Bob Cottrill with John Olesky in Bob's Melbourne home in 2015

Bob Cottrill breaks leg, in rehab

Bob Cottrill, Class of 1951, who lives in Melbourne, Florida, broke his femur and is in rehab.

The femur is the bone that connects the knee bone to the hip bone.

Duane Harbert, Class of 1951, who gave me the news, emailed me that “it sounds like he is having a hard time.”

Turns out Bob was jitterbugging and fell. He asked a family friend to do the last dance with him. Bob said he "twirled." His footwear near moved. Splat! Broken femur.

His bone between the hip bone and the knee bone is encased in a strip of metal attached by a bolt with an anchor on end.

Good thing Bob was the toughet football player in Monongah High history. When he carried the football he would run over and lay out the would-be tackler. Again and again.

After all, Bob worked in the coal mines and went to Monongah High at the same time. He really hit hard on the gridiron!

Bob is in the Life Care Center in Palm Bay, which is about 5 miles from his Melbourne, Florida game. I've been there a few times when Paula and I spend our winters in The Villages, Florida. Melbourne is close to the Atlantic Ocean.

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.

 

He advanced to helping the State of Ohio Board of Education with school financing and implementation of fair busing, from his office in Parma. Then in 1982-88 he was director of business administration handling such things as bus routing while assistant superintendent of Brunswick, Ohio schools. He was school principal in Northfield, Ohio near Akron.

 

Bob’s grandson, Chris Barnes, son of Bob’s daughter, Rhonda, works for Fidelity Mortgage and Title out of Akron. 

 

Bob also has sons Rob in Atlanta and Randy in Tampa.

Bob’s first wife, Barbara Jean Henderson Cottrill, a 1955 Fairmont Nursing School graduate who was nursing manager for Suburban Cleveland Hospital, which later was absorbed into the Cleveland Clinic system, passed away in 2007.

 Bob’s friends conducted a memorial in Macedonia, near Northfield and Akron, for Barb, who was nursing manager for Suburban Cleveland Hospital, which later was absorbed into the Cleveland Clinic system.

Bob married again in 2011, to Thelma from Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a friend of Bob and Barbara.

Bob a few years back got a visit from Swisher Hill’s Tony Orsini, Class of 1946, and his wife, Mary Louise Baker Orsini, in the Class of 1948. Mary Louise has since passed away.

Bob played football with Tony’s late brothers, Tom "Bum" Orsini, Class of 1950, whose widow, Peggy Rauer Orsini, lives in Titusville, Florida, and Bum’s brother, Cocoa Orsini.

The Orsini brothers were Tony, Tom “Bum”, Larry, Jimmy, Junior "Cocoa" and Bill. Still alive are Tony and Jimmy, who resides in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

Bob’s Florida MHS reunions included Delores Vingle Olender, Class of 1951, who was in the Ray Vingle Band long ago. Ted Nagle, Class of 1954, who lived in Vinton, Virginia and Micco, Florida, also had a reunion with Deloris several years ago in Micco.

Bob remains friends with Tom Martin, Class of 1951, who winters on Marco Island, Florida with his wife.

 

Bob owns Cottrill’s Mountain, 120 acres near Burnsville, West Virginia. His children and grandchildren use it for their private park and playground.

The late Paula Cottrill was Bob’s half-sister. So are Bill Cottrill and the late Chatta Belle Castro. They all had the same father, who remarried after divorcing his first wife, but different mothers.

Mikulski health report

Steve Mikulski, Class of 1964, who lives in Germantonwn, Maryland reports on his gall bladder surgery.

Steve writes:

“I am doing great after having the gall bladder removed, but I can't seem to get over being lethargic. I guess it just takes time. I am glad to be home and look forward to a full recovery.”

My golf game improved after I had my gall bladder removed, Steve, if that encourages you.

Fairmont State grad Steve is a Montgomery County Public Schools teacher of engineering design married to Holly White Mikulski.

Steve’s siblings are Tom Mikulski, Class of 1966, who grew up in Carolina and lives in Henderson, Nevada; David Higinbotham and wife Cheryl of Greensburg, Pennsylvania; Catherine Rogers and husband Harry of Fairmont; and Susan Morgan and husband Nick Perrotto of Cupertino, California.  

Their mother is the late Violet Morris Higinbotham Mikulski, Class of 1944, known as Violet Higinbotham when she was in the MHS senior play.

Steve and Holly’s daughter, Kristen Mikulski Mitchell, lives in Istanbul, Turkey with husband Nick Mitchell.

Tom’s son, Tom B. Mikulski II, is a 1986 North Marion High grad who lives in Denver, Colorado.

Another granddaughter, Amie Marchesani, lives in Monongah with husband Nick.

Other Mikulskis who graduated from Monongah High or Marion High:

Carolyn Prahl Mikulski, Class of 1966.

Cathy Rogers Mikulski, Class of 1969.

Cheri Mikulski, North Marion 1988.

Happy trio: Danny, Frances, sunshine

Larry Danny Eates, Class of 1970, and his wife, Farmington High grad Frances Victor Eates, are basking in Florida sunshine off Fort Myers, far from the snow on their Washington, Pennsylvania home.

Danny & Frances Eates in Florida

Posted Danny:

“Had a great afternoon, went to muscle car city. Probably 200 to 300 best GM muscle cars made. Sad there were no mopar's but a great day anyhow.”

MOPAR stands for Muscularly Over Powered and Respected.

They also were on Pine Island, off Fort Myers.

Fairmont State accounting graduate Danny and Frances lived in Charleston, West Virginia for 14 years while he was an accountant for Bethlehem Mines. They moved to Little Washington in 1988 and Danny is Operations Manager for three Personal Care Homes in Washington and Waynesburg, PA, and in Morgantown.

Danny’s parents were Dominick Eates, Class of 1946, and Mary Larry Eates. Frances is the daughter of a former Farmington High coach.

Larry and Frances’ children are Jo Ann Eates Horne, married to Kyle Horne and living in Washington, Pennsylvania with children Daniel and Samantha; J.D. Eates and wife Julie, who live in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Sarah Eates, who lives in Dormont, a Pittsburgh suburb.

Dominick Eates’ siblings are Nick, Mike, Mary, Angie, Joe and Tony Eates. Mary Larry Eates’ siblings are Connie, Rose, Joe, Tony, Benny and Sammy Larry.

I'm still working on converting the 1960 Monongah High Black Diamond Yearbook into the 22nd free online yearbook, but the Projectors Club photo has 6 rows of students but identifications for only 5 rows. If you can identify the 6th row people, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com and specify 3rd from left, etc. 

I'm assuming the first five rows IDs are the first five rows of students, but check me on that, too.

Thank you. 

John, 
I believe the names for the sixth row are included with names for the  
fifth row.  I'm pretty sure Harold Maze is the 8th person in the  
fifth row, and I would say the fifth row ends with the student next  
to him (Dalton). Raymond Debalski is the 7th person in the sixth row  
(sixth row being at the top of the page). The reason I say this is  
because I recognize Dave (Froggy) Shears as the first one in the  
first row which is at the bottom of the page. 
Hope this is some help. 
 
Bonita Lavencheck Waybright, Class of 1968