THE WI NEWSLETTER 07/09


THE WI NEWSLETTER


Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith Issue 119 July 2009






MY BIRTHDAY

submitted by: Roleta
Roleta1@aol.com

I had a wonderful birthday on June 22. I was 23 again….it is marvelous how easy it is to get people to laugh, especially when I tell them I am 23. I don’t think I look a day older but I often feel older!

Thanks to the loyal readers who participated in my drive to get a card for my birthday from each reader and to raise at least $1,000.00 for the WIN Scholarship in the name of our AMERICAN VETERANS all at the same time. I received 33 cards and the total of $466.00. (Obviously some sent more than $1.00)

If you missed your chance, will you please send me a note, a card and a gift to the Scholarship? I still celebrate birthdays, I just don't count them!

Write your check to:
Roleta Meredith/WIN Scholarship

and mail it to:
Roleta Meredith
c/o Meredith Brothers, Inc.
3025 Switzer Ave.
Columbus, Ohio 43219



IN HONOR OF OUR AMERICAN VETERANS
FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY

Thanks to those who sent me a birthday card which contained a gift to the scholarship in honor of our American Veterans.

Don Sager (WI 1956) The first to respond and a continued supporter. Thanks Kitty and Don. Your Broadoaksian sister

Bud Collins (WI 1955) Thanks for your gift and your continued support of the Scholarship. Thanks friend.

Nancy Stuger now lives in SC. Thanks for caring and participating.

Sam Selario (WI 1957) Your support is greatly appreciated.

Bryan McIntyre (WI 1965) Thanks - Love your return address emblem! Go Bucks!

James (Victory 1954) I don’t have your complete name but your cash was in the envelope when it arrived here…thanks for your support.

The Secret Family: Bob (WI 1960), Sharon (ND 1963), Tara (WI 1991), and Ashlee (WI 1998) Your continued support and friendship are appreciated.

Linda Spelsburg Wolfe (WI 1958) and C. Richard Wolfe (WI 1956) Thanks for the note of encouragement and the money for the scholarship in honor of the American Veterans.

R. David Saucer and Jane Chaffin Saucer now living in California. Thanks for the gift for the scholarship.

Tim and Judy Holden Cork Thanks for the card and nice note.

Eleanor Alessi WI Gym teacher in the 50s. Nice of you to still support students and education.
Thanks to my favorite teacher!

Martha Pulice Williams (WI 1964) Thanks for your check and note.

JoAnne Drummond Marlette (WI 1958) I appreciate your note and gift in Honor of the American Veterans.

Nancy Jones (WI 1948) Thanks for the note.

Margaret Maiocco (WI 1965) now lives in Arizona. Thanks for the lovely note and support.

Bob Alton (WI 1955) I am glad you sent me a note of appreciation of the newsletter. I love to hear from people who enjoy it. Thanks for caring.

Gerry Villers Fenton (RW 1958) Your envelope and cash arrived safely - thanks

Ruby Casto (Victory 1947) Thanks for the birthday wishes.

Jim Ashley (WI 1962) Your cash gift arrived safely - Thank you for caring.

Roger (RW 1956) and Carol VanHorn Dean (WI 1958) Thanks friends for your continued support.

Wayne Winters (WI 1966) Thanks for your generous continued support.

Guy and Minnie Costello--Your support of the scholarship and gift of respect of the American Veterans is appreciated.

Linda Oliverio Kolosky (WI 1960) Thanks for the nice note and the gift to the WIN Scholarship .

Jean Teter (WI 1956) Thanks for the cute Birthday card and your gift to the WIN Scholarship in the name of the American Veterans.

Jim Alvaro (WI 1956) Thanks for your continued support --"Moon" card and your gift to the scholarship. From one Broadoaksian to another.

Mary Smouse Griffin (WI 1949) Thanks for joining us in this effort.

Bill and Harriett Danley VanVoorhis (both WI 1958) sent a gift in memory of:
      Carolyn Miller White, wife of Jim White (WI 1958)
      Carol Grow Robey (WI 1958) wife of Gary Robey (WI 1958)

Sharon Gordon DiMaria (WI) sent money to the scholarship for my birthday and also included money in memory of each of the following loved ones:
      Mike DiMaria (Victory 1959) her husband
      William Gordon (WI 1945) her brother
      James R. Gordon (WI 1951) her brother
      David Gordon (WI 1958) her brother
      Becky Dillmore (WI 1961) her best friend.

NOTE from Roleta: Sharon, this is a wonderful tribute to your loved ones.

FIVE OF MY CLASSMATES WHO PARTICIPATED WERE:
and I would still like to hear from the rest of you

Gene Davis (WI 1959) Thanks class mate for your continued support.

Fred (WI 1959) and Karen Poe Alvaro (Bridgeport HS 1959) Thanks for the card with your gift to the scholarship.

Judy Daugherty Kimler (WI 1959) My forever friend …Thanks for being my partner in the newsletter, for your work with the CDs for the scholarship, for the birthday card and for your personal gift to the scholarship fund in honor of the American Veterans.

Harriet Stout Noel (WI 1959) Thanks for your continued support.

HONORING AMERICAN VETERANS

Jean Wells Himmel (WI 1959) Who took this opportunity to honor these men who served:

IN MEMORY OF:
      George Wells (WI 1929) who served in the US Navy during WW II.
      Bunner Palmer (Jean's father-in-law) who served in the Army during WW II.

IN HONOR OF:
      Dana Neil Palmer (RW 1957) (father of Jean's wonderful children) who served in the US Army in Vietnam.
      Dan Himmel (Jean's husband) who served in the US Army in Vietnam as part of his 27 year Army career



submitted by: Tony Bellotte (WI '57)
Abellottee@aol.com

Just finished reading the WI newsletter.  I was in a trance while being transported 55-60 years back into the past.  It was absolutely breathtaking to read the letters and see the names of all those people and I knew about 97% and am related to about 50% of them.  I know every street, business place, hole in the road, cobble stone, etc.  It was as if it was all yesterday.  I will save that in my favorite folder and drag it out for a read to remind me of my wonderful roots.  NO mention of Play Stations, TV, Drugs, etc.  Just clean friends, fun and love.  I wrote Mrs. Daugherty as her uncle "Doodle" and I palled around for years together. He ended up marrying and later divorcing my Aunt Virginia.  What a scandal, she was the first person in the family that come over in 1904 to ever get a divorce.  It was a real sin by then but today it is just normal.  I would like to speak with Doodle and find out how he is doing.

But all of the wonderful people who took the time to write - I love them all, and I love you for bringing it to me.  I am going to give you a big hug someday girl.



submitted by: Mary Marg "Fahey" Robey (ND '59)
NUNNA58@aim.com

I just finished reading your newsletter on the Glen Elk area and enjoyed it very much. I didn't live to far away from Glen Elk. I lived on Grant St  in the East End close to Notre Dame. I knew many of the people in the newsletter & would very much appreciate being added to your monthly meeting (if possible). How do you ever find the time to do all of this? Tell Sharon McGahan I said "hi."

I graduated from Notre Dame in 1959. One thing that especially comes to mind is after school the ND students and WI students went into C-burg to Hagan's Ice Cream store on Main Street. I also remember all of us going to the Arcade Building where we bought our records. Our years growing up were fun and I often tell my grandchildren how much they have missed. We did have fun and didn't have to worry when riding our bikes in the various neighborhoods, even at night.



submitted by: Kenny Winters II (WI '65)
kwintersII@hotmail.com

Sorry to use this to ask you to please start sending the newsletter to me again.  I do not know what happened or why I don't get it anymore.  Maybe because my e-mail address is almost like my father's.  But here it is again.  kwintersII@hotmail.com.  I graduated from WI in 1965, also a friend of John Johnston in Florida who also knows and has talked to you.



submitted by: Diana Cleavenger Swiger (WI '66)
Mamaswag6@aol.com

I read the newsletter every month. I get the newsletter disc every year and read every word in it. I have to say that this last one has to be the best one ever! Thanks for being there.



submitted by: John Teter (WI '61)
jteter@balmar.com

AS USUAL, another great newsletter.  It was interesting that there were a lot of the same families responding; such as the Secret’s and the Pulice’s.  My brother spent more time in Glen Elk than I did because of his friendship with Bob Secret.  My times in Glen Elk were spent on the situations that my brother chose not to discuss.

DANCES:  I remember going to dances at the VFW and another location in downtown Clarksburg, on Pike Street and it seems that both of these dances were held on Friday nights.  Saturday nights seemed to always find me and a lot of my friends and girlfriends at the Bridgeport Civic Center.  Sometimes we would go to the dances with dates, but I think that most of the time, we went separate from our “ladies of the time”, met them at the dance; danced with them; went out somewhere with them during intermission for something to eat; then back to the dance; and home (or somewhere else) after the dance was over.  The civic center at Bridgeport was my favorite, as it seemed to be more of a “formal, but informal” type of dance night.  The dances in downtown Clarksburg seemed more laid back and informal.

It would be interesting to find out if the kids/students/young folks of Robert C. Byrd High School (and other high schools in the area, or anywhere) have regular places to go on Friday and/or Saturday nights for dancing purposes.  I bet that they do not; or at least, not like the events that we grew up with.



submitted by: Darla D. Merrill Clark (WI '58)
darladclark@pcu.net

I would like to be put on your newsletter list. I graduated from WI in 1963. I graduated from Utah State University in Logan, Utah in 1967. I was Darla Merrill before I was married. I still live in Logan, Utah. I was the first full time woman Disc Jockey in Utah in 1968 and did that for 15 years. I was the first woman Mayor of Logan Utah elected in 1993. Logan, population 50,000 is the center of a valley known as Cache Valley of 150,000 people. We are 90 miles north of Salt Lake City next to Idaho border. My brother Greg Merrill graduated from WI also. We lived out on  Pike Street next to WHAR radio station which my dad built. Look forward to the monthly newsletters My brother Greg shared his with me and that is how I found out about it.



submitted by: Joe Martin
josephmartin232@juno.com

Hi Roleta........I am currently visiting family in Bridgeport WV.......went to a dance recital to see my niece.......ran into Donny and Vinny Oliverio......Donny says; 'I read your article in the WI 40th Reunion piece....and was quick to point out that I did not list he and his brother in the array of names I mentioned in my article to you.........sooooooooo....please....please......go back and add them to my list.......also include my cousins......Mary Jo....Martha...Jimmy....Joe-Joe...and Jackie Pulice...........I am sure they will forgive me......at some point in time.



OUR FRIEND FREDDIE LAYMAN REMEMBERS HIS NEIGHBORHOOD

submitted by: Freddie Layman (VHS '46)
FGL46VHS@aol.com

I didn’t grow up in any of the towns listed as I am just a farm boy. I grew up on a 150 acre farm which was formerly owned by former Sheriff Moore M. Reynolds. The farm was located at Reynolds Siding approximately 5 miles from Clarksburg. Sheriff Reynolds had two children, Ann and John Alden who both graduated from WI. When their dad became Sherriff in 1937, they left the farm and moved and became residents of Clarksburg.

There were only four [4] homes in this farm area. Our street car stop was known as Reynolds Siding because the Fairmont bound car had to wait here till the Clarksburg car arrived from Fairmont. The last street car heading for Fairmont was April 26, 1947. This was when all the street cars quit except North View and it quit in August, 1947. This also included Weston and Wolf Summit cars.  This farm was located left of the Dawson Mine Camp coal mines.

I don't live there now, when I got married I left the farm. We didn't have electricity until 1940 and no inside plumbing when I left. I spent 22 years growing up there.  Every kid should grow up on a farm. It was a lot of hard work but was enjoyable. We had 100 chickens most of the time, raised two hogs every year to butcher on Thanksgiving Day. We had fruit trees, a grape arbor, and a large garden every year. Mother canned blackberries and jelly, even elderberry jelly. We made our own pickles every year, canned tomatoes, green beans and just about every thing else. The grapes were used for jelly and grape juice. Fresh milk every day from the land lord's wife plus home made butter.  After working in the hay fields during the summer we then went swimming in the West Fork River which was approx. 4,000 feet away looking South.  I have lived in Gore for 49 years where I built my own house. So now you know the rest of the story.

NOTE FROM FREDDIE: All street cars in the city were discontinued in 1939, including Bridgeport, Summit Park, Norwood and Grasselli. This is when they were replaced with buses.



THE WINNER IS:

submitted by: Jim Moore
Counselor at RC Byrd High School

The names of the recipients of the two $3,000.00 WIN Scholarships for 2009 were Tara Southern and Ronnie Fazzini. Both students are great kids, both are in need of help to pursue their education and have participated in many activities at RCBHS. Thanks to the many readers of the Washington Irving Newsletter who have given to this great cause. They can never know how important this scholarship is to the young people.



THANK YOU

submitted by: Tara Southern (RC Byrd 2009)
Tisouthern@aol.com

I am extremely grateful for this scholarship. In the world we live in today, it is critical that you receive a higher education. This allows you to be competitive and have the opportunities to succeed. The burden of tuition is a large factor.

