THE WI NEWSLETTER 07/08

THE WI NEWSLETTER


Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith Issue 107 July 2008






DO YOU OR DID YOU HAVE A NICKNAME?

This is about you and your nickname. The one you were called in school, in your neighborhood or in the family—back then or now. What is/was your nickname and how did you get it? Who gave it to you? Write Roleta1@aol.com

I found it interesting that Brooke Beall was nicknamed Boo. I thought it was a strange nickname…I would understand BB or something like that. I wrote and ask him to tell me why he was called Boo and that I wanted to kick off this subject with his response. Below is his explanation.

submitted by: Brooke “Boo” Beall (ND '58)
bbeall2@verizon.net

Like most of my stories it is a long one............but I will try and keep it brief.

I am named after my father. Brooke is an old Scottish name and has been in my family for generations. It was not a girl's name in my family. Brooke Shields made it a girls name for a generation of girls. I do now have a daughter and granddaughter named, after me, so it's for girls in my family now..............How I got the nickname Boo. My aunt Eleanore was 12 years younger than my father and when she was a little girl and tried to say Brooke it came out "Boo". The nickname stuck on my father and when I was born and named after my father I also inherited his nickname (it started out as "Little Boo"). My mother,father, sister, brother and all my family called me Boo and it stuck. All the kids I grew up with on the "Hill" also called meBoo. However, I went through 12 years of school at St. Mary's and Notre Dame being called Brooke. I don't think any of my classmates knew about my nickname, or know now, for that matter. Aren't you sorry you asked?



A WWI SUBMARINER REMEMBERED

submitted by: Arreta Radcliffe Jaranko (WI '40)
jjaranko@frontiernet.net


WW1- USS STURGEON

Roleta, you asked for memories. This may not be interesting to everyone but some of those old Navy guys out there may find it so. My dad's brother was in the Navy in submarines in World War I. Can you imagine what a submarine must have been like back then?! And my uncle was over six feet tall!! He was 17 at the time he enlisted. From the time I can remember my Uncle Jack's picture in his sailor's uniform was on our mantel and Dad used to tell us some of the stories about my uncle's experiences during that war. I tell you, any man who goes under the ocean in a submarine has my admiration. He lived in Portland, Maine, and his son and his grandson made the Navy and submarines their career. When the Nautilis came into port there, they were giving the public the opportunity to go out on it for a day so my uncle, his son and grandson did just that. How the newspapers missed that story, I do not know, but to me, it would have been headlines. Just think, three generations from the same family, all submariners. What brought all this to my mind was the letter about the USS West Virginia. (When I was a professor in the Graduate School at West Virginia University, my office looked out on the flagpole of the USS WEST VIRGINIA and I watched that flag being lowered to half mast the day President Kennedy was assassinated. That was an historic moment in and of itself). That ship was a battleship with a very proud history, sunk at Pearl Harbor, restored and re-commissioned, received five battle stars for participation in the Midway operation, Leyte, Luzon, Iwo Jima and the Okinawa operation and led the old battleships into Tokyo Bay in 1945. West Virginians should be proud. Derogatory comments may be made about West Virginians but it is obvious they do not know West Virginia history. The point I wanted to make was about the USS West Virginia, a fine submarine commissioned on October 20, 1990, the third ship to bear the name of our State. Because of my Uncle Jack's service as a submariner during World War I, my aunt was given the opportunity to make a donation for it. I forget what she told me about how that came about but she was invited to its commission at Kingsbay, Georgia.



Above is a picture of the badge given to my aunt at the commissioning of the submarine, the USS WEST VIRGINIA. October 20, 1990. It is blue and gold.


