Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith
Publisher: Jalon Smith Burton
...IN CLARKSBURG
From: Harriett Stout
Noel (WI 1959)
This is like
the saying, “A day late and a dollar short!” I lived at 301 Ryder Ave. for one
year. I think I mentioned that in my last note to you but I didn’t mention the
house number. We all loved living there. I was dating a fellow by the name of
Bill Swats who lived right down the hill from us. It had a beautiful view out
of my upstairs window. My younger sister became friends with a Nancy who lived
on Ryder also. They would have graduated in about ‘64. Such great memories!
Thank you again
for the great job you all do!
Happy Spring!
MAY
MYSTERY PICTURE
From: Antony Selario (WI 1956)
The May mystery picture is that of the former Coca Cola Building
on North Fifth Street in Glen Elk. My father worked as a bottler for the owner,
Tom Lee, for 23 years. I was born in an apartment upstairs over the bottling
plant. A year later, my parents and sisters, Eleanor and JoAnn, moved to West
Pike Street next to Evans Lunch
Not related to the mystery picture but a great memory for me is
the fact that my maternal grandparents, Antonio and Concetta Biafora, lived one
block away on the corner of North Sixth and Weninger Streets in a three story
townhouse and my Godmother, Philamenia Oliveto lived across the street from the
Coca-Cola plant.
From: Wayne White (WI 1960)
The building is the Coca-Cola Bottling Works located in the
Glenn Elk section of Clarksburg. Built in 1914 and is located in the Historic
District Location North 5th Street. The company was managed by Tom Lee which he
was the owner and manager. He married Eustous Lee and the then named the plant
Wells Lee Bottling Company. The building is on the Historical list of buildings
in that area.
JUNE
MYSTERY PICTURE
Pictured above is the Mystery Picture for
June. Please send your guess to Roleta1@aol.com. I will only print correct
answers.
Please sign your name, school and year of
graduation. I can’t remember all of you, sorry.
So, please remember:
Write to
Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
JUNE
20 1863
WEST
VIRGINIA DAY
During the Civil War, the Virginia
General Assembly in Richmond chose
to join the Confederate States of
America, much to the chagrin of most of the inhabitants in the trans-Allegheny region of the state who had long expressed
their resentment toward the political elites in Richmond. Loyal unionists
gradually pushed for the creation of a new state. After two years of legal
maneuvering, West Virginia was formally admitted to the United States of
America on June 20, 1863.
June 20 had been informally celebrated across West Virginia over
the next six decades until the West
Virginia Legislature gave the holiday formal recognition in 1927. The
day has traditionally been celebrated with festivities at the state capitol
complex in Charleston and at other locations across the state.
JUST A
BIT OF HISTORY
June 18th
DID YOU KNOW?
Father's Day is a celebration honoring fathers and
celebrating fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in
society. In Catholic Europe, it has been celebrated on March 19 (St. Joseph's
Day) since the Middle Ages. This
celebration was brought by the Spanish and Portuguese to Latin America, where
March 19 is often still used for it, though many countries in Europe and the
Americas have adopted the U.S. date, which is the third Sunday of June.
On June 19, 1910, a Father's Day celebration was held at the YMCA in Spokane, Washington by Sonora
Smart Dodd. Her father, the civil
war veteran William Jackson Smart, was a single parent
who raised his six children there.
She was also a member of Old
Centenary Presbyterian Church (now Knox Presbyterian Church), where she first
proposed the idea. After hearing a sermon about Jarvis' Mother's Day in 1909 at
Central Methodist Episcopal Church, she told her pastor that
fathers should have a similar holiday to honor them.
Although she initially suggested June 5, her father's birthday, the
pastors did not have enough time to prepare their sermons, and the celebration
was deferred to the third Sunday in June. Several local clergymen
accepted the idea, and on June 19, 1910, the first Father's Day, "sermons
honoring fathers were presented throughout the city".
However, in the 1920s, Dodd stopped promoting the celebration
because she was studying at the Art
Institute of Chicago, and it faded into relative obscurity, even in Spokane. In
the 1930s, Dodd returned to Spokane and started promoting the celebration
again, raising awareness at a national level. She
had the help of those trade groups that would benefit most from the holiday,
for example the manufacturers of ties, tobacco pipes, and any traditional
present for fathers. By
1938, she had the help of the Father's Day Council, founded by the New York
Associated Men's Wear Retailers to consolidate and systematize the holiday's
commercial promotion. Americans
resisted the holiday for its first few decades, viewing it as nothing more than
an attempt by merchants to replicate the commercial success of Mother's Day,
and newspapers frequently featured cynical and sarcastic attacks and jokes. However,
the said merchants remained resilient and even incorporated these attacks into
their advertisements. By
the mid-1980s, the Father's Day Council wrote, "(...) [Father's Day] has
become a Second Christmas for all the men's gift-oriented industries."
