THE WI NEWSLETTER 07/04

THE WI NEWSLETTER

Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith

Issue 59

July 2004

SUMMER TIME AND THE MEMORIES ARE EASY
submitted by: Sherry Hutchison Keith (WI '64)
Skeith1514@aol.com
Summertime and old friends, home town, all seem to go together.

Remember daydreaming out the tall windows of school come May, crinolines hot, air stuffy and still, making paper fans to cool off and goof off. Everyone talking of plans for summer. Some belonged to the new pool in Stealey. But, sometimes all we girls would load up in my parents car and drive all the way to the Hideaway for the day!  What a long way it seemed, but so much fun. There was even a jukejoint down the dusty road where the jukebox cost only a nickel a song. We were in heaven!  (One time we saw Mr. Clemons, our Jr High science teacher in the pool with a girlfriend, we cannon balled them both! )

Never bored, Pam Jacobson and I "laying out "in the sun in our new suits only lasted minutes we were way too energetic to lay out and read. Some trips to the various lakes were always great (snapshot of Linda Rogers getting a rare sunburn.. lobster like..)

Lowndes Hill offered a wonderful cool breeze and such a magnificent view.. Some of us could even see our houses and neighborhoods from there...

Living in Hartland, of course had it's own summer memories such as Webb's Confectionary where Mrs. Webb, slower each year, made hotdogs that you couldn't eat just one of and you could always stop in for a hand dipped ice cream cones. My favorite was butter pecan, two scoops!   Walking the railroad trestle over the West Fork was a summer must do and the payoff was a back entry to the wonderful grassy grounds of the VA hospital. I guess we figured we were trespassing, but it was never discussed. Also in Hartland was the "boardwalk ", the newly creosoted steps taking you from Magnolia Avenue up the hill. It was the only way to go to Stealey where most every other one of my friends lived. Ask me how many times in a week I climbed those steps! Street corners in Hartland always held two or three neighborhood guys, Ronnie and Chipper Forythe for starters.  You might glimpse the college girls in for the summer like Connie Combs and her crew. Some days we girls would gather in Hartland and walk the tracks to town. There is another hot steamy memory... dusty tracks. We always called someone's mom for a ride home.

Evenings we would walk to some friend's house and listen to records then just walk around Stealey. We did a lot of walkin'.

Weekends would call for planning rides to the VFW on Fridays and the Bridgeport Civic Center on Sat. That is unless the Emeralds or some other local group was playing at the Hartland Youth Center. Remember Night Train was the song they always took a break with and it was always their last dance of the night.

Church on Sundays.. warm there too.. as I recall but breezy.
When we weren't doin' these things, we were always talkin' in the phone!

Long lazy summer days.. where did they go? I guess they belong to our grandchildren now.

A REMINDER
In order to receive the notification of the monthly newsletter, please write to Roleta1@aol.com, include your name, school and year you graduated or would have graduated. I do not send the newsletter to people who sign the GUEST BOOK unless they personally request the newsletter. If you wish to be removed from the notification list, contact me.

A TRIP DOWN MEMORY LANE

Check this out…sit back and enjoy! Several friends sent me this site.

http://www.singingman.us/DYR.htm

AN IMPORTANT QUESTION
PLEASE, PLEASE READ AND RESPOND
No one knows this answer? What did the B. stand for in the name Clay B. Hite? Scratch your head and try a little harder. Any guesses? This is a great trivia question and could be some fun! So come on, send me your guesses…..Send to Roleta1@aol.com. Remember, the person who came up with this question is willing to give a nice sum to the WIN scholarship. I have only received one guess and it was incorrect …. Come on, we need you to try! The scholarship fund needs that contribution!!!! The incorrect guess was Barnes! Got another suggestion?

NEWSLETTER POLICY

FROM: THE EDITOR--- Roleta1@aol.com

Sometimes a person may write something for the newsletter and I have to decide whether to use it now or hold it for another month. This is due to subjects, to length of articles, or to space and length of the newsletter for that month. If I am holding it, I try to remember to write to each contributor and inform them that their contribution will appear in a future edition. I would love to print everything sent to me each month but it is just impossible. I have to make decisions. I have to edit. That is my job! Sometimes I have to correct, rewrite or shorten something a person writes to the newsletter. I will not use any political, religious, racial or ethnic statements. That is not to say that you shouldn’t send them to me, I like reading them but I will not publish them. These are my policies.

MR. LOUIS TRAUGH
Remember Louis Traugh? Maybe you had him in Central Junior High School where he taught science. Maybe you had chemistry class in his classroom in WI. Well, Mr. Traugh is now about 80 years of age and having some health issues. He is sometimes confined to a wheelchair. I thought it would be nice if you would write to him or send him a “THINKING OF YOU” type card. I am sure he will remember a lot of his students. His mailing address is:

Lewis Traugh
143 Valley St
Salem, WV 26431

NEW ADDRESS

Debora Ferguson (WI '84)	deb_ferguson@earthlink.net
John Lee (WI '65)	pjlee@charter.net
Alexis Julian Scott (ND '65)	nunniescott@aol.com
Ron Talkington (WI '54)	rontalk@juno.com
Wayne Winters (WI '66)	wwinters@ix.netcom.com
Vaughn Williams McDonald (WI '56)	pastsnoop@charter.net
Nancy Andre Hatton (WI '52)	nandreh@localnet.com
Bill Pinella (WI '65)	pinellab@sonic.net
Chuck Holden (WI '64)	hold6670@bellsouth.net
Marty Elliott (WI '57)	elliott@panax.com
Dorothy Ann Hughes Shaffer (WI '52)	cshaffer@pathwaynet.com

CHANGE OF ADDRESS

Catherine Custer Burke (WI '52)	was krbur@aol.com
	now katieburke@citynet.net
Ron Ogren (WI '50)	RNOgren@aol.com
Judy Daugherty Kimler (WI '59)	jkimler@verizon.net
Ruth Anne Grimes Herold (WI '59)	ruthanne@dmv.com
Bob Hiller (WI '52)	thehiller2@sbcglobal.net
Marian McDonald Hiller (WI '53)	thehiller2@sbcglobal.net

VICTORY ALL CLASS REUNION JULY 31, 2004 submitted by: Dolores Maseda 1960

HI Everyone, I'm trying to help Sam Annie by spreading the word. He is again getting together an all class reunion that will again be at the 4H Center on Rt. 19 South (south of United Hospital), on July 31 from 10a.m. to 3p.m. Cost is $20/person for a catered lunch. If you don't want the lunch, I believe it is $5/person.

