THE WI NEWSLETTER


Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith Issue 41 January 2003





CLARKSBURG PICNIC

submitted by: Roleta Smith Meredith (WI '59)
Roleta1@aol.com

The third annual WINTER CLARKSBURG PICNIC will be held March 1, 2003 in Sarasota, Florida. I can’t guarantee the weather but I will guarantee a lot of good food, good people, good memories, good laughs and lots of fun. Plan now to attend. Make your reservations by writing to Roleta1@aol.com. I can only announce this in the Jan and Feb. newsletter so take your action now! Last year we had 100 people present, let’s try for 110 this year! Tell anyone you know from Clarksburg who will be in Florida on March 1 about the picnic and if they don’t have a computer, make their reservations for them. If you need motel information in the area, please contact me. I really need to hear from you so I can order the meat…yep, we aren’t going to cook burgers this year. (I bet Stu and Babe are glad to hear that!) But I sure hope we can still have those Clarksburg hot dogs---I have to get in touch with Sue Ellen Stalnaker Crawford and make sure she is willing to make that wonderful hot dog sauce for us again this year...Sue Ellen is making history in Sarasota, Florida!

     




NEW E-MAIL ADDRESSES


Carl Besterman (WI '56) best@knology.net
Mary Harbert Nophsker (WI '58) Menrn40@aol.com
Ellie Postlewait Green (RW '56) Egreen5648@aol.com
James Frum (WI '56) Jamesfrum@yahoo.com
"Victor Woodward" (WI '61) bloodworm@balmar.com


CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Marion Ribas Cottrett (WI '58) Ribasgirl@aol.com




submitted by: Eleanor Postlewait Green (RW '56)
Egreen5648@aol.com

Hi. How do I get on the list to receive the newsletter? It is great. I am the former Eleanor Postlewait of East View and I graduated in 1956 from RW.

I am now Ellie (Postlewait) Green and my email address is Egreen5648@aol.com. I now live in NC.

Thanks. Ellie



submitted by: John Teter (WI '61)
JATeter@aol.com or JTeter@balmar.com

The WI class of 1961 has narrowed their MISSING CLASSMATES down to 5 people, even though I expect that there are PROBABLY some people that have moved over the last year and a half that have not sent me their UPDATED INFORMATION.

The KNOWN list of missing from the class of 1961 are:

Constance Ann Kittle, Alice Margaret Reynolds, James Mann Smith, Patricia Mae Taylor and Roger (Toby) Elton Wise.

IF ANYBODY KNOWS THE WHEREABOUTS OF ANY OF THESE 5 PEOPLE, PLEASE HAVE THEM E-MAIL ME AT JATeter@aol.com or JTeter@balmar.com, AND I WOULD APPRECIATE IT.



submitted by: Louanna Furbee (WI '55)
louanna100@yahoo.com

Hi to one and all! Here's a quick up-date on life and activities, the most exciting news of which for us is that my husband (Bob Benfer) and I will "early" retire at the end of this month. Today (4 December 2002), I'm pleased to say will be my last faculty meeting! There's a plus right there. Bob and I say we are retiring from the university (University of Missouri, Columbia), but not from the profession (anthropology), so we can do more of the fun stuff and less of the slog. To that end, we hope to work more in Peru (Bob) and Mexico (Louanna), but this way we get to accompany one another on those adventures. We'll be in Chiapas, Mexico, Jan.-March 2003, where I'll try to finish up my present project (documenting a miracle associated with the Zapatista revolt), and in Central Peru, June-Aug. 2003, where Bob will run an archaeological field school (described at http://web.missouri.edu/%7Enad2b1/BuenaVista/Index.html, in case you know of students interested). We'll both teach the occasional class, one each next fall semester, for example. But, boy are we excited.

Reading through the Thanksgiving memories, all food-filled, of course, I wondered how many of you had the Pennsylvania German/Maryland/West Virginia tradition of serving sauerkraut with your turkey? My family picked it up from Mrs. Birk Stathers (Birk Stathers Jr.'s mom), who shared many Thanksgiving and Christmas holiday meals with my own family after we moved to her neighborhood. Boy, could that lady cook! I still make sauerkraut to go with the Thanksgiving turkey - actually, this year it accompanied duck - couldn't get the turkey thawed in time.

Hope you all have good holidays among family and friends.



submitted by: Steve Griffith (ND '60)
Sgriff2393@aol.com

What a wonderful job you have done for the December 2002 issue.

