In May 1965 the Thoburn School patrol boys went to Washington, DC. Their chaperones were Bob Levelle, Roy Foster and Lawence Kendall.

The photo memorialized that day.

Since my Catching Up With and Then & Now articles in the Monongah High Alumni blog are so popular – the hits on the blog double when I post them – I spent weeks looking up everyone in the photo. And got lots of help from fellow Lions, including Jay Holman who was in the Class of 1971 with everyone except Mark Jones, who left Monongah before he graduated from high school (but no one knew where).

·         Jim McDaniel, Class of 1971, also took the journey with the Worthington patrol boys, but nine years earlier in 1956.

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·         Jim wrote:

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·         “James Nottingham and I went on that trip in 1956 from Worthington Grade School. Lanny Rauer and John Stalnaker went from Thoburn. Seems like 3 or 4 buses were used.”

Nottingham, Class of 1961, and Stalnaiker are deceased. Rauer is Class of 1960.

Stalnaker’s parents were John Alfred Stanlaker and Roxie Fay Jordon Stalnaker, also the parents of Bill “Skip: Stanaker of Springfield, Missouri; Rachel Stalnaker Sloan of Fairmont; and the late Dick Stalnaker and Wendell Stalnaker.

Enjoy this trip down memory lane!

Unfortunately, some of those 1965 Thoburn patrol boys, like chaperone Lawrence Kendall, passed away.

Like Ed Graffius, whose widow is Brenda Ridenour Graffius, Class of 1974, a Licensed Practical Nurse living in Pleasant Valley. Their son is 1982 North Marion grad Jon Graffius. They had five grandchildren.

Ed’s siblings are Brenda Graffius Barna, Class of 1974; Dave Graffius, Class of 1973, and the late Donald Graffius, Jr.  Their parents were Helen Prahl Graffius, daughter of Paul and Beulah Toothman Prahl,  and the late Donald Graffius. Ed was a Wal-Mart receiving manager starting in 1991 until his retirement.

And Gary Haught, who passed away in 2016 and is buried in the West Virginia National Cemetery in Grafton. Gary’s parents were Nellie Fortney Haught, who shared a Traction Avenue home in Monongah with Gary, and the late Jennings Haught. Gary’s children are Shawn, Jennifer and Sunnie. Gary’s sister is Tammy Haught Vandergrift of Frankfurt, Kentucky.

Gary was a fighter, as a member of the Army and as a boxer. He owned and ran Gary’s Pro Painting.

And Dennis Prahl, son of the late George Prahl and grandson of Paul and Beulah Prahl.

Rick Yanero, who once owned Rick’s Belleview Lounge in Fairmont, is married to Jennifer Jane Sabo Yanero. Rick is a retired Fairview Loveridge Mine coal miner living in Barrackville. Rick and Jennifer have been boyfriend/girlfriend since fifth grade at Thoburn.

Rick’s siblings are Rosalie Yanero Kleman, Class of 1959, in California; and, in West Virginia, Sandy Yanero Hatley, Class of 1960; Frank Yanero, Class of 1964; Alfred Yanero, Class of 1967;  and Larry Yanero.

Rick played in some of the Monongah High Alumni Reunion golf scrambles at Green Hills, as I did (with Bob Kasper and Tony Eates, my fellow Class of 1950 classmates; we finished last in 2000 and successfully defended that "honor" in 2010).

Rick’s cousins include Pamela Yanero Bragg, Class of 1969; Fred Yanero, who was a successful high school basketball coach in Ohio and Baltimore; and Daniel Yanero, Class of 1961, who passed away in 1977.

Bob Hess is a son of Helen Hess. His siblings include Mike Hess, Class of 1975, whose constant companion is Parma Fetty; Pam Hess Ice; Linda Hess Postlewait; and Michelle Nichol Ice.

Dave Gowers, who was at the 2016 Monongah High Alumni Reunion, lives in Martinsburg.

Pat Levelle is married to Fairmont East grad Cindy McVicker Levelle, whose father was the postmaster in Fairmont and whose mother is Ocie Motter McVicker.  Pat and Cindy live in Athens, Georgia.