Send your checks to:
Sam Annie
204 Magnolia Ave.,
Clarksburg, WV 26301

or call him at 304-623-1100.

The last two years he has arranged this, and it's been great. Not only do you see your classmates, but you see friends from other classes. It's casual, and fun. Please try to make it. I don't live in Clarksburg, but plan to come and stay the night. I've already booked my hotel. So many out of state people come; you home town people have to try harder to make a better showing. Don't you miss us all??????

Love, and hope to see you, Dolores Maseda Monfradi.

LOST YOUR YEARBOOK?
submitted by: Catherine Custer Burke (WI '52)
katieburke@citynet.net
Lost your yearbook? I have one 1967 WI yearbook and one 1970 WI yearbook both in excellent condition with no writing. They belonged to my aunt, the late Miss Pearl Custer, school secretary.

I am searching for a 1926 Victory High School yearbook, my mother's class. Contact me and we can make arrangements concerning the yearbooks.

WEREN’T THEY A CUTE COUPLE?

Picture submitted by Sandra Zickefoose Lindke (WI 1956)
Pictured above are Gene Thomas (WI 1954) and Sandra Zickefoose (WI 1956). Photo was taken early during their engagement. They were married on March 2, 1956. Sandra graduated in May 1956. He was in the navy and was stationed with the USS Hornet (aircraft carrier).

THE BIG HEIST
submitted by: Harriett Danley VanVoorhis (WI '58)
Bill.VanVoorhis@mail.wvu.edu
In order not to offend anyone, but for the sake of old high school rivalries, let it be known that the following is written "with tongue in cheek":

I just had to respond to the article titled "The Big Heist". The author of said article questioned how Robert C. Byrd High School could have STOLEN the eagle symbol from Victory High School. As a graduate from Washington Irving High School, I want to say that I think it's a matter of perspective. My question is not how the eagle could have been stolen, but rather, how in the world did R.C.B. get STUCK with the symbol from our most bitter rival?!!

Some other late-night hangouts: Willow Beach, Little Rock, and Clique Club--great memories from all of them!

In the last newsletter, the question was asked if anyone remembered the price of admission at the movie theatres in town. I remember paying 21 cents at the Ritz and Robinson Grand and 17 cents at the Moore's Opera House. I don't remember what the price was at the Orpheum because I only went there a couple of times. Of course, those prices rose over the years.

EDUCATION
submitted by: Marianna Waroblak (WI '56)
mariannaW2001@yahoo.com
I am making a contribution to the WIN scholarship fund because I am an educator and I believe in education for all, no matter how we have to do it. I might add that sometimes, especially with today’s young people, we have to find a way to do it because these kids, due to home and media influences are a complex bunch. Many come with “baggage” and dysfunctions that we never experienced growing up. In many ways, they are sophisticated way beyond their years. Many of them deserve a choice. They are also electronic wizards to whom I go to teach me how to use the computer. They are often too wise.

THE BIRTHPLACE OF WEST VIRGINIA
Crossing the Potomac at Shepherdstown we can follow the footsteps of the first settlers who came to WV. The first permanent resident in what is now WV was likely to have been Morgan-ap-Morgan, a hardy Welshman. In 1727, he settled on Mill Creek in what is now Berkely County. That was way back in the days when a trip into the Alleghenies was a wild and dangerous adventure. Only a few years before, Alexander Spotswood and thirty cavaliers had discovered the Shenandoah Valley and the mountains which barred the way to the west.

From: “Know Your Own State”—copyright 1923 and distributed by Standard Oil Company (New Jersey).

FRIENDS TOGETHER AGAIN

Pictured above are Jim White (WI 1958) and Jane Stout (WI 1959) at the CLARKSBURG REUNION PICNIC which is held each March in Sarasota.

You too can see old friends at the summer picnic held at Nutter Fort Picnic grounds on August 28, 2004. The August picnic is for ALL WI ALUMNI. Plan to attend. Bring a covered dish to share, a folding chair for comfort, your own drink and a few dollars to put in the pot to help cover the cost of the picnic. Sharyn Cottrill McGahan is in charge of this picnic. She requests that you make reservations by writing her at mtmama41@msn.com. The time of the picnic is 11:00 AM to 4:00 PM or whenever you wish to leave. If you wish to arrive early, there are always things you can do to help.

YOUR PROJECT
This is an ongoing project for the readers of the newsletter. This isn’t a one time thing. I am committed to this. I feel very strongly about this. I am not going to let go of this idea. I am just sure that this is a good project for all of us to do together. I have stuck by doing this newsletter for 5 years; I will stick by this scholarship for as long as I am able. It is a joint effort….not my scholarship---this one belongs to you—THE READERS OF THE WI NEWSLETTER.

Do something for a young person in Clarksburg.

