

Leatrice’s 90^th birthday was November 23. Like me, she was born in 1932, 18 days after I was born.

Leatrice and Patty Urban Utz, also Class of 1950, phone each other regularly. Patty is taking care of her ailing husband, John Utz, a West Point graduate who retired as a Lt. Colonel. John flew helicopters in combat for two tours in Vietnam before he met Patty after his 1950 high school graduation.

Leatrice took care of her husband, Bob Greaser, till he passed away. And Bob’s mother, too.

I still call Leatrice “The Kathryn Grayson of Monongah High” because Lea’s singing voice at MHS reminded me of the singing actress in movies. Leatrice had her own show on Fairmont radio WMMS where she sang with Mary Jo Forte as her pianist.

If you want to wish Leatrice a Merry Christmas, too, here phone number is (304) 363-4858.

WINNERS OF BEST MONONGAH HOMES CHRISTMAS LIGHTING

 

Chris Quinup house got first place for best Christmas house in Monongah this season. Susan Staron Sanders’ Christmas lights committee supervised the choices.

Chris grew up in Boulder, Colorado, beautiful country. She is a Skyline High graduate in 2006. Went there for WVU football game against Colorado a decade ago.

With Amber Guinup and friends with Lauren Higginbotham, Allen Christopher and Cody Ice.bbe

Top of Form

Bottom of Form

Jaime Glass house won second place.

Jody and Rachael Ice won third place. 338 Main Street home.

Rachael Satterfield Ice is a Fairmont General Hospital medical lab technician, same job he had at LapCorp. Rachael studied lab tech at Fairmont State and is a Fairmont West graduate.

She is friends with Roseann Orwig and April Pierson.

Jodie is a CU nurse at WVU medicine and former charge nurse at Clarksburg Nursing & Rehabilitation Center and also a Fairmont State graduate who studied at United Technical Center School of Nursing and graduated from Clarksburg’s Lincoln High.  

From Susan Staron Sanders of the Monongah Christmas lights committee:

“Winners of Best Decorated houses, who entered contest the Christmas Light Committee thanks you all Congratulations!

“1st Place - Chris Quinup they won a $100 00 worth of different Restaurant Gift Certificates.

“2nd Place - Jaime Glass the home that sits in the sharp curve above me.. they won a $75 00 car detailing gift certificate from

J&J Autoscaping.

“3rd Place - Jody & Racheal Ice - They live on 336 Main Ave. They won the $30 gas card and certificate to Carolina Market.

“Congratulations to all we want to thank Rick & Lydia White for driving around and picking the winners.

That had to be a very hard choice.”

MY MIND HEARD A TINY VOICE SHOUTING "GOD BLESS US, EVERY ONE!"

 

Monongah High Alumni Association president Linda Lopez Gandy, Class of 1965, is the culprit.

She posted:

“Merry Christmas to all Monongah High School Alumni. From Jim and Linda.” Jim is Jim Gandy, Linda’s husband, Class of 1964, who is on the Alumni Association Board of Directors with Linda.

That unleashed a tsunami of Christmas cheer responses by Lions in West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, California and Florida!

Including mine.

So I figured I would expand the Merry Christmas exponentially through this blog. All it took was a week of non-stop determination and a friendly second mate in my PhotoDraw app that loves jpeg photos.

I’ll start the Lions who took part in the Facebook Merry Christmas thread as much as possible in reverse alphabetical order, to reward those who had to sit in the back of the room at Monongah High because the teachers went by A to Z alphabetical order in the seating arrangements:

Michelle Yankie, who prefers to be called Shelly, isn’t even a Monongah High graduate, only because Monongah High ceased to exist after her freshman year at MHS, with Class of 1979 being the last in Monongah High history before the merger into North Marion High, where Shelly graduated with the Class of 1982.

Shelly’s granddaughter, Tristen Orme, was queen of the 2022 North Marion prom. Shelly has 10 other grandchildren.

Shelly has been involved in the PACE project, which does such good work for those in need in Marion County; Susan Staron Sanders’ Monongah Christmas Lights Committee that brightens streets all over Monongah with those huge lights, like the one I bought that is next to my Church Street childhood home, the pearl in a seashell, and Shelly helped organized my July 2021 J&J&Lions get-together in the Monongah Town Hall attended by 40 Lions, family, friends and former classmates. J&J stood for John (me) and Jackie (my sister Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville.

Shelly’s siblings are Chris Toothman, David Yankie, Sylvia Barr, Franklin Hammond, 1984 North Marion graduate Terry Yankie, 1987 North Marion graduate Barbie Yankie and 1989 North Marion graduate Kim Yankie Hawkins and the late Kenneth and Ronnie Yankie.

Then there’s Frankie Vandetta, Class of 1974, the 4^th of 5 Frank Vandettas that meandered into Monongah. He’s married to Brenda Sturm Vandetta.

This Frankie – Frank Anthony Vandetta IV, retired from Consol Energy and still living in Monongah with wife Stephanie Kishbaugh Vandetta, who once resided in Hazelton, Pennsylvania.