I am the oldest of three children and my mother has raised us by herself for over ten years. Also during this time she battled breast cancer twice. In the midst of raising three children on her own, she enrolled in Fairmont State University to graduate with a Bachelors Degree in Elementary Education. She is currently attending FSU for her Masters in Special Education. This scholarship helped relieve the financial burdens on our family.

In the fall, I will be attending West Virginia University where I will be studying Business/Foreign Language. Upon graduation from college, I want to further my education by continuing on to Culinary School.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Tara will receive $3,000.00 for her first year of college at WVU. This is made possible due to the gifts that some readers of the WI Newsletter have given to the WIN Scholarship.

THIS IS WHAT THE SCHOLARSHIP IS ALL ABOUT
HELPING OTHERS



submitted by: Ronald Anthony Fazzini (RC Byrd 2009)

To the generous people who made this possible:

As a child growing up we are carefree and really don't comprehend the meaning of money and what things cost.  As I started my freshman year in high school, the reality hit as to how much furthering my education would cost.  And now through the generous donation of this scholarship, some of the financial worries have been relieved.

I personally want to thank each of you, who took part in selecting me for this prestigious scholarship, and for allowing me to fulfill my dream of attending college, and upon graduation from Fairmont State University, I hope to make an impact in the society we live in today.

Again, thank you and God Bless you.
Ronald Anthony Fazzini



CLASSMATE FOUND

submitted by: Bill Adler (WI 1954 - would have been)
wjalder@cox.net

It really works Roleta.  Thanks

Believe it or not I was in contact with Phyllis Gottlieb within 48 hours of your newsletter publication. In fact, to date, I have had four people who have written me about Phyllis. I really enjoyed reading the newsletter and particularly the vignettes about Glen Elk and Goff Plaza. Those stories brought back many memories of my formative years in Clarksburg, and got my wheels turning. 

By the way, one of the neighborhoods not mentioned in the news letter was East End, where I lived. It was generally inside a large loop in Elk Creek, bordered on the west by Water Street, where Main & Pike Street crossed the creek, to the east where the Goff Plaza Bridge crossed the creek on Main and where Pike Street crossed Linden Ave. At least that’s Bill Adler’s understanding of the East End. I think it got it’s name from the former East End fire station, located on the corner of Philippi Street and Main, across from Smitty’s Drug Store. Dent’s Drug Store, on Pike Street, was also in the East End as was St. Mary’s church, Notre Dame HS and Linden Grade School, which my three brothers and I attended. We lived across the street from the fire station on the corner of Philippi Street and Terra Cotta.



SEARCHING FOR A FRIEND

submitted by: Denise Jones
drjones_1@hotmail.com

My mother, Gayle Jones Wolfe, graduated from Philippi High School in 1965. My mother had a good friend in Philippi named Nancy Grow but her family moved to Clarksburg and Nancy graduated from WI around 1965. Nancy had a sister named Jackie who also graduated from WI in 1967. Gayle lost touch with Nancy some time after high school and would love to reconnect with her. 

If you can give me any information I can use to get my mother in contact with Nancy, please write to me at drjones_1@hotmail.com.

Thank you.



WANT TO READ A NEWSLETTER FROM THE PAST?

submitted by: Roleta
Roleta1@aol.com

Is there a newsletter from the past 10 years or is there one you would like to read again? Maybe there is a special one you want to share with a friend or relative but you don’t know how to get this newsletter…..the answer is easy. You can purchase a disc for only $10.00 which contains all of the newsletters from the past. Each disc will work in any computer which has a disc drive. All you need to do is insert the disc and follow the easy directions. Judy Daugherty Kimler (WI 1959) and her husband Larry have created this disc which contains the working program and the newsletters. If you are interested in a disc, please get in contact with Judy at JKimler@verizon.net. She will tell you how to order your disc and where to send your money. All proceeds of this project go toward the WIN scholarship.

Recently CD's of the newsletters were purchased by:
Charles Earhart (WI 1951)—Thanks Charles for your support and we hope you are enjoying the newsletters.
Kenneth Shinn (VHS '56) Ken purchased 2 CD's.



REX ZICKEFOOSE ANNUAL PIG ROAST

submitted by: Sharyn Cottrill McGahan
mtmama41@msn.com

Saturday several WI Grads went for a trip down in the back roads of Doddridge County to have a wonderful time. If none of you have attended Rex Zickefooses' Annual Pig Roast you have missed a great time. There were about 80 people there this year and we were treated to the most gracious time. Nestled into the hills and valleys of Grass Run, Rex has carved out a delightful home. Rex, his wife Carol and sister Sandy met us as we got out of our cars, guided us to nice cool corner under one of several canopies. There was a fire pit that filled the air with the relaxing smell of wood burning, a bluegrass band playing and the most friendly group of people I have ever been around. Some were family, many friends and classmates, and neighbors that never knew a stranger. Next year if you are wanting something to do and with great bunch of people ... go down Rt 50 and enjoy a wonderful relaxing afternoon. The food was good old home cooked food with the tender loving care that most can only remember from visiting their parents and grandparents homes on Sunday.

Thanks Rex, Carol and Sandy for one of the most enjoyable times this summer and in an area that makes you realize that God truly made West Virginia almost heaven.


The beautiful farm



Everyone enjoyed the cute "outhouses"



Rex with the finished Pig



Dick Hanifan, Naomi and Charles Burkhammer and Jim McGahan enjoy the wonderful hospitality.




MADE IN THE USA

Want to buy products made in the USA but have a hard time finding them in the store. Here is a website of products which are all made in the USA.

Made in USA, Made in America, US, American-Made
 



NEIGHBORHOODS

SALUTE TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS
OF CLARKSBURG



In the August newsletter I am asking you to write your memories of

INDUSTRIAL,
KELLY HILL
MONTPELIER (AKA PINNICINICK HILL)


You didn’t have to live there to share your memories of these neighborhoods. Maybe you visited someone in your family who lived there or a friend….tell us about any memories you have. Give the neighborhood a respectful salute. Make sure you mention the name of the section of Clarksburg in the letter that you write to me. I am unable to distinguish areas of Clarksburg by street names mentioned.

Write to Roleta1@aol.com about either of these areas… of Industrial, Kelly Hill, and Montpelier (aka Pinnicinick Hill).

ADAMSTON
ANMOORE (FORMERLY GRASSELLI)
ARBUTUS PARK
ARLINGTON
BROAD OAKS
BROADWAY
BRUSHY FORK
CHESTNUT HILLS
COLONIAL HEIGHTS (aka THE HILL)
COUNTRY CLUB ADDITION
DAVISSON RUN
DESPARD/ SUMMIT PARK
DOWNTOWN / UPTOWN (this is a new section added to cover all those who lived in any other “TOWNY”)
EAST POINT
GLEN ELK
GLEN FALLS
GOFF PLAZA
HARTLAND
HEFLIN HEIGHTS
HIGHLAND PARK

FOR AUGUST , I hope you will write and share your memories of these neighborhoods:

INDUSTRIAL
KELLY HILL
MONTPELIER (AKA PINNICINICK HILL)

Write your memories to: Roleta1@aol.com

Below are the neighborhoods that are still waiting to be saluted…So if your neighborhood is listed below, prepare and make sure you encourage others from your neighborhood to join you in paying respect to IT.

NORTHVIEW
NIXON PLAZA
NORWOOD
NUTTER FORT
PARK PLAZA
POINT COMFORT
STEALEY
STONEWOOD
*WEST END





HEFLIN HEIGHTS

submitted by: Wayne Winters (HHS 1966) attended WI, Central Jr and Alta Vista elementary Clarksburg. Would have graduated from WI in 1966 but family moved to Huntington.
wwinters@ix.netcom.com

During my stay at WI my old and revered Broad Oaks neighborhood became just a vision in the rear view mirror.

The family moved to Helflin Heights aka Suan Terrace.

The next door neighbor was Helen Luver. I can still see her calla lilies in my mind's eye. The house was built by Mr. Brannon who had built other houses as a side -line. Across the street almost directly was the Zannino Family on Ocala Street. Frank and Stella, Rocky, Dave and Linda. Rocky was a year ahead of me at WI --Dave a year behind me --Linda was still at Alta Vista when we became the neighbors to them.

Rocky and I were in Mr. Frederick's American history class at WI. I recall that November day when I heard the news that Pres Kennedy had been shot at in Dallas while I was in gym class. Then we saw that it was not just a crazy rumor when Mr. Frederick had the radio on for my next period class. That radio which told us that the shot had done what it started out to do and now the President was dead.

Another Heflin Heights neighbor was Bob Nestor. He was probably about 10 yr older than I was. He was mentally or developmentally challenged and like to talk about going out with has dad to erect fences.

Rocky, Dave, Tim Brannon, whose dad built our house, Bob Nestor, Bill Harris who lived on the next street up on Reno would often gather in the field a ways over from the back of Mary's Flower shop for games of wiffle ball, softball or touch football. Sometimes for basketball games on the Brannon driveway since Tim had a basketball rim up. Other times we seemed to have an easement to utilize the horse shoe pits which were the property of the florist. Some times the family from Mary's would join in.

There was an underground seam of coal which had began to smolder --the ground above it was usually warm enough to be felt thru the soles of the shoes one was wearing. Sometimes the Nutter Fort Fire department would douse it with some water but it still smoldered when I left there.

An event happened that likely cut into the Satellite drive in market share of the teen dollar. The Burger Chef opened in Nutter Fort. Since I had a couple of cousins who attended RW I knew that all of those who attended RW did not necessarily have green blood or tails --ha--but the other kids we ran into from RW at the Burger chef reinforced that concept. Alas --soon dad would relocate and our short time in Heflin Heights became just a memory.

PLUS:
My father and Rocky and David's father had played baseball in the industrial league I think; on opposing teams so they had an acquaintance before the move there. Co-incidentally my father and Frank passed on within a few days of one another in December of 2001.



HARTLAND
A BIT OF HISTORY

Hartland was once part of Stealey Heights and owned by James Irvin Samson Stealey, a great-great-uncle of mine. James sold part of his farm to a syndicate led by Charles Hart in the early 1920s. Irvin Stealey lived at the house on Milford Street at the stoplight at Euclid Avenue by the Stealey Playground…in the 50s his nephew, Ray Stealey lived there. –from John Stealey (WI 1959)



MEMORIES SHARED ABOUT HARTLAND

submitted by: Dahrie Christiansen Hayman (WI '64)
DHayman2@cfl.rr.com

What wonderful times I spent at my Grandmother's home in Hartland -- birthdays, Christmases, Thanksgivings, Easters, almost all of my summers, and every imaginable variety of family gathering. Rhubarb grew wild on the riverbank in back of her home, and I recall helping to cut it down so she could make her wonderful rhubarb sauce. I even managed to eat some of the stalk before it made way to her kitchen. Lots of great people lived in Hartland: The Winstons, Lunsfords, Scotts, Merediths, Coffindaffers, Simpsons, Moynes, Coffmans -- the list goes on and on. Mrs. Webb served the best hot dogs (and sauce) at her store, and Ware and Gribble grocery stores seemed to always have whatever you needed. They were all wonderful people who truly cared about all of us! Oh yes. . . the Hartland Youth Center (quite a place in its hey day). The train trestle over the river was a favored short cut, but to this day I still can't bring myself to walk its path. Each time I visit Clarksburg, I always make a special trip to Hartland to evoke fond memories of a very special place and time. I now understand what my parents meant when they spoke of those "good old days."



submitted by: Judith Allen Hutson (would have been WI 1956)
judithahutson@webtv.net

We moved from West Milford to Hartland in 1948. When we moved to Riverside Drive I was amazed at the river, the Bailey-White Glass Plant and the fact that we actually lived in the city. I couldn't believe the walk to school (Morgan) as in West Milford the school was right across the street.

Many summers were spent down by the river playing, something the kids of today have no clue about. If it isn't a video game they go -what? I remember the summers well, we were told to go out and play after breakfast and that is what we did until lunch and then after lunch, we stayed out until the fire flies came out. No video games, no TV, and no entertainment but our own. My brother and I would go to vacation bible school at the Methodist Church in Stealey and on the way home he would always get stung by bee's because he would go barefooted and get stung in the clover.

I remember Gribble's grocery store because they kept our dog Rover when we moved to Oklahoma - dear Jim and Vera. They had no children but loved all the kids in the neighborhood. After we moved Vera wrote to us and said little Rover had died and because Jim was out of town she put him in the upstairs bedroom, opened the windows (it was winter) and kept him there until Jim came home and they could have the burial.

Many times the river would flood and my dad would call the guys on his softball team; Feenie McQuain, Joe White, Jake Jackson, and so on to come over and put my mother's piano up on cement blocks so it wouldn't be damaged by the flood waters.

There was a pop plant (don't remember if it was coke or what) at the end of Riverside Dr. but at the end of the day the pop trucks would come flying around the corner and many times bottles of pop would go flying off for my brother & I to recover - that was the only pop we got to enjoy, after all, it was free.