Make check payable to Roleta Meredith and send to:

Roleta Meredith
3025 Switzer Ave.
Columbus, Ohio 43219

Those who contributed to the fund in June are:

Marianna Waroblak (WI 1956)

Bill Bryan (RW 1957)

Pat Elder (Notre Dame 1957)

Pat Hardman Nicholson (WI 1956)

Bud Collins (WI 1955)

Chuck Thomas (WI 1956)

Sharon Greitzner Dial (WI 1956)

Babe Bisping Cashman (WI 1956)

Shirley Salisbury Dean (Monongah HS 1957)—

Yes, you read it correctly, Shirley heard about the scholarship fund I started and wanted to be a part of helping educate a young person in West Virginia.

No gift is too small. The donations all add up to a scholarship for a child.

Wouldn’t you like to help a young person prepare for the future? Come join us…it feels good to be a part of the scholarship.

FATHER’S DAY
submitted by: John Teter (WI '61)
JATeter@aol.com
The creation of a national day for Dads began back in the 1900s when a grateful daughter wanted to express her deep appreciation for her own father. A gentleman by the name of William Smart, a civil war veteran, was widowed when his wife died in childbirth. Mr. Smart raised his six children on a rural farm in eastern Washington State. When Sonora Louise Smart Dodd, one of Mr. Start’s children, was grown she wanted to show her appreciation for her father. He had shown her a great love and strength in raising her and her siblings as a single parent. So, in 1909, she proposed a day to honor her father in June (the month of her father's birth).

The very first Fathers' Day followed on June 19, 1910 in Spokane, Washington. In 1924, President Calvin Coolidge showed support of this becoming a national holiday. However, it wasn't until 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson officially proclaimed Fathers' Day a national holiday to be celebrated on the 3rd Sunday of June.

Harry C. Meek, president of the Lions Club in Chicago, was also a component in establishing Fathers' Day. He gave several speeches around the United States expressing the need for a day to honor our fathers. In 1920 the Lions Clubs of America presented him with a gold watch, with the inscription "Originator of Fathers' Day".

Source: Fathers' Day at Web Holidays

submitted by: Dick Hanifan (WI '59)
RKHanifan@aol.com
Historic Homes & Buildings
"Father's Day Church", the 301 Fairmont Avenue, Fairmont, WV 26554, 304-366-3351, Central United Methodist Church, also known as "The Father's Day Church", is the descendant church of Williams Memorial Methodist Episcopal Church, where the first observance of Father's Day was held on July 5, 1908.

Research source: Google.com

submitted by: Buzz Floyd (VHS '56)
Floyds4@cox.net
I believe that, after Mother's Day started in Grafton, the good folks of Fairmont decided they didn't want dads to be left out so they started Father's Day. They probably didn't want Grafton to have one up on them either.

submitted by: Jody Buffington Aud (WI '77)
jbuffaud@comcast.net
My 8 year old daughter just had to pick a state to study for her 2nd grade project. She selected WV, because her mom grew up there and she has a pen pal from there (we live in Baltimore, MD). I always knew that the first Mother's Day was celebrated in Grafton, WV. What I found out was later the same year, Fairmont, WV celebrated the first Father's Day. I don't think they ever taught us THAT in school.

submitted by: Penny Fish Wolverton (WI '58)
bpwolv@webtv.net
My husband and I lived in Fairmont, WV for 30 years . We recently moved back to Clarksburg. The first Fathers Day was celebrated in Fairmont, WV at Central Christian Methodist Church. I do not know what year it started. Each year the Fairmont church celebrates this event.

PRECIOUS CHILD FOR JUNE
submitted by: Jane Stout Galvin (WI '59)
jognjsg@aol.com
The precious child for June is definitely Sallie Holden. We were great friends all through elementary school so I would know that adorable face anywhere. I got to see Sallie at the Florida reunion for the first time in about 30 some years. It was great!

Sallie’s picture was also recognized by her sister, Judy, Sallie’s brother, Chuck, and Corinne Tannenbaum Levy.

Thanks for playing the game.

We are running out of pictures for the TRIVIA PICTURE game and the PRECIOUS CHILD game. I hate to discontinue this section as it seems to be very popular with you readers. However, if you don’t send us some pictures, we will not be able to continue. Please contact me at Roleta1@aol.com or Judy at jkimler@verizon.net for instructions on how to send the pictures to us…we will return them to you ASAP.

PRECIOUS CHILD FOR AUGUST

Do you know the identity of the child pictured above? Write your guesses to Roleta1@aol.com.

TRIVIA QUESTION IN THE JULY NEWSLETTER
What was the name of the man from WV who was elected Vice President of the USA?

ANSWER: Henry Gassaway Davis, born in Baltimore, was from West Virginia when he ran for the vice-presidency on the Democratic ticket in1904. However, he was not elected. There has never been a person from WV elected president or vice president of the USA.

STRANGE HAPPENINGS
submitted by: Marty Elliott (WI '57)
nomar5@nc.rr.com
Some of us have lived most of our lives and each of us must have had one or more weird experiences in our lives – something odd or unusual. Here’s a much shortened version of mine.

While having our house built in Goodhope in 1976, we rented a small cottage at Lowther’s farm between West Milford and Lost Creek. We had returned one evening from my sister, Sharon’s, house in Clarksburg where we had celebrated our son, Eric’s, first birthday. I had to walk out to the doghouse in the yard to check on our dog before we went to bed. As I was returning to our rented cottage I studied the night sky as I always did in those days and started through the door. I went no further and returned outside to stare at a very bright immobile star. I didn’t recall ever seeing that star before. As I stated at this star for some time I remember thinking, “move, because you don’t belong there”. All of a sudden it began moving very slowly at first and then faster. I yelled to my wife and she and my older son and two neighbors, Linda and Amy Lowther, came out in time to see the “star” racing across the sky. From that night forward I have believed in thought transference. I have no doubts about it. This is the strangest thing that ever happened to me during my life.

WHY DO YOU READ THE NEWSLETTER?

