It was billed as WVU’s Homecoming,
but it felt more like a Monongah High Alumni Reunion.
I had dinner at the Cracker Barrel on
University Town Centre hill off the Star City Bridge I-79 exit with my sister,
Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who was there with her daughter, Renee,
a WVU Ruby Memorial Hospital pharmacist, and Bob Kasper, Class of 1950, my best
friend since we were 5 years old at Sts. Peter and Paul School.
I live in Tallmadge, Ohio and Bob
lives in South Lyon and Presque Isle (Grand Lake), Michigan, his winter and
summer homes. Bob comes to Mountaineer Field with me for a game every year; I go to his home on Grand Lake to play golf and reminisce every summer.
After Bob and I parked in the Light
Blue Lot and started walking toward Mountaineer Field for the Kansas State-WVU
football game, we came across Monongah Mayor Greg Vandetta, Class of 1975, married to Monongahfest
president Debbie Manzo Vandetta, Class of 1973.
They were with folks with Monongah connections throughout
their tent, including Debbie’s cousin, Ron Manzo, Class of 1969, a retired
coal miner, and his wife, Fairview High grad
Janice Manzo. Ron is a nephew of Ernie
“Frog”, Joe, John “Duke” Manzo, Class of 1945; and Raymond “Pigeon” Manzo,
Class of 1947.
Ron and Janice have five children – Andrew, Evan, Aaron, Ashley
and Jared. They have two grandchildren in Illinois. Andrew works at The
Villages, Florida Daily Sun newspaper and beats me in golf when Paula and I are
there for the winter.
Mayor Vandetta is the cousin of Frank Vandetta No. 4.
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 Frank Anthony Vandetta IV, born in 1990. The fifth is Frank
Charles Vandetta V, born in 2015.
The 5th Frankie Vandetta’s parents are Frankie Vandetta (No. 4) of
Monongah and Stephanie Kishbaugh Vandetta, who once lived in Hazelton,
Pennsylvania. Papa Frankie Vandetta is a North Marion graduate and member of
the Monongah Volunteer Fire Department.
Frank
No. 4's parents are Frankie Vandetta Jr.
(Frank No. 3), a Monongah High graduate married to Brenda Sturm Vandetta.
Greg
and Debbie’s son, Greg Vandetta II, and Janelle Vandetta were wed amid a
snowstorm.
I went to Monongah High with Carl Vandetta, Class of
1948, and passed by his house many times on my way to my Uncle Frank Loss and
Aunt Gezala Futten Loss’ home in Mill Fall. Aunt Gezala was a sister of
Fairmont barber Si Futten and my mother, Lena Futten Olesky, who was married to
John W. Olesky, Sr.
Wait, I’m not finished.
Also
tailgating was the family of my cousin, Irene
Fazio Preolitti, Class of 1966, who lives in Traction Park, Monongah, with husband Mike Preolitti, Class of 1962. Irene’s siblings (and my cousins,
of course) are Dave Fazio, Class of
1968, married to Cora Fazio, who runs Fazio Eldercare on Stoney Lonesome hill; Mary Chris Fazio Ramsey, Class of 1969, married to Tom Ramsey
and living on Pike Street in Monongah in the home once
owned by Helen and Steve Kerekes; and Steve
Fazio, Class of 1975, whose wife, Nancy, is deceased.
They are the children of the late Frances and Renzy Fazio, both
Class of 1937, who owned Fazio Grocery at the bottom of Jackson Street hill at
the Thomas Street intersection. Frances was the sister of
John W. Olesky Sr., who was the father of John Olesky, Jr., Class of 1950, who
publishes this Monongah High Alumni blog. Helen was Frances and John’s sister.
Wait, there’s more.
Edwin Birdsell, Class of 1973, and son Jim Birdsell, a North
Marion grad, also were tailgating before the WVU game.
Jim is Monongah
Fire Department Captain. Jim and wife Angela Birdsell live in Millersville, West Virginia. Jim works in parts at Leslie Equipment. Edwing
grew up on Park Avenue by Mount Calvary Cemetery as a son of Zelda and Byron
Birdsell, Class of 1947, a long-time Monongah mailman.
Byron’s brother, the late Bill Birdsell, Class of 1950, married Fairmont Field Club pro Reggie
Spencer’s daughter, Barbara, and became a golf course maintenance guru in
Florida where Bill’s son is in charge of the greenkeeping at the University of
Florida. Both Bill and Barbara are deceased.
Sandy Weils Shaffer Cook, Class of 1959, and husband Bob Cook, who live in Fort
Myers Beach, Florida also were there, in Section 107 (Jackie and I have our
season ticket seats in Section 105). Both sections are in the East stands,
which has been improved tremendously, expanded and given a new entrance away
from the students’ entrance as long as retirees don’t mind climbing 44 concrete
steps to get into the stadium.
I’m sure there were other MHS Lions
on the WVU serengetti parking lots. I just didn’t run into them. This time.
I don’t think there was anyone left
in Monongah while the fantastic, electric, thrombosis-stirring game was
lighting up Mountaineer Field. Even God parted the clouds and allowed sunshine
to beat down on our faces in the East stands.
But, along with 61,700 Mountaineer
Field fans, we were treated to a fantastic comeback by WVU in a 17-16 victory.
The Mountaineers never led until their final score of the game. It was the
first time WVU has beaten Kansas State since 1930 (the Mountaineers lost to the
Wildcats in 1931, too, and then 4 straight years under Dana Holgorsen against
72-year-old coaching legend Bill Snyder).
It was the most exciting WVU
Mountaineer Field victory that I have seen in 20 years, topping even Pat White’s
amazing freshman season, when he came into the game against Louisville after
Adam Bednarik was injured, late in the third quarter with a two-touchdown
deficit, and won the game in overtime. Pat started every game after that at
WVU, and became the first college football QB to win four bowl games in his college
career.
It was the first time since I had my
Pacemaker inserted into my body a few years ago that I didn’t need it to keep
my heartbeats at 60 or more per minute.