Living in Hartland for 5 years were the fondest years of my young life. After we left there nothing was ever the same. Well, I know this was too long but just wanted to throw my 2 cents worth in about wonderful Hartland. I still miss Clarksburg after all these years and as you see, always try to stay in touch.



submitted by: Joanne Westfall Simpson-Tetrick (WI '52)
fragilegranny@ma.rr.com

I moved to Hartland when I was seven years old. My Daddy had helped to build our new home on Liberty Avenue. It was in October, 1941 and I and my brother, Don Westfall, walked every day to Morgan School. I was in the second grade and he was in the sixth. Our home was the last home on Liberty Avenue as the rest of the way to Milford Street was unpaved. We would row our boat across the river to the other side and pick blackberries each summer for Mother to make jelly, jam, cobblers, etc. When I was in my early teens, the bridge across the West Fork river was built and then the VA Hospital. As a Girl Scout, I participated in guiding visitors around the hospital on its opening. (Now, as a member of Goff Plaza Garden Club, I help with flower vases to place in patients rooms.)

Now back to 1941, I remember clearly the evening of December 7, 1941. We heard on the radio that Pearl Harbor had been bombed by the Japanese and President Franklin Roosevelt had declared war on Japan. We purchased war stamps and put them in books and when they were filled, we changed them into War Bonds. We had paper/magazine drives and collected tons of paper for the war effort.

Time marched on and all of those long, hot and cold trips to Morgan School were over and I began to ride the public bus to Central Jr. High School. Met new folks and kept the "old" Morgan School friends. We had a "sorority" called "Sub-Deb" and had dances, meetings, initiations, slumber parties etc.

I continued to ride the Hartland Bus as I became a Freshman at W.I. There was a big flood after the winter thaw began and we had water nearly to our garage door. We watched the river run wild with ice chunks, sheds, all kind of debris. It was a major mess. Then the famous snow of 1950. We received 40 inches of snow and we would sleigh ride down Milford St. to Magnolia and walk in the street to town. We had an unexpected holiday while W.I. roofs were repaired before we went back to school. Hartland Avenue became another sled ride. The Boy Scouts kept a canoe in our side yard and my friend, Nichy Bisping, and I would cart the canoe to the river and paddle the canoe around the "bend" of the river and "accidentally" tip it and of course we would have to do considerable swimming to upright it. Swimming was prohibited in that river. We got brave enough to tip it in front of my house and repeat the swimming exercises to get it upright again.

As I grew up, Mother would send me to Ware's Grocery store for various things she needed. I knew everyone clear to Traction St. and naturally had to stop and chat with anyone sitting outside. Oscar Helmick had a barber shop next to the grocery store and Gribble's had a small store. I would buy candy and ice cream from money I made walking neighbor's dogs and baby-sitting.

I forgot to mention an important establishment on Magnolia Ave. It was Mrs. Webb's famous hot dog shop. The hot dogs were the best ever and she was such a dear, dear lady.

When Don Simpson and I began dating, we would walk down Liberty Avenue and go across the streetcar tressle and walk along the river up to the bridge and back down the other side as the rest of the street had been paved by then. Friends were Mirian Reep, Nichy Bisping, Nancy Andre, Georgia Millender, Katie Custer, Tommy Turner, and Teek Restrode. We kept those friendships through Morgan, Central and W.I. It was good growing up in Hartland, so much so that after being away for six years, we returned with three children and raised them on Magnolia Ave. My children would tell you that doing that same walk to Morgan, attending Central and graduating from W.I. was a special time for all of us and they still consider home as being in Hartland.

There is much more I could write, but I tried to give some high lights of Hartland and we considered our selves, lower Stealey............



submitted by: Nancy Van Horn Stunger (WI '54)
nas336@charter.net

I remember having a second hand 24" bike, & would ride up Hall St. to Milford, go to Hartland where my Grandmother Van Horn lived on Liberty Ave. I would pass Mary Jane Powell's & Richard Stalnakers, go to the Water Board & climb the hill there, with cool green grass & lay under the trees day dreaming, then go on to my Grandmothers and lift up the oil cloth that covered her table to see what was there good to eat. She was very special to me.

Am enjoying the newsletter and hope to be in Clarksburg for class of 54' 55th reunion Aug. 27th & hopefully in Oct. for my St. Mary's Hospital Nurse reunion class of 57'.

Kudos to Roleta and Judy for the news letter.



submitted by: Bill Norris (WI '62)
bcnwv@verizon.net

I have many fond memories of growing up in the Hartland section of Clarksburg. I have tried writing a few that comes to my mind although some of them seem like just a few short years ago and some seem a long time ago.

The Hartland gang (and there was many of us) attended Morgan Grade School (now closed) by walking every day to and from school. In those days school was not canceled because of snow or bad weather so I mean we walked every day. We had no option of riding a bus. I think that we could count on one hand the number of days that school was canceled because of bad weather. The principle was Phillip M Sheets. I remember the School Boy Patrols that would be at each corner to make sure we would cross the road in a safe manner. If you didn't follow their instructions they would have you taken to the Principal's office which wasn't a pleasant trip.

As a young child I can remember our mother would send us to the small grocery store on Traction St. (Gribble's Grocery) to get bread, milk and other goodies that was on her grocery list. The store has since been torn down and I believe it is now just a vacant lot.

On the corner of Magnolia Ave. and Traction Street was Webb's Confectionery. That was the only place in our area (walking distance) that you could go get a snack. Mrs. Webb was famous for her chili sauce that she used on her hot dogs and many of us would try to get her recipe that she used but would never tell anyone her secret. It wasn't until later in her life when she needed help to run the store that she turned over her chili receipt to her helper Mrs. Grow.

If you lived in Hartland and wanted to play Little League baseball you had to sign up and play for Cities Service. They were a long time sponsor. Bill Manley, who lived on Liberty Avenue, was their coach for many years and was assisted by Ron Grow a former WI graduate in the late 50's.

While on the subject of baseball, a gentleman by the name of Chet Grimm who lived on Verdun St. decided to build a baseball field just across the train tressel located at the end of Traction which crossed the West Fork river.

With the help of many fathers and the youth of Hartland the field was built and was named CHET'S FIELD. Today it is the site where the Clarksburg Little League plays their games. Many improvements have been made since those early days by building dugouts and installing lights for night games.

Fishing was also a popular sport since the West Fork River runs along Liberty Avenue. Many of us had small rowing boats which we would take out in the evenings to fish. We didn't catch a lot of fish but had lots of fun. What fish we did catch we usually threw them back in.

The winter time was spent mostly sleigh riding on the steep hill behind the Veterans Hospital and ice skating on the West Fork River in front of our home on Liberty Avenue. No one was allowed on the river to ice skate until it was frozen at a certain depth for our safety. Many people from other sections of Clarksburg would come and join in with the fun.

In the mid 50's with some help of devoted parents a small building was donated to Hartland for a youth center. I believe that the Pepsi Cola plant was the owner but not sure. With a new coat of paint, a new floor for dancing and a stage built at one end the HARTLAND YOUTH CENTER was born. Mrs Mick, who lived across the street from the Youth Center, played an important role in keeping it running smoothly. It was opened on weekends with Friday night being for the younger kids and Saturday nights for the high school kids. Several different rock bands from our area played there on Saturday nights for the older group.

As far as I was concern the best band that played there was a group of boys who all lived in Hartland and all attended Washington Irving. They called themselves "THE VISTAS." After getting their start playing at the Hartland Youth Center they became a very popular rock band and played at various locations around the Clarksburg area.

Members of the band were:
Larry Norris - Base Guitar
Dave Thompson - Drums
Tom Wightman - Singer
Fred Schellenburg (deceased) - Guitar
Tom Warfield (deceased) - Lead Guitar

After reading the past news letters concerning your childhood memories in the different sections of Clarksburg I can see that it is impossible to list all of them. I have many fond memories of living in Heartland and wouldn't want to change anything if I could go back.



submitted by: Rex Zickefoose (WI '59)
rexzickefoose@hrea.coop

Where do I begin? I was born in a brick house on Milford Street which is the first house just above the Magnolia St. intersection. Other than a short time living in Stealey I lived my first 17 years in Hartland.

Our second Hartland house was located on Magnolia Ave. at the intersection of Traction. That area was known as “The Corner”. The corner, especially in the summer time, attracted kids like a magnet most every evening. Usual activities included hide and seek, kick the can, dodge ball, go sheepy go, cross the river and, as it is called now, just hanging out.

My mother always seemed to have some kind of refreshment available such as homemade popsicles, koolade or cookies. Whatever it was she made it. She was also the seamstress for our gang. She made prom dresses and formals for the girls. The boys would provide a pattern for a shirt and material and she would but together shirts at a buck a piece.

The old streetcar tracks and railroad switch went between our house and Webb’s Confectionary home of the best hotdog in West Virginia. The tracks were no more than thirty or so feet from the house. When those trains came in there to place cars at Bailey Glass it was like an earth quake and this was usually done in the night while we were in bed.

I had the Clarksburg Telegram Newspaper route during my teens which was nearly 100 customers. I inherited the route from my good friend Fred Dunham. Every day without fail I and my faithful dog Tammy delivered the papers and visited throughout the neighborhood. Tammy was a fighter. Our biggest challenge of each day was getting by Dewey Stumps junkyard at the corner of Bridge and Liberty Streets. Dewey had a junkyard dog named Bott that would go after me and Tammy with a vengeance. He was, I believe, a Rottweiler mix. He and Tammy finally tore into each other and after Tammy whipped him that day he never bothered us again.

Throughout Hartland there were so many people, many gone now, that were very influential in my life. Dealing with death was a lesson I learned in my youth. I lost a very good friend Rusty Coffindaffer at a very young age. He lived his 10 or 11 years with a very bad heart. His illness finally took him. I was a pallbearer at his funeral. Then there was Joseph Null. He was a brakeman for B&O and ran the “Short Line” everyday. He was killed when two trains collided. Left behind was my friend Joe Null and his mother. They lived on Verdun St.

The only victim of polio that I ever knew was Eddy Springs and he spent several months in an iron lung and survived. He lived in the court on Alexander St. I mention these particular cases because they still stick in my mind and I am so thankful for a close neighborhood that was not only sympathetic but helpful in the dealing with such experiences. I have carried the lessons that I learned during my youth throughout life and it is still paying off.

We did not have to leave the community for recreation. We had the West Fork River for ice skating, boating, fishing and even swimming. We were always told it was illegal to swim in the river but we had our swimming holes anyway. I wonder if any of the others will mention BAB which was located across the trestle and to the left near the old box factory. The beach opened around Easter and closed near Labor Day.

We camped in the summer and played many a sandlot football game and sledded in the winter over near the VA Hospital. Of course Hartland Avenue was a good place to sled also.

We had ample wooded areas where we made bicycle trails and used grape vines to swing on. Poison ivy was an annual curse that I had to suffer through. We used every remedy known to man. My buddy Jack Grimm was the envy of all the boys in the neighborhood. His dad, Chet Grimm, was by far the neatest and most popular dad of all. He was always involved in, not only Jack’s life but all of us. Through his efforts we built a basketball court and a baseball field. He also coached and helped us learn how to play sports. He also built the best Lionel train layout I ever saw in their basement.

A fellow named Lynn Black was helpful in the construction of my one and only attempt at Soapbox Derby. I won my first heat as I recall. After derby day the cart was fun to play with on the streets of Hartland until I finally tore the thing up. The derby was always in Nutter Fort.

Oscar Helmick’s Barbershop provided 50 cent haircuts and a wealth of knowledge and stories from the customers awaiting their Saturday haircuts.

We went to Morgan School. Most of us walked to and from and even came home for lunch. My teachers were Mrs. Thomas, Mrs. Hienzman, Miss Israel, Mrs. Malone, Mrs. Micheaux and Mrs. Peirpoint. Mr. Sheets was our principal. I guess you could say that they all left a “mark” on me. I do know this. Each time I use my multiplication tables, and that is frequently, I thank Miss. Israel.

Although only a few if any of the folks I knew are still there I drive through the old neighborhood occasionally and remember the good ole days in Hartland. Most of the houses are still standing and in use. I can tell you who lived in nearly all of them from the late 40’s until 1958.

If any of my old friends read this I hope they are not offended if I didn’t mention their name or an incident that took place in our lives. There are so many and I would feel bad if I missed even one.



THE HARTLAND BRIDGE



submitted by: Gloria Hunter Kennedy (Santa Monica HS 1957)
huntknn@aol.com

This is the bridge that connects Camden and Liberty over the West Fork. I tend to think of the bridge as one entrance to Hartland. I took the picture in 1987 and I think the branch on the roadway may have meant "do not drive on the bridge" since there had been flooding the year before.

When I was in grade 7 at Central Jr. High School, the bus came down Camden and stopped and would not cross the bridge. I had to walk across the bridge on the wooden sidewalk with holes and cracks so I could see the water only about 2 feet below me.





1963 From the bridge on Hartland Ave. looking down the boardwalk that starts at the upper end of the bridge toward Traction and looking down the tracks toward Traction.



The trestle from Traction across the river. 1963 Taken by Jim and Bev Hunter on their honeymoon.