Next month (August) the newsletter will be 5 years old! Let’s have a birthday party! I love parties, especially the ones with gifts. John Teter (WI 1961) suggested this as a subject for discussion. You have plenty of time, about 3 weeks to tell me why you read the newsletter, what part do you like best, and what would you like to see in the newsletter.
SO STUDENTS----this is your assignment! . Write to Roleta1@aol.com.

SHARING MY MEMORIES
submitted by: Ada Pinion Trupo (WI '44)
Wvagata @aol.com
Roleta, thank you so much for the very nice June and Fathers Day newsletter. You do a fantastic job. We should honor and remember our Wonderful Fathers. My dear wonderful caring Dad was 99 years old when he passed away. Roleta I will let you know more about our Class of 1944 sixtieth class reunion to be held in August. We have lost so many of our classmates.

I remember all the movie theaters in Clarksburg. I use to go to the different ones "The Robinson Grand Theater", “The Warner Ritz Theater”, "The Moores Opera House" and "The Orphueum Theater". I remember the price that I used to pay was not more than 25 cents. Some times I would sit through the movies twice. I used to go every Sunday afternoon. I grew up in the Glen Elk section of Clarksburg and we would walk across the 6th Street bridge or the 4th Street bridge. I remember the B&O, the Coca Cola Company, The Imperial Ice cream Co, The Carmichael Auditorium and many other places that are gone. We would walk every where. We would all go to church on Sunday morning after church Mom would prepare dinner usually spaghetti and meat balls, chicken or roast beef. We would all sit down to dinner together. There were 7 in our family. After dinner we would do the dishes, clean the kitchen then off my sister and I would go to the movies.

We walked every where we went. I attended Towers School, Central Jr. High and WI. I remember so much about Clarksburg, WI and many places and people. So many are gone but not forgotten

I hope this is not too long. I just wanted to reminisce a little. I think I have written enough for now. I hope you all enjoy and Roleta thank you again, it is so nice to remember our past and look to the future. Roleta, I also wanted to let you know I ended up marring a Victory High School Graduate, and we have been together almost 58 years.

Take care and God Bless With Love, Ada

COST OF A MOVIE IN THE 50’S IN CLARKSBURG, WV
submitted by: Gloria Caruso Shaffer (WI '58)
mshaffer@ma.rr.com
Regarding the cost a movie, I can remember when I was about 11 or 12 going to the movies with 26 cents. Twenty-one cents was for the cost of the movie and the nickel was for a candy bar. Those days are long gone, but it is fun to think about them.

submitted by: Mrs. Snider (Mannington HS '49)
bettyboopdodge@aol.com

From the information given out in WV, the first Fathers Day was in Fairmont, WV. They celebrate the day every year in the church, I don't remember which one church. I am the mother of Teresa Snider Fazio, WI 1967 and John R.Snider, WI 1969.

I graduated from Mannington High School in 1949. I enjoy the newsletter as I have been in Clarksburg since 1958 and see a lot of names I know.

I bought and lived for several years in M. McConkeys home on 7th Street. He left the house to WV Wesleyan College and I bought it from them . When he retired the teachers gave him 50 rose bushes. There were still some of them in the yard.

Thanks for all the work you put into news letter.

submitted by: Ron Talkington (WI '54)
rontalk@juno.com

I got your e-mail address from message forwarded to me by my lifelong friend, Bill Brassine. I had told him I was interested in receiving the newsletter after he told me of it. Please add me to the list. I'm a 1954 grad of WI. I grew up in Broad Oaks.

submitted by: Martha Pulice Williams (WI '64)
Mwilliams9@msn.com

Roleta, thanks for your e-mail. I was born and raised in Glen Elk and so were my three brothers and sister. We had our family, relatives and so many friends like the Patsy's, Mazza's, Fiber's, Lover's, Fox's, Capage's, Oliverio's, Tiano's and Secret's, DeMarco's and The Costello family. Hey! Life was good. I was so fortunate.

We had it made, dodge ball, kick the can, shoot marbles, roller skate, potato roasts, and remember spin the bottle? AH! the GOOD OLD DAYS............

Who can forget the Purple Tree where we danced the night away. It puts a SMILE on my face to go back in time! I hope you have a safe and happy summer

submitted by: Deb Yorgensen (PCHS '69)
dyorgensen@cox.net

Please, oh please, put me on your notification list. I was so tickled to find your web page. I called one of my ex-husbands to tell him all about it. I will probably call the other one too!!! Randy Queen - WI' 74/Roger Caplinger - WI '70. Randy is going to tell his sister, Cathy Queen, about it - I don't know who Roger will tell, probably his wife, Marsha (who graduated with Cathy Queen and was married to - I can't remember his name). We lived in Goff Plaza - my oldest son went to WI but we moved to Arizona in 1988. I was just trying to find a way to order pepperoni rolls so my newest husband could taste them - he has never even heard of them (can you believe that!!!). Just reading the newsletter makes me so homesick. Moving to Arizona in 1988 was really an experience in culture shock!!!

I didn't go to WI but my two ex-husbands did (Roger Caplinger '70 and the notorious Randy Queen "74). (I am from Parkersburg/Buckhannon). However, my mom and my aunt were drum majors there in the mid-40s - Jeannie and Margie Reed. They lived on Chestnut Street. My grandpa was the night manager at the Gore Hotel.

My oldest son went to WI but we moved here before his junior year (Graham Caplinger) so he finished out his high school years at Saguaro High School.