My feeble mind has been rebooted with all of the nostalgic input.

Thank you, Roleta, for your hard work and dedication. You are reorganizing a family that had grown apart, just changing with the times and technology. Just about every contribution rekindles a memory of someone, someplace, or both.

God Bless, and Merry Christmas. May 2003 be a wonderful year for us all.



submitted by: Freddie Layman (VHS '46)
Fgl46vhs@aol.com

I saw a very good friend of mine who e- mailed you from a WI class. Her name is Linda Deturk Jones. I remember her real well as her husband worked in the County Clerk Bookkeeping Department. His name is John Paul Jones, brother to Gerald Jones, local attorney. John Pauls mother, Ada Jones, worked also in the County Clerks office. I'm going to e-mail her as I don't know where she lives now. Also noticed an e-mail from Mary Lou Strosnider. She was granddaughter of the late Judge Homer Strosnider who I had the pleasure of working with at the Courthouse.

Have a good week.



submitted by: James Frum (WI '56)
Jamesfrum@yahoo.com

Dear Roleta,
I imagine that the December newsletter has already "gone to press." The mystery building is The Union National Bank Building, at 3rd & Main streets. "1905" is also on the plaque with the name on the 3rd street side. My father, a WI graduate in 1922, retired as cashier in 1969. More later on all this.

I have been living in Strasbourg, France since December 1990. When I look out from my living room window, I see the Black Forest in Germany, on a clear day.

Keep up the good work on your newsletter.



submitted by: Clarence Smith (WI '53)
Smithcl@maui.net

Is this a source for a news letter for Washington Irving HS?

I graduated in 1953 and have lost the website. If you can help, I would appreciate it.



submitted by: Burt Spangler (WI '38)
Burtsbs@nccn.net

Please don't delete me from your list--

I enjoy reading the newsletter. Most of the letters are from folks a generation removed from me but I enjoy reading about the places in Clarksburg that survived my leaving there. I have been back only a few times since joining the Air Corps in 1940... I am an original draft dodger--Joined the regular army before there was a draft, and have been in the military in one status or another for the last 62 years. I never had to register for a draft.



submitted by: Dave Kuhl (WI '62)
Dbkuhl@juno.com

In a previous e-mail you wrote: " And what about Ms. Bauer? Good in her field but wasn't she a little spacey too? "

She had a metal plate in her head as a result of a car wreck. As I understood it, she was on her honeymoon and her husband tried to beat a train across a crossing. I saw a picture of her when she was young and she was beautiful. I think by the time I had her, she was getting a little senile. I can remember my brother from the class of 52 talking about Lillie Mae. She must have been active teaching drama, etc. earlier. I had her for World History. She thought I was brilliant - which of course I was. I think just about all the teachers were a little weird. Teaching could probably do that to you.



submitted by: Judy McDougal Siders (WI '57)
Siders_judy@hotmail.com

HAPPY NEW YEAR - WHAT DOES EVERYONE DO FOR NEW YEAR'S EVE?

Personally, I watch all the celebrating they show on TV. It is very beautiful. In the old days, I used to go out and party.

It was nice to see Dick Bowers name - remember his convertible? His picture was in the window of the music store on Main Street for a very, very long time. He had the most complete set of drums ever made. He called me once when I was in high school, the record Pennies From Heaven was playing on my phonograph. He came to my house to listen to it, I didn't know anything about jazz at that time. It was his favorite music!!! I also know he had played in New York City. I wonder where he Is?



submitted by: Linda Stevenson (WI '58)
mastevenson@lexcominc.net

Happy New Year Roleta,

My computer has been down since Oct. and just wanted to be sure I am still on the list for the newsletter.

I have had a very challenging last eight months with illness of my daughter Amy who is 27 and have been staying with her. Things are better now and I am back home awaiting the arrival of grandchild number 8 in about two weeks.

I am sorry I am not a contributor to the newsletter so far, but it is really a blessing for me. Thank you so much for doing it. Hoping to receive another one soon.

I hope you and your family had a wonderful Christmas.




LIFE IN BLACK &WHITE

You could hardly see for all the snow
Spread the rabbit ears as far as they go.
Pull a chair up to the TV set,
"Good night, David, Good night, Chet."
Dependin' on the channel you tuned,
You got Rob and Laura - or Ward and June.
It felt so good, felt so right.
Life looked better in black and white.