WW2 - USS GRUNION

Another story about a WV boy who served in the WWII submarines. I have a dear friend who married a submariner---he met her in McCrory's 5 & 10cent Store there in Clarksburg!! Isn't that something? I was just a kid in high school but I can see him leaning over the counter to talk to her. He had been on patrol in the North Atlantic,

Just a kid himself right out of high school when he enlisted, no war yet, but the German submarines were torpedoing all the shipping going back and forth to England. He was on a short leave while the submarine was being repaired or something, then he went back. Was under for 18 months straight and was a nervous wreck when he came home again. But he had shore leave then as those guys experienced enough of it. The Navy was all he ever wanted, went right up the ranks to Commander and eventually into missiles and was stationed at White Sands Proving Grounds during the testing of the atom bomb. Quite a history for a young lad from West Milford.

It is wonderful to have someone to tell this to, Roleta--and to think I knew your mother. I was right out of college in my first teaching job.

I just wish there was some way that the rest of this nation could have a better image of us than is projected in the news.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Do you have a memory and story about someone who served in WWI, WWI, the Korean Conflict, or Vietnam? Please share it with us. Write Roleta1@aol.com



A NICE STORY ABOUT JAY RANDOLPH

Jay Randolph in 50th year as a sportscaster

By MICKEY FURFARI

MORGANTOWN – Jay Randolph, who grew up in West Virginia, is in his 50th year as a nationally known sportscaster and still going strong in St. Louis

Old-timers will recall that he started his career in 1958 as sports director of WHAR radio in Clarksburg. He broadcast high school football and basketball games in the Monongahela Valley before getting his first big break in 1960.

That’s when his station outbid Morgantown WAJR for exclusive rights to the broadcasts of West Virginia University football and basketball. Two years later WAJR regained rights to the network.

But Randolph really didn’t mind, because via Wheeling WWVA he got nationwide exposure and that gave his budding career a major boost. So much so, he looks back on that modest beginning as the key to his highly successful career.

“I absolutely enjoyed those two years doing Mountaineer games,” Randolph said from his St. Louis home. “It was the first real national exposure I could get because the WVU games were on that powerful radio station (WWVA)."

He remembers that a lot of Mountaineer fans blamed him for WVU’s 0-8-2 football season in 1960 because he had taken Jack Fleming’s job. “I also remember that the following season, Mike Ditka’s last year as a player at Pitt, we beat Pitt at Pittsburgh," he continued. “But the thing that made me proud about that experience was we were able to outbid the Morgantown station for the two-year contract and the university wasn’t getting much of anything for the football and basketball rights.

“When WAJR bid again and won back the rights, they paid an amount up there where the money should have been.” The university now owns the rights but retained WAJR as the flagship station for the network.

Randolph always will be grateful for getting the two-year opportunity. “That enabled me to make a lot of contacts, and later I got to do some basketball games on TV that were very helpful to my career,” he recalled.

WVU athletic director Robert N. “Red” Brown and C.D. Chesley, a pioneer in early sports TV, were friends and helped him further his career.

Those two arranged for Randolph to broadcast a WVU-:Pitt basketball game back to the Civic Center in Charleston on closed circuit TV. Chesley eventually gave him more work as his career skyrocketed over the years.

After play-by-play stints with the Dallas Cowboys and Southern Methodist University in the early-to-mid 1960s, Randolph went to St. Louis and joined KMOX radio as a staff announcer in 1966. Then from 1967-1988 he was an announcer and sports director for KSD (later KSDK) television.

During that span he anchored sports coverage for the station’s newscasts and called TV baseball play-by-play for the St. Louis Cardinals.

Randolph, who turns 74 in September, also worked for NBC in the 1970s and 80s, announcing a wide variety of events. Those included the National Football League, Major League Baseball, college football and basketball, PGA Tour and LPGA golf, the Professional Bowlers Association, three Olympic Games and the Breeders’ Cup.

More recently, he was the first play-by-play man for baseball’s Florida Marlins from 1993-96 and hosted their TV pregame from 1997-2000. He continues to broadcast golf events for CNBC and the Golf Channel, and in 2007 he returned to calling St. Louis Cardinals games on KSDK television.

He is doing 22 such games this season, mostly on weekends. He also does a show at the Fairmount Race Track during the season.