Seeing the picture of Main Street was so neat - I worked on the top floor of the Goff Building as a legal secretary for Dick Wolfe (WI '78?). Smelling Sonny's hoagies during the Italian Festival was probably the best smell in town, besides the burning coal smell and salt-rising bread (nobody out here has ever heard of it, but Randy's cousin (who also lived out here) made it for me every time we would visit. I am going to order pepperoni rolls from D'Annunzio's so my present (and last!!!) husband can taste them - he has never heard of them either. When I drove cross-country with my boys 20 years ago, we took bags of Home Industry pepperoni rolls with us - they got us clear to Denver and back!!! They also made the best raisin cookies. One really sweet little (she was) lady made me Christmas tree ornaments from the raisin cookies - she shellacked them and gave them to me - she knew how much I liked them. I could go on and on! I am so glad I found your web site.

submitted by: Judy Allen Hutson (WI '56)
judithahutson@webtv.net

Sorry I missed commenting on Mr. Kenneth Cubbon. When I was a freshman at WI, Mary Berger Dance Studio students put on an assembly sometime that year (1952/53) . At the end of the year when we received our yearbooks I went to Mr. Cubbon and asked if he would write something for me. When I read what he wrote it brought tears to my eyes for he had written "if I could have drawn I would have put you on a stage". Since I was one of Mary Berger's students that meant the world to me. I never became a star but I always remembered what he was kind enough to write in my yearbook.

submitted by: Bud Smith (WI '55)
Bud.smith@verizon.net

Roleta, Sorry I missed last month’s trivia question. I attended Third Grade at RW (Second Grade at the one room school up the hill from RW.) If you will look closely at the picture of RW, you'll notice a low pipe railing along the walk. One day while walking this railing, I found out the hard way it was taller than my legs. A very "excruciating" experience. :-) We moved to Phillipi Pike and I attended Linden, Fourth thru Sixth. Second floor windows to the right is Fifth Grade room and to the left was Sixth. I still remember how hard Ms. Fossit could spank. That woman did not have a sense of humor. She didn't like my pranks at all. Especially the day I let Fred Butcher have the point of my shoe. (Never mind it had a thorn stuck in the sole.) Fred didn't think it was very funny either. Oh, the memories those pictures bring back.

Any way, thought I would share the above with you.

NO 1958 CLASS REUNION BUT THEY WILL GET TOGETHER
submitted by: Beverly Morris Hissong (WI '58)
wrhisson@smsd.org
Looks as if a reunion for the class of "58" just won't happen this year, so several of the very fit members of that class are going to meet at the Clarksburg 10K the weekend of July 31st in order to run, walk, or crawl in the race; then have fun, if able, afterwards. We will have an informal get-together some place. Would love to see all those wonderful people we miss. Please contact me at this e-mail address.

TOPICS SUGGESTED FOR NEXT MONTHS NEWSLETTER
submitted by: Dave Rowe
I don't have any pictures of building or schools. I do have a suggestion for a thread, which you might find appealing. Hanging out at the Stealey Playground or Gary Bailey's backyard from the time that I could walk. I use to marvel at stories told by the older guys of pranks that happened at this magical, mystical place on the hill called WI. I heard stories of Damon Ruyon characters like Charlie Pritchard riding a motor cycle through the halls of WI and being expelled from school. Or Jim Long and Ron Chartrand shall I say procuring a car? Who can forget Mel Muntzing inserting a snowball in back of a coed’s gym shorts while she bent over the water fountain for a drink that set adjacent to the side door on the girl’s side of the first floor…only to find much to his chagrin that the student was the girl’s assistant gym instructor. He was expelled from school for a year. I know that I would love to hear some old stories again. Share them with all the readers by writing them to the newsletter---Roleta1@aol.com.

Again thank you for your newsletter.

CARLILE GRADE SCHOOL A FEATURED SUBJECT FOR THE AUGUST ISSUE
Okay, all of you people who attended Carlile, let’s see how much you enjoyed your time there. Here are a few suggested topics: tell me about your favorite teacher, did you move from class to class during school or did every subject studied take place in the same classroom? Who was the principal? Can you name your teachers? Did you have recess out doors on a playground? Did you go out to recess no matter the weather conditions? Did you have a lunchroom or did you go home for lunch? Did you ride a bus to school or did you walk? Who was your best friend? Were you in the patrol boys group? I don’t think many school had patrol girls….if you were a patrol, what were some of your experiences? Write about any other memories of your days at Carlile School. Each month I would like to give space to hearing about your days in elementary school. I will feature one school each month. Last month it was Linden, next month it will be Carlile. So write and tell me----also, someone please write and tell me the name of your school so I won’t miss it. I didn’t know all of them.

Write to: Roleta1@aol.com.
Thanks

A SUGGESTED TOPIC
Do you remember traveling on a Greyhound bus? Where did you go? Write your memories to Roleta1@aol.com. It would be nice to have a lot of your memories of your trips to report in a future newsletter.

TRIVIA

What is the state motto for West Virginia? Send your answers to
Roleta1@aol.com.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I was sent the article below by one of our readers. The article is about street cars. Since we haven’t had many memories sent to the newsletter about street cars, I thought that this article might jog some of those memories for you and you would be willing to share with our readers. I wrote to Jim Stout and asked him if he would allow me to publish this article in this month’s newsletter. He agreed. This article is longer than I like to put in the newsletter but I think those of you who remember the street cars will enjoy this little trip down memory lane. I did not cut his story as he is submitting it to a magazine for publication and since I requested to run it, I thought it best to leave it in contact. To the others of you who submitted stories this month…watch for them in future newsletters. Now, don’t let me down---send me those street car memories…Write to Roleta1@aol.com.

CLARKSBURG - WESTON STREETCAR (The West Penn Traction System)
WI NEWSLETTER GUEST WRITER
submitted by: Jim Stout Indianapolis, IN (Weston High school 1948)
Jsstout@juno.com
I look at the clock, and occasionally it will read 6:08 or 7:38 or 9:08. Always when it reads one of those numbers, a progression of one and a half hours, I think of the street car schedule at Lost Creek, Harrison County -- every hour and a half from 6:08 a.m. until 12:08 midnight you Could catch a car for Clarksburg or Weston, or points in between, such as Brick Church, Mt Clare, McWhorter, County Line, Jane Lew,Jackson's Mill.