The first Frank Vandetta was born in the early 1900s. The second was Frank Junior Vandetta, born in 1928. The third is Frank Vandetta III,  born in 1955. The fourth is Stephanie’s Frankie, born in 1990. The fifth is Frank Charles Vandetta V, born to IV.

Frank IV loves camping. Stephanie studied emergency medical services at Fairmont State and once worked at WVU Hospitals.

Then there’s Eric Toothman, Class of 1977, married since 1978 to Lori Munza Toothman, a 1975 Fairmont East graduate. Erica is a physical therapist assistant at Louis A. Johnson VA Medical Center, former Roof Bolter at Martinka mine, worked at Federal # 2 mine, moved from MHS to Fairmont State and lives in Monongah.

 

Eric and Lori live on Walnut Street, where I was born in the house of grandparents, Martin Olesky and Mary Peremba Olesky.

Lori has been with the U.S. Postal Service for 21 years, currently at the Mannington office. Previously, Lori was assistant to the Union Mission director in Fairmont. Lori grew up in Montana Mines, near Pricketts Fort, with her parents, Ava Jean Ellers Munza and the late John Munza. Eric’s parents are Frances Arretta Boner Toothman and Danny Lee Toothman.

 

Next is Valerie Vandetta Aldridge, Class of 1973, who works at Fairmont General Hospital and lives in Monongah with husband Jim Aldridge. Her uncle is the late Carl Eugene Vandetta, Class of 1948, in the legendary Monongah High band. Carl’s widow is Martha Vandetta. They were married 63 years.

 

Then there’s Monongah’s do-everything lady, Carol Thompson Spatafore, Class of 1965, widow of John Spatafore. Carol handled the Monongah Alumni Reunion golf scramble till there weren’t enough entrants to keep it going so Tony Eates and the late Bob “Satch” Kasper no longer achieved the distinction of finishing last and laughing all the way. And Carol collects and keeps excellent track of donations to the Monongah High Alumni Association college scholarship fund. She has attended every Reunion from 2008 through 2016. Carol lives in Fairmont.

Carol and John’s children are Frank Spatafore, who lives in Monongah with wife Jonna; John Spatafore, Jr. of Koons Run; and Gina Spatafore Croteaus of Hilton Head, South Carolina.  Daniel Thompson, Carol’s brother, lives in Monongah with wife Letha.

 

Belinda Sheppard, Class of 1969, lives in Port Charlotte, Florida, which I enjoyed when I visited that city on shores of the warm and friendly Gulf of Mexico. She’s retired and has been married since 1969. 

Brenda Mills, Class of 1970, is from Four States and lives in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania.

Debbie Moore O'Dell, Class of 1969, married Robert O’Dell, a 1966 Shinnston High graduate. They had planned to celebrate their 49^th anniversary in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina but Hurricane Dorian blew that trip away.

 

Debbie told me that “I am a mother, grandmother and great- grandmother, sister and wife.” She worked at the Dairy Kone for Amelia Shenasky Zentz and her husband Bruce Zentz when Debbie was young, also was a department manager at CSM, Etc. at Wally World and worked at Urban’s Grocery Store in Monongah near the UMW Union Hall.

Debbie’s sister, Janet Moore Frazier, Class of 1972, also worked at the Dairy Kone, which provided spending money for a lot of Monongah High students over the years.

 

Debbie and Rob’s children are James and Julie, who both went to Monongah High and North Marion High.

 

Debbie grew up in Monongah but has lived in Kilarm for a half-century. Her children live in Kilarm, too.

 

Debbie’s parents were Vera Pearl Higginbotham Moore, like Rob a Shinnston High graduate, and Bill Moore. Vera played piano for The Marion County Song Birds.

 

Ah, there’s me, John Olesky, Class of 1950, born in my Olesky grandparents’ house on Walnut Street, then moved into a Thomas Street rental with a 2-hole outside toilet that was colder than a slum landlord’s heart in winter and, for the rest of my childhood, into the Church Street home WITH INDOOR PLUMBING and bathrooms that my parents John and Lena Olesky purchased. Every Christmas the pearl in a seashell Christmas street light brightens up my Church Street home that’s next to it. My sister is Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville. I have 3 children, 7 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren and all are shining emeralds. Not one lump of coal in this family. Lucky, I know.

 

I had a 42-year newspaper career as a sportswriter and later as an editor in West Virginia (Morgantown, Williamson and Charleston), Florida (St. Petersburg) and Ohio (Dayton and, for the final 26 years, at the Akron Beacon Journal with its 4 Pulitzer Prizes for superior journalism). And 6 weeks with the Glendive (Montana) Daily but that was only so that Mona Elizabeth Turkette and I elope, get married and have our honeymoon paid for, too.

 

That also financed my travels to 56 countries and 44 states and more than 30 winters in Florida (up to 4 months each visit). I married a Cinderella (WV) girl who gave me a half-century of non-stop love and joy and, after My Mona Lisa passed away, 16 more years with a former co-worker till she moved permanently to The Villages, Florida. I’m about as lucky as a coal miner’s son could ever hope to be.