A 1958 graduate of George Washington University, Randolph was an outstanding young golfer. He won the Egyptian Amateur championship in Cairo in 1956, the Collegiate Southern Golf Conference championship in ‘57, and the Washington D.C. Amateur in ’58.

He also played in four U.S., two British and two Canadian amateur championships. “I still play a little golf, but not very well,” he said.

Randolph remains one of the most knowledgeable and most respected sports reporters and announcers in the country. He was inducted into the Texas Radio Hall of Fame in January 2005 and the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in February 2008.

His son, Jay Jr., 38, broadcasts golf events for the PGA Tour Network on XM Satellite Radio. He also works for an all sports station in St. Louis.

Randolph and his wife also have another son, Brian, and a daughter, Becky Self, both of whom live in Florida. He was the son of the late Jennings Randolph, a U.S. senator from West Virginia for several years.

EDITOR’S NOTE: When I wrote to ask Mickey Furfari if I could reprint his article in the newsletter---he replied: I'm flattered that you are interested in sharing my story about my friend Jay Randolph with your fellow WI graduates from years past. And you have permission to reprint it in your WI Newsletter, which, incidentally, includes brother-in-law Mike Caruso of Morgantown among your readers.

But please list the six daily newspapers which comprise my syndicate: Fairmont Times-West Virginian, Charleston Daily Mail, Beckley Register-Herald, Logan Banner, Elkins Intermountain and Martinsburg Journal-News.

I covered Morgantown-WI games at Hite Field when I was sports editor of the local Dominion Post and covered games at Carmichael Auditorium. So I met a lot of good folks in the Clarksburg area over the years.

All the best. Mickey Furfari



PERFUME BOTTLE IDENTIFIED

submitted by: Sharron Ashford Williams (WI '67)
Sharr1116@aol.com


The bottle pictured is the perfume Blue Waltz.




This picnic is for anyone who ever attended WI, graduated from WI or wish they had been privileged enough to do so! HaHa….

August 23, 2008 from 11:00 AM until you want to leave.

Veterans (River Bend) Park off Milford St. You can also get to it via the Nutter Fort area by going over Rt 98.

FOOD!
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!

MONEY
We have to collect money to cover the cost of the pavilion rental, the paper goods etc. Money left over will be held toward next year’s fees for the picnic.

FOR YOUR COMFORT
You may wish to bring a folding chair. There is plenty of shade. Don't forget your cameras!!!

WHY A WI ALUMNI PICNIC?
This is the eighth year we have held this summer picnic in Clarksburg. It is a nice afternoon of visiting and eating! I know many people get in touch with old friends and classmates and turn this into a weekend of fun. Many meet on Friday evening for dinner, go to the picnic Saturday afternoon and hit a night spot together on Saturday evening. What more fun can you have over the weekend of August 23rd?

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. There was a list of local motels in in last month's newsletter.






THE AUP PREMIERED FOUR NEW ONE-ACTS
IN HISTORIC CHATHAM VILLAGE

submitted by: Chuck Thomas (WI ’56)
DrCRThomas@lcsys.net

Named to honor William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, Mount Washington in Pittsburgh has a special sequestered neighborhood. According to Charles F. Lewis, the director of the Buhl Foundation in 1955, “Chatham Village for years has been internationally recognized as a trail-blazing achievement in community planning and urban housing. [Incorporating] modernity and Georgian charm—Chatham Village homes face away from the streets and look out upon pleasant spacious gardens…. [In addition, the private community includes] all-weather tennis courts, a softball field, a paved volleyball and basketball court, quoit courts, and a picnic grove with ovens…, [and] … a green belt [of woods] insulates the community ....”

On, May 12, 2008, the AUP (Association of University People) premiered four original plays by Dr. C. R. Thomas, emeritus professor of English, in the historic Chatham House—built in 1849, used as a stop on the underground railroad during Civil War times, and located at 655 Pennridge Road, a cul de sac. The staged reading presentations were done in full costumes with the players acting their parts.