Jim Roy Foster married wife Linda, Class of 1977, at Valley Falls State Park in 2014. Linda and her sisters, Brenda Phillips Waugh, Class of 1978, and Jeanie Phillips Nibert, Class of 1975, are all former Monongah High prom queens.

Jim was a sales representative at Swanson Industries. His parents were Roy Foster, Jr., Class of 1945, and 1948 Farmington High grad Dolores Headley Foster.

Roy’s sister, the late Ida Foster Shaver, also was a Monongah High grad. 

In 1989 Stacey Bragg Dunham won the first Little Miss Monongahfest contest. This year on Saturday, August 18 will be the 30^th annual Monongahfest.

Stacey has a son, Noah. Her parents are Rick and Debbie Bragg of Worthington.

But the other candidates are winners, too.

Bethany Vandetta VanGilder and Jessica Ann Vandetta are the daughters of Monongah Mayor Greg Vandetta and Debbie Manzo Vandetta.

Katie Orwig is a North Marion graduate who studied art at Bethany College and also was a student at Fairmont State and Marshall. She is big in theatre productions in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is engaged to Chris Nelson and is gung-ho about whitewater rafting. Her parents are Roseanne Orwig of Monongah and Mark Orwig of Fairmont.

Brianna Evans Winbish is Elite Barnyard Couture manager who lives in Fairmont with son Chuck Winbish. Patti and Brian Evans are her parents.

Jennifer Evans and Rebecca Evans’ parents are Benny and Diane Evans of Thoburn area of Monongah and their grandparents are Nancy Cain of Worthington and Don and Wauneda Evans of Fairmont.

Mindy Jo Hinebaugh Efaw graduated from Fairmont East High and lives in Barrackville. Her parents are Tim and Mary Jo Hinebaugh of Monongah. Mindy has two children.

Amber Aldridge Slagel is a daughter of Kathy and Mark Aldridge of Bridge Street.

JoLynn Baranski’s parents are Walter and Edie Baranski and her grandparents are Betty Moore and Dominic Flamini.

Chrisi McCombs is the daughter of Bill and Patty McCombs of Monongah.

Lindsey Satterfield is a daughter of Jerry and Cheri Satterfield of Monongah.

Amanda Lee Wilson is the daughter of David and Bertha Wilson of Monongah.

The 2018 Monongahfest will begin Friday, August 17 with the Townwide Yard Sale, then kick in at noon Saturday, August 18 with the parade through town and wind up with the car show Sunday, August 19.

Maybe 30 years from now someone will do another Then & Now on the 2018 Little Miss Monongahfest candidates.

Since I’m 85 years old I’m pretty sure I’ll be buried by then because I seriously doubt I’ll stick above ground till I’m 115.

I like to take old school photos and try to find out where those students are today, using recent pictures to update what they look like as adults.

The 1975 6^th grade class at Thoburn Elementary popped up, thanks to Chris Martin, Monongah’s No. 1 photographer.

Jaimie Feltz Riley was the first name that caught my eye. Jaimie, only 50 when she passed away in 2014 from multiple sclerosis,  was the daughter of Betty Wilson Feltz and the late, great Monongah High state championship (1952, 1955) football coach Jim Feltz and the sister of 1973 Monongah High state football champs quarterback Jay Feltz and long-time Monongah Middle School math teacher Jon Pat Feltz.

Jaimie has two sons, Jayce Riley and Andrew Sestito, both of Fairmont.

 

Jaimie and Jay’s brother, Jon Pat Feltz, shares a home in Fairmont with their mother, Betty, who grew up as the daughter of a banker and was a Monongah High majorette who married the football coach shortly after her graduation.

 

Jason Patrick Feltz, 30, was the son of Coach Jay and his wife, Beth -- and Jim & Betty’s grandson. The Eastside quarterback who played in South Carolina’s annual North-South high school all-star game with former University of South Carolina punter Jay as his coach  passed away in Sapphire, South Carolina.