A bill to accord national recognition of the holiday was
introduced in Congress in 1913. In 1916, President Woodrow Wilson went to Spokane to speak at a Father's Day
celebration
and he wanted to make it an officially recognized federal holiday, but
Congress resisted, fearing that it would become commercialized. US
President Calvin Coolidge recommended
in 1924 that the day be observed throughout the entire nation, but he stopped
short at issuing a national proclamation. Two
earlier attempts to formally recognize the holiday had been defeated by
Congress. In 1957, Maine Senator Margaret Chase Smith rote a Father's Day proposal accusing
Congress of ignoring fathers for 40 years while honoring mothers, thus
"[singling] out just one of our two parents". In 1966, President
Lyndon B. Johnson issued the first
presidential proclamation honoring fathers, designating the third Sunday in
June as Father's Day. Six
years later, the day was made a permanent national holiday when President
Richard Nixon signed it into law in
1972.
In addition to Father's Day, International
Men's Day is celebrated in many
countries on November 19 in honor of men and boys who are not fathers.
From: Mary Beth
Jeranko Hilburn (WI 1955)
One of the last trips my husband and I shared was to China. We
toured all the usual places, and then to Guilin. It has unbelievable karst
mountains, those magically shaped mountains you see in Chinese art. I sort of
suspected that they were artistic creations, but they are geological
masterworks. We enjoyed a trip down the river out of Guilin, ringed by row
after row of these wonders.
Our next stop in Guilin was at a college for tour guides. Didn’t
know it was a thing. After meeting the students and seeing the campus, all our
guides came up to us and sang “Country Roads”. We were delighted and a little
surprised, but our driver explained that John Denver had visited the campus and
China several times, making a great impression on the people. Now the students
have to be able to sing “Country Roads” before they can graduate!
EDITOR'S NOTE:
I have always been a big John Denver fan. I love his crystal
clear voice. Sad that his life was cut short! Such talent.
Here is a YouTube of John singing a favorite of nearly every
person from WV.
Do you have any great memories connected to this beautiful song?
Write to
Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
CHESTNUT HILLS REUNION
ATTENTION: LET’S MAKE REUNION PLANS
Did you ever live in Chestnut Hills? You should return for a
reunion and see all your old friends and neighbors.
Aug. 26 2017
Social Time: 6:00 pm
Dinner: 7:00 pm
Place: Bluebird Store in Clarksburg
$15 a person
Send money in July to:
Gladys Williams
85 Barnett Acres Road
Clarksburg, WV 26301
Contact Information:
Phone: 304-672-9071
Email: gwill1004@aol.com
Find on Facebook: Gladys Williams
WI CLASS OF 1958 REUNION
ATTENTION: LET’S MAKE REUNION PLANS
Hard to believe! Scary but true. Next year
it will be 60 years since we graduated.
Let’s plan to get together again! We need
your input and ideas.
Please share your suggestions on an
appropriate date next summer or early fall. (2018)
Send us your name and address, email and/or
Facebook address to us. We need a way to get in touch with everyone to keep you
informed.
Please contact:
Connie Coffindaffer
Ferrell----ferrellcc@aol.com
Linda Moore Pritchard----moolinda_9@msn.com
Please Be Sure to Put: "WI Class of 1958" on the subject
line of your e-mail.
WI CLASS 1962 55th REUNION
ATTENTION: LET’S MAKE REUNION PLANS
WI Class of 1962
will be celebrating their 55th reunion September 22-23, 2017 at the Clarksburg
Country Club. We will meet both nights from 6-11 pm. A group photo will be
taken at 6:30 pm on Saturday and photos distributed later in the evening.
Information and
reservation forms have been sent to all classmates. Please return your
reservation forms by July 15
Questions,
comments or suggestions may be addressed to Bill Norris at bcnwv@ma.rr.com or
Joyce Reed Royse at jroyse22@yahoo.com.
We will also
update information on our Facebook site:
WI Class 1962
Reunion...if you're not connected, please sign up.
WI ANNUAL PICNIC
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
ATTENTION: LET’S MAKE REUNION PLANS
Where: CLARKSBURG WV
VETERAN’S PARK OSBORNE PAVILION
across from amphitheater
across from amphitheater
When: AUGUST 26, 2017
SUGGESTIONS
TO WRITE ABOUT
WRITE TO: ROLETA1@aol.com
You are welcome to write to the newsletter
about any memories you have of family, school, work, friends, dates, food, hot
spots, activities, summers, winters, teachers, principals, fads, heart throbs,
movies, television, and sports.
Write to Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Some suggestions for the July newsletter:
1. Where did you
live in Clarksburg and what have you been doing since then
2. The Shinnston
Tornado
3. The Big Flood in
Clarksburg
4. Storms you
remember
5. Getting to school
(how did you get to school)
6. The WI Cannon
7. The different
spelling of an ancestor’s name
8. Sports: We are
afraid that no one is reading this section as no one seems to be writing. Last
month Bill asked: What do you think? Was Luck "The
Man" and do you wish he had remained at WVU?
Send your thoughts and comments to: Bill (billmere@aol.com)
BTW - He heard from no one. No Opinions? Don’t you have any
suggestions for the SPORTS EDITOR?
9. Clothes you wore while in High School and how they compare
with what kids wear to school today
10. The Mystery Picture
IF EVERYONE WHO
READS THE NEWSLETTER WOULD WRITE ABOUT ONE SUBJECT, I WOULD APPRECIATE IT. (and so would all the readers!)