I Love Lucy, The Real McCoys,
Dennis the Menace, The Cleaver Boys.
Rawhide, Gunsmoke, Wagon Train,
Superman, Jimmy and Lois Lane.
Father Knows Best, Patty Duke
Rin Tin Tin and Lassie too,
Donna Reed on Thursday night--
Life looked better in black and white.

I wanna go back to black and white.
Everything always turned out right.
Simple people, simple lives
Good guys always won the fight.
Now nothing is the way it seems
In living color on the TV screen.
Too many murders, too much fight
I wanna go back to black and white.

In God they trusted, in bed they slept.
A promise made was a promise kept.
They never cussed or broke their vows
They'd never make the networks now.
But if I could, I'd rather be
In a TV town in '53
It felt so good, felt so right
Life looked better in black and white.

I'd trade all the channels on the satellite
If I could just turn back the clock tonight
To when everybody knew wrong from right
Life was better in black and white!




SLEDDING ON WILSON STREET

submitted by: John P. Harrison (WI '56)
Johnh@teays.net

This being that special time of the year with all the snow and outdoor winter games, I can recall how much fun we had as kids growing up in the “hill” section of Clarksburg. All it took was a good winter storm to drop a few inches of the white stuff and we were off with sleds in tow, headed for the higher ground.

From Holden Street just back of the Court House, it was a short trip out Hickman Street and up the hill to Wilson Street. David Bell (57) and Mike Tricot (56) lived on Wilson and believe me, when it snowed you could slide past their houses in a heart beat. Mike was always building something like a ski jump about half way down the hill for those with the back bone to chance a flight of 15 or 20 feet through the air. One time he convinced me it would be fun to slide down the hill on a piece of sheet metal that was simply curved up on one end to resemble a bobsled of sorts. Of course there was no way to steer the thing and we flew down from the top, cleared the jump, and headed straight for a sewer drain at the bottom of the hill. We were spinning around and suddenly, my back side struck the sewer lid. I thought I would die. Naturally, everyone laughed, as we did quite often back then when one of us had some sort of mishap.

Several of the girls on the hill sledded with us. I will never forget one of the girls, Marge Humeston (sp) who had this really neat Flexible Flyer that was about 10 or 12 inches high and longer than most of our sleds. She would come flying down that hill sitting up. I don’t think she ever laid down and steered with her hands, and she could handle that sled better with her feet than most guys could with their hands.

During protracted snows, someone would always have a 55 gallon drum set up to burn wood to keep us warm. The police would come up and block off the streets to traffic, as no one could drive up Wilson or Horner Streets in the winter anyway. After a long evening of sledding, I always liked to see if I could make it all the way home on my sled. I would climb to the top of Fifth Street, and sled down to Wilson, fly down the hill and up the other side to another street that I would turn left and sled down to Hickman. There was a 90 degree turn onto Hickman which slowed you down a bit, but if you pumped your legs you could sail past Becky Bibbee’s house and turn left again on to Holden Street. If I really wanted to have some fun, I could make my way all the way down to Gabbert’s Esso station.

I know there must have been other “favorite” spots to sled, but I think Wilson Street and surrounding area has the best sledding in the city.



BROAD OAKS DAIRY BAR

submitted by: Frank Bush (WI '59)
Frank.bush@legacynet.net

Just finished the December newsletter. As a Broad Oaks boy I spent many hours hanging out around the Broad Oaks Dairy Bar. And the "outside if you're not buying anything" rule was enforced but never taken as being mean spirited. Joe Bennett was one of the good guys. As I started going to Central and WI, I had a newspaper route along Monticello Ave. Therefore, I spent many hours in Connie Morland's store. Connie loved to play Rummy and we played many games always for money - pennies in those days - as the real money went into the jukebox. As a young guy, it didn't hurt that Patty and Trudy would help out in the store. Not only were they attractive but they would take time to help us learn to dance so we wouldn't embarrass ourselves at the Moose sock hops. Your newsletter always brings back good memories.

Wishing you a joyful and prosperous New Year.



submitted by: Gary Weiner (WI '60)
Cias@iolinc.net

It's Wednesday evening, the night before Thanksgiving, as I cross Harrison Street and head up the sloped walk near the right side of the Broad Oaks Dairy Bar. I pass the first entrance which has a sign telling visitors to go to the next entrance. It too has a sign that says "Come In." So I did, into a closed in porch. As I neared another door I saw an elderly lady approaching. I asked if she was Vi and then told her who I was (I claimed to be a "reporter" for the WI Newsletter).

