As often happens, a trip to Mountaineer Field turns into a Monongah High Alumni reunion.

At Saturday’s WVU-Georgia Southern game, in the box seats of Section 105 where we just moved to, I saw Barbara Sweede, Class of 1956, who lives in Monongah, waving to me through the window that separates the box from the concourse.

We had a brief chat, I snapped a quick photo which is not up to my usual standards.

As usual, I attended the game with my sister, Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, and her daughter, Renee, who is a pharmacist at WVU’s Ruby Memorial Hospital.

And, afterward, enjoyed the afterglow of WVU’s 44-0 throttling of the Georgia Southern Eagles in my motel room in Waynesburg – the Comfort Suites.

Barbara’s sister, Dolores Sweede Matkovich, Class of 1953, lives in Palm Harbor, Florida with husband John Matkovich, Class of 1948.

Barbara recovered from her 2014 health problems.

From left: John Olesky, Class of 1950, who lives in Tallmadge, Ohio; Renee Straight, Jackie’s daughter; Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville; Betty Hanlin and Phil Colanero, Class of 1963, who live in Morgantown; and LaQuita, John’s daughter.

In Red Lobster on University Town Centre Hill before the Kansas State-WVU football game.

There was another Monongah High alumni reunion before a WVU game, this one Saturday, Nov. 1 in the Longhorn Steakhouse on University Town Centre hill just off I-79 in Morgantown before the TCU game.

Sharing memories of Monongah High and Rivesville, were Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, and Phil Colanero, Class of 1963. That's where Jackie lives and Phil, who lives in Morgantown with Betty Hanlin, has worked.

Betty undergoes kidney dialysis three times a week.

The Colanero family once lived on Hill Street in Monongah, off Park Avenue at Calvary Cemetery. 

Phil’s daughter is Melissa Colanero Huffman, married to Rodney Huffman, North Marion Class of 1986. They live in Monongah. Rodney works for Milan Pharmaceuticals.

Joining the Monongah High discussions was John Olesky, Class of 1950, who was at the Longhorn with his son, John Larry Olesky, of Tallmadge, Ohio.

WVU lost a heart-breaker to TCU, 31-30, as time ran out. The Mountaineers led for the entire game, except for a brief 14-13 Horned Frogs lead. 

And the tradition continues.

Bob Kasper and John Olesky, both Class of 1950, friends since first grade at Sts. Peter and Paul School, have had reunions in West Virginia, Ohio, Michigan and Florida over the years.

This was Bob’s turn to visit John and Paula in their Tallmadge, Ohio home. 

Bob and John will play golf Friday at Brookledge Golf Club in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio and then attend Saturday's Kansas game against WVU in Mountaineer Field.

If you want to join Bob and John for lunch Saturday, be at the Cracker Barrel in University Town Centre, up the hill on the right after you get off I-79 at the Star City exit, at 1:30 p.m. Call John at (330) 388-4466 to let us know that you’re coming.

There was another Monongah High Alumni reunion in Morgantown before the Saturday, Sept. 6 WVU-Towson game.

Bill Meredith, Class of 1957, who lives in Sarasota, Florida and Buckeye Lake, Ohio (30 miles east of Columbus off I-70), was in the Olive Garden with wife Roleta, a Clarksburg Washington Irving graduate.

Jackie Olesky Straight, Class of 1955, who lives in Rivesville, was there with her daughter, Renee Straight, a WVU Ruby Memorial Hospital pharmacist who lives in Fairmont.

Jackie's brother, John Olesky, Class of 1950, who lives in Tallmadge, Ohio, was there with his daughter, Monnie Ann Olesky Johnston, who lives in Brunswick, Ohio.

The Mountaineers won, 54-0. Everybody wins when there is a Monongah High Alumni reunion. 

If you’ll be in Sarasota at noon Friday, Feb. 6, 2015, you can join us for the 3^rd annual Monongah High Alumni Reunion/Sarasota, at the home of Bill and Roleta in Sarasota.

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.