The barrier at the foot of Alexander Avenue looking up the river West Fork of the Monongahela towards the bridge that joins Camden to Liberty. 1963

My family lived on Alexander Avenue in Hartland from 1945 to 1952, when we moved West. Shortly after we moved in, my father was drafted in spite of having three small children. He was in Charleston, in line for the physical exam, when men came running in waving newspapers and shouting the war was over. That was VE Day. So my father was sent home, along with the others.

During the summer of 1945, my whole family walked up to Morgan School every Sunday evening, a distance of almost a mile, so that when I entered first grade, I would know the way. Sometimes we played at the park on Milford at Euclid, which was roughly half way. The route my father taught me depended on the old crossing guard seeing me across Euclid and then across Milford. But soon after I started school, the crossing guard retired, I think his name was Mr. Lynch. So, one day as I was preparing to cross Nicholas Street to the same side of Euclid that the park was on, some boys yelled at me from behind me that I had to go down there and cross Euclid. That was the beginning of the "patrol boys" system. Since we now had to cross Euclid there by the alley, we mostly walked down that alley instead of going around on the sidewalks. More patrol boys helped us across Milford. When I was in grade 7 at Central, my brother Jim Hunter, was in grade 4 and he was a patrol boy there. He also was in the school band, playing trombone. Since our father was a projectionist and stage manager for the Robinson Grand Theatre, my brother was there for the rehearsal of the Tommy Dorsey band and TD gave him some trombone hints. When my brother tried those in the school band, he got into trouble for saying TD had taught him that. They assumed he was being "smart", a cardinal sin in those days.

For a while my mother had arranged that I would stop off at Barbara Sue Helmick's there beside Ridenours Grocery at the corner of the alley, and walk to school with her. Barbara's mother Frances was usually braiding her pigtails and Barbara Sue was usually yowling, and I dreaded being late to school, so I stopped that. Then my mother arranged for me to walk with Shirley Lowdermilk, who lived just down the street from us, the next house up from Coffindaffers which was closest to the river. After the first grade, Shirley moved away, so for the second grade I walked with Daleen Frum who had moved up at the other end next to Strosniders into the house vacated by the Turners. Then she moved to a farm and in the third grade I often walked with Dixie Lee Whitehair, who lived that year on Liberty.



Jim's 4th birthday March 1946, Alexander Avenue gang:
Front Row from left: Bobby Turner, Nancy Custer, Susie Hunter, Russie Coffindaffer,
Jerry Lavin (former neighbor from So. Seventh)
Back row from left: Gloria Hunter, Carol Richards, Johnny Stealey, Jimmy Hunter




March Probably 1949: Alexander Avenue gang:
Front Row: Mickey McGowan, Unknown, Steve Barnett (Not from Alexander Ave.), Johnny Stealey
Second Row: Freddie Dunham, Russie Coffindaffer, Unknown, Jack Grimm
In Back: Jimmy Hunter, Susie Hunter

A couple of weeks before I started school, the war was won with the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, and the Custer family, who had apparently been living with grandparents while the father was in the Army, moved back into their house across the street. There were several vacant lots along Alexander Avenue which over the years were gradually filled in with houses. Up at the end by the streetcar tracks, there was Strosnider, Turner (then Frum, then Golden or Gordon), Hyams ( then Hyre, when Hyams moved into the new Essex Court), then a vacant lot later filled in by Jimmy and Louise Curry building a house, then a vacant lot filled in by Essex Court, then Coy Law built a concrete block garage which he and his wife lived in until they could build the house in front. But they never did, so they had a very large front lawn. Then the Custers, then on the corner of Alexander and Verdun a vacant lot where I used to go to smell the sassafras and catch grasshoppers to see if they spit tobacco on my hand. Much later the Campbells built a brick house there, and Johnny Campbell joined our neighborhood group. Further down, across Verdun, there were three houses, the second was where my friend Shirley had lived, the lowest was Coffindaffers.



Gang on Alexander Avenue perhaps 1948:
Front row left to right, Barbara Lee Hyams, Susie Hunter, Nancy Custer
Second row: Jimmy Hunter, Johnny Stealey, Jack Grimm, Russie Coffindaffer

Basically, in those early years, our group consisted of Barbara Lee Hyams and Sondra Coffindaffer who were older than I, the Custers, Nancy was the same age as my brother and Janet the same age as my sister, Russie Coffindaffer who was my brother's best friend, Jackie Grimm, Mickey McGowan, and around the corner on Verdun, Freddie Dunham and Johnny Stealey. For a short time Donnie and Georgie Cinci lived up the street, but they soon moved up to Stealey. Behind our house, facing Hartland Hill, the Richards lived, Carol Richards, who was about my brother's age, and her little sister.

As time progressed, our world became larger and I was able to ride my bicycle over to Traction where the Helmicks had moved into a two story house on the corner of Traction and Liberty. At the time I did not know the family relationships, but now that I am into genealogical research, I have found that Oscar Helmick the barber, whose shop was on the corner of Ware's Grocery building, and directly across the street from Barbara Sue, was her grandfather. Furthermore, it looks like Claude Ware, who ran Ware's Grocery with his mother, was the brother of Oscar's wife Willa. Claude Ware was known for periodically going on a "toot" and the neighbor ladies would conjecture about how long the store would be closed this time.



Gribble's Grocery on Traction, Webb's grocery only 1/2 block behind it. 1963

I was in Ware's store only once or twice, but got the feeling it was somewhat larger than the other grocery store on the same block, separated only by an alley and a vacant lot. When we first moved there, the Gribbles had not purchased that store yet, and the clerk was an old woman who lived just down the alley. When I would ask her what flavors of popsicle she had, she would reach into the cold box and try to make me accept the first one she came to, but I was not about to part with my nickel for a flavor unless it was one I liked. Loved banana, cherry, raspberry, orange---grape was OK---root beer was harsh and I never liked lime. I was glad when the Gribbles took over and were willing to look into the cold box and see what was available. They lived above the store, and one time when I returned to Clarksburg for a visit, Vera allowed me to use the utility upstairs and I was surprised to find a vent in the floor looking down into the store. I heard that eventually Vera was robbed so many times that she closed the store and just lived upstairs.

The house the Helmicks moved into had room for a small store on the ground floor, it had a separate front door from the living quarters. For a while, Stanley Helmick had a small operation where he sold film for cameras, and I don't know what else, since I was only sent there by my mother to buy film, muttering under my breath the whole way, 620, 620, 620.

At some point, William Webb, who lived about half way up the "boardwalk" between the corner of Magnolia and Traction and the head of the Hartland bridge, found that he was dying from cancer. So he had a building constructed for a Confectionary which his wife could run. I was there for the "Grand Opening" and he was greeting all the folks, but I never saw him again. Mrs. Webb would go out back to the house to check on him. Webb's had great hot dogs with chili, which were a quarter. When I went back in 1970, I went in and asked for a chili dog, but that was not the proper name, so I was served a bun filled with chili, no dog. I had been looking forward to one of her hot dogs for the 2000 mile trip, but didn't want to hurt her feelings, so ate it and it was fine. So that was the commercial district of Hartland, Stanley Helmick's sometime film store, Oscar's barber shop, Ware's Grocery, Gribble's Grocery, and Webb's Confectionary.



Barrier at foot of Alexander Ave. Russie Coffindaffer and Jim Hunter. Possibly 1946.

When we first moved to Alexander, the streetcar stopped at the head of our street. There was a wooden platform on the ground which I wonder if people who live there now realize what it is. My father rode the streetcar to work, but after a year or two, it was discontinued and busses were used. It was actually farther to downtown on the bus, since it had to go over to Liberty, across the river, up Camden to Chestnut, and across Chestnut to Main Street. At first the bus turned up South 5th Street, and back across Washington to Chestnut, but soon the route was extended to Despard. Then the bus came back into downtown on Pike, and one of the stops was in front of the (old) library. Other busses stopped there, too, and I was so nearsighted that I didn't know which bus was stopping until it was practically on top of me, so I always carried extra tokens in case I got on the wrong bus.

Speaking of busses, I think the original fare might have been a nickel or 6 tokens for a quarter, but by the time I took the bus to Central I think it was perhaps a dime or 3 tokens for a quarter. That year they ran a special bus for those of us going to Central and we had a bus card (yellow) which allowed us to ride for a nickel. When it was really cold, Mrs. Webb came down and opened the store for us to wait inside.



Morgan School Dec. 1963

All the time we were walking up to Morgan School, there was talk of a bus, but nothing ever came of it because it seemed economically unfeasible. Namely, those parents who wanted to use it would have to pay.

The streetcar from town went down the center of Traction Street, across the trestle, and further out. When I went to Brownie Camp at Jackson Mill, they re-activated a street car to take us out there. My father used to take me and my brother across the trestle, carrying one at a time so we would not catch a leg between the ties, and also because trains sometimes used that track, and we would have a picnic on the hillside over there. One time we went up to the top and a man was plowing with huge horses which my father said were "draft horses'. As we were sitting on the hillside the horses lumbered down a path right beside us to drink at a trough. We were rather startled. That was before the VA hospital was built at the top of that hillside. We also used to put on our swimsuits and play on the concrete below the dam until my brother cut his toe on a broken piece of bottle. Sometimes my father would arrange to borrow a rowboat and we would go up the river even up to another dam. We would picnic in the boat. But shortly before we moved away we heard people complaining that strip mining was ruining the quality of the water and they were seeing dead fish floating in the river. When I was a child, and the river was running perhaps a foot deep, I could see the rocks on the bottom. But when I went back in 1970, the river was muddy and had a scum on top, the water was barely running.



Alexander Avenue looking towards tracks, Barbara Lee Hyams on telephone pole, Susie Hunter sitting in foreground, probably Gloria Hunter standing. Perhaps 1948

Eventually our group of playmates widened to include Andy Hamilton, Hubert Motispaul, who visited his cousin next door to Zickefoose's (whose name I forget), a boy who lived in the new Court built at the corner of Hartland and Verdun, and a boy who went on crutches for what seemed like a couple of years and used a cloth strap to hold his leg up. Someone told me the injury was from a person slinging a bat in a ball game. Slinging the bat after hitting the ball, or after missing it, was a serious "no-no".

When we first moved to Alexander, the area behind the Strosnider, Turner, and Hyams houses was tall grass. Barbara Lee Hyams and I used to call it "the meadow". But a huge quonset hutch was built back there to store tractors and such, and the lot beside it was graded off for a ball field. I was the only girl to play with the guys, so when teams were formed I was chosen next to last or last, the competitor for last being my brother, who was the youngest in the group. When the guys took up football, I gave up playing with them and there even appeared a basketball target. I never really knew who made those improvements. At some point the field just below the Hartland Hill bridge was made into a park by the City. It had playground equipment, etc. One summer a young lady came and had us put on a production of Snow White. A girl named Ann was the mirror for the park performance, but when we all went on the bus to the radio station in Despard, I was the voice of the mirror.

When Louis Johnson went to Washington, D.C., to be Asst. Sec'y of the Navy or something, he left his 16 mm movie projector in the care of my father, with permission to use it. From somewhere my father obtained movies and someone parked a flatbed truck in the street with a sheet for a screen and the whole neighborhood was sitting along our porch, along the sidewalk, on our front steps, on chairs, etc. to watch the movie. One time it rained and we had people running in and out of our house to dry off, warm their baby bottles, or whatever. Later on, the same thing went on at that park on Hartland, but I never knew who provided the truck, screen, and picture, I was pretty sure it wasn't us.

When Shirley and I walked up Hartland Hill to the first grade, Mrs. Harris would sit on the porch of her house, just below the bridge, and watch us and greet us. One time she called me into her garden to show me the lilies of the valley. She was a benign presence. When she died they had an estate sale and we were inside the house for the first and only time. Later, the neighbors began to suspect the house was haunted because of seeing flitting lights upstairs, but it turned out it was her son checking the property at night with a flashlight. The house was still vacant when we moved away in 1952.

I am surprised at how many of our acquaintances moved away. Jack Grimm was an insurance executive in Charleston, John Stealey a history professor in Eastern WV, Barbara Lee Hyams moved to Bluefield and seems to have ended up in Virginia, Barbara Sue Helmick died in Florida, and her brother Michael lived and died in Alaska, my brother Jim Hunter lives in California, my sister Susie lives in Tennessee and has our mother living with her, and I have lived in Oregon since 1997, when my husband retired from the City of Los Angeles Bureau of Engineering.

I hope this is not too long for the WI remembrance of Hartland. It is with me in memory every day, even though we were not particularly happy, we had a feeling of security. It seemed stable to us, in spite of all the changes I have mentioned that took place within the space of 7 years.



HIGHLAND PARK

submitted by: Anne Pears Jones (WI '58)
anannaj@gmail.com

My father grew up in Highland Park, graduating WI in 1933, and my grandparents lived on Grove Avenue until the late '70s. As near as I can tell, Highland Park is the small area between the West Fork River and Milford St. next to West End. My mother and I lived part of the time with my grandparents there during WWII. We would ride the Stealey bus to town, catching it on Milford. My grandmother didn't drive, so she would call her grocery order to Allman Bros. grocery, again on Milford, and they would deliver.