The first comedy—entitled I Knowed It!!!—was the most sardonic . . . in part, mocking the current Presidential Campaign and its endless political polls. Thomas’ cultural conflict play began with Herman Magginnipooch’s down-home good old boy’s “Combination Outhouse & Pre-Election Polling Booth,” immediately attracting the audience’s attention. Richard Prancier, the over-educated man, an abmaphid—i.e., A.B. + M.A + Ph.D.—is taken back by Herman’s idea of voting in polls for or against political parties. By most people’s standards, Herman is backward and much less educated, but during the play he is able to find a solution for the intrusive, disdainful environmental engineer’s problem.

For example, the comedy incorporated pro-WVU football superiority in Herman’s argumentative remarks with Prancier over the superiority of environmental engineer’s degrees from Sycause, Princeton, and MIT. “I hev heard of Syracuse University, Mr.Richie Prancer, cuz we kilt you guys last year in football, and I hev heard of Princeton and MIT—the Massachusetts Institute of Technology—because John Nash, a good ole boy from down in Southern West Virginia wuz one of the most brilliant mathematicians in the U.S. of A., and he grad-E-ated from Princeton, went to teach at MIT, and then went on to become world famous. Didn’t y’all never hear tell ov the movie A Beautiful Mind?

However, before the play, began, Thomas offered a disclaimer about some aspects of his main character Herman Magginnipooch (ma-GUINEA-pooch) and his wife Viola Phiffendrummer (fife-and-drummer) Magginnipooch. “The comedy is a trip down the hyberbolic highway. Most West Virginians are like people from all other states.” All states have all types of people.

Docker McTabby—a short tragicomedy—involved a grumpy, driven professor and a female CPA examining the issue of people who grieve over the loss of a cat or dog. Thomas still recalls from his own youth growing up in Clarksburg the importance of pets and the deep sadness over the death of a family dog or cat.

Home Sweet Alley was a humorous yet poignant short drama about two Pittsburgh homeless people who consider giving up their harsh life on the streets for a safer life in rural Ohio.

Reach Out and Touch Someone Else was a comedy about our contemporary American love-hate relationship with phone calls that interrupt our privacy and the frustrating electronic menus that at times strain our patient natures and may detonate hostile responses.

The four original plays were directed by Nancy Santangelo to a full house, and tentative plans are being set for several short plays next year . . . probably in May.



PEPPERONI ROLLS

Remember in the May issue I gave you my little secret for fast and easy pepperoni rolls? My family likes them better than the ones we buy in WV and bring home to them. Maybe it is because I use less bread and a little more pepperoni? Or maybe it is that old saying Mom cooks it best? But I heard from others who tried the recipe and have found it very nice:

submitted by: Kitty and Don Sager (WI '56)
forwvu@sc.rr.com

Hey.........We decided to try your recipe for pepperoni rolls from the May Newsletter. Managed to find some Rhodes Rolls at Super Wal-Mart in the frozen food department..

Kitty made about ten since that is all the pepperoni we had in the house. So we had one each to try, fresh from the oven .................. Well, we just decided to eat all but two of them and that was dinner. Delicious. Actually, better by far than the last batch we had from a Clarksburg bakery.



MOTHER’S DAY

How did I do with the colors of the flowers for Mother’s Day?

submitted by: Bob Davis (WI '56)
RAD29063@aol.com

We did it a little different this year at church. We had piles of white and red carnations and up front there were 2 large hearts with a beautiful border. The carnations had very short stems with a hat pin stuck in them. They then asked each person (men, women & children) to take the carnation that they were given on entering the sanctuary and pin it on the heart--all went to the front and pinned their carnation on the heart in memory or honor of their Mother. The red heart was completed but the white heart was not completed but both were beautiful. They had several carnations left--enough for each mother to take a carnation home.