Write to
Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
CLOTHES YOU WORE TO HIGH SCHOOL
From: Roleta1@aol.com
What was the latest fad in clothing when you
were in school? Come on, all kids wanted to be in style! What did you wear to
school?
I remember we girls used to call each other
to see what we were going to wear when we went places together…seems then we
wanted to dress a like. Usually straight black skirt just below the knees, a
white button up blouse or pullover sweater and a little collar with lace trim
around the edges or a string of pearls. Flat black slip on shoes, “Mary Janes”,
I think they were called and always stockings! Not panty hose, but garter belt
and hose.
Here is Southern Florida the trend seems to
be shorts or jeans and tee shirts? Is that the way you dressed?
Write to
Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you. Thank you so much for helping me continue to bring
you a very interesting newsletter each month.
DID WI
HAVE A CANNON?
I never knew WI had a cannon? Did you? Write
and tell me why there was a cannon? Who lit the wick? Tell me your memories?
Write to Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
Memories of a WI Cannon
From: Jackie Skinner King (WI 1971)
First let me say I appreciate that my
entries were put in the May newsletter, you listed me as Jackie King ’71 …my
maiden name while at WI was Jackie Skinner “71: to move forward
You wanted more information about the Cannon
and Bill Lear. William “Bill” Lear was an extremely active community leader in
Clarksburg for many, many years including being the Mayor of Clarksburg for 2
years. He was also a graduate of WI. Please Google “William Lear Clarksburg WV”
and read the wonderful article/obituary from 3-16-07. It will give you a lot of
information about Mr. Lear’s contributions to Clarksburg including the
information you wanted about “Big Moe” the cannon for WI (which he helped
construct and took to the WI Games) I also graduated with his son Bobby Lear
“71 who is still a Clarksburg/Bridgeport resident Bobbye played football for WI
/ and his daughter Libby Lear was a cheerleader for WI. But please check out
the article previously mentioned about Bill Lear. He and my dad, Jack Skinner,
were involved in many Community Development projects for the city of Clarksburg
over many years. It is a very interesting read!
Please
keep the newsletter coming, it is wonderful. I wish more people from around my
time 1971 would enter articles also.
EDITOR’S
NOTE: I wish more from my years at WI would write also.
Do you
remember Bill Lear or Jack Skinner, share you memories of these two active
gentlemen within the community.
Write to Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me, please include your name, school and year you
did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
GETTING
TO SCHOOL
From: Bill Meredith (Monongah HS 1957)
One of questions
in the newsletter concerned how each of us got to school, such as, what route
we took, etc. I did not attend school in Clarksburg, but the story I tell my
grandchildren may be of interest.
In the town where
I lived, the high school was on a hill above the West Fork River. My home was
on another hill on the east side of Booth's Creek. In order to get to school, I
had to walk down the hill, go across a bridge over the creek, through the small
downtown area and then go across the railroad tracks. At this point, my journey
required me to cross the river on another bridge and walk up the steep hill to
the high school. For my return trip home, I retraced the route back down the
steep hill, across the river, etc.
If you read the
directions, you can plainly see that I am telling the truth when I tell my
granddaughters that in order to get to school, I had to go uphill both ways.
They always chime in with, "And you had to walk through a foot of snow,
too, didn't you?" I then tell them about the big Thanksgiving snow of
1950, which I'm not sure they believe really happened.
Incidentally,
while in elementary school, I was required to make that same trip every morning
at 5:30 AM to pick up the newspapers at the bus stop on USR 19, in order to
deliver them to the homes of my 185 customers each day. That chore was much
more difficult than going to school as a teenager, uphill both ways. However,
looking back, I wouldn't change even one small part of those experiences.
Write to
Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
SCHOLARSHIP CHECK
RECEIVED
From Mary Anne Sharpolisky Matheson
*Remember, it is never too late to offer a donation for this wonderful cause
MEET
OUR WIN SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS
Below
are the letters from the 2017 WIN Scholarship recipients. When you read the
letters from these two students, you will realize why I started the scholarship
and why I am thankful that you have supported it. I only wish we had more to
give each year.
From: Kevin Wolford
Kdwolford13@gmail.com
From Talinda Barnett
talindabarnett@gmail.com
CHANGE:
John E. Stealey (WI 1959) jestealey@outlook.com
(Note the e after
the j, I left it out in the May issue)
Patty Terrill Stealey (WI 1959) pstealey@gmail.com
Kimberly Ludwick (WI 1977) kwildt@sc.rr.com
Mary Ann Hite Williams (WI
1952)gre.mahw@gmail.com
Becky Sharpe Mosley (WI 1962)
moshar6@yahoo.com
Ron Prince (Victory HS 1960) correctionsron@outlook.com
Sports Editor: Bill Meredith
From Bill Meredith (Monongah 1957)
Based on the
number of letters I received about the sports subjects covered in last month's
newsletter, I've got to assume the following statements are true.
No one was
surprised to learn that Jerry West was really not from Cabin Creek, WV, but was
actually from a small town on the Kanawha River called Chelyan.
Buzz Floyd and I
are the only readers who think it would be a good idea for more basketball
players at all levels to try shooting their free throws underhanded.