The young people I remember living in that area are Becky Highland, Linda DeTurk, Nick Linger, K.B. Kyle, and Dick Rockinstein. I hope I have spelled the names correctly. It was a sooty area as the train track was just across the river and the coal smoke got black over everything. The marble factory was also just across the river. My dad used to talk about going over to the factory and finding pieces of the glass and discarded marbles when he was a kid.

Grove Avenue is a brick street, which I always found interesting. It has become bowed, but was still there a couple of years ago when I checked.

Always good memories of visiting with grandparents and neighbors when I would go there. (I did not move to Clarksburg to live in Chestnut Hills, until 1953).



REMEMBERING GOFF PLAZA

submitted by: Lynne F. Schatz (Marcia Lynne Fox) (WI '63)
lynneschatz@gmail.com

I recall mostly the long (probably not much over half a mile) walk from Carlisle Elementary School, twice a day. My grandfather, Dr. Eugene Wright, usually gave me a ride to school in the morning and after lunch, which was heavenly in winter. It's difficult now to imagine a place so safe that no one thought twice about letting little first- and second-graders walk home unaccompanied. In good weather, several of us who lived near Carlisle's outer boundaries had wonderful times finding alternate routes home, such as the swinging bridge or through the steep vacant lot (Elm and Despard Streets?). I often wondered if it would have been closer to walk to Alta Vista, but we weren't within its boundaries. Nevertheless, the walk was very pretty. So many people were wonderful gardeners (or hired them, I suppose), and the houses were interesting and, for the most part, attractive.

At Carlisle, I had Mrs. Lawman for first grade, Miss Harris for second, Miss Hughes for third, Mrs. Nance for fifth, and Mrs. George for sixth. Don't recall the name of the fourth grade teacher. Miss Harris was magical - the others, not so much. Miss Shackelford and Miss Caulfield, who came occasionally for penmanship and music, were terrifying for me, whose printing and script were awkward and whose ability to sing in key was nonexistent. Ah, Carlisle, where we marched around the central stairway to Sousa marches!

Two homes made Halloween trick or treating very different from most areas. The treats at the Johnson home (which seemed like a mansion) were nice but not spectacular, but nowhere else did the housekeeper bring them to the door on a tray! Mr. Gribble always had a handful of change and gave children a nickel or a dime. Small change went a long way at Smitty's Drug Store, with its wonderful selection of penny candy. Licorice ropes never tasted as good elsewhere.

And, yes, there were lazy, utterly unplanned summer days, sometimes playing with Donny Harrold (Herold?) before he moved, then Frank and Louis Andy (who were a little younger), and Suellen Musser when she visited her grandparents, the Robertsons. Once I batted while Pat Kelly pitched (Sonny Pettito might have been catcher - his back yard, anyway). I was NOT particularly coordinated but managed to connect a few times, unfortunately driving the last to Pat's head! The result in those charmed times: a justifiably incensed Pat chased me home, no one was injured, and cooler heads prevailed the next day. And then there were the intrepid Weaver twins whose sense of adventure never failed them.

And, yes, I also played on the cannon at the cemetery. Apparently, arrowheads and Civil War bullets could be found in the wooded area downhill from there. Once in a long while, I'd get to join my mother to see a play at the nearby Art Center - still remember seeing "Bell, Book and Candle" there.

Thank you so much for this wonderful newsletter! You and various writers have taught me so much about Clarksburg that I never knew while growing up there and reminded me of so much that was forgotten.



BROAD OAKS

submitted by: Becky Allen Ausmus (WI '70)
RLA0643@aol.com

Would love to get this newsletter. Boy, could I write some stories of the Broad Oaks Gang and the happenings and events in Clarksburg from around 1967 to 1970. My former husband Alan Sirockman owned the Red Barn and we must not forget the Capri Club. the Carousel, Red Kaboose. My former husband played in bands in every one of those clubs and I can name every Band, its members and the crowds. The Broad Oaks group was quiet a close knit family and still hold a Reunion in September every year at the VA Park.

Really enjoyed reading that letter. My mother graduated from WI in the class of 1940 and her name was Alma Virginia Cornwell and she was also a Broad Oaks girl. Thanks



LIVING IN GOFF PLAZA

submitted by: Annabelle Lee Hutson (WI '60)
abellehutson@juno.com

Our life was carefree in the sense that we were allowed to run free from morning to night. No one worried if we would be abducted, and our parents knew we would show up when we got hungry. It was an unwritten rule that we show up for dinner if we expected to be fed. Many summer days were spent at the playground on the corner where director Mary Alice Grimes, who along with her friendship, gave us all the supplies we needed to make and array of crafts. Later, I was a craft counselor at a camp and drew on that experience. There was a huge swing set which occasionally would have the chains wrapped around the top where some crazy kid had swung over the top the night before. Games of badminton and ring toss were played in the street and hopscotch on the side walk in front of our house.

After dinner the kids on the street congregated in the middle block in front of the Lough's house for games of Red Rover, Sardines, and Tag. I can still remember breaking through the line even though I only weighed 50 or 60 pounds. In the spring before the playground opened we played marbles and mumblety-peg in a vacant lot on Main Street.

Across from the playground was the Clarksburg Art Center where Miss Jefferson introduced us to the art of sculpting clay and using paints, and the local thespians presented their plays.

In the winter we stayed out as late as our cold, wet feet would allow in order to sled ride on a fresh snow. Where Concord crossed with Stanley is where we would sled until the cinder truck came along to a chorus of boos. No parents worried about the occasional cars we could have hit. We only had one sled in our family, but it seemed as if you could always pile on top of someone else for a ride down the hill. Lower Stanley was a second option for sledding. When we were older, we went to the steep hill over near Jayne Rose's house in Broad Oaks. That was challenging and felt dangerous. During the big snow of 1950 my brother Tom jumped out the second story window of our house into the snow drift which had settled between the houses. Mimi and I trudged in snow up to our necks over to the Sellers' house and heard Mrs.Sellers exclaim,"I cannot believe Harriet would let you children out in this weather."

Broad Oaks is where we used to go as young children for some adventure such as exploring Louis Johnson's estate where you could watch the white squirrels play in a cage or check out the cool playhouse no longer used. My brother Tom said that he and his friends who played baseball on an empty lot at the corner of Spring and Harrison were frequently invited inside for a treat by Mrs. Johnson. Often we would head over on our bikes to the Broad Oaks Dairy Bar for an ice cream cone.

The graveyard up the street was the site of many activities. On Easter after we found the eggs hidden by the Easter Bunny, we would take the stash and hide them for each other in the graveyard. The graveyard was also a great place for flying kites. I remember one kite which flew so high it was out of sight. It was dinner time, but my brother Tom wouldn't give it up until my mother came up to look. It was fun to climb on the cannon in the graveyard. The graveyard was also a great place to blindfold the new girls in Lambda for their initiation and take them to eat eyeballs (peeled grapes) and leave them to find their way out. If we were up there at night, it was dark and scary.

Since our parents let us have lots of parties, our house was dubbed Lee's Civic Center by our friends. We were allowed to roll up the rugs and would dance as long as we could. The neighbors were pretty tolerant. I can only remember once or twice when they complained.

My dad brought home all the reject sodas from the Coca-Cola plant so we always had "refreshments". Only for a special party were chips added to the menu. Sometimes only a few people would be there, and we would just dance on top of the rugs. I remember loving to jitterbug with my sister Mimi's classmate, Charlie McGlumphy.

Since we had so many of us coming and going, we rarely locked the front door. It was not uncommon to come home to find Robert Maxwell asleep on the sofa or playing the piano. No one thought a thing of it.

We walked to Carlisle Grade School which was 3/4 mile from our house. Since we walked home for lunch and then back, we got 3 miles of walking in each day. If it rained, sometimes a mother would show up to give us a ride home. Kids would pile into the car usually 2 deep. Gym class consisted of marching the halls to the military tunes. The walk home was always fun since there were lots of kids to join you. Halfway was Smitty's Drug Store and it's array of penny candy. I used to love walking through the deep piles of leaves which would accumulate in front of the large empty homes near Davis Funeral home. One house was really scary to us, and we would dare each other to go up to the windows. Golf Plaza Bridge evokes the memory of my brother Tom fearlessly walking across it balancing on the four- inch wide railing.

Up the street on the corner of Main Street was a grocery store owned by a young couple Imogene and Johnny Marra. Imogene would ask if we had permission to buy a treat which was not that often. Usually, we were sent up there for family groceries. If my mother had a large order, they would deliver. If we were not home, they would leave the box on the table after putting the perishables in the refrigerator. They ran an account for us which my mother paid once a month. The Marra's never worried about the bill being correct because they knew my mother would add every item ( by hand) and would check their math. My mother always let the Marra's know if a mistake had been found no matter who benefited. When the mistake was in the favor of the grocery store, a box of candy would be sent to the house with the next delivery. This lesson in honesty never left me.



GROWING UP IN GLEN ELK

submitted by: Linda Oliverio Kolosky (WI '60)
AXLIN@aol.com

Each month as I read all the fond memories that people write about their neighborhoods, I realize how unique it was growing up in Glen Elk. It was our own “Little Italy”. Everything we needed was in walking distance: the baker, the barber, the grocer, the drug store, the restaurants, the pool hall and even the bars. The greatest thing about this was; we all new each other, or we were related. So many memories rushing around in my head. Where to start? So, I will tell you what was on the four corners of Clark and Fourth Street where I lived.

Walking across the Fourth Street Bridge, we entered into our own little world. My dad’s (Jimmie’s) restaurant was on Fourth Street, and we lived above it. There were two apartments in the building. My family lived in one; and my Uncle Tony, Aunt Vickie Caputo, and cousins Jimmy (Bo) and Toni Louise lived in the other. The restaurant was only open for breakfast and lunch. The morning was busy with mostly men stopping in for a 10 cent cup of coffee before going of to the multitude of thriving businesses that existed in Glen Elk in the 50s. Our family and friends had our own private booth in the back. At lunch time we were allowed to choose whatever we wanted from the kitchen’s steam tables. The cream corn and cream peas were my favorites. Things I never eat anymore...

On the corner next to us was Ham Cody’s filling station, and on the other side of us was Pasceri’s Grocery Store. Next to the grocery store in the alley, was and still is the famous Tomaro’s Bakery. I can still smell that wonderful aroma and see Mr Burnetti and Mr Tiano in their white aprons and caps sliding the bread on a long wooden paddle into the hot brick oven. I still stop by when I visit Clarksburg for a few loaves of hard crusted bread and a few pepperoni rolls to take home with me to Annapolis.

I am one of 30 first cousins just on my mom’s side. Most of us at one time or another, lived in Glen Elk. Across from us on the corner of Clark and Fourth was my Uncle Bianco’s (B. O.) Royal Cafe Restaurant. Above the Royal were several apartments which my grandmother and several aunts, uncles and cousins lived. My grandmother had the first TV in the family, and on Friday nights we would all gather and watch our favorite shows. I couldn’t believe that my grandmother loved Friday Night Boxing. Also in the TV room was my Uncle Neil Sappington’s collection of his WWII Navy year books that I loved reading. My uncle was a teacher and basketball coach at Victory.

Once a year in the basement of the Royal, the whole family would participate in canning of the peppers. An assembly line was formed for washing, cutting, removing the seeds and for frying and jarring of the peppers. Because of my age, I was only allowed to remove the seeds. I always felt sorry for the adults who had to work sweating over the hot stove frying the peppers. Today, Frank Oliverio ( no relation to me ) Little Frankie as we called him back then, has a successful business selling canned Italian peppers.

Across from the Royal on Fourth and Clark was my Uncle Sitch Tiano’s pool room and apartment building. I was always envious of the boys because I could see them from my window, just hanging out on the corner having fun together. Girls then had to be in at dark.

On the fourth corner was Sadie’s candy store. What more could any kid ask for? There I met my girlfriends, Annie Oliverio, Mary Frances Marra, and Phillis Scalise and we all walked across the bridge to Towers, Central and WI together.

I don’t know if everyone knew but, there was also a Glen # 2. My family rented a house for a few years from the Fragomene’s, Vincent and Frank’s parents. Next to me lived the Ribas girls, Marion, Pudgy (Marcella) and Liz. Pudgy was my best friend and still my oldest and dearest friend. In the mornings we all walked down the hill to Towers and Central, and then home for lunch. Can you imagine kids doing all that walking today. Since we didn’t have playgrounds at school, I guess that’s what kept us in good shape. Today, when I tell people that I grew up in a “city” in WV, they look at me with a little skepticism; especially, when I say my mom’s maiden name was Oliverio and she wasn’t related to my dad. And when I tell them about our WI newsletter and how so many people from all over write in each month, they think it’s awesome. If they only knew! I still visit Clarksburg regularly because of my cousins and brothers, Donnie and Vinnie, owners of Grandma’s House Furniture. For those of us who remember, it was the old skating rink.