Also, we had gift cards (as usual) for the oldest mother present, the mother with the youngest child present and the mother with the most children.



submitted by: Barb Charles (wife of Joe, who graduated from Bridgeport in 1955)
CharlesBarbjo@aol.com

I grew up in Erie, PA. I also worked for a florist when I was in High School. The custom of corsages on Mother's Day was as you describe. If your Mother was deceased you wore a corsage of White Carnations. If she was living, you would wear Red or Pink Carnations. If I remember correctly Carnations were usually used in those corsages. In our Parish Church, on Mother's Day, they still sell the carnations, only for a bouquet. You may buy white in honor of your deceased Mother, or Red or Pink if she is living. Most people that buy them just donate them back, and they are put in vases in front of the Statue of the Blessed Mother



submitted by: Betty (Beverlin) Mlller (WI '48)
Bettso8@verizon.net

You are correct about the flowers, somehow I think maybe it was pink or red if your Mothers was living. I wonder if that is still practiced in WV? One of my friends called Mothers Day another Hallmark holiday, but I was able to inform them, not so. It surely put Grafton WV on the National Map, but it seems few people are aware of the origination of Mothers Day. Now there's a Cause to contemplate.

Thanks again for your devotion and hard work, in keeping us all connected.



submitted by: Mary Smouse Griffin (WI '49)
Mlgriffin32@cs.com

Roleta, regarding your comments about Mother’s Day, I can say that wearing red or white corsages (or a single flower) to signify whether your mother was living or deceased was not limited to WV. Growing up in Maryland, I remember my father giving my sisters and me a single red carnation to wear on Mother’s Day. Our mother also wore a red carnation until her mother passed away, at which time she wore white. This tradition seems to have gone by the wayside.



submitted by: Jeannie Peet Schneider Trower (Would have been WI 1959)
OPAL II @aol.com

Roleta, you have it correct about the corsages---pink or red if your mother is still living and white if she isn't. My Mom was the authority on that subject.

By the way, I was baptized in the church in Grafton where Mother's Day started and went to Sunday school and church sometimes with my cousins that lived in Grafton.

Keep up the good work with the newsletter.

You look younger and younger in your pictures. I'll have "what ever your having" to do that!!



submitted by: Carolyn Burnside (WI '52)

You are correct about the corsages and their colors. And yes, students of West Virginia History still vie for the Grafton Methodist Church was indeed the church that Anna Jarvis' Mother attended. The church still hold a Mother's Day Service as well as weddings from April to the end of September. My in-laws, the Tetricks were married there more than 80 years ago. Dick and I decided to get married there also. It was a small wedding with our combined children and grandchildren, Dick's brother and wife, an aunt & uncle from Palm Springs, CA. It was held on Sept. 11, l999 and we found out we had the last wedding on that day. They closed the church at the end of September so we had the last wedding of the century in that church !! Pretty cool, huh? It was a lovely family ceremony. After the wedding we had a reception dinner at a Oliverio's Restaurant and the food was delicious.

Since I was a young girl red carnations were given to ladies whose mothers were still and the white ones for the deceased mothers. West Virginia holds the record for honoring Mothers on Mother's Day Sunday!

There are tours of the church and the home of Anna Jarvis.



submitted by: Jean Walters Webster (WI '59)
Jeanwbstr@aol.com

About the "white & red" flowers for Mother's Day. Here's an article I found on the web to confirm that you are right about the red (still living) and white (deceased) flowers given on Mother's Day.

COLORS FOR MOTHER'S DAY
By Dolly R. Sickles

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/house_and_home/blogpost/2843126/

Posted: May. 6, 2008


The history of Mother's Day varies from country to country, though it's generally believed that the tradition in the United States began when a young Appalachian homemaker worked to improve sanitation through "Mothers' Work Days," back in the nineteenth century, as she called them.

According to Wikipedia, Ann Jarvis "organized women throughout the Civil War to work for better sanitary conditions for both sides, and in 1868 she began work to reconcile Union and Confederate neighbors. When Jarvis died in 1907, her daughter, named Anna Jarvis, started the crusade to found a memorial day for women. The first such Mother's Day was celebrated in Grafton, West Virginia, on 10 May 1908, in the church where the elder Ann Jarvis had taught Sunday School. Originally the Andrews Methodist Episcopal Church, this building is now the International Mother's Day Shrine (a National Historic Landmark). From there, the custom caught on — spreading eventually to 45 states. The holiday was declared officially by some states beginning in 1912. In 1914 President Woodrow Wilson declared the first national Mother's Day, as a day for American citizens to show the flag in honor of those mothers whose sons had died in war."