Don Pitman, Class of 1962, is from Carolina, married, works at Joy Mining Machinery and lives in Fairmont.

Retired teacher Susan Kearns, Class of 1967, studied at both Fairmont State and WVU and living in Monongah. There’s a Bernard Kearns, Class of 1937, and a Michele Earhart Kearns, Class of 1961.

Linda Knobel-Carr, Class of 1967, worked at Philips (1968-89) and lives in Morgantown. She married the late Monongah help-everybody-I-can councilman Sanford Carr in 1969. Nancy Darden is Linda’s sister.

Linda and Sanford’s children and spouses are 1989 North Marion grad Tonia Carr Posten & Bill Posten, also a North Marion grad, and Bryan Carr & Amie Carr, all living in Monongah. Their grandchildren are Tyler Carr, Teala Jesseman and her husband David, Patrick Carr, Gabriel Carr, Peyton Taylor and Raquel Taylor.

Tonia and Bill have been married 21 years. Bill is in Mobile maintenance at First Energy and Tonia works in the Monongah Water Office. They live in Monongah.

I couldn’t dredge up much information on Catherine Markley, Class of 1966, although I did find her in a photo with what looked like a lot of grandchildren.

Colette Stanley Melton, Class of 1970, is an office manager at United Dairy living in Worthington, niece of Almira Stanley Murphy, Class of 1945, and Doris Stanley Urich, Class of 1947. Her father attended Monongah High and received his diploma after he entered the Army in 1951.

Collette’s cousin, David Stanley, is Class of 1965. Her sister, JoEllen Stanley, is Class of 1972 and lives in Harrison County. Another cousin is Keith “Legs” Beckner, Class of 1942. She once told me: “I enjoy keeping up with your blog about Monongah alumni.”

Which is exactly when I spend hour after hour working on the blog, to keep Lions informed about Lions.

Sherry VanMeter Nicholson, Class of 1965, is a widow living in Youngstown, Ohio. 

Debbie Moore O'Dell, Class of 1969, married 1966 Shinnston High graduate Robert O’Dell. Their children are James and O’Dell. Both went to Monongah and North Marion. Debbie and Bob have lived in Kilarm for a half-century. The children live there, too.

Linda Minnear Lane, Class of 1970, is from Hutchinson and lives in Winchester, Virginia.

Ernest C. Hayes, Class of 1965, who prefers to be called Earnie, went from Monongah High to San Bern Valley College, lives in Colton, California and is into fishing big time. I saw one Earnie photo with THREE fishing boats attached to and trailing the larger boat they were swishing through the water!

David Higinbotham went from Monongah High to studying engineering at Fairmont State and lives in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. He’s from Carolina and is married. David worked at Allegheny Energy from 1963 to 2003. He hangs out with Edward Gillis and Terry Gillis, particularly around their barbeque grill.

 

Back to Linda Lopez Gandy, who inspired me to spend days working on this article. Linda was a sales clerk at Leeds Candy Store and a beautician at May's Beauty Shop after studying at Morgantown Beauty College. Husband Jim Gandy, Class of 1964, is a son of the late Rose Marra Gandy.

Bernie Fullen, who in 2016 married Donna McGinnis Suppa-Fullen, widow of Bernie’s best friend, lives in Shinnston. Bernie is from Carolina.

Pauletta Ellison, Class of 1969, still lives in Four States as she did while attending Monongah High. Her friends include Collette Stanley Melton, Cindy Chism, Donna Ellison Miller and Norma Elaine Ellison.

Patti DeMary Evans, Class of 1972, who retired as a registered nurse at University Hospital in 2006 (started in 1987), is a 1974 Fairmont State graduate who lives in Fairmont. She’s been married since 1974 to Brian Evans. Their daughter is Brianna Evans Wimbish. She’s friends with Patti Steele McCombs and Goldie Huffman.

 

Janice Dalton Bayne, Class of 1965, a Publix cashier living in Perry, Georgia. Her children include Ryan Bayne and Sonya Faber Lawson and there’s a grandson or son named Tyler.

 

Nancy Riley Basnett, Class of 1960, a former seal beam employee at Westinghouse, whose phone number is (304) 677-9092, in case you want to call and wish her a Merry Lions Christmas.

Last, but certainly far from least, is Sandra Thompson Barton, Class of 1967, who is an author, speaker and Bible teacher. Sandy tackled elementary education, psychology and biblical studies at Northeastern Bible College, where she was a 1991 graduate. She lives in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, made famous as the birthplace and childhood home of National Football League and Alabama superstar quarterback Joe Namath.

So, it’s time for me to say “Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.” As in “Good night, sure happy I finally finished this article,” although as usual it was a labor of love and a way to keep my brain from rusting or rotting. Win-win situation.

So, ho-ho-ho it up with family and friends which I will be doing at my daughter’s home in Brunswick, Ohio for about my 80^th year of reading “The Night Before Christmas” to a crowd of children who behave so that, when I finish, they can attack their presents under the Christmas tree.

It makes me feel richer than billionaires every year.

Photo montage proof of our 2022 joyful Christmas gathering: