Andrew Carpenter’s brother Corey passes away

Corey Carpenter, brother of Andrew Carpenter of Monongah, passed away Tuesday, January 5.

Monongah High Carpenters:

Debra Urish Carpenter, Class of 1969.

Doris Carpenter Rogers, Class of 1971.

Genevieve Elutrio Carpenter, Class of 1945.

Hellen Snider Carpenter, Class of 1950.

Jim Carpenter, Class of 1970.

Mary Carpenter Evans, Class of 1970.

Bill Carpenter, Class of 1975, son of Bill Carpenter and Delores Martin Carpenter, Class of 1950, both deceased. Bill’s siblings are Lonnie Carpenter, James Carpenter and Nancy Carpenter Tharp, Clinton “Buck” Tharp’s wife. All are deceased.

Corey Nicholas Carpenter

• BORN: August 9, 1989
• DIED: January 5, 2016
• LOCATION: Fairmont, West Virginia

Corey Nicholas Carpenter, 26, of Fairmont passed away on Tuesday, January 5, 2016 at United Hospital Center.
He was born in Fairmont on August 9, 1989 a son of Marvin "Mo" Carpenter, Jr. and the late Kelly A. Russell.
Corey loved music and worked as a D. J. most recently at Goal Rush. He graduated from East Fairmont High School in 2008.
He was a huge fan of all West Virginia University Sports and Fairmont State University Basketball. Corey was an avid fisherman and enjoyed fishing trips with family and friends.
In addition to his father, Corey is survived by his fiancé, Skylar Norman; two brothers, Andrew Chad Carpenter of Monongah and Tyrus Leland Higgins of Fairview; two sisters, Harmony Faith Mayfield of Barrackville and Amali Ann Higgins of Fairview; and a niece Brenalin Carpenter.


Also surviving are his grandmother, Mary Kathy Warash of Fairmont and his grandfather, Arnett Ambrose Russell of Morgantown; several aunts, uncles, cousins and many good friends.
In addition to his mother, Corey was preceded in death by his grandfather, Marvin V. Carpenter, Sr. and his grandmother, Helen L. Minnear.
Friends and family may call at the Carpenter & Ford Funeral Home, 209 Merchant Street, Fairmont on Friday from 2pm to 8pm. The funeral service will be at 11am on Saturday, January 9, 2016 at the funeral home with Pastor Chris Byrne officiating. Interment will follow at the Bunner Cemetery near Bunner Ridge Park.
Memorial Contributions may be made to Carpenter & Ford Funeral Home to help with funeral expenses.

Including inflation, 8 billion-dollar movies

Adjusted for inflation, there are eight movies that grossed at least $1 billion.

#1, no surprise, “Gone With the Wind,” the Clark Gable film from Margaret Mitchell’s classic about the end of southern aristocracy. $1.7 billion in today’s dollars; $198 million at the time.

#2 “Star Wars” $1.5 billion and climbing.

#3 “Sound of Music” $1.226 billion. #4 “E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial” $1.221 billion. #5 “Titanic” $1.166 billion. #6 “The Ten Commandments” #$1.127 billion. #7 “Jaws” $1.102 billion.

And #8 “Doctor Zhivago” $1.068 billion.

My favorite movie of all time, “Casablanca,” with Humphrey Bogart at his finest and Claude Rains an excellent cast member, isn’t even on the list. I guess unselfish love and sacrifice and patriotism aren’t worth a hill of beans in this crazy world.

When Paula and I went to Paris for our 10^th anniversary, there were 29 Rick’s Place bars. We’ll always have Paris.

Trump’s #1 support: West Virginia

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has a higher level of support in West Virginia than in any other state.

Trump’s support ranges from 45% in West Virginia’s 1st Congressional District (a region that stretches from Parkersburg to Morgantown and Wheeling) to 41 percent in the 2nd Congressional District (the Kanawha Valley to the Eastern Panhandle) to 36 percent in the 3rd District (Southern West Virginia).

Trump’s best state was West Virginia, followed by New York. Trump also had strong support in other states in the Appalachian region and among Gulf Coast states.

Trump’s weakest support came from Utah.

 West Virginia’s primary is May 10, later than most states.

Super Susan just getting started

Susan Staron Sanders, Class of 1971, is not stopping at the current seven Christmas lights on Monongah posts. She wants the town lit up even more for Christmas 2016.

The town of Whitehall donated seven lights it had to the town of Monongah when Whitehall got new Christmas street lights. Donations paid for erecting the lights, including mine, which was enough to put up one light.



Susan Starron Sanders

Susan, who lives on the 2^nd house from Church Street on Thomas Street, which was occupied by the Mangino family during my childhood before they moved to Philadelphia . . .