So the tradition began. Nowadays, Mother's Day is observed the second Sunday in May. If you're like the women in my family, you'll wear a corsage (or your husband'll give you a bouquet of flowers, appropriately colored) that's got red flowers in it if your mom's alive, and white flowers if your mom has passed away.

I've never been a big fan of carnations, so I prefer a small red rose since my mom is still living, and I like to get her a white calla lily or gardenia to wear since my grandmother died some time ago.



REUNIONS

WASHINGTON IRVING HIGH SCHOOL CLASS OF 1978

30th Class Reunion

Fri., Aug. 1 – The Fifth Floor, 134 South Third Street, Clarksburg
      8:00pm-12:00am Hors d’oeuvres provided, cash bar

Sat., Aug. 2 –Golf outing at Clarksburg Country Club
      Call Parke Thrush at 622-7911 for tee times and green/cart fees
      6:30pm-12:00am Semi-formal dinner/dance at Clarksburg Country Club. We have a wonderful dinner planned and a great DJ. Cash bar
      7:30pm – Class photo (Will be avail. for sale later in the evening)

Payment in full ($50 per person) is due by July 20, 2008.

Make checks payable to WIHS Class of 1978 and mail to:
Donna Harrison Trickett
48 Garden Circle
Bridgeport, WV 26330

Questions: 304-842-7564
Email: dancers2mom@aol.com
www.Classmates.com



BROAD OAKS REUNION

The BROAD OAKS REUNION is scheduled for SEPT.13, 2008 at the VA. PARK
FROM 12:00 noon until the last person leaves.


Anyone who ever lived in Broad Oaks, went to the Broad Oaks United Methodist Church or attended grade school in Broad Oaks: Alta Vista. Also, anyone who played basketball for the Broad Oaks Church or just ran around in Broad Oaks is welcome. We have people from California, Connecticut., New York, Georgia, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Ohio who have attended in the past. Just come and enjoy with us!

Any questions or comments contact:

George McQuain, Jr. (June Bug) WI 1968 – 1971
MCQUAINJ@aol.com

Phone: 304-745-4277




A REMINDER OF THE PIG ROAST AT THE HOME OF REX ZICKEFOOSE

submitted by: Sandy Zickefoose Lindke
Contact Rex or sister Sandy this summer at:
rexzickefoose@hrea.coop


If you remember the Zickefoose kids and are in the Clarksburg area on July 19 and like a pig roast with bluegrass/country music, come spend the afternoon with us.

Rex's place is located west of Salem off of Big Flint Rd. (Which is off Rt. 50 but you better contact Rex for proper directions.) There will be plenty of signs to guide you "up the hollar". If you get lost give us a call on the landline because cell phones will not work in that area. To all of you have a safe and happy summer.



WI CLASS OF 1959 50TH REUNION

The WI Class of 1959 reunion committee will be contacting people soon with details about the 50th class reunion to be held in 2009. Any questions or suggestions contact Sharyn Cottrill McGahan, mtmama41@msn.com



WASHINGTON IRVING CLASS OF 1966 REUNION
42ND REUNION

The Washington Irving Class of 1966 will hold its 42nd Class Reunion on August 22 and August 23, 2008.

      August 22, 2008       August 23, 2008
Maple Lake Club House Bridgeport Conference Center
5:00 P.M. WI Class of 1966 6:00 P.M – 11:00 P.M.
9:00 P.M. All other classes invited Buffet Dinner/Cash Bar
Finger Foods, Keg of Beer and BYO Dancing with DJ – Don Niles
Dancing with DJ – Ed Morrison $60.00 single/100.00 couple
Contact: Jim Combs at Wellington@aol.com       Contacts:
Nila Means May – nilajane@hotmail.com
Vada Hickman – vhick14@aol.com
Sherry Slaughter – wi66@sbcglobal.net

The following is a list of classmates that are unconfirmed or unknown. If anyone knows where any of the classmates are, please contact Nila Means May at the above email address or 304-745-4118.