(EDITOR’S NOTE---We have no reporters….We depend on all you readers to be contributors to the newsletter…Roleta)

I followed her through the kitchen to a table where we could sit and talk. For those of you who know me, you know I can talk. Well this "youngster" of about 80 could more than keep up with me. I had printed some of the early responses about the dairy bar, which gave her some laughs, some nods of remembrance and certain names caused her to point in various directions as to where certain people had lived.

She figured that young people always thought that anyone older than they were older than they really were. When I told her that someone had thought that Joe was 40 when they married, she laughed and said that he was 33 and she was 31. Vi claimed that she made Joe wait five years. If he got unhappy he would pout. Also, he would get jealous. She made it clear that she wasn't going to put up with that kind of behavior. Also, during that time they would get to know each other better. She didn't want to end up with someone who would get mad and "pound" on her. Most of the wrinkles had to be ironed out before they got married. Joe's father (also Joe) bought the store around 1940. The small, rectangular white tiles were there from when that had been a pharmacy years ago. Then there was the first confectionery after which Joe, Sr. bought it. Joe Jr. didn't want any part of it and went off to Alaska and then the service but eventually came back to the store. Vi said that she had a time with Joe. She had to teach him a lot when it came to painting the place or making repairs. She knew how to do them but Joe's father had spoiled him. If Joe was supposed to do something his father would say, "Oh, no, not my boy. I'll do it." Now Joe was good at the cash register. He could count the receipts quite fast. Vi said that she could count them but she was more cautious and wanted to be sure that she'd done it right. Even when he was sick, Joe would come done and count them, telling her, "You're too slow."

When I read to her that Mary Sue had watched the store, Vi said that you could do that back then but you can't trust the kids today. She's figured the Lord has always kept an eye on her and been there when she needed him. She got sick a couple of years ago and went to her apartment, leaving the front door to the store open. She was talking on the phone to a brother who later told her she was making noises and he called 911. Well, the apartment was locked from the outside so it was a good thing the front door was open. She stays mostly in the apartment but occasionally goes to the store. Travis Miller and his wife run the Dairy Bar. She needs some repairs to her apartment and says that her brother is supposed to do them but she'll believe it when she sees it. She relies on friends to run errands and get groceries. A new neighbor from across the street, Joe Fugo, brought in all kinds of things for her. She insisted I have a piece of pie with her and so I did. She says she can't do that much, that she will start to clean then stop to rest and finish later.

For those of you who were in her life years ago, she and Joe were a part of yours. From what I've read already, Broad Oaks would have been the poorer without them. She told me of times when she would put in such long hours and barely make it to bed. Also, there is a machine in the Bar in which you would drop a coin and it would bounce off pins on its way to the bottom. If it landed in a certain spot, you won something. This was our first visit but she talked quite freely. She would love to see any of you when you get a chance. She may not remember your name but your family's name. Many years have passed and we've all changed. She's been alone since Joe passed away in 1988. It' s a little piece of Clarksburg that' s still here.




GETTING TO KNOW YOU

submitted by: John A Teter (WI '61)
name@server.com

EDITOR’S NOTE: I asked John Teter to be featured in the “GETTING TO KNOW YOU” section of this issue. John was very helpful in responding. I was in hopes that the readers would volunteer for this section, but I guess I will have to pick each month’s celebrity.

I am the recipient of Roleta’s request for a GETTING TO KNOW article for this month, and like Judy said last month - “Who can refuse Roleta?”. AND, I agree, as I think that Roleta has done wonders with the newsletter over the past years and continues to do so each and every month.

I grew up on Broaddus Avenue, at the lower end of Chestnut Street, with my sister Elizabeth Teter Akin and my brother Bob Teter. Broaddus Avenue is the only address that I could call home in Clarksburg as I was born while my parents were living there and my mother still lives there today, at the age of 86. My sister is 5 years older than I; my brother 2 years older. My sister lives in Collegeville, Pennsylvania; my brother lives in Kingsport, Tennessee.

I went to Pierpont Grade School; Central Junior High; and GOOD OLD WI and graduated in ’61.