At Lost Creek there was a "passing siding", where the north-bound and south-bound trolleys could pass. They were long enough to allow an occasional trolley "freighter" to pass as well. These freighters might carry tank cars full of "drip gas" gasoline collected by Hope Gas Co. at the river crossing by Jackson's Mill, or hopper cars with sand and gravel ballast for the roadbed.

Pranksters sometimes played a cruel trick on the conductor of the 10:38P.M. south-bound car in Lost Creek after home basketball games. They would grab the rope and pull the trolley wheel off the wire just as the door closed and the car started to move. The poor conductor was forced to stop the now-dark car, open the door, and walk along the track to the back and place the wheel on the wire again. Sometimes the prankster would repeat this more than once. It sounds more dangerous than it actually was, but it was not funny for the poor conductor.

Many students rode the trolley to High Schools in Clarksburg, Lost Creek, Jane Lew, or Weston. During my senior year I commuted by this mode from Lost Creek to Weston, where more math and science subjects were offered. Because WHS was out of my county of residence, it was necessary to pay tuition. The fare was graduated by "zones" ... the trip to either Clarksburg or Weston was five zones ... fare was 7 cents per zone in 1947- 48. "Stops" were established with platforms every mile or two, but sometimes an obliging conductor would stop to pick up or discharge a passenger at "your lane." Students could buy a book of tickets at some slightly reduced fare ... perhaps 5.5 cents per zone. These could not be used except on school days. Perhaps there was another book for adult commuters, as well.

Driving distance on the old narrow, crooked roads from Lost Creek was ten miles to Clarksburg or Weston, and took about 25 minutes, if you didn't have a flat tire, always a concern during WW2, when tires and gasoline were also rationed.

Some people living in Lost Creek and Mt. Clare rode the streetcar to Clarksburg every day for work, or perhaps to Jane Lew to the glass factory. 4-H campers could ride to Jackson's Mill with their suitcases for three zones, walking to the beautiful Mt. Vernon Dining Hall from just across the river from the old Mill.

An inexpensive evening's fun could be had by riding to Jane Lew and watching the glass blowers through the windows at the glass factory just next door to the streetcar station. Sometimes, the few times we had money burning a hole in our pockets, we would ride to Jane Lew to see the movie, a short block from the station, and when the film was over we could double our pleasure by watching the glass blowers at work, dipping their long tubes into the molten glass and then blowing some ornate object in a mold as they rolled the gather with their hands.

I bought my first bicycle in Clarksburg, after getting permission from the war time"ration board", and carried it home to Lost Creek on the streetcar at no extra cost. Freight such as this was allowed, and a special "baggage and freight” existed on all of the trolleys for just such freight. On early morning runs, the conductor, who was also the motorman, made many stops at special farm plat-forms to pick up cans of cream for the creamery in Clarksburg.

The cars were well lighted, and comfortable, with "swinging" seat backs that let almost everybody ride facing forward. The windows could be opened in the summer for cooling air, and in the winter, heat was available from electric heaters under the seats, which was not quite enough for below-zero weather.

In Clarksburg, you could (for 1 cent, I think) get a "transfer" when you boarded one of the "city" lines, which would allow you to take another car to Grasselli, or Stealey. From the traction terminal on (below) Sixth Street you could connect to Shinnston or Bridgeport, even Fairmont, if my memory is right.

In Weston, the streetcar terminal allowed the passengers to disembark under a roof, and was located just a half block from the center of town on Main Street, between 2nd and 3rd Streets.

The trolleys were taken off these runs about December of 1947, and the service was offered in brand new Brill buses. The copper trolley wires were taken down and perhaps sold for scrap, and the rails and rolling stock were sold to some traction company in South or Central America, according to rumors.

Clang, Clang, Clang went the trolley.

TRIVIA ANSWER
The question in the June newsletter was:
What store in Clarksburg used "The Store Ahead" as it’s “motto”. On what article was the motto printed?

The answer from James Frum… (WI 1956) jamesfrum@yahoo.com

The answer, with pleasure: Melet's. I have a wooden coat hanger, which dates from the early 1950's, which came with me to Strasbourg in 1990.

Spring has sprung here.

TRIVIA PICTURE
EDITOR’S NOTE: Judy and I never thought so many people would recognize this picture…but it must have been a popular spot and very recognizable to many of you. Please check your pictures and see if there is a picture of a site we could use for this section. We can even use it if there are people in the picture. This is a popular section of the newsletter but due to lack of pictures we may soon have to end this segment. Write to Roleta1@aol.com or jkimler@verizon.net for directions on how to send your pictures.

Correct answer was either Morocco or Matador Club as it changed names a few times.

submitted by: Martha Pulice Williams (WI '64)
mwilliams9@msn.com
This looks like Lou Lou's Place that use to be in Glen Elk at the end of the 4th Street bridge. I crossed that bridge with my brothers and sister many times going home. The newsletter brings back so many good memories.

submitted by: Freddie Layman (VHS '46)
Fgl46vhs@aol.com
Is your June trivia photo of the former "Morocco Club" located at the end of the 4th Street Bridge, Glen Elk. Course the front of the building has been changed if this is the club. Sure looks like it from a few years back.

submitted by: Mary Sue Clark Spahr (WI '56)
MSSpahr@aol.com
Roleta,
You continue to amaze me with your fine newsletter month in and month out. Thank you for my connection with the past.