I feel like one of the fortunate ones to have grown up in the 50s in Glen Elk.

Thank you Roleta and Judy for giving us this opportunity to share our fond memories of Clarksburg; and especially, all our great neighborhoods.



NEW READERS

Mary Marg "Fahey" Robey (ND '59) NUNNA58@aim.com
Becky Allen Ausmus (WI '70) RLA0643@aol.com
Eugene R Conaway (WI '54) cgenerc@aol.com
Wendell Young (WI '63) weyoung@yamgt.com
Wayne Winters (would have been WI '66)
(Graduated in 1966 Huntington  HS)		 wwinters@ix.netcom.com
Cheryl Garten Romano (WI '58) cromano@ma.rr.com
Mary Frances Hart Smith (WI '59) ClarkNS2007@hotmail.com
Linden Perkins (WI '59) PerkinsLE@gmail.com
Bill Allen (VHS '52) wallen2@ma.rr.com
Guy T. Costello (WI '62) guygtc@hotmail.com
Donnie Oliverio (ND '63) Dons66vette@aol.com


CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Augie Malfregot (WI '56) ad.Malf38@att.net




JULY TUNE TIME

submitted by: Steve Goff (WI '72)
sgoff53@hotmail.com

Last July I loaded you up with a beach bag full of Summer themed tunes. This round I'm back to the format of bringing you music that was #1 in the US from July's, of years past.

BUT...I can't resist a little summer sound tracking so I'll start and end with two songs that revolve around being on (or in one case "under") the boardwalk. So we'll start with The Drifters and end with Bruce Springsteen, with lots of cool, breezy tunes in between.

First up..."Under the Boardwalk"....The Drifters....I can hear Ocean City from here. The song reached #4 in July of 1964.(This is a very good re-recording, not the original, but the video was so good I had to pick this version.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3WXIom2IT1M&feature=related

These songs were all #1 in the month of July, from years gone by.

1948..."Woody Wood-Pecker"...Kay Kyser (vocals-Gloria Wood). Could not find a good video for this, so I compensated with a little Woody Woodpecker tribute. A trio of clips saluting everyone's favorite red-headed cartoon bird. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3SvZ2Ukw-Y&feature=related

Created by Walter Lantz, Woody first appeared in 1940. Woody Woodpecker Theme Song https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgR_xGmpiDI&feature=related

As originally drawn, the character was later "refined" and wasn't as manic. Woody Woodpecker cartoon 1943 "The Screwball", attention baseball fans! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oeldv48RGv8&feature=related

1951..."Too Young"...Nat King Cole. No video of Nat here, but what I found for this song, I think, is an example of You Tube at its' best. A young man used the tune as a soundtrack for a video tribute to his grandparents on the occasion of their 50th Wedding Anniversary. Though we don't know these folks, the photos, celebration, and remembrances will all feel warm and familiar; and Mr. Cole's dulcet tones certainly enhance the whole affair. Nicely done. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=APGDk8GOkWo&feature=related

1954..."Little Things Mean A Lot"...Kitty Kallen. Again, no video of the singer, but another You Tube staple...the fan tribute. This one celebrates Lillian Gish. Not sure why this song, for this star. Folks, some times with these "older" hits it is hard to find video of the performer(s), so I substitute with the best I can find. I often view two or three videos of a song before I decide which would be the best to use for the newsletter. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTfDXJyKkRM

1957..."(Let Me Be Your) Teddy Bear" bw/"Loving You". A two sided hit for the King. Both come from the movie "Lovin' You", Elvis' second film, his first in color.

"Teddy Bear" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qhdUucs8AlY

"Loving You" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-V86167qo8&feature=related

1960..."I'm Sorry"...Brenda Lee...Despite the Christmas setting for this on-a-TV-soundstage clip, be assured, this reached #1 on July 18, 1960, and held that spot for three weeks. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEMjeYPfqSg

1964..."Rag Doll"...The Four Seasons...Takes me back to my first summer as a latch-key kid, boppin' down to Ryder's Grocery each morning to get my standard breakfast of two pepperoni rolls (white paper bag, just enough grease spots) and a pint of chocolate milk. How many sets of vocal chords were blown out that summer trying to sing like Frankie Valli? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwuL3Up_mpg

1966..."Hanky Panky"...Tommy James and the Shondells....Pretty good live version from 2005 with TJ still in good voice. This choice got some bonus points for looking like it could have been shot at Clarksburg's "The Red Barn" teen night club back in the late '60's. Now that I mention it....it does....doesn't it? It's actually the Bitter End in NYC. So...get both your "hanky" and your "panky" on for this one. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zieOAi9LaQI&feature=related

1970..."The Love You Save"...The Jackson 5...I had already picked this out when I learned that Michael Jackson died. A huge talent, an amazing performer; as he got older I just found him puzzling and sad. This song hit number one on July 4th of '70. The video is a live clip from a concert in their hometown of Gary, IN. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Auep5wVE2I&feature=related

BONUS: An acapella clip of his vocal on the same song. What a powerful, wonderful voice! Turn this up and get chills. (There is a gap of silence in the middle of this allowing for instrumentation, but the vocal does resume and reward.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K-Y5Hwz-AV8&feature=related

1972..."Lean On Me"....Bill Withers....Did you know Bill Withers is from Slab Fork, WV? Do you even know where Slab Fork is, in West Virginia? (Raleigh County...I just looked it up myself.) Did you know he'll turn 71!! on July 4th of '09? Did you know this was #1 for 3 weeks in July of 1972? I know you know, this is a great song. (The fellow who introduces him in this clip was, at the time, the lead singer of the Canadian band, The First Edition...yes, that's Kenny Rogers doing the intro!! His band joins Withers towards the end.) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nrqreZJdhRY&feature=related

1975..."Listen to What the Man Said"...Paul McCartney and Wings...Live at the Seattle King Dome in 1976. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OF2wmiE3yzo

1977..."Undercover Angel"...Alan O'Day...Funny how this worked out. This video consists of a tribute to "Charlie's Angel's", and as you know, Farah Fawcett just passed away. O'Day was a one hit wonder who reached #1 the week of July 9, '77. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMW5xam4sRo

1980..."It's Still Rock and Roll to Me"...Billy Joel....Very good live version. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TRsZrE6-gz8

And finally I want to leave you with one of my favorite summer songs of all time. This was not a "hit", but is one of those album tracks I turn to at least once each July, usually on or around July 4th. Bruce Springsteen's "4th Of July, Asbury Park (Sandy)" puts me right on the boardwalk, at night, with my arm around a pretty girl, a steady breeze coming from the ocean, neon lights buzzing and some mysterious calliope music emanating from a carousel. I let the Drifters get me through the day, but Bruce got me through the beach nights. Live version here from 1975. Lyrics link (highly recommended) also included. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZ314hldal4&feature=related

LYRICS: http://www.springsteenlyrics.com/lyrics/0/4thofjulyasburypark.php

Stay cool, remember...it ain't the heat, it's the stupidity.



Stand up comedian, WI alum class of '72, and frequent contributor to the newsletter, Steve Goff, reports he will be doing two nights of comedy in Morgantown at the Mononagalia Arts Center on August 6 and 7. He was invited back to Morgantown to a featured performer in the "Brew Ha-Ha Comedy Fest" scheduled for that week.

Steve first did comedy in 1977 and from time to time returns to the stage to offer up his askew view of the world. Much of his material is drawn from his school days (Towers to Central to WI) and growing up in Clarksburg. Many former WI alums have already made plans to attend. The basic information is listed on the poster. For further information contact Steve at sgoff53@hotmail.com




WI CLASS 1959 50TH REUNION

submitted by: Sharyn Cottrill McGahan - reunion committee chairman
mtmama41@msn.com

Anyone who has not already signed up for the 50th Class Reunion on July 17-18, but wants to come, can still do so by letting me, mtmama41@msn.com, know right away.

Those of you that aren't going to attend the reunion are going to miss a great time. We have a fun filled week-end planned with a pig roast on Friday night and a candlelight buffet on Saturday night.

Friday night is very casual. Saturday night is dressier. The class reunion picture will be taken at 6:45p and should be back by 11 pm. If you come late to dinner you might not be in the picture.

For anyone who hasn't made motel reservations yet, a lot of people are staying at Hampton Inn (304) 842-9300.

Other motels in the area include:
Holiday Inn (877) 863-4780
Super 8 (304) 842-7115
Sleep Inn (304) 842-1919
Bridgeport Wingate by Wyndham Hotels (304) 808-1000
Days Inn & Suites (304) 842-7371
Travelodge (formerly Knights Inn) (800) 578-7878

The Hampton Inn and the Holiday Inn are offering a special rate. Some of the other motels may also offer a special rate so be sure and say you are with the WI 1959 Class Reunion when making your reservations.

The cost for the whole week-end is sixty dollars ($60.00) for each person attending the reunion. This money is due in full when you make your reservation.

MAKE CHECK PAYABLE TO:
WI Class Reunion 1959

AND SEND TO:
WI CLASS REUNION 1959
% Charles Burkhammer
108 Coventry Court,
Bridgeport, WV 26330

WHY DON'T YOU JOIN THE 73 CLASSMATES THAT HAVE ALREADY MADE RESERVATIONS FOR THIS FUN-FILLED WEEK-END?




DISCIPLINE IN SCHOOLS

submitted by: Bob Teter (WI '60)
bteter@chartertn.net

I think I will send this before I forget the invitation you have given.

To begin, I would say that I believe a lot of what is missing in schools today is the discipline we all were exposed to in Clarksburg at various times in our lives. I do not think discipline has to be abusive to be effective. At the same time I think today schools (and parents, too for that matter) are too tolerant of bad behavior. Two of my favorite stories of our schooling involve discipline, or perhaps in the latter, the lack of same.

First, I remember a physical education class (I cannot remember if this was at Central Jr. High or WI) in which we boys were, well being boys, and the teacher (maybe one of the football coaches) pondered what type of discipline he would mete out. He told us all to form a line facing all in one direction, then handed the paddle to the first in line. The instructions were simple, "You will paddle the guy in front of you, he the guy in front of him and so on until the last guy will be back to paddle you". He reminded the first in line to not be too lenient lest he himself would strike the first blow. Well you can imagine we fell in line after that episode and avoided his wrath.

The other story is from Mr. Gudekunst's Algebra class. Seems he had great expectations for all his students and when one gave 'stupid' answers his reaction was to hurl an eraser at them from across the room, and then go get in their face to explain the correct response. This particular day one of our number, John Maida, decided to have a bit of fun at MR. G's expense as I remember it. John got Mr. G's attention and when Mr. G approached to lecture him John practically belched at him! John had gulped down a rather large portion of GARLIC prior to class. We all about burst a seam laughing. Mr. G, in his good nature did not send us all home, thank goodness. He did brandish a mean eraser, however and was always one of my favorite teachers, if not my most favorite!



MISS GLYDE BAILEY
(RESPECTFULLY REMEMBERING)

submitted by: Jeanne Taylor Teter (WI '56)
teterrd@comcast.net

E-mail sent to our home computer often goes awry, so it was only a few days ago that I saw the May newsletter, which my husband had liberated from the archives via his computer at work. So I’m late in commenting on Miss Glyde Bailey and can only hope that late is better than never.

When I was a senior, Miss Bailey gave me a journalism assignment one day. It was unexpected and I didn’t quite know what to do with it, but I scratched out a paragraph and handed it to her the following day. I remember that she was standing near the front of the room at the time, and, before I could even turn around to head back to my desk, she thrust the paper back into my hands, and said in her usual quiet but firm manner, “You can do better than that.”

I was taken aback, at first. Then I felt embarrassed and, finally, annoyed. I’d have to take up paper and pencil again that evening to try to come up with something that would meet Miss Bailey’s standards (when heaven knows there were heavier issues to distract me... my social life, my hair, my clothes!). After much rumination and head-smacking though, I finally chiseled out another paragraph and handed it to her the following morning. She took it without comment, without even a glance actually, and nothing more was ever said about it.

Twenty-five years later, I was a wife and mother living in California when I received a box of Christmas presents from my sister in Clarksburg. She’d used crumpled newspapers as packing material, so I smoothed them out to see if there might be any interesting news from home. There on the front page was a picture of Miss Glyde Bailey, receiving an award from the local branch of the American Association of University Women. Upon seeing that photo, I was immediately swept by a strong feeling of gratitude. She’d been a great teacher, and I was thankful for her patient guidance all those many years ago.

So I phoned my sister in Clarksburg and asked if Glyde Bailey’s address was in the phone book. It was. I wrote to her on January 11, 1981, reintroducing myself, explaining what I’d been doing for 25 years and expressing my appreciation for all she’d taught me. To my delight, she eventually replied, sending a handwritten two-page letter dated March 25, 1981. I still have that letter, as well as a carbon copy of the letter I sent to her and the now-yellowed newspaper article.

