I came
I saw
I conquered
That pretty well describes the
J&J&Lions Get-Together on Saturday, July 17 in the Monongah Town Hall.
J&J
stands for co-hosts Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in
Rivesville, and her brother, John Olesky, Class of 1950, who lives in
Tallmadge, Ohio. But we had a lot of help from Monongah Councilman Susan
Staron Sanders, her Monongah Christmas Lights Committee member Shelly Yankie,
the effervescent Kitty Ahouse Morrison and her sister Sue Ahouse Schrader.
And
Say-Boy’s new owner, Keith Straka, who began there as a busboy, did a bang-up
job as cook and organizer for the food. Everyone raved about the vittles. And
Keith packed up about 15 to 20 meals for Kitty to take to Monongah food
charities to feed the town’s hungry.
My son, John Larry Olesky, did a yeoman
job of helping Susan and Shelly decorate the Town Hall, hanging red and black
(Monongah High colors) streams from the ceiling lights. Susan put alternating
black and red table coverings on the seven tables for the 40 guests.
When the
guests arrived I presented a rose to each of the ladies. The night was spent
laughing, brimming with nostalgia and chatter.
The raffle of items donated by
Alabama football coach Nick Saban, Class of 1969 and quarterback of the 1968
Monongah High state champions football team, began with 1973 Farmington High
graduate Cora Fazio, wife of David Fazio, Class of 1968, winning the football
autographed by Brother and his wife, Terry Constable Fazio. And continued till
all the giveways were gone.
The raffle raised $200 for the Monongah High
Alumni Association scholarship fund. John Olesky handed the jarful of cash to
long-time Alumni Association treasurer Donna Davis to turn over to Mary Ann
Spatafore, who handles the scholarship fund donations.
There was non-stop
music via my iPod and the speaker loaned to me by Paula’s brother, Raymond. It
was available for listening and dancing. But no one wanted to stop visiting,
remembering and laughing long enough to dance. So we just rocked the Town Hall
with laughter and memories.
It was a unique family reunion for me. As one
photo shows, there were 13 of me and my relatives there. Jackie and I are
seated next to my daughter, Monnie Ann Olesky Johnston of Brunswick, Ohio, who
lives across the street from former WVU and Cleveland Browns receiver John
Talley, and Jackie’s daughters Renee Straight, a long-time pharmacist at Ruby
Memorial Hospital in Morgantown adjacent to Mountaineer Field, and Lea Ann
Straight Barnes. Standing
are Lea Ann’s husband John Barnes, Jackie’s daughter Belinda Straight Morris,
a lab tech at United Hospital Center in Bridgeport and my personal shopper
when it comes time for me to buy a gift for Jackie’s birthday or Christmas,
Belinda’s husband Dave Morris, my Mr. Fix-It son John Larry Olesky of
Tallmadge, Ohio, cousin David Fazio and wife Cora Fazio and cousin Mary Chris
Fazio Ramsey and husband Tom Ramsey.
David and Mary Chris’ mother, Frances
Fazio, wife of Renzy Fazio, and my father, John W. Olesky, Sr., were sister
and brother living one block away from each other in Monongah, Aunt France and
Uncle Renzy, the #1 golfer in the family on Jackson Street and my dad and
mother, Lena Futten Olesky, first on Thomas Street in a rental with an
outhouse and then, thankfully, later at the home they purchased from
Consolidation Coal Company on Church Street WITH INDOOR PLUMBING.
I was SO
happy as a child to no longer freeze my butt off using the 2-hole facility on
Thomas Street. I thought I had died and gone to Heaven with the second floor
bathroom adjacent to the attic bedroom where I slept every night with my teddy
bear with the button eyes (my mom sewed them on after the stuffed friend lost
its store-bought eyes).
I had a great view of U.S. 19 traffic (Camden Avenue)
from my second floor bedroom. I was such a sound sleeper that, when there was
a 2-car collision that drew folks out of their homes on Jackson and Thomas and
Church streets, I never woke up! Despite all the commosion!
Ramona Fullen
Michalski, Class of 1949, when I visited her on Friday, gave me some of her
many Monongah mementoes (her home is like an MHS Museum!) that were on display
in the Town Hall along with my large framed photo of the Monongah Lions, an 8
x 10 foot WVU cloth wall hanging and Nick Saban’s boxful of gifts.
Kathren
Herndon Loss, 97-year-old Class of 1942, was so enthralled with Ramona’s
golden sculpture of the Monongah Lion that she asked for it. I gave it to
Kathren, for a price. A hug that she enthusiastically provided.
Kathren is
amazing. Amblatory with no need for a cane or any assistance, full of life and
joy. Kathren is a regular at the annual Monongah High Alumni Banquets. “I want
to be there when I’m 100 years old,” she told me. And she probably will make
it!
The Ahouse sisters, Kitty Morrison and Sue Schrader, are such a delight to
be around. They travel almost as much as I do. I’ve been to 56 countries, 44
states and spent more than 30 winters in Florida for up to 4 months each time
(damn Ohio freezing winters!). Kitty, Sue and brother Mike Ahouse don’t let
much moss gross on them either, showing up in areas where English is not the
main language regularly.
It was Susan Staron Sanders’ great idea to come up
with a replica of Monongah High School on the cake, which many used as the
setting for a photo of them and the sugary confection. Susan was always on
call for anything I could think of as we planned the party for 3 months, even
after her husband, Ron Sanders, passed away.
Susan’s son, Tommy Sanders, and
his mate Mandi were at the Susan’s table.