I am going to take a shot in the dark with this picture though I am confused that the building is boarded up. I'm wondering if this is a recent picture of something that used to be. I am going to guess this is a place called the Matador at the edge of the 4th St. Bridge going north toward the train station. Across the street would have been the Greyhound Bus Station. I have no memory whatsoever of the Matador, but I have ever so many memories of the bus station and coming home from Baltimore (nursing school) and then going back. It seems to me that as the bus would pull out of the station, this building would be facing us.

submitted by: Bill Pinella (WI '65)
pinellab@sonic.net
That one is too easy - Lou's Matador in Glen Elk. I will furnish some anecdotes later for you, but for now I wanted to be the first to guess the photo.

The theme song on the jukebox that owner Lou Tiano would never, ever take off: "That's Life" by Sinatra.

submitted by: Dave Rowe (WI '62)
dcrowe@labyrinth.net
The trivia picture is the Matador (known as the Murder Door). It was called the Casablanca before that. I might have known Melinda Sutter would post a picture like that.

Really enjoy your newsletter.

submitted by: Jim Pulice (WI '62)
Jpulice@msn.com
Thank You and Melinda for the picture of the Morocco Club...later changed to the Matador Club. I worked there for Lou Tiano. What great times! Lou Lou as we called him was a great guy. I enjoyed working for him. I spent so many wonderful times there. Salem College was at the Waldo then and the kids would always come over. On weekends the crowd was so big you could not get inside. Once a male student went into the building next door which were old apartments and was never heard from again. One time a rope was tied to the railing next to the Club and a man jumped off the bridge, taking his life. I had just driven under that bridge on my way to work that morning, if I had looked up I would have seen him hanging there.

submitted by: Jim White (WI '72)
BKCavguy@aol.com
I think the photo is of the Morocco Club, which was on the Glen Elk side of the 4th Street Bridge. I used to have a paper route over there (when I was at Central Junior - seems like a thousand years ago).

My Dad was fireman for the Clarksburg Fire Department and he had a great story about a fire there in the late 50's or early 60's. It seems that the club was decorated with crepe paper. When they were battling the fire, the crepe paper suddenly caught fire and a "wall" of fire encircled the ceiling. Of course, as soon as the paper was all burned, the "wall" of fire disappeared. The firemen (including Dad) who were in the Club at the time didn't realize that it was the crepe paper decorations burning and they all tried to run out through the door at the same time. I guess it looked like a 3 stooges sketch with several firemen trying to get through the door at the same time.

submitted by: Jody Buffington Aud (WI '77)
jbuffaud@comcast.net
That looks like the old Matador Lounge. Remember a few nights there with friends, when I was home from college in the summers.

submitted by: Bill Phillips (WI '60)
Captbill2001@aol.com
The Morocco where I bought my first legal beer. The place where the guys that worked for my father at Kroger would often take me. I was 18. The head man was Lou Tiano. He is still in business but the place is now known as the Morocco Club. He does a great job. I do have to say that besides a few others, I was one of the few to cross the bridge at that time. Next door to it was Raymon’s Purple Tree, but it came years later when Salem College moved into the Waldo Hotel.

submitted by: Bobby Secret (WI '60)
RLSecret@aol.com
Roleta, A wonderful job, so refreshing and enchanting to rekindle the “GOOD OLD DAYS”. This is the Morocco Club owned by Lou Tiano. I know because in the middle sixties we would not close the joint until we sold $100.00 worth of bottled beer at 25 cents a bottle. That is almost 20 cases. It was quite a place.

On a different subject, I would like to know if anyone has more roots on the hill than I. My mom went there in the thirties, I walked the halls in the sixties, my daughters attended in the nineties and my wife teaches at WI Middle school now.

This would be an interesting topic for discussion. You might get a good response for the newsletter. Keep up the great work---Bobby.

submitted by: Debora Iaquinta Ferguson (WI '84)
lytledebi@mindspring.com
I can't believe that photo! Of course, it's without a doubt Lou's-"The Matador", in beautiful Glen Elk, WV. That is no longer there but has moved up the street.

Well, I used to walk across that bridge (4th or 6th St?) to my grandparent's restaurant to work at after school, and while I always asked what that place was as a little girl, I was always told, that girls weren't allowed in there. Not that I ever went in there, but who doesn't know "Lou"?

Good to see it again! Not that I was ever allowed in there. Thanks for the newsletter Roleta! I totally enjoyed it!

Others who guessed correctly: Betty Rossini (WI '57) Marcia DeMarco Wyant (Bridgeport '77), Jim Alvaro (WI '56) , Carolyn Pinella Warne (WI '59), Sonny Talkington (WI '57), Gladys Williams (WI '71).

TRIVIA PICTURE FOR JULY

If you recognize the above picture, please send your guess to Roleta1@aol.com. Remember I do not publish incorrect guesses. Please include a memory with your guess.---only the correct guesses with a memory included will be printed.

MR FREDERICK
submitted by: Sonny Talkington (WI '57)
Sonny57talking@aol.com

Did you know that Mr. Jack Frederick, American History teacher, lives in Shinnston, WV and is now 90 years of age? His mind is sharp as ever; however his body has weakened (like most of us.) He is in a nursing home in the Shinnston area. I thought everyone might like to hear he is still doing well.

WI RENOVATIONS
submitted by: Alexis Julian Scott (ND '65)
nunniescott@aol.com
Dear Roleta - My name is Alexis Julian Scott and my brother is Anthony Julian (WI 1959). When WI changed to a middle school I was transferred there as a sixth grade teacher. Here are some of the changes that occurred:

The front steps are no longer used, there are two cement benches at the top of these steps in memory of some class and they are both going to crumble away.

They lowered all of the ceilings and enclosed all of the stairwells, which greatly prevents any air flow. The old lights are now glaring and the windows have all been replaced. I think the saddest part is the beautiful woodwork and doors that are now in such disrepair. There are very few doors that lock (which pose a real safety problem). The band room is in the bottom basement along with tech Ed.

The first floor has been divided into classrooms with no windows. The school has about 700 students and is truly overcrowded.