We were blessed with several excellent teachers at W.I. Yet, it’s only Glyde Bailey’s voice that I can still hear in my head now and then, gently chiding me when I’m being lazy or lacking focus: "You can do better than that." She was right on then; and she’s right on now. The only difference is that now my whispered reply is immediate: Thanks, Miss Bailey. I needed that.



submitted by: Bill Adler (WI ’54) almost (moved to Arizona in 1953)
wjadler@cox.net

The Germans are coming the Germans are coming! ©

It was a warm summer evening in 1944. It had just gotten dark. My brothers and I were playing in the back yard when the sirens started to scream. We instinctively knew what it meant, we instinctively knew where to go…in the house and into the front room den.

As we came in the back door father, wearing his air raid warden’s pith helmet, was heading out the front door. The Germans are coming, the Germans are coming! It was an air raid drill we had gotten quite used to ever since that fateful Sunday, December 7, 1941.

Mother pulled the den’s drapes closed, then turned off all the lights throughout the house. The closed drapes did little to soften the din of the air raid siren across the street, atop the East End fire station. We were at war and this was one of the things kids had to deal with. My three year old brother Gary was having trouble dealing, not so much with the sound, but with the dark and it was dark, it was really dark!

All of the street lights were off and there were no car headlights, because there were no cars on the streets. There was no light in the Feeny’s house, across the street nor the Church’s house on the corner. The O’Connell’s and Oliverio’s houses, down Philippi Street, were dark too. The Smitty’s Drug Store’s sign was off and the store was hardly visible through the pitch black.

There wasn’t a hint of light anywhere, including in our den and as usual, Gary was screaming like a banshee. He hated the dark so much that mother had to put a night light in his bedroom so he could go to sleep each night.

On this night he was in rare form. Mother sprung into action. She got the night light and turned it on in the den. It worked. It got quiet…until there was a knock at the front door. It was an air raid warden. He saw a little light showing through the drapes and warned mother that if he saw it again she would get a citation. Learning about WW II was a daily topic at Linden Grade School, located around the corner from our home. There I learned a great deal about the war, about geography, about what our country was doing to fight the war, building ships on east coast ports, planes in California, and tanks in Detroit.

I had seen news reels at the Robinson-Grand on Saturday mornings, of B-17s bombing Germany and soldiers fighting on small islands in the Pacific. A little knowledge, for an inquisitive eight year old, is a dangerous thing.

Lying on the den floor, on those dark nights with Gary’s protests ringing in my ear, I kept wondering…if the Germans could fly all the way across the ocean why would they chose Clarksburg, West Virginia, of all places, to bomb?

However, I kept my thoughts to myself. It might be unpatriotic to ask my teacher!




The picnic is August 29, 2009 from 11:00 AM until you want to leave. Lunch is around noon.... fellowship and pictures to follow lunch.

It is in the OSBORNE pavilion...large one on top of the hill on right in Veterans (River Bend) Park off Milford St. You can also get to it via the Nutter Fort area by going over Rt 98.

Bring something to put on the table to share - a covered dish or something you buy at the local deli. We love that West Virginia style of home cooking - hot dogs, pepperoni rolls, meatballs in Oliverio’s Peppers and home made cakes!

Sharyn Cottrill McGahan (WI 1959) is in charge of this picnic. You do not have to make a reservation but she will need to know about how many to expect. It is nice to be surprised but it isn’t nice to be overcome with a large group of people and not have enough supplies. So write to Sharyn at mtmama41@msn.com and tell her you will see her there. Also, let her know if you are willing to come early and help with the picnic --- cover tables, registration, tell people where to put their food, or stay and help clean up, etc.

If you live out of the area, you might want to make this picnic part of a week long vacation that would include the Italian Heritage Festival in Clarksburg on Labor Day weekend. If you don't have family in the area with which you can stay, you should make motel reservations now.

In last month's newsletter in the list of local motels we listed the The Knights Inn of Bridgeport. It is also known as Travelodge Of Bridgeport. The tel no is (800) 578-7878


RECIPE

submitted by: Joanne Johnson Morgan (WI '54)
Jpmorgan15@aol.com

BEER - GARLIC - CHEESE

1 8 oz. pkg. Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 8 oz. pkg. Cream Cheese
2 or 3 Large Garlic Cloves
1 can of Beer - you will only use a portion of the can for this amt. of cheese. Have to kind of play it by ear concerning amt. of beer - too much and you will have a dip, just right and you will have a spread.
1 Tablespoon of Franks Hot Sauce (adjust to your own taste)
2 teaspoon Paprika - more or less.

Cut up Sharp Cheddar into 1 or 2 inch cubes and put into Food Processor.
Add some of the Cream Cheese and a clove or 2 of the Garlic.
Add a 'Little' Beer and process - if too stiff to Mix - add some beer.
Process till almost smooth.

Next add all the Cheese & Garlic...Hot Sauce...Paprika and enough Beer to make a smooth Dip - process the heck out of it so you Do Not see any pieces of cheese or garlic.

Now you will have a pretty thick dip - But after refrigerating for a couple of hours it will be a spread. After finished processing pour into a bowl

Sprinkle paprika across the top.
Very Important Is The amount of Beer you use.
You Can Always Use More But You Cannot Take Any Out !
So, you are going to have either a dip or a spread.
Both are good ! Can't go wrong !



TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION

submitted by: Diana Shablack Sandy (WI '69)
Icedteadee@aol.com

BOOKS: I like suspense/legal thrillers so if any of your other readers have the same tastes - I highly recommend James Grippando's books - especially the ones featuring the Jack Swyteck character. I love all of them! 'Born To Run' is his latest - but you can read them in any order - they have Florida backdrops, so any other transplanted Floridians will be familiar with the settings. The other Swyteck novels are 'Last Call', 'When Darkness Falls', 'Got The Look', 'Hear No Evil', 'Last To Die', 'Beyond Suspicion', 'Under Cover Of Darkness' and 'The Pardon'. Another author I love is Joel Rosenberg - his latest fictional novel is 'Dead Heat' - these are written in order but reading 'Dead Heat' first won't spoil the rest of them for you & will get you hooked on his books. In order are 'The Last Jihad', 'The Last Days', 'The Ezekiel Option', 'The Copper Scroll' & 'Dead Heat'. The all read like action packed movies. Another great book everyone should read is 'A Bold Fresh Piece Of Humanity' by Bill O'Reilly. This is absolutely not political in any way & people who grew up in the 50's & 60's will particularly relate to everything in the book. This book is light reading - not intense action/drama like Grippando & Rosenberg.

DISCIPLINE- I went to St.Mary's grades 1 thru 8 & altho there were a couple boys in my classes who were hooligans & got into trouble all the time, I pretty much minded my P's & Q's because just a look your way from some of the nuns or their tone of voice was enough to keep you on the straight & narrow. Other than once when I was in the 7th grade & the Beatles were all the rage - I had quite a collection of Beatles Trading Cards. My teacher, Sister Marita, saw me looking at them & promptly confiscated them, locked them in her cupboard & didn't return them to me until the last day of school that year. I felt that was way over the top then & still do today. She didn't send me to the principal's office tho, which I guess could have been worse - except the principal was a much nicer nun & no where near as scary as Sister Marita was!

SCHOOL DANCE - I went to all the school dances. Homecomings, Sadie Hawkins, Lambda Christmas Dances, Proms & whatever else there might have been that were school sponsored. There were also dances on the weekend at The Red Barn, Benedum Civic Center & Carousel that I went to from time to time. Before I started dating I went with girlfriends & we danced together or with whatever boy asked us to dance once we were there. When I started going steady I only danced with that boy. Here's a picture from my WI Junior Prom.




REMEMBERING



I saw this in an email about railroads from the past. This picture reminded me of a lot of when I wanted to get across the railroad track. When I dated Bill he often came to see me in a Buick somewhat like the one pictured. The one pictured is from 1956.

A few years ago Bill and I took our 2 oldest granddaughters to WV to show them the homes and towns in which we had lived…just to educate them. In our travels in WV we were stopped at a RR crossing because the train was coming…This was a new thing for our teen-age granddaughters at that time, they had never been in a car that was stopped at a RR crossing to let the train pass. We rolled down the windows to get the entire thrill of the event. Just think of it, when was the last time you stopped at a RR crossing because a train was passing?




JOSEPHINE F. SAMUELS

Josephine F. Samuels, age 72, of Clarksburg, WV, departed this life on Saturday, June 6, 2009, at the United Hospital Center. She was born in Clarksburg, WV, on Nov. 15, 1936, a daughter of the late Stephen T. Samuels and Mary (Kozma) Samuels.

Surviving are two sisters, Delores Cross and her husband Neale, Clarksburg, and Patricia Flanigan, Glenwood Springs, CO; two nephews, Steven Cross and his wife Brenda, Clarksburg, and John Flanigan, CO; two nieces, Lisa Papa, Hurricane, WV, and Mary Flanigan, CO; three great-nephews, Steven Travis Cross, Jordan Cross and Dominick Papa; two great-nieces, Chloe Papa and Alexis Cross; two aunts, Elizabeth Renzelli and Sue Malicher; and several cousins.

She was a member of Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Church and formerly of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. Josephine worked at Mountain State Linen Service for thirty years and at Notre Dame High School for 11 years. She graduated from Washington Irving High School and was an avid Mountaineer and Steeler fan.



EVAN GRIFFITH

Evan Griffith died on May 29, 3009 at the age of 69 years of age. He was married to Sandra Talkington Griffith. Both Mr. and Mrs Griffith graduated from Washington Irving with the Class of 1957. He was preceded in death by his wife Sandy. She died several years ago and his health had been declining for several years. Sandy taught school in Harrison County and Evan retired as an employee of the state of West Virginia.

In 2007 Evan attended the 50th reunion for his class. Several classmates helped him out so he could attend the reunion. All classmates were so glad to see him.

Evan was a very nice person and will be greatly missed.



CAROLYN MILLER WHITE

Carolyn Miller White, wife of Jim White (WI 1958), died on May 11, 2009. Carolyn and her twin Marilyn were from Parkersburg. She met Jim at WVU, where she was a member of Chi Omega sorority. Carolyn and Jim had been living in Rockford, MI for some time.



LORRAINE GAIN SWAIN

CLARKSBURG — Lorraine Gain Swain, age 88, of Nutter Fort, WV, (RW 1940) departed this life on Thursday, June 11, 2009, at her residence following an extended illness. She was born in Berea, WV, on June 10, 1921, a daughter of the late Forest “Cy” Tharp and Gurnia Belle (Brake) Tharp.

Lorraine was first married to the late Lester D. Gain, whom she married in 1941. She is survived by her daughter and son-in-law, Dianne and Jim Trisler, Boiling Springs, SC; a daughter-in-law, Cindy Gain, Rockford, WV; five grandchildren, Scott and Mike Trisler, Jason and Elizabeth Gain and Amy Harris; five great-grandchildren, Patrick and Allison Trisler, Hannah Gain, Christopher Ganoe and Ansley Harris.

Lorraine was also married to the late Robert A. Swain, who preceded her in death in July of 2000. Her only son, Bradley Dale Gain, whom she sadly missed, preceded her in death on Nov. 25, 2008. Lorraine leaves behind her caring caretaker, Faye Pratt, and many loving and devoted friends.

Also surviving are a sister, Lenore Randolph, Rockford, WV. She was preceded in death by two sisters, Louise Tharp of Nutter Fort and Lois Rollins of Clarksburg.

During World War II, she worked at Pittsburgh Plate Glass. Much later in life, she worked for Dr. Chang, a pediatrician. She was a loving mother, homemaker, assistant 4-H leader, cherub choir director, Sunday school teacher for 22 years at Vincent Memorial United Methodist Church and served on various committees.

She was loved by all the neighborhood boys and girls, whom she welcomed into her home.



PHYLLIS CANN HEREFORD

Phyllis Cann Hereford, age 75, of Tampa, Florida, passed away at Tampa General Hospital on February 15, 2009, following an extended bout of cancer. She was born on December 7, 1933, in Clarksburg, WV, the daughter of the late James and Antoinette Oliverio Cann.

She graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Clarksburg in 1951 and from St. Mary’s Hospital School of Nursing, Clarksburg, in 1954.

Upon her graduation from nursing school, she worked as a registered nurse at the United Mine Workers Memorial Hospital in Beckley. She married James Hereford, and in the late 1950s, they moved to Florida. She was employed in a variety of nursing positions and at the same time owned and operated an antique shop for several years. She continued in the nursing profession until her illness made it no longer possible.

Phyllis loved to cook and enjoyed trying out new and different recipes. She was also an avid reader, but her granddaughters were a special delight.

In addition to her parents, Phyllis was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by her son, Scott, and his wife, Shannon, and two grandchildren, Julia Rose and Mia Hereford, of Sarasota, Florida.

Also surviving are her siblings: Rev. Hilarion Cann and Carmine Cann of Bridgeport, Lucy (Anthony) Eates of Fairmont and Regina (Sam) Geso of The Villages, Florida. She is also survived by a great number of nieces and nephews.



H. EARL BROOKS

H. Earl Brooks, 69, of Clarksburg, West Virginia, went home to be with his Lord on May 30, 2009.

He was born January 30, 1940, to Harry A. Brooks and Luna Hurst Brooks.