All of those fans
who used to hate Oliver Luck and disagree with everything he did as the
Athletic Director at WVU have changed their minds and now think he was the best
AD ever to lead the Old Gold and Blue.
Do you agree with
the above assumptions? If not, let us know where we went wrong. Remember, you
are the newsletter. Without your letters and comments, we cease to exist.
Bill
(billmere@aol.com)
Even though there
is a lot going on in sports, it is difficult for me to get excited about the
NHL, NBA or MLB. There will still be hockey and basketball playoffs continuing
in June and for some reason, I still feel that should be exclusively baseball
season. In today's sports market, where money is king, the hockey and
basketball seasons are longer than the major league baseball season. It won't
be long before they will all play year-a-round. The teams will need the revenue
to pay the million dollar salaries to mostly mediocre players.
I read that Javon
Carter and Elijah Macon are both in summer school at WVU. One would assume that
both will return in the fall to play for Bob Huggins and be a major part of the
Mountaineers basketball team. I also understand that, barring some unforeseen
happening, WVU will be one scholarship player over the NCAA limit. It will be
interesting to see how that situation plays out. For some reason, this happens
often in college sports and it always seems to work out in the end. Do you
think the coaches know something we don't know? (Update—Elijah Macon has hired
an agent and will turn pro. I knew it would all work out).
Finally, we are
always trying to get people to write to the newsletter about sports. Roleta has
been very successful in getting responses from readers to questions she has
asked. Hopefully, some of you will comment on the following questions, so we
can include them in next month's newsletter.
1. Did you or
anyone you know work at a regular part time job while playing sports in high
school? How did you arrange your schedule to accommodate practice and games?
Did you feel like your sport's performance was hurt because of your work?
2. I know all of
us remember instances where your teachers had favorite students and it showed
in their approach to teaching. Did the same thing happen in sports? Without
naming names, can you send us a story relating to this?
3. Whether you
played on the team, played in the band or just cheered for your team, all of us
have that one special game or play we remember. What was yours? Maybe it was a
home run or no hitter in Little League baseball, the winning shot in junior
high basketball, a touchdown in high school football or winning a race in
track. Tell us about it.
Have a wonderful
month and don't forget to write to us about any sports item.
Bill
(billmere@aol.com)
THAT MAGICAL TIME
From: Bill
Meredith (Monongah 1957)
Mike Snyder (WI
1957) has become a good friend of mine through this newsletter. In addition, he
is an excellent writer and has been a frequent contributor to this publication
over the years. Because we graduated from high school in the same year and we
both then attended WVU, I've found that Mike's memories are also my memories.
That is why I enjoyed the following article written by him for the Blue &
Gold News. Due to its length, we have chosen to run the first half this month
and will complete the article in the July edition. I hope this brings back
pleasant memories to those who loved that magical time we call the 50's.
The BLUE & GOLD
NEWS, published in Morgantown, covers all WVU sports, 29 issues per year.
LIFE AT WVU USED TO
BE VERY DIFFERENT
Appearing in the May 6 2017 issue of the BLUE & GOLD NEWS
By Mike Snyder (WI
1957)
The beat of the
drums, the pep band, the cheerleaders, the roaring pulse of the crowd shaking
the Field House to the rafters, and the blue and gold carpet rolled out to
center court: Next, the number one team in America came charging down that
carpet dribbling and passing blue and gold basketballs while the visiting teams
watched awestruck.
It was the 1958-59
season and the Jerry West-led
Southern Conference champions were in a class all by themselves at the peak of
the NCAA basketball world. And class is the best way to describe that
Fred Schaus team. They wore trademark knee socks which set them apart and their
overpowering presence dominated everything from the hoops and backboards down
to the last brick in the Field House. Twelve of the 15 members of that great
team were native West Virginians who played their hearts out that magical
season for school and state and into WVU sports history.
I was a sophomore
then, nearly 60 years ago (tuition was $35 a semester) and like most of the
7,000 students, seldom missed a game when the Mountaineers played at home. When
they were on the road, we listened to broadcasting legend Jack Fleming provide
the play by play over the radio. That is how we followed the Mountaineers down
to the very last second of the fateful NCAA final that season. Total shock and disbelief
were all that remained after we lost the national championship by one point to
California, 71 to 70. After the game a large crowd gathered at the president's
house and we tried to get classes canceled the next day, but our efforts were
to no avail.
One strong memory I
still have was when West Virginia was playing against the Wildcats in the
Kentucky Invitational Tournament the following season. It was a close, tough fight
as I recall and then calamity struck. One of the Kentucky players smashed Jerry
West in the face so hard it broke his nose. We figured it was all over in the
first half with him out for the rest of the game. But we were wrong. Out came
Jerry wearing this big, white improvised nose guard. Not only did he return,
but he and the whole team played with a fury that sent mighty Kentucky down in
defeat. I have never forgotten the sports headlines the next day which
read—WEST BLED FROM THE NOSE BUT KENTUCKY BLED FROM THE HEART.