One nice thing we finally got new seats for the auditorium and everyone says they look wonderful, if the kids will only take care of them. The library is upstairs but has also been trimmed in size.

The beautiful old teacher desks are still being used in some rooms and the outside is maintained by the Leo club and a few teachers. But the neighborhood has turned into many apartments that are not well-kept and the kids just don't seem to have the pride that once separated Washington Irving from the other high schools in the county.

There are many things I am not aware of because I attended Notre Dame (65) but teaching there you could sense that this was a school that many passed through with pride and an excellent education.

I love your site and have shown it to my children who graduated from WI in '87,'91,'96 and my baby from RCB in 2000.

Thanks for all of your hard work and dedication to this site.

OBITUTARIES
RESTAURATEUR 'SONNY' OLIVERIO DIES by: JULIE PERINE STAFF WRITER

Peter Anthony "Sonny" Oliverio, 65, owner and founder of Oliverio's Ristorante, passed away at his home Tuesday morning, following a six-year battle with cancer.

Oliverio and his wife, Shirley, opened a drive-through ice cream store in 1965, which evolved into "Sonny's Restaurant" in 1966. Where it seated 23 people and also served pizza and hoagies.

After substantial renovations and additions, Oliverio's Ristorante, as it is known today, is one of the area's most prominent Italian restaurants.

Via Veneto, a banquet facility, and Oliverio's Ristorante on the Wharf in Morgantown are Oliverio's latest business ventures.

"Sonny has been a great example of the American dream. He built his business from scratch and it has been a real family effort," Dr. Dino Colombo said. "Oliverio's has been a real anchor in Bridgeport."

While attending Roosevelt-Wilson High School, Oliverio was involved in a number of sports, including baseball, which he played at West Virginia University.

Born in Clarksburg and raised in East View, Oliverio was the son of Ann Lopez Oliverio and the late Peter Mario Oliverio.

Excerpts from the Clarksburg Exponent newspaper.

MARY CLYDE STEPHENS
Mary C. Stephens, 69, of Broaddus Avenue, Clarksburg, died Tuesday, June 8, 2004. Mrs. Stephens was retired from Huntington Bank. She was born in Clarksburg June 25, 1935, a daughter of the late Clyde E. and Pansey Belle Wyatt Mason. Surviving are two daughters, Ruth Ann Ash, Wheeling, and Carolyn Legg, Winfield and five grandchildren. Also surviving is one sister, Ruth M. Terry, Willis Wharf, Virginia.

Excerpts from the Davis Funeral Home site.

MARJORIE R. SHINGLETON
Marjorie R. Shingleton, 69 of Nutter Fort, died June 8, 2004. She was born December 16, 1935. Daughter of the late Alex Kroll and Pauline (Poluck) Kroll who survives in Stonewood She is survived by her husband Jack Shingleton and their son Jackie Also surviving are her sister and brother. Marjorie was a graduate of WI with the Class of 1953. She retired from Consolidated Gas Company and the Hope Gas Co. in May 1993.

MARIE JOYCE "MARY JO" BETO
Marie Joyce "Mary Jo" Beto, 65, of Broadway Avenue, Clarksburg, died afternoon, June 10, 2004. She was born on September 13, 1938, in Clarksburg, a daughter of the late John and Rose (Roda) Oliverio.

She is survived by her husband of 45 years, Joseph F. Beto, whom she married December 3, 1959.

Also surviving are 4 children, Michael Joseph Beto, Michele Marie Beto, John Christopher and his wife Sheena Beto, and Jodi Lynn Beto Paugh, all of Clarksburg; and several grandchildren.. Her brother, John "Boogie" Oliverio Jr. and his wife Sally of Maple Lake, Bridgeport, and several nieces and nephews complete the family.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by a sister, Constance "Tootsie" Sivillo. Mary Jo was a graduate of Washington Irving High School and had worked at Broida's Clothing Store.

DOROTHY BELLE DAVIS
Dorothy Belle Davis, 90, of Salem died May 30, 2004. She was born in Clarksburg, February 1, 1914 a daughter of the late Abram V. and Bertha Holden Upton. She was preceded in death by her husband J. Bond Davis whom she married June 17, 1936.

Surviving are one son, Edward B. Davis, Salem and several nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by one brother Arthur Upton and three sisters, Helen Upton, Gladys Merryman and Frances Custer.

Mrs. Davis graduated from Victory High School in 1931 and was a graduate of West Virginia University in 1934 with a major in English and a minor in French. She worked on her Masters Degree at the University of Illinois then finished it at West Virginia University. She had an Honorary Doctorate Degree from Salem-Teikyo University.

Teaching primarily at Salem High School, Mrs. Davis taught English in Harrison County Schools for 37 years.

JERRY SHEPHERD
Jerry Shepherd, 66, June 14, 1004, at Lourdes hospital in Paducah, KY. A graduate of West Virginia University, he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and he served in the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant during the Cuban Crisis. He was a labor relations attorney with P&L Railroad, a board member of Paducah Country Club and a member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church.

Surviving are his wife, Judy Coyne Shepherd (WI 1957); one daughter, Beverly Shepherd Underwood of Paducah; two sons, Michael Garrett Shepherd and wife, Kathy, and Jeff Robert Shepherd and wife, Tift, both of Atlanta; one brother, Robert Shepherd and wife, Lois, of Richland, VA; a sister-in-law, Judy Zabeau Shepherd of Sellersburg, IN and nine grandchildren, Bethany, Jennifer, Meredith and Margaret Underwood, all of Paducah, and Savannah, Mary Katherine, Anna Claire, Kate and Roswell Shepherd, all of Atlanta.

WISHING
June was my birthday month. For my birthday wish---I wished you cool days, good health, great memories, much happiness and cool thoughts. Roleta1@aol.com

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