He was a 1958 graduate of Roosevelt-Wilson High School. He was formerly employed at United Hospital Center, Harrison County Board of Education, and was owner/operator of Double B Trucking leased to W.S. Thomas. At the time of his death, he was employed by Mountain State Auto Auction. He was an active member of Liberty United Methodist Church and a member of the West Virginia Draft Horse Association.

He is survived by his wife, Amie L. Brooks; two children, Bernadette Prince of Yucca Valley, Calif., and David Chappell of Clarksburg; three grandchildren, Ameer, Cordell and Ishaan Prince of Yucca Valley, Calif.; a sister, Kathy Williams of Clarksburg; Carol Brooks, a sister-in-law, Harrisonburg, Va.; and seven nieces and nephews, Michele VanPett, Mt. Crawford, Va., Jerry Brooks, Tampa, Fla., Martha Messenger, West Union, Mary Godwin, Clarksburg, Mark Fox, Scott Depot, Scott Williams, Salem, and Bruce Williams, Clarksburg.

He was preceded in death by his parents; a brother, Harry A. Brooks Jr.; and a sister, Florence Fox.

Mr. Brooks donated his body to West Virginia University. A private memorial will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Heart Association or to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.



EMORY C. WAMSLEY

Emory C. Wamsley was born February 28, 1923, in Nutterfort, West Virginia, a suburb of Clarksburg, West Virginia. He died June 4, 2009, surrounded by his family. Emory attended school at the Roosevelt Wilson Grade and High School, graduating in 1940. He enlisted in the Air Force shortly after graduation and spent the next 5 years attending different schools pertaining to the airplanes that were being readied for World War II. His group traveled the United States Air Force Bases, teaching. They moved every 30 days so Emory got to see the United States. In February 1943 his outfit was sent to England for training and was there for D Day, which he always remembered as impressive.

Emory met his future wife, Lorraine Stahl Wamsley, in 1942 in Missoula, Montana, while he was traveling through and she was on vacation from nurses training and visiting her parents. They kept in touch for the next 2 years and when he came home from England were married in 1945. Emory and Lorraine were married for 64 years. After being discharged from the Air Force, they returned to West Virginia, but felt that Montana was the place they would like to settle, so returned to Missoula.

Emory worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 30 years starting out as a clerk and working his way up to Finance Director. In 1978 he retired and became a snowbird, traveling the southern states for 25 years. Summers were spent at their cabin on Flathead Lake.

Emory is survived by two daughters--Sandy (Paul) Evenson of Missoula and Sally Seiller of Helena; four grandchildren and several great grandchildren.

Emory was a life member of the Elks Club, an avid bowler, trap and skeet shooter, and golfer. He loved faceting stones and remodeling most of the apartments they owned plus his present home.



NANCY ANDRE HATTON

Perhaps this is the best way to inform her WIHS friends that my sister Nancy Andre Hatton (WI 1952) died suddenly on June 3 at her home in Colorado Springs. She was found slumped over in her computer room. The funeral was held on Tuesday, June 9; she is buried beside her daughter Kathy in Crystal Valley Cemetery in nearby Manitou Springs.

Elise Andre
eliseandre@yahoo.com



ELLA GRACE SPEARS



CLARKSBURG — Ella Grace Spears, 93, of 312 Haymond Highway passed away on Thursday, June 11, 2009, at the United Hospital Center in Clarksburg, WV, after a brief illness.

She was born Easter Sunday, April 23, 1916, in Clarksburg, first child of the late Kenton M. Kyle and Arline Pearl (Hudgins) Kyle.

Her husband, W. Arthur Spears, whom she married on July 31, 1939, at Berryville, VA, preceded her in death on September 23, 1988.

She is survived by her children, Dottie (Spears) Rinehart (WI '60) and husband Fred of Clarksburg, WV, Bill Spears (WI '62) and wife Carolyn Smith of Bridgeport, WV, and Carolyn (Spears) Garber (WI '72) of Clarksburg, WV.

Grandchildren include Fred Rinehart and fiance Debbie, David W. Rinehart, Jon Rinehart, David Schepis and wife Angie, Heather Spears, Kimberly (Spears) Thompson and husband Joe, Kristin Garber and Ryan Garber.

Great-grandchildren include Taylor Rinehart, Danielle Rinehart, Isabella Rinehart, Rebekah Rinehart, Halli Spears, Mackenzie Bennett, Kyle Bennett, Anna Schepis, Anthony Schepis, Zackary Hamrick and Paiton Thompson; and a special sister-in-law, Jae Spears. Numerous nieces and nephews survive throughout the country.

Ella is preceded in death by two younger sisters, Caroline (Kyle) Brinkley and Marie (Kyle) Williams.

She is a 1934 graduate from Washington Irving High School, where she was involved in numerous clubs and was active in women’s sports.

Upon graduation she began working in the shoe department at Parsons Souders in Clarksburg, where she met her husband-to-be, Arthur Spears, who was the manager of the sporting goods department and a great-nephew of Arthur Parsons, the co-founder of the department store. While working at the store she was also a model showing off the stores’ latest women's apparel.

In the very early years of the Mountain State Forest Festival in Elkins, WV, she was chosen as a princess to ride on the float of Queen Sylvia in 1936. For over 50 years she was an active member of Chi Sigma, a local sorority.

Since its inception, she was a frequent attendee at the annual Washington Irving Alumni picnic held in Clarksburg every August. Also over many years, she was active in planning their class reunions and enjoyed seeing her classmates and those of other classes.



For her 90th birthday in 2006, she bought herself a new Ford Mustang, red in color and loaded with all of the “Bells and Whistles” including a 500-watt stereo system with 8 speakers. One of her favorite music artists was Rod Stewart, and amongst his songs she especially enjoyed “Forever Young,” which clearly defines her. She was entered into a statewide calendar photo contest in 2006 sponsored by the WVU Center of Aging and the WV Seniors Project. She was chosen to be the February 2007 Calendar Girl standing in front of her new Ford Mustang. Her vanity plate was Mustang Mama.


She was a very loving and caring mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, and all of her great grandchildren call her “GG.” She always cared more for her family than for herself.



NORMA JEAN DAVIS

Norma Jean Davis, 74, of Rt. 2, Lost Creek, went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, June 7, 2009, at her residence following a brief illness.

Miss Davis was a retired Buyer with CNG Transmission Corporation with 31 years of service. She was born in Cedarville, WV on October 19, 1934, a daughter of the late Harley H. “Bud” and Muriel A. Shifflett Davis.

She is survived by one brother and sister-in-law, Willard Gene Davis and his wife Kevin, Lost Creek; one sister-in-law, Lynna Davis; four nieces and nephews, Sonya Losh, Dawn Henderson and her husband Mike, Lori Jenkins and her husband Brian, Nathan Davis and his wife Julie; and 10 great-nieces and great-nephews, Mariah Henderson, Tori Henderson, Brice Henderson, Renee Jenkins, Chase Jenkins, Austin Davis, Dalton Losh, Jason Brady, Christian Davis and Morgan Davis.

She was also preceded in death by one brother, William Gene Davis.

Miss Davis was a member of the American Bowling Congress and attended Monroe Chapel United Methodist Church. She was a graduate of WIHS and was previously employed at Robinson Grand Theater, Ormonds Hosiery, and Clarksburg Cable Company, before going to work for CNG. Norma took great pleasure in her nieces and nephews, always looking forward to them stopping by.



BETTY JO BENNETT

CLARKSBURG — Mrs. Betty Jo Bennett, age 69, of Lake Floyd, Salem, WV, passed away at 8:20 a.m. Wednesday, June 3, 2009, at the Eubank Care Center on Sycamore St. in Clarksburg following an extended illness.

She was born in Hepzibah, WV, November 24, 1939, a daughter of the late Ralph J. Felix and Rose Perri Felix.

Surviving are her husband, James E. Bennett, whom she married June 23, 1962; a daughter and son-in-law, Libby Bennett Jarom and husband Christopher, Lake Floyd, Salem, WV; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Mrs. Margaret Tyler, Dover, DE, and Mrs. Gloria Del Rizzo and husband, Ennio, Windsor, Ontario, Canada; three grandchildren, Alexandria, Victoria Rose and Bennett Allen Jarom, all of Lake Floyd; and several nieces and nephews. Mrs. Bennett was also preceded in death by a sister, Ann Zannino.

Mrs. Bennett was Catholic by faith and a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. She was a graduate of the old Victory HS 1957 —and graduated from Salem College in 1962 with a B.A. Degree in Education. She was also a member of the Clarksburg League for Service, the Lake Floyd Women’s Club and the Goff Plaza Garden Club. Before her retirement, she was an educator for the Harrison County Board of Education, teaching at Nutter Fort and Adamston Elementary Schools.



JANET A. STEALEY

CLARKSBURG — Janet A. Stealey, age 85, of 335 Hickman Street, Jefferson Apt. 1, Clarksburg, W.Va., passed away at 7:30 p.m. Friday, June 19, 2009, at her residence following a very brief illness. She was born in Clarksburg, W.Va., December 4, 1923, a daughter of the late Harry E. Stealey and Effie Tucker Stealey.

Surviving are two sisters, Anne Stealey Randolph, Umpqua, OR, and Mary V. Stealey, Clarksburg, W.Va., and several nieces, nephews and cousins.

Miss Stealey was also preceded in death by two sisters, Mrs. Harriett Powell and Mrs. Ruth Ferrell, and a brother, The Rev. James Irvin Stealey.

Janet was a member of the Christ Episcopal Church and a graduate of Washington Irving High School. She was a member of the Chestnut Hills Garden Club, the Y. W. C. A., the Historical Society of Harrison County, the Harrison County Senior Citizens Center and the F.T.D. Association of Retired Florists.

She was a local artist and craftsperson and a former member of the Clarksburg Quota Club.

She retired from Dudley’s Florist in Clarksburg, where she was a co-owner and florist for 48 years with her partners, Eddie and Margaret McCoy.



DARIL WARREN STALNAKER

Daril Warren Stalnaker, a Lewis County Commissioner (1968-1972), passed away Friday, June 19, at the age of ninety, after several months of failing health. He was born January 6, 1919, in Warner Hollow, Lewis County. He was the eldest child and only son of the late Arch .C and Beulah M. (Sims) Stalnaker. He first married the late Josephine Perkey on August 31, 1941. They were parents of four children. On October 3, 1998, he married Joy Gregoire Gilchrist, (WI '59) who survives.

He was a Georgetown cattleman and retired carpenter.

He was a member of the county commission which established the Lewis County Park. He served on the Lewis County Democratic Executive Committee for many years. He was a member of the Upper West Fork River Public District Board from 1972 until it was disbanded in 1994. His proudest life achievement was his membership on this board which resulted in water being brought to a large number of families throughout the county.

He was the oldest living member of West Virginia’s United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America, Local 476, having joined the union in April 1941. During his career as a carpenter he was a teacher in the Joint Apprenticeship Committee School in Elkins and Clarksburg for the carpenters’ union; and steward on the Sutton Dam project (1956-1959); and assistant business agent for the North Central District Council of Carpenters.

During his career, he helped build many of the bridges on I-79 and U. S. Route 50. He was the first carpenter on the job to help build the Sutton Dam and was the only carpenter still working at its completion. He worked on many buildings throughout the state including Wesley Chapel at West Virginia Wesleyan College.

He was a veteran of World War II, having served in the US Navy Seabees with the 42nd Battalion in the Aleutian Islands. For a period of time he was a member of the 201st National Guard Unit of Weston and a member of the American Legion Post# 4 of Weston. He was a member of Weston Lodge #10, AF & AM; Bigelow Chapter#4; a past commander of the Royal Arch Masons; St Johns Knights Templar #8, Weston; Nemesis Shrine Temple, Parkersburg; Weston Chapter #10 O.E.S, where he served as a worthy patron with his first wife, Josephine, in 1968-69; and the Hacker’s Creek Pioneer Descendants.

He was an active member of the Georgetown Methodist Church for nearly fifty years when the church was closed by the West Virginia Annual Conference in 1996. He attended Stone Coal United Methodist Church until health issues prevented him from going.

He is remembered, by all who knew him as a young man, as a fine athlete. He was a State Champion in his weight class as a wrestler and was never defeated. He played football on one of the few Weston High School teams to have a perfect record. In 1938, he was judged to be the healthiest boy in the state and second healthiest in the nation in the National 4-H Club program. In addition to his first wife, he was predeceased by his only sibling, Georgia Cottrill (Edward) and one granddaughter, Jennifer Carol Stalnaker.

He is survived by sons and spouses Daril Jack (Janice), Weston; Jerry Alan (Avah), Weston; Lee Arch (Susie), Bridgeport; by daughter Linda White (Joe Eddie), Weston; step-sons Joseph Charles Gilchrist (Tammy), Cadiz, OH; Jene Gilchrist (Lore), Charleston, SC; Michael D. Gilchrist, Lima, OH and Mark D. Gilchrist, Columbus, OH; and step-daughter D. Jane Gilchrist, Weston and many grandchildren and step-grandchildren.




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