After graduation, I went to Fairmont State College for 1 year. I decided that college was not what I REALLY wanted to do, so I got a job with Sutter Roofing Company for 3 months. It was a job working for Union Carbide in Anmoore, a place that had employed my Aunt Sarah Teter Lang; my father, Robert Teter; and my brother had worked there on a co-op scholarship for a time between 1962 and 1967. WELL, let me tell you, I was working in the DIRTIEST SECTION of the Carbon. THAT WAS THAT, and after three months of DIRTY DIRTY DIRTY, I left that job still not knowing JUST what I wanted to do with my life. I just knew that I did not want a job where I EVER had to get that DIRTY again.

My sister was living in the Washington, D.C. area with her husband and their newborn baby girl. SO, I decided to come to visit with them for 2 weeks and GUESS WHAT - that two weeks changed my life FOREVER. Here I am 40 years later, still enjoying the two week vacation that started in 1962, living in various parts of the Washington, D. C. area (mostly Virginia).

I have had various jobs over the 40 years that I have been in this area, but almost all of them have been in the computer field - programming, operations and supervision. I have been employed with my current employer for 22 years, and function as an AS400 programmer/analyst. Balmar is a printing company, the second printing company that I have worked for in my career.

I first married in 1970, had a son in 1973 (John-Michael), divorced in 1976 and remarried for a second time in 1999 and am still married to a lady by the name of Donna who was born in this area. I have known her for 32 years, as we were both employed with the same company for 7 years. Donna has a son, Joey, who was born in 1975. FUNNY fact: both of our sons are going to make us GRANDPARENTS in 2003; Joey in May; John-Michael in June.

I played an instrumental part in the class of 1961 finding all but 8 of their missing classmates for the 40th class reunion in 2001. Since the reunion, we have managed to find 3 more of our classmates and are in hopes of finding the 5 remaining MISSING CLASSMATES. Our next reunion is scheduled for 2006, and I hope that we are able to have as many attendees then as we did in 2001. It was also rewarding in my searching for my missing classmates to run across other names that were a big part of my growing up in Clarksburg; like, Barbara (Lainie) Zabeau, Mary Elizabeth Weaver, Mary Thompson, among MANY OTHERS. I have carried on E-mail correspondence with a lot of these people. I have also generated a LOCAL WI CLASS OF 1961 “mini-reunion” group that consists of 10 - 12 people that are living in the Northern Virginia area. We try to get together for dinner once every 3 - 4 months, and a GOOD TIME is had by all. If anyone is going to be in the Washington, D.C. area and would like for us to plan a dinner during your visit, just let me know. Nancy Swing and her husband were in the area in July FROM ITALY - we had a dinner; Elizabeth Swiger Layton and her husband were in the area in September - we had a dinner.




BIRTHDAYS

 5     Elizabeth Teter Akin (WI '56)     LibAkin@aol.com
 7    Mary Ann Conrad Cowger (WI '58)     mcowger@excite.com
 9     Helen House Fleming (WI '59)     jfleming@citynet.net
10     Bill VanVoorhis (WI '58)     bill.vanvoorhis@mail.wvu.edu
10    Erma Loria Uhle (WI '59)     ermauhle@aol.com
13     Delores Costlow Wall (WI '58)     kidneybean60@aol.com
15    Skip Bowie (WI '57)     sbowie11140@aol.com
16     Jayne Rose Ross (WI '57)     jynbilross@aol.com
26     Jim Martin (WI '59)       jem12641@hotmail.com
27    Jeanne Walters Muscari (WI '59)     hillbilly@rivnet.net
29     Jim Alvaro (WI '56)    jalvaro@aol.com
29     Karen Moffett Lattin (WI '59)     kmyer@harborside.com

ANNIVERSARY

23  Jean Wells (WI '59) & Dan Himmel   DAN-JEANHIMMEL@erols.com




UNION NATIONAL BANK

submitted by: Buzzy Floyd (VHS '56)
Floyds@lvcmcom

I didn’t submit a guess on November’s picture of the Union National Bank for December’s newsletter, but Freddie Layman’s pix of the lobby reminded me of when they sponsored a newscast on WBOY-TV. We used a large blow-up of that lobby as the news set, and as you can see in the 1934 picture, there was a large clock that was still there in the 60’s. We couldn’t have a clock behind the newsman during an evening newscast that was stuck on 3:00 o’clock, so we had to look all over town for a real clock that would cover the one in the picture. Then we always had to remember to set it for the eleven o’clock news and remember to plug it in.