Life on campus in
that storied time was another world far removed from the 30,000 students that
make up the crowded and frenzied Morgantown scene of today. There was no PRT
people-mover joining two campuses. Evansdale was largely a sparsely populated
semi-woodsy entity where the Med School was barely completed, if I recall
correctly. I remember going squirrel hunting in the University Arboretum near
the top of Beechurst on the river side.
In those days,
hunting and guns were still an accepted thing as were sport coats and ties,
button down collars, crew neck sweaters, and pressed khaki trousers. Homecoming
for a lot of us meant a coat and tie and a date with a coed dressed in a nice
suit proudly wearing a mum on her lapel that we bought her. Widely worn by men
and coeds a like were knee-length tan raincoats, a very practical item of dress
while trudging to and from classes in all kinds of weather.
Jeans and t-shirts
were not what students wore then. In my fraternity house we were required to wear
a coat and tie for dinner. I was a very minor athlete as a diver on the swimming
team and when I lettered my junior year I often proudly wore a tie with my dark
navy letter sweater with the old gold W and V on each side. The swimming pool
was in the old Mountainlair, which was in the stadium loop behind old
Mountaineer Field. Both are gone now, but our pool, where we practiced and
competed, was a repurposed coal barge.
Still, it made for an outstanding swimming pool and we had a very good
one-meter aluminum diving board.
Dan Cavanaugh from
Parkersburg was our captain and a Southern Conference free-style champion. A few
years ago, Dan was honored when he was elected to the WVU Athletic Hall of
Fame. High school swimming was pretty much non-existent so most of us on the
team did not have any real training before WVU. But we were a close-knit group
that got a lot of enjoyment out of our sport even though we didn't win very
many meets.
JUNE 22-23 1944
SHINNSTON TORNADO
Where were you and what do you remember about the Shinnston
tornado?
My birthday is June 22 but I don’t remember a thing about the
tornado.
Write to
Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
DRIVING THROUGH A STORM
From: Wayne
Winters
Would have graduated with the class of 1966 at WI Now residing in
Sacramento CA)
Thanks for your
labor of love on the WI Newsletters.
A comment I saw
on social media today provoked a possible memory for our newsletter.
Someone had said
a tornado watch was in effect for the Clarksburg area and the person said that
had never recalled many tornado watches when they were younger. I was too young
to have experienced that tornado that went to the Shinnston and onward through
West Virginia and into Maryland during World War 2. I do find that the
Shinnston area tornado is still among the top ten US tornadoes as far as death
toll. Not a list that any town or area wishes to be included on.
My mother was
working in D.C. at the time of the Shinnston tornado and when she got the news reports
they were identifying Clarksburg as one touchdown point. She tried to contact
her parents who were still in Clarksburg but the long distance lines were down
or busy. It was a great relief to hear they were okay when she was finally able
to reach them.
One of the worst
storms I ever went thru in the Clarksburg area happened one Sunday my parents
were returning from visiting my uncle in Ohio. The rain was getting more
intense by the time we were approaching West Union and my sister and I were now
trying to encourage my father to divert to wait out the storm at Crystal Lake
where my grandfather had a lake cottage. Dad was not swayed by our juvenile
advice and continued on down the highway since he had to go to work early
Monday for the Clarksburg family business run by the Spelsbergs. Those bread
trucks as well as those milk deliveries need to get an early start on the day.
By the time we were approaching Salem the rain was still going strong and I can
recall the windshield wipers were not having much effect for me to see very
well through the front windshield and there was still enough light cast from
the oncoming headlights that I could watch the water trickle down the firewall
and onto the transmission hump and then pool on the floor. It was leaking from
that front air vent that cars of the era used for a vent and was operated by a
lever on my father's 1950 Desoto. My mother had a friend who mom thought might
be she still living near Salem and mom directed dad to that place. Mom's friend
very graciously took us all in and sheltered us for the night. We resumed our
trip back to Clarksburg early the next morning after the storm had passed. I
can recall (from my grandmother's recollection at least) that when Bill
Spellsberg had telephoned her early that Monday when my dad was later than
usual reporting in for work that morning. "Now I'm sure whenever he gets a
chance Robert will either call you or show up; I really don't know anything
more than you do about what time he will be getting there."
Write to
Roleta1@aol.com
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
From: Anita Bartlett White (WI 1948)
Really enjoyed
this month's Newsletter - will read again and maybe comment. I really enjoyed Tom
Keenan's letter, as we grew up in the same area and had many of the same
friends. Will re-read and then send some notes. Do not know who C William is
that is listed with my name in list of donors for quilt? He must be the one who
graduated in '61, because I graduated in '48.
From: Becky
Sharpe Mosley (WI 1962)
Good morning
Roleta!
Have wanted to
get back with you since April letter arrived.
There are 2
corrections for the letter I wrote regarding the donation in memory of my
family.
Instead of Betty
Sharpe Minelast, it should read Patty Sharpe Minehart.
Also Barbara
Minelast Combs should be Barbara Minehart Combs.
Thank you for
making this correction and all the time and effort it takes in creating such an
informative newsletter.
Editor’s Note: Thank you for
the corrections. I am sorry that I made the errors. Thank you for your generous
donation to the WIN Scholarship.