 

Jason’s sister, Jody Elizabeth Feltz, died in 2010 at age 25 of brain cancer. She was an Olympics torch bearer through South Carolina in 2001 and Hillcrest High Homecoming queen in 2002. She was diagnosed at age 17.

 

There was a Feltz responsible for the first (1952, Coach Jim) and last (1973, QB Jay) of the five Monongah High state football titles. 

Mindy Goush Tossone lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Her daughter, Spencer, is an excellent player on her Virginia Commonwealth University field hockey team.

Mike Griffey is a North Marion grad and Air Force veteran who lives in Monongah.

Larry Chickerell, who once lived in Kilarm, resides in Manassas, Virginia.

Paula Yanero Bowers lives in Franklin, West Virginia and is a graduate of Salem University in West Virginia.
 Ron Dale Devores worked at Northcutt and is married.

Jim Sloan is married and living in Monongah and is a graduate of Pierpoint Community and Technical College on Locust Avenue in Fairmont.

Tim Shaver graduated from Fairmont East, lives in Fairmont and is a truck driver for Quality Reclamation Services.

If you have any knowledge of the whereabouts of the others, including Thoburn principal Jeffrey Madigan, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com and I’ll add your information to this article.

A few years ago, while visiting Bob Cottrill, Class of 1951, in his Melbourne, Florida home he gave me a stack of photos from the 2009 Monongah High Alumni Reunion that featured his Class of 1951.

Well, I finally got around to putting this montage together of 1951 graduates then and now.

Katherine Slaymen and Tom Paknik, who were at the 2009 reunion, have since passed away.

Bob also gave me a photo of the 1949 Monongah High football team’s starting offense. Carroll Rogers and Benny Salopek are in the backfield with Bob.

On the offensive line are such familiar faces, to me anyway, taking them from left to right, as the late Frank Michalski, whose widow is Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, who lives in Monongah; someone neither Bob nor I remember; Don Felton; the late Bob Raymond; another person we couldn’t identify; Eugene “Hammer” Tartell at center, who is retired and lives in Dayton, Ohio; the late Tom “Bum” Orsini, whose widow, Peggy Rauer, Class of 1959, lives in Titusville, Florida; Frank Watosky; and Junior “Cocoa” Orsini, Tom’s brother.

If you can identify the two Bob & I couldn’t name, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com and I’ll add that information to this article.

The Class of 1951 has been one of the most active pride of Lions when it comes to showing up at reunions and gathering among themselves on the Friday before the Saturday all-classes reunions.

Kathryn was the leader of gathering the 1951 troops. They still miss her.

Michalskis, then and now

These photos show Monongah’s Michalski family more than a half-century ago and today.

Ramona Fullen Michalski, Class of 1949, married Frank Michalski, who was in the Class of 1950 but dropped out after the 1949 football season. 

They had six children.

Marcia Michalski Westfall, Class of 1974, of Kilarm, married Dave Westfall, Class of 1948. The others were Mike Michalski (wife Jan) and Jay Michalski (wife Debbie), both of Monongah, Carol Michalski Drake (husband Bob) of Shinnston and Ramona Michalski, who lives with Ramona Fullen Michalski in Monongah.

Another child, Mary Frances Michalski Gapen, Class of 1968, married to Rick Gapen, passed away in 2012. Mary was a teacher at Barrackville Middle School and Monongah Elementary.

Ramona's grandson, Tony Michalski, is Marion County Parks and Recreation Comission executive director.

Ramona's grandfather was the half-brother of the father of Shirley Fullen, Class of 1954.

Ramona’s home is a de facto Monongah High and Town of Monongah museum, including the Lion water fountain not far from the family swimming pool.

It also is the stopping place for MHS alumni passing through town. Just ask Tom Dean, Class of 1949, who lives in Alta Vista, Virginia but visits “Monie,” as he calls Ramona, every chance he gets.

Or me. When I took my children and grandchildren on a trip into my history, Ramona’s was the highlight of our Monongah visit.

If you have memories of the Michalski family, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com and I’ll add them to this Monongah High Alumni blog article.