Another memory I’d like to forget was when I was about thirteen, I was a stock boy for Thriftyway Drugs in North View. Parking downtown was hard to find, so Mr. Cavalier would send me in to the bank with his deposit while he drove around the block. Well, my mother only banked at Union National, so that’s where I deposited his money. Only problem was, his account was at Merchant’s bank across the street. Well, we got the money back, and it was all straightened out until the next time. Remembering my mistake, this time I took the deposit to Merchant’s. You guessed it, he had switched his account to Union National. That may have been the last time he trusted me with any money.



THAT PRECIOUS CHILD PICTURED IN THE DECEMBER ISSUE


      


EDITOR’S NOTE:---I really thought more of you would have recognized the picture of that little boy with the big sad eyes. A lot of people sure know Fred Alvaro. He knows everyone! Never meets a stranger! Friendly to one and all. I have never seen a person with as good a memory for people as Fred. Fred is my neighbor. Isn’t it amazing that two kids from the small town of Clarksburg would end up in Ohio, in the same town and on the same street?

submitted by: Bob Davis (WI '59)
RAD29063@aol.com

That is our class Secretary, Fred Alvaro. Fred and his brothers went to Alta Vista and they lived on Haymond Highway, very close to the North Pole Ice Plant. He was probably in the first grade in this picture. He was the Captain of the School Boy Patrol in the 6th grade. Now he is Roleta's neighbor in Ohio.



submitted by: Jim Alvaro (WI '56)
Jalvaro@aol.com

That precious child pictured in the December issue of the newsletter is my precious little brother Fred. Isn’t he precious? He is precious you know? Isn’t that a precious picture of my precious little brother?




WHO IS THIS PRECIOUS CHILD?



Do you know this precious child? Send your guesses to Roleta1@aol.com. Send a memory of the person also. Come on - guess --- I only publish correct answers!




HAIR YE, HAIR YE

submitted by: Mary Sue Clark Spahr (WI '56)
Msspahr@aol.com

Roleta,
You really want to hear about hair? Well, does anyone remember the terrifying electrical thing in the beauty shops of the 1940's with the cords dangling down and metal curlers on the ends? Believe it or not, this was used for creating a "permanent wave" in the hair. I have no idea what potions or solutions were used in addition to this frightful thing, but the end result was a kinky curl and hair that was nearly burned to a crisp. I never had one of those permanents in my hair. I probably feared for my life.

By the 1950's, we were being asked, "Which twin has the Toni?" Home perms had become an almost overnight success and were much less threatening than the antiquated electrical frizz-maker. However, the best of all hair was the natural curl look that came from lots of body and pin curls. There were a lot of girls in high school with beautiful hair. Most went to sleep in pin curls, a torture that we would not endure again in this lifetime.

Hey-
FROM THE EDITOR:
Where are you? Why haven’t you written? Are you reading this newsletter? I asked for help this month. I was hoping to do a big story about hairstyles that you remember from your past. Thanks Mary Sue for reading the newsletter and helping make the January issue a little more interesting. Got a subject that we can use to raise a discussion? Write and tell me …. I am drawing blanks.



NON WORKING E-MAILS

Sally Moshein Solomon (WI 1959) sally.solomon@attbi.com
Adhut@juno.com
amaceoh@webtv.net
bnite66@juno.com
jlemaste@wglore.com
jenxdan@yahoo.com
kmblizz@aol.com
jodickflorida@prodigy.net

If you know any of the people listed here, please notify them that their name has been deleted from the newsletter list. I will add them back when I am notified that the address is correct.


FRIENDS




MICHAEL ANGIULLI SR

submitted by: Buzzy Floyd (VHS '56)
Floyds@lvcmcom

The man in this Clarksburg Telegram article was our neighbor for many years in North View. I can still taste his mother’s spaghetti, the best I ever had, and I remember during the war when his brother, Ralph, who was our neighborhood air raid warden, would come around and tell everyone to turn out the lights because of unidentified airplanes heading our way. I wasn’t sure why they would want to bomb us, but I was scared anyway. I never knew about his combat experience until recently. He’s damn lucky to have survived three invasions in the South Pacific, especially Iwo Jima, the bloodiest battle ever fought by American troops.

AREA MAN BUSY BRINGING HISTORY TO LIFE FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
by Jennifer Biller
STAFF WRITER (The Clarksburg Telegram)

CLARKSBURG -- Sometimes pictures aren't just pictures. They're pieces of history. World War II veteran and retired fireman Michael Angiulli Sr. has turned his photo-collecting hobby into an educational lesson for the younger generation.