From: Nancy Swing
(WI 1961)
You have really
outdone yourself this time! It's going to take hours to read and digest
everything, but having just skimmed all the offerings, I'm looking forward to
those hours.
If I may, let me
extend thanks to all the WI folks who've purchased Child's Play,
which just won a five-star review from Jack Magnus in Readers' Favorite:
"A lovely and transcendent reminder of how powerful Southern fiction can
be...keeps the reader on edge...I loved this book and looked forward to every
moment I spent reading it. Child's Play is a powerful coming of
age novel with an unforgettable cast of characters. It's most highly
recommended."
We've just
revised my website, and I think it's lots better. I'd love to hear from
Hilltoppers if they take a look and want to give me their feedback:
nancyswing.com.
From: James
Fragale (WI 1958)
Since pulling this together for the W I Newsletter, received two
more 5 star reviews. DATELINE: NEW YORK N. Y. POST, March 27, 2017, Cindy
Adams’ column, Quote: “Jim Fragale’s second amazon.com novel, ‘F.U.! (Follow
Up)! The Answer to Life Revisited,’ contains 50 of his mama Louise’s old-world,
Calabrian recipes,” – and, we’d like to add, garnered nine (9) 5-Star reviews
on amazon out of the starting gate. Jim’s first memoir-faction was called: “The
Answer to Life,” also amazon.com.
THE SILENT GENERATION
A short memoir by Fred Bock USAF
EDITOR’S NOTE: I am publishing
this as I think many of you can relate to this! Anyone growing up in the years
1930 to 1960 can relate to this!
Born in the
1930s and 40s, we exist as a very special age cohort. We are the Silent
Generation. We are the smallest number of children born since the early 1900s.
We are the “last ones”
We are the last
generation, climbing out of the depression, who can remember the winds of war
and the impact of a world at war which rattled the structure of our daily lives
for years.
We are the last
to remember ration books for everything from gas to sugar to shoes to meat from
the butcher. We saved tin foil and poured fat into tin cans to be used to make
ammunition. We hand mixed white stuff with yellow stuff to make fake butter. We
stood in line at the grocery store when it was learned a tub of real butter had
just arrived, and as kids holding a place in line to await a mother in trail,
we learned after being pushed aside by an adult stranger who was also in line,
to push ourselves back in line We saw cars up on blocks because tires weren't
available. We can remember milk being delivered to our house early in the
morning and placed in the milk box on the porch.
We are the last
to hear Roosevelt's radio assurances and to see gold stars in the front windows
of our grieving neighbors. We can also remember the parades on August 15, 1945,
VJ Day. We saw the “boys” home from the war build their Cape Cod style houses,
pouring the cellar, tar papering it over and living there until they could
afford the time and money to build it out.
We are the last
generation who spent childhood without television. Instead we imagined what we
heard on the radio. As we all like to brag, with no TV, we spent our childhood
“playing outside until the street lights came on.”
We did play
outside and we did play on our own. There was no Little League. Ball games were
"pick-up" and played on vacant lots sharing baseball mitts because
only the few had them. No kid had a two-wheeler bike until about 1946 when
"Victory Bikes" were sold (no chrome, flimsy frame, very thin
wheels). There was no city playground for kids. To play in the water, we turned
the fire hydrants on and ran through the spray. (My note, we swan in Elk Creek)
The lack of
television in our early years meant, for most of us, that we had little real
understanding of what the world was like. Our Saturday afternoons, if at the
movies, gave us newsreels of the war and the Holocaust sandwiched in between
westerns and cartoons.
Telephones were
one to a house, often shared and hung on the wall. Computers were called
calculators and were hand cranked. Typewriters were driven by pounding fingers,
throwing the carriage, and changing the ribbon. The Internet and Google were
words that didn't exist. Newspapers and magazines were written for adults. We
are the last group who had to find out for ourselves.
As we grew up,
the country was exploding with growth. The G.I. Bill gave returning veterans
the means to get an education and spurred colleges to grow. VA loans fanned a
housing boom. Pent-up demand coupled with new installment payment plans put
factories to work.
New highways
would bring jobs and mobility. The veterans joined civic clubs and became
active in politics. In the late 40s and early 50s the country seemed to lie in
the embrace of brisk but quiet order as it gave birth to its new middle class
(which became known as Baby Boomers).
The radio
network expanded from 3 stations (NBC, ABC, and CBS) to thousands of stations.
The telephone started to become a common method of communications and
"Faxes" sent hard copy around the world. A neighborhood television
set was a rare phenomenon (circular B&W 10" screen). Most families
could not afford such a luxury, so as kids, we'd head to the closest TV
appliance store, which always had a TV in the sidewalk display window, where we
would watch Milton Berle and his Texaco Comedy Hour and, sometimes, even a
major league ball game from New York City.
Our parents
were suddenly free from the confines of the depression and the war and they
threw themselves into exploring opportunities they had never imagined.
We weren't
neglected but we weren't today's all-consuming family focus. They were glad we
played by ourselves “until the street lights came on.’” They were busy discovering
the post war world.
Most of us had
no life plan, but with the unexpected virtue of ignorance and an economic
rising tide we simply stepped into the world and started to find out what the
world was about.
We entered a
world of overflowing plenty and opportunity, a world where we were welcomed.
