Barb Shelosky visiting Monongah

Barbara Shelosky, Class of 1968, is visiting family in Monongah.

Barb lives in San Diego and is a speech pathologist.

At Monongah High, you couldn’t swing a shillalagh without hitting a Shelosky.

Tom Shelosky, son of Julia Lazorick Shelosky and Stanley “Strob” Shelosky, the late superb golfer at Green Hills who built up his body by laying bricks and cinder blocks for home foundations, still lives in Monongah.

Julia passed away in 2013, Strob in 1993.

George Shelosky was Strob’s brother.

Barbara Shelosky, who stays in touch with the Monells, moved from Monongah to San Diego, California. So did Andrea Shelosky.

John, Jackie, Belinda, LaQuita

Early birthday presents

Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville, displays her early birthday present from her brother, John Olesky, Class of 1950, who lives in Tallmadge, Ohio.

Jackie’s birthday will be Thursday, September 5 but John delivered the WVU shirt on Saturday, September 3 before the Mountaineers’ season opener against Missouri.

 

As a second birthday gift, WVU beat the Tigers, 26-11, and clearly were the better team against its opponent from the Southeast Conference, the No. 1 league in college football.

Also in the photo is Jackie’s daughter, Belinda Straight Morris, who serves as John’s personal shopper who picks out the gifts for Jackie since John is incompetent in that area, and John’s daughter, LaQuita Olesky Timberlake, the Mary Turkovich of the Aurora, Ohio school system.

It was a hot, sunny day more suited to baseball, but wet towels and water poured over the head prevented heat strokes.

Jackie’s daughter, Renee Straight, a pharmacist at WVU’s Ruby Memorial Hospital, had to work but joined the other four gold-clad, happy victors at the Olive Garden on Granville’s University Town Centre hilltop for the celebration dinner.

Charlie and Jane Meredith started it all, by having seven children.

So 56 members of the Meredith Family sprawled over Blackwater Falls State Park July 19^th  for the family reunion. 

Don & Pat Meredith Wills

That’s also the annual site of the Barr family reunion, which includes Jeanette Barr Baczuk, Class of 1940, who lives in Ashland, Ohio, and sister Suzanna Barr Loss, who lives in Mill Fall.

The only surviving Charlie/Jane children were there: Bill Meredith, whose birth name is Charles William Meredith, Class of 1957, and Pat Meredith Wills, Class of 1950, with husband Don Wills, a former Fairmont West athlete.

Jack Meredith, Class of 1943, Howard Joe Meredith, Class of 1945, Bonnie Meredith, Marion Jean Meredith Riddle, Class of 1945, and Marjorie Delores Meredith Holt, Class of 1947, are deceased.

Bill is married to Clarksburg Washington Irving graduate and school historian/alumni wrangler for reunions Roleta Meredith. Bill is a WVU engineering graduate and former Monongah High multi-sport athlete. 

Meredith Brothers is a Columbus business that arranges materials for bridge and road-building construction and a lot of other things. Bill and Roleta also have a home on Buckeye Lake, near Columbus.

The day before the Meredith reunion, Bill got together with his former WVU fraternity brothers. A day before Bill’s frat gathering, Roleta took her pre-cooked gluten-free pasta and combined it with sauce from Minard’s in Clarksburg, her old hometown, which she frequented often during her Clarksburg years.

Roleta is a flower child -- Lily of the Valley version -- her mother’s favorite flower.

Bill also is involved in another reunion, the third annual Monongah High Alumni Reunion/Sarasota in his Sarasota home at noon Friday, Feb. 6, 2015.

If you will be near Sarasota Feb. 6, 2015, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com and let him know you are coming and if you’ll be bringing a guest so Roleta will know how many to provide food for. 

Or you can email Bill at BillMere@aol.com or phone him at (941) 342-0030. 

His address is

Bill Meredith

3201 Charles Macdonald Dr

Sarasota, FL 34240-8714

If you can't make it to Sarasota Feb. 6, but are close enough to visit Paula and me in The Villages, Florida while we're renting on Rainbow Drive for three months (January-March, 2015), email me or, if it's January, February or March, call me at (330) 388-4466 and we'll arrange a mini-Monongah High reunion.

If you have memories of the Meredith family, email me at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com and I’ll put the information on this Monongah High Alumni blog. 

Pagliaros 4-for-4 this week

Melanie Ann Pagliaro, policy analyst for the Majority Leader in the West Virginia House of Delegates, this week enjoyed Greenbrier Classic golf in White Sulphur Springs, a Monongah reunion, a Maroon 5 concert and time with her parents, Rosemary Raymond Pagliaro and Carmen Pagliaro, who live in Fairmont.

Writes Melanie: “Great day yesterday.” I’ll bet. It’s always a great day when you’re with family.

Melanie, originally from Monongah, got her master’s in education administration at Marshall University after graduating from North Marion High and Fairmont State. She lives in Charleston. She resided in Fairmont 2003-2007.

Rosemary, Class of 1958, is the daughter of Mary Dudiak Raymond and Angelo Raymond and the sister of the late Bob Raymond, Class of 1951, of Fairmont.

Bob was a U.S. Navy veteran of the Korean conflict, a former employee of Fairmont Box Factory and retired from Creative Labeling.

Bob’s widow, Susan Russell Raymond, lives in White Hall.  Bob and Susan’s children are Paula, married to Sam Adkins and living in Idamay; Robin Long of Colfax; Mary Harr of Pleasant Valley; and another Bob Raymond, married to Susie and living in Fairmont.

Maroon 5, formerly Kara’s Flowers, is a pop rock band out of Los Angeles. Adam Levine does lead vocals and rhythm guitar, Jesse Carmichael is on keyboards and guitar, Mickey Madden on guitar, James Valentine on rhythm guitar, Matt Flynn on drums and P.J. Morton fills in for Carmichael from time to time.

There’s a $6.5 million in purse at the White Springs, West Virginia golf event on the 7,287-yard Old White course. Bill Hurley III leads Angel Cabrera by two strokes heading into Sunday’s final 18 holes. Sweden’s Jonas Blixt won last year.

You can also stroll among the scenic splendor where Presidents, Senators and Congress members walked, and above the cement underground bunkers that were to be the safe houses for politicians if American got into a nuclear war.