Well, let Susan tell it:

“Happy New Year’s Everyone, Hope you all had a great one and Christmas as well. I just want to say I'm sure you all enjoyed the new Christmas lights as much as I have. They could leave them there all year wouldn't bother me a bit. (LOL). “Just letting you know just because the Holiday is over does not mean I will stop working on getting more lights for next year, but we need more donations and fundraisers to make our town complete as I'm sure you all would want. “Art is working on getting me more poles numbers so we will be ready. Again I thank all of you wonderful people and businesses for your help and donations. “Me my girls will be planning another fundraiser and will let you all know when. “God Bless You All!    “Susan.” Susan is about the nicest human tornado in Monongah.   Her “girls” include Valerie Vandetta Aldridge, Class of 1973; Teena Field Ailstock, 1984 North Marion grad; and Mareca Savonarola.   Susan and husband Ron Sanders live next door to Mayor Greg Vandetta and his wife, Janice Manzo Vandetta. Thomas Street is famous (in my mind) for being the childhood home of John Olesky, Class of 1950, once he left the Walnut Street home of his grandparents, where he was born. I got to freeze my butt off every Winter when I visited the two-holer outhouse at the end of our Thomas Street rental, where the alley and the garages were located.

Susan is an administrative assistant at Personnel.

 

Susan’s brother Bob Staron, Class of 1967 (deceased), fought in Vietnam.

 

Susan grew up with Becky Urish Anderson, who today lives in Clarksburg, and went to Monongah High with Becky. They are both Class of 1971.

 

West Virginia only state losing population

During the last fiscal year, West Virginia lost another 6,000-plus people. Since 1950, West Virginia has seen an 8 percent decrease in population, the only state in America to experience a loss.

Iowa, the second worst-performing state in America (behind West Virginia), had a net INCREASE of 19 percent in population. North and South Dakota had increases of 22 and 31 percent.

In the two decades following 1950, some 800,000 babies were born in West Virginia for an average of 40,000 babies per year. But from 1970 to 1990, only 540,000 babies were born, and from 1990 through 2010 only 425,000 babies were born, an average of about 21,000 babies per year (according to the U.S. Census).

Through the year 2025, West Virginia is projected to have the largest decrease in public school enrollment (by the National Center for Education Statistics). The state’s death rate exceeds its birth rate.

Mark Urban passes away

Mark Urban, Class of 1969, who lived in Fort Wayne, Indiana, passed away. Mark will be cremated and there will be no funeral services per his wishes.



Mark Urban

Mark’s father was Stanley Urban, Jr. Mark’s  siblings are Brenda Urban, Class of 1971, who lives in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Gregory Urban, Class of 1966, who lives in North Carolina.

The Fairmont State graduate owned his own automotive service & sales business. Previously, he was in Tampa, Florida.

Patty Urban Utz, Class of 1950, who lives in Springfield, Virginia with husband John Utz, a West Point graduate who retired as a Lt. Colonel,  is Stanley Urban’s cousin.

She “had been in touch with him and his brother Greg for quite a while and was aware of his condition and was pulling for him,” Patty's husband writes.

Josephine Smolanovich Urban is Class of 1932.

Gary Haught, Class of 1971, posted:

“My heart & soul goes out to 2 of our fellow alumni tonight as I sit & reflect on the memories of both of them. Brenda Urban’s brother Mark, who was as kind & friendly person as you could know, and to the Bonasso family for the loss of a great person and musical talent in Bob’s younger brother Danny.

“My hopes go out to all of Marion County to remember these two for what they represented.  US!

“RIP, my friends.”

Well said, Gary.

Gary’s parents are Nellie Haught, who lives on Traction Avenue in Monongah with him, and Jennings Haught.

Can Brother move closer to Bear?

Only one person in history has won more national titles than Monongah High graduate Nick “Brother” Saban, Alabama’s football coach.

Brother & Bear

And that is Paul “Bear” Bryant. Bear, the porkpie hat guy on the sidelines, has won six. Brother has four, and his Alabama team will play Clemson at 8:30 p.m. Monday in University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Arizona on ESPN for a possible fifth national crown.

Bear has a 323-85-17 record, 78% victories.  To go with his six national championships, Bear won 14 Southeast Conference championships at Alabama and one Southwest Conference championship at Texas A&M.

Brother won one national title at LSU and three at Alabama, where his record is 104-18 with four SEC championships and three national championships.

Fittingly, Brother is among the seven nominees for the Bear Bryant Award for college football's Coach of the Year this season. Brother won the Bryant Award in 2003.

A win over Clemson would be Brother’s fourth national title in seven years.

He quarterbacked Monongah High to the 1968 state football title, one of five for the Lions. MHS also won state crowns in 1952, 1955, 1969 and 1973.