Based on our naïve belief that there was more where this came from, we shaped
life as we went.
We enjoyed a
luxury. We felt secure in our future. Of course, just as today, not all
Americans shared in this experience. Depression poverty was deep rooted. Polio
was still a crippler. The Korean War was a dark presage in the early 50s, and
by mid-decade, school children were ducking under desks Russia built the Iron
Curtain and China became Red China Eisenhower sent the first “advisors” to
Vietnam, and years later, Johnson invented a war there. Castro set up camp in
Cuba and Khrushchev came to power.
We are the last
generation to experience an interlude when there were no existential threats to
our homeland. We came of age in the 40s and early 50s. The war was over and the
Cold War, terrorism, civil rights, technological upheaval, global warming, and
perpetual economic insecurity had yet to haunt life with insistent unease.
Only our
generation can remember both a time of apocalyptic war and a time when our
world was secure and full of bright promise and plenty.
We have lived
through both. We grew up at the best possible time, a time when the world was
getting better, not worse.
We are the
Silent Generation, “the last ones.” The last of us was born in 1945; more than
99.9% of us are either retired or dead, and all of us believe we grew up in the
best of times!
THE WI ALMA MATER
EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you remember
the words? There were other versions, do you remember them? What do you
remember about the song? When did the students sing it? Do you think everyone in
WI knew it?
Write your
memories to: Roleta1@aol.com Here is a letter to jog your memory.
When emailing me,
please include your name, school and year you did or would have graduated.
Thank you.
From David Ellis (WI 1960)
You asked in the last Newsletter, about the
lyrics to the WI Alma Mater. I am guessing that you will get many replies, but
here is mine, anyway. Since I played in the band, I seldom sang the Alma Mater,
but I played it often and remember that the lyrics were:
Far above the flowing water, with its waves
of blue,
Stands our glorious Alma Mater, wonderful to
view.
High School days will soon be over, hail to
thee we praise.
Hail, oh hail our Alma Mater! Hail, oh hail,
WI.
The tune, of course is a standard originally
composed in the mid-1800 as a ballad, Annie Lisle. It was adopted as the tune
for the Cornell University Alma Mater in the late 1800’s and has since been
adopted as the Alma Mater tune by hundreds of High Schools, Colleges and
Universities.
The first verse of the first, and most famous, Alma Mater sung to
that tune is:
Far above Cayuga's waters, with its waves of
blue,
Stands our noble Alma Mater, glorious to
view.
Lift the chorus, speed it onward, loud her
praises tell;
Hail to thee our Alma Mater! Hail, all hail,
Cornell!
Most will fondly remember the tune also as
being sung onstage in Dirty Dancing, with different words of course, at the
Kellerman Resort closing for the summer when the song was interrupted by the
famous line: “Nobody puts Baby in the corner.”
THE VIETNAM
WALL
From: Francis D.
Muscari, Sr (WI 1957)
First click on a state. When it opens,
scroll down to the city and the names will appear.
Then click on their names. It should show
you a picture of the person, or at least their bio and medals.
This really is an amazing web site. Someone
spent a lot of time and effort to create it. I hope that everyone who receives
this appreciates what those who served in Vietnam sacrificed for our country.
The link below is a virtual wall of all
those lost during the Vietnam war with the names, bio's and other information
on our lost heroes. Those who remember that time frame, or perhaps lost friends
or family can look them up on this site.
Pass the link on to others, as many knew
wonderful people whose names are listed.
Names of Vietnam War casualties by city and
state www.VirtualWall.org
ROGER TAYLOR
Roger Taylor suddenly on
August 7, 2011, in Dover, TN, surrounded by his family. He was born in
Clarksburg, WV July 11, 1941. Survived by his children Roger Jr. (Lynne) Sandy,
Greg (Jennifer), Mallory, Morgan, and brother Tom (Marsha), grandchildren and
great grand children. He was married to Judy Stiltner, and Connie Ahlman. Roger
loved his Niners, and his children have fond memories of those game Sundays on
Bungalow Lane with lots of food and a houseful of people. His entire family
will miss his stories and will be at peace knowing he is with the Lord.
RONCIE VICTORIA BOHANNA
Roncie Victoria
Bohanna departed from this earth April 29, 2017. Born June 17, 1984, in
Montgomery, WV. She was the daughter of Victor (JR) Barrett and Sandra (Kay)
Bohanna. She was preceded in death by one daughter, Miracle Kay Turner. She is
survived by her two daughters, Ayona Bohanna and Kayarah Dixon, both of
Clarksburg; two brothers, Terrance Bohanna (Rick) and Joshua Barrett (Mahalia),
both of Clarksburg, as well as many aunts, uncles, cousins,nieces and nephews.
She graduated
from Robert C. Byrd High School in 2002, where she was a member of the RCB
Marching Band, then she went on to attend Clarksburg Beauty Academy.
Growing up,
Roncie was an active member of the Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, where
she attended Sunday school, church and sang in the choir. She was a member of
the Clarksburg Community Drill Team, the Tiffany’s Dance Team, attended the
Mitzy Lane Dance Academy, as well as a member of Young Sistas Loving Christ.