So was Monongah firefighter and North
Marion grad Jim Birdsell. I told him how Bill Birdsell, Class of
1950, Jim’s uncle, with me sitting on the handlebars of Bill’s bicycle, made a
90-degree left turn coming down Streetcar Station Hill and sent us plummeting
down about 50 cement steps that led to the trolley tracks! I will NEVER know
how we got all the way to the bottom without smashing ourselves to death on
the cement or the iron railings!
Jim’s grandfather was Byron Birdsell, Class
of 1947, my mother’s favorite Monongah mailman. Mom always had a cool,
refreshing drink for Byron on hot summer days. He took a break from his mail
route to enjoy it and at her funeral told me about her welcome help.
But that
was my mother, always helping others. She NEVER let anyone who came to the
door hungry leave without a cooked meal or a bagful of sandwiches.
Dietta
Harden Loss took me outside the Town Hall to show me the angel high up on the
post at the children’s playground named for Brogan Raddish, Dietta’s
granddaughter who passed away in her teen years. Dietta has raised $8,000 for
Fairmont West High scholarship fund in Brogan’s name. Brogan was a student at
Fairmont West when cancer finally ended her life.
Jackie and everyone there
got a big kick out of me telling about how she would stick her tongue out in
anger at me when we where children when I did something that set her off,
which happened often because I was an unsettling only brother to have around.
That’s a great photo of Jackie laughing at the remembrance.
Retired Fairmont
State professor Ron Pearse, our adjacent neighbor along U.S. 19 with only an
alley separating our homes, instead of inquiring about our parents or Jackie
and me, wanted to know about our family dog whose house was a few feet from
the Pearse property.
“What was the name of the dog?,” Ron asked. “Fritzy,” I
answered, “because he was mostly German shepherd but really a mongrel with
about 15 breeds mixed in.”
I told Fritzy all my problems as a young child. He
listened and consoled me. Every kid needs a Fritzy when he doesn’t think
adults understand his frustrations.
Ron had a reunion with Lea Ann, his former Fairmont State psychology student. Professor Ron filled Jackie's daughter in on the other professors who taught Lea Ann in 1986 before she wound up in the FBI Forensics in Clarksburg.
On Friday, July 16 my son John Larry and I
visited graves in Mount Calvary Cemetery including those of Joe Eates, John
Larry’s godfather, my Aunt Frances and Uncle Renzy Fazio and Mother Ursula of
Sts. Peter and Paul School who had the most wicked whacking with the 2-hole
punishment paddle.
I couldn’t find the grave of Mary Turkovich, #1
math/algebra/geometry teacher at Monongah High for me, because grass has grown
over so many of the flat grave markers that I had to pull aside the grass to
try to see what name was under the overgrowth.
I distributed 5 dozen roses
during my weekend stay to ladies and those who has passed on.
I also visited
Ann DeMary Eates, Class of 1945, John Larry’s godmother, at her Bridge Street
home, where she told me “You have a wonderful son” so often that I thought
John Larry’s head would explode with pride.
But that’s typical Ann, sweetest
lady I’ve ever met. My Mona Lisa and I chose the perfect godmother and
godfather in Ann and the late Joe Eates, who probably still is making music in
Heaven the way he did with the United Mine Workers Band.
And Ramona Fullen
Michalski, Class of 1949, at her Bridge Street Extension home at the top of
the hill. Her son, Mike Michalski, and another Ramona, her daughter, were
there, too for the friendly recollections and hugs.
And Leatrice Yokay
Greaser, Class of 1950, whose singing voice made her the Kathryn Grayson of
Monongah High (Grayson was famous in 1940s movie musicals) and got her a
weekly radio show on a Fairmont radio station with Mary Jo Forte, Class of
1948, accompanying Leatrice on the piano.
There’s a vacant lot today where the
pharmacy owned by Mary Jo’s father, Patsy Forte, once occupied the center of
the Monongah business district. Mary Jo moved to Las Vegas before passing
away.
Of course I NEVER come to Monongah without visiting Amelia Shenasy
Zentz, 101 years old grande dame of Monongah, who says “that’s my boyfriend”
every time I show up.
Amelia’s parents, Pete and Nell Shenasky, owned P.P.
Shenasky Grocery where the Boggess business is today (the late Evelyn Kasper
Boggess’ son owns it). When I went to the Shenasky store with my mother,
Amelia or her mother would let me put my hand into the candy cane container to
grab the sweet stuff. One year I showed up at Amelia’s with a bag of candy
corn. Amelia was delighted about it.
Her body may be 101 years old but
Amelia’s mind is sharper than many 61-year-olds. You mention a Monongah name
and Amelia will give name family connections for that person.
It was, indeed,
a visit to Almost Heaven that was Heaven to me!
Now I can’t wait for the
annual Monongah High Alumni Banquet September 4 at the Knight of Columbus Hall
in Fairmont, the longest continuous high school reunion in West Virginia. If
you missed the July 17 whiz-bang blowout make sure you don’t miss the MHS
Alumni gathering.
Tickets are $30 per person, Alumni Association treasurer
Donna Davis told me. Just make out your check for your reservations to the
Monongah High Alumni Association and mail it to:
Donna Davis
858 Park Avenue
Monongah, WV 26554-1143
If you have any questions, call Donna at (304)
534-5636.
What a relief, after a year of the pandemic, to be able to talk to,
hug and laugh with family, cousins, Monongah High alumni and Monongah
residents who didn’t go to Monongah High.
It was, indeed, a rollicking,
rousing time!