In the past five years, Angiulli has framed more than 100 American war, combat and Sept. 11 photos and donated them to Harrison County high schools. "We have both pictures on the walls and in books for display," he said. "The books are so students can leaf through them at their desks and see where Grandpa fought or where Cousin Sam got killed."

Currently, the photos are at South Harrison, Liberty, Robert C. Byrd and Bridgeport high schools. He is working on photos for Lincoln, Notre Dame and some of the middle schools. The photos are mostly of World War II, Korea and Vietnam. He has framed, matted and collaged them at his own cost. The reason is simple, Angiulli said. "The children in school didn't know hardly anything about where the wars were and where the soldiers died," he said. "It was really kind of discouraging."

As an effort to change things, he started the project. He wants the students to learn about the veterans while they're still alive. "I'm 78, and I was in the middle of World War II. Within 10 years, the fellas in World War II will just about be extinct," he said. "I think it's time we bring some attention to them. We need more education about this." He purchases photos at stores, yard sales or when traveling. Friends and family also send him pictures.

Robert C. Byrd High School senior Mike Thomas is grateful for Angiulli's contributions to the classroom. "I have a lot of respect for the fact that he did this to let us see what the past and present generations did and gave their lives for," Thomas said. "I'm greatly appreciative that he took the time to get these photos, frame them and bring them here," Thomas said. "The veterans have an understanding of war. Unfortunately, it takes something like Sept. 11 to make people appreciate them."

Teachers Peter Taylor and Willard Wheelock are using the photos to help teach history at RCB. "We've hung them in a prominent position. It adds something to the flavor when we're teaching military history," Taylor said. "They give us a reference point when we're talking about duty, honor and patriotism. These pictures display it." Wheelock will be using the photos in his World War II course. Angiulli is also going to speak to the class, Wheelock said. "The photos are exquisite," he said. "The kids need to talk to people like him who lived it, instead of just reading about it or watching it on TV."

Angiulli did an island-hopping tour of the Pacific during World War II. As a Marine, he invaded Iwo Jima, Guam and Bougainville. Afterward, he saw a newspaper picture of soldiers landing on the beach at Iwo Jima and noticed something familiar. "It turned out it was me," he said. "I had a pointed chin, bushy eyebrows and broken nose. It was taken by one of the correspondents."

Staff writer Jennifer Biller can be reached at 626-1449 or by e-mail at jbiller@exponent-telegram.com



DECEMBER TRIVIA PICTURE WAS:
PITTSBURGH PLATE GLASS COMPANY

submitted by: Mary Sue Clark Spahr (WI '56)
MSSpahr@aol.com

The Pittsburgh Plate Glass Factory was adjacent to the McNicol pottery plant in Stonewood or Nutter Fort (I don't know where the boundaries are). Our science club toured the factory when I was probably a junior (1955). We started the tour of the factory at the beginning of the process where the sand and silica mix was created. We then proceeded to the furnaces that heated the mix to over 2000 degrees F if my memory serves me correctly. From there the glass came out of the furnace in globs. It made its way, cooling rapidly, to the rollers where it was pressed out into plate glass. On the third level, I believe, the glasscutters waited. With asbestos gloves, (I am pretty sure they were asbestos) they cut the glass in the appropriate size and placed it on a stack. The glasscutters were considered a cut above (pun intended) the other workers in the process and were better compensated in wages.

My dad, a mechanic, was a hard worker, a very kind and gentle man. Mother got up with him every morning and packed his lunch. He carried one of those lunch boxes that approximated the shape of a coffin that had two latches on the front and a handle on the top. There was a place for a thermos inside. Dad always had to have his coffee and he went through thermos jugs like there was no tomorrow. The inside was made of glass as fragile as a Christmas ornament and the slightest bump would break the glass. Fortunately, replacement thermos jugs could be purchased without replacing the lunch box. Usually Mother would pack a sandwich in waxed paper, add some fruit and a couple of cookies unless she had made cake or pie. My dad was a small eater, so this sufficed.

No specific uniform was required so he wore cheap pants and a regular "work shirt" from “The Working Man's Store” on Pike Street. I never, ever saw my dad in jeans.

Dad always seemed to be content with his job. He had the respect of his co-workers and was a union officer much of the time. In retrospect, though, I know now that he was very intelligent and had the potential to do a lot more with his life if only the opportunities had been there.



submitted by: Freddie Layman (VHS '46)
Fgl46vhs@aol.com

The PPG plant was established in Clarksburg in 1914 and was known as works #12. It ceased operations in 1973. They started laying off workers a few at a time before shutting down. At closing time they manufactured television glass and flat clear glass. Most of their clear flat glass was shipped to North Carolina for mirrors in furniture. This state was their biggest buyer because of the high quality of the glass.