Roncie was an
entrepreneur, where she provided DJ (music) entertainment for all occasions.
She was also employed by Meadowview Manor, as well as High Life Lounge.
JAMES DANIEL FARNSWORTH
Jason Daniel
Farnsworth, 39, of Clarksburg, passed away April 25, 2017, at his residence.
He was born in
Clarksburg, Nov. 9, 1977, a son of Richard Martin Farnsworth and Phyllis Iconis
Farnsworth of Clarksburg.
Jason was a
loving devoted husband and father. He is survived by his wife two children,
Lindsey Twigg Farnsworth, Jennavieve “Jenna” Farnsworth and Malakai Farnsworth
all of Clarksburg.
Also surviving
are his sister, Amy Lamp; two aunts, Pam (Mark) Fortney , and Susan (Keith) Jones; two nieces; one nephew,; and 7
cousins.
Jason was a
graduate of Liberty High School, Class of 1995, and was a veteran in the U.S.
Marine Corps. He was the assistant manager of Pet Supply Plus with 14 years of
service.
SHARON KAY DILLON WHEELOCK
Sharon Kay Wheelock age 72, of Falling Waters, WV passed away on
Wednesday, April 26th at her residence. She was born August 30, 1944 in
Clarksburg, WV; the daughter of the late Sherman Lee Dillion and Ivy Blanche
(Ellison) Dillon.
Sharon is survived by her loving husband of 50 years, Willard
"Bud" Foster Wheelock; two daughters, Angelique Marie Wheelock and
husband Leonard Walker Kilburn, Susannah Michelle; brother, James and wife
Betty Dillon; and three nephews.
Sharon was a 1962 graduate of Washington Irving High School in
Clarksburg, WV, and then went on to complete a certificate course at Gale
Airline Institute in St. Paul, MN in 1963. After marrying Bud and starting a
family, Sharon began pursuing her artistic passion in 1982 by creating her own
company called Dolls by Sharon. Over the next 15 years, Sharon would go on to
win critical acclaim for her original dolls and antique toy re-creations, and
participate in many juried art and craftsmen shows including the Stonewall
Jackson Jubilee, The Mountaineer Festival, Oglebay Craft Festival, WV Forest
Festival, and Bob Evans Farm Festival. Sharon was locally known for being the
creator of the official doll for the WV Italian Heritage Festival through 1997.
MARY VIRGINIA GAWTHROP
Mary Virginia Gawthrop, 94, formerly of Liberty Addition, passed
away peacefully at the Clarksburg Nursing & Rehabilitation Center on
Thursday, April 13, 2017, after a courageous 3-year battle with a debilitating
illness.
Mary was born in Clarksburg on November 21, 1922, and graduated
from Washington Irving High School in 1941. She was one of three children born
to William A. Merrifield and Lillie Gorby Merrifield and for over 32 years was
the cherished wife of Wilbur Gawthrop of Marshville, WV.
Mary is survived by one child, Richard C. Gawthrop and his spouse,
Linda A. Gawthrop, and their two sons, Richard Gawthrop, II and Kevin Gawthrop,
in addition to several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her beloved sisters, Elizabeth
Roach and Bernice Schock.
She was a member of the Clarksburg Baptist Church and the Order
of the Eastern Star, Chapter No. 11.
MARY CATHERINE BARILE MERANDI
Mary Catherine Barile Merandi, 88, of Clarksburg, WV, passed
away on Saturday, May 20, 2017, at home.
She was born in Clarksburg on February 28, 1929, a daughter of
the late Anthony and Anna Bellotte Barile.
She is survived by her children, Frank (Connie) Merandi and
Deborah Merandi Staud of Clarksburg, and four grandchildren.
In addition to her parents, Mary was preceded in death by her
husband of 50 years, Jack F. Merandi, on January 18, 1999, and two brothers,
John and Buddy Barile.
Mary was a devoted member of Immaculate Conception Church and
deeply involved in her faith. She enjoyed her many years of being a choir
member. She was previously a parishioner of Saint John’s church, where she was
organist. She was a graduate of Victory High School and attended West Virginia
University.
HARVEY PRESTON
EDITOR'S NOTE: No obit but I do know that Harvey Preston (Victory HS 1960) passed
away suddenly.
PENNY SUE BOYLES
Penny Sue Boyles,
age 75 of Clarksburg, WV, passed away on Wednesday, April 19, 2017 at
Clarksburg Nursing and Rehab, surrounded by her family. She was born August 8,
1941 in Clarksburg. Penny was a graduate of Washington Irving High School and a
1962 graduate from Alderson Broaddus University with a degree in Nursing. Penny
worked for Broaddus Hospital, Charleston Memorial and the Louis A. Johnson
Medical Center. She was a member of the Clarksburg Baptist Church, where she
was involved in the Fellowship class, Young at Heart and the church choir. Penny
was also a member of the Alderson Broaddus Alumni Association, Clarksburg
Women's Club and several Bridge Clubs. She was an avid fan of the Pittsburgh
Pirates. Penny started the WI Breakfast Club Class of 1958. Following Penny's
death eighteen attended the next breakfast. The class will miss her phone calls
and the many cards she sent.