In 1936, during the depression days, they employed 715 male employees and 10 females for office work. As I was informed by a former employee there were no women working in the plant, but only in the office. Hazel Atlas Glass Plant in 1936 had 600 females and 1700 male employees. This plant at the time was the largest employer in the county.

A few years later the plant was demolished and is now Stonewood Industrial Park. Two of the tenants that I can think of off hand are the UPS [United Parcel Service] local distributing center and about three years ago the Stonewood Volunteer Fire Department moved there.

Another aerial view of PPG taken in early seventies now shows two [2] water tanks and three smoke stacks about the same height. Of course as the years went by many changes were made to the plant.

I forgot to mention that when the factory shut down the workers with the most years on the job had an option to transfer to Pennsylvania or Oklahoma. Several did so they could get a good pension. Those left out tried to find jobs elsewhere. The county commission hired six for me to supervise and the local board of education also hired a few.

EDITOR’S NOTE-Freddie guesses that this photo was taken about 1916. The photo is from an old post card. Do you have any postcards that you could copy and send us the picture? Or you could send the postcard, Judy or I will copy it and send it via mail to you the next day.
CONTACT: Roleta1@aol.com or jkimler@ezwv.com for mailing instructions of your pictures or postcards …THANKS



JANUARY TRIVIA PICTURE



Do you recognize this picture? Write your guesses to me and if possible tell us your memory of this place. Roleta1@aol.com


OBITUARIES

STEWART A. BABER

From September 1955 until May 1966, Stewart was a resident of Clarksburg, WV. He graduated from Washington Irving High School in 1961.

A service of remembrance for Mr. Stewart A. Baber, age 59, of Homosassa, was held on Saturday, December 7, 2002, at 4 p.m. at the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witness, Homosassa, FL.

Mr. Baber was born September 14, 1943, in Buffalo, NY, the son of L. Harding and Bettie Stewart Baber. He came to Homosassa from Harper Woods, Michigan, in 1998. He was a graduate of Fairmont State College in West Virginia and received his master's degree from the University of Michigan. He was retired from L'anse Creuse with the Michigan Public School District and at the time of his death he was working as a school counselor for Suncoast Elementary School in Hernando County. He was a member of the National Education Association.

He is survived by his wife, Lisa M. Parrish Baber of Homosassa; a son, Aaron S. Baber of Homosassa; a daughter, Sarah E. Baber of Homosassa; his father, L. Harding Baber (WI 1931) of Clarksburg, WV; a brother, Thomas Harding Baber of Ray, Michigan; and a sister, Pamela B. Schultz of Vienna, Virginia.

EXCERPTS FROM The Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram


C. RICHARD ESCHENMANN

C. Richard Eschenmann, age 60, died Dec. 29, 2002, at Milford Center, Milford, DE. Mr. Eschenmann was born in Clarksburg, WV, son of the late Charles Rowe and Ethel (Bucher) Eschenmann. He graduated from from WI in 1960 and Salem College in 1964. He was a school teacher at the DE Christian Academy for two years. He retired in 1995 as a school teacher at the Milford Middle School




CONTRIBUTE
PLEASE READ-VERY IMPORTANT


I receive many nice e-mails from people telling me how much they enjoy the newsletter. I appreciate all of the nice comments. However, I would like for you to put a little note in the letter that I could place in the newsletter. I have no writing staff-no reporters, no researchers --- just Judy and I. Basically I am sitting here in Ohio at my computer working with what you send. If you don’t send me any material for the newsletter, I have to come up with something each month. I do experience what some term “writer’s block”--- since I am not a writer --- I just consider it a “big brain block.” I compile a newsletter and Judy puts in all of the color, pictures and puts it on her website --- You see, we really need you! I am finding it harder and harder to do the newsletter. Please contribute. I put my e-mail address throughout the newsletter, all you have to do is click on my address and write to me … just that simple. Send me a thought, a memory, a comment, a picture or something you wish to be discussed. I have tried several subjects but I just don’t seem to be able to hit that one thing that sparks you to write. (Now hot dogs caused an avalanche of writings and memories.) Send anything for me to work with. Together we can do it, we have been doing it for three and a half years. Roleta1@aol.com







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