If you have any information on any of the people listed below, we would appreciate you contacting one of us with the information. If you don’t know where the person lives, perhaps you know a relative or some sort of lead that would help-thanks

UNCONFIRMED OR UNKNOWN

Sylvia Smith Allison Stephanie McNicoI Atkinson
Alex Baja Patti Shaffer Bayes
Janet Bee Diane Bonnell
William Bramer Lila Carey
Norma Jean Carter Paula Madonia Childers
Beverly Wolfe Coffman Joseph Collins
Patrick Connelly Phil Corathers
Woodrow Corley Don Costello
Larry Davis Mary Singleton Davis
Raymond Dufour Delores Winfrey Ebon
Tom Ericksom Alexis Wetzel Francis
Charles Fulton Caleen Winfrey Greene
James Griffin Carolyn Haddix
MaryLou Sacks Hall Wayne Hamilton
David Hanley Stephanie Pearcy Hecht
Linda Rector Keating Nancy Kinder
Judy Ladwig King Tom Miller
Terrance Mills David Morrison
Joyce Bennett Myers Patricia Nixon
Scott Palmer Lavaughn Kerrigan Pethel
David Powers Audrey Breedlove Railey
Karen Glaspell Roberts Eileen Rokisky Saeks
Robert See Robert Simms
Alice Snyder Sloka Karen Smith
Janet Stapleton Jean Marteney Sturms
Robert Summers Terry Taylor
John Walsh Tim Waroblack
Notbert Weinberg Charlotte Westerman
Steven White Deborah Murray Wickes
Frank Wilson Elinor Martin Wine
Connie Serwatka Zimmerman




Can you identify any of the people pictured above in 1981 at a 1966 Reunion at Oral Lake? Please fill in any blanks or make any corrections and send to Roleta1@aol.com.

A GREAT PICTURE of everyone attending. What a sign of the times, notice the mustaches on the guys, the popular hairdo of men and women. This photo, taken by Dan Griffin (I think), is at Oral Lake in 1976 (? - best guess)

Those we have identified are :
Row 1: Unidentified child, Bobby Cropp, Woody Thrasher and Lotus, Bobby Humphries

Row 2: Jim Brelsford and wife, Stuart Palestrant, Steve Sutter, Vicki Limbers Moore, Suzanne Thorniley with maybe a Coffman child?

Row 3: Gracie Griffin, James Combs, Ann Coffman, Annie Talkington, Ed Corrin, Rocky Crouse, John Coffman

Row 4: Doug Griffin, Carol White, Mike (Stoney) Crouse, Sylvia Geiss, Peter Bowie (on his tip toes), Tari Crouse



‘BLOCKHEADS’ OF 1938

"I Came, I Saw, I Conquered"

submitted by: Buzz Floyd (VHS '56)
Floyds4@Cox.net

“If it sounds like I loved him, it’s because I did,” the unabashed words of a war hero’s ‘little’ brother echoed in my ear from 2,000 miles, and perhaps over 64 years, away.

In 1938, the world was still in the throes of the Great Depression. “Money was extremely scarce,” Berlie Lee Barton told me from his farm home in Seville, Ohio. I was calling from Las Vegas to ask Berlie about some silhouettes…and about his brother, Paul.

In spring of 1938, Victory High School was about to graduate 145 anxious seniors; all wondering what lay ahead in such a world. Because of the Depression there was no money for the little things in life, and Victory High was struggling with what to do about a yearbook; and especially the 145 class portraits that couldn’t be afforded.

Things were simply bad, but the crash hadn’t ruined Paul Barton’s spirit. A lot of grads refer to theirs as “the Class with class,” but VHS 1938 was “the Class with the most class,” and Barton had helped set the bar high.

About a month earlier, Sharon Sprouse Bramhall (VHS ’60) wrote to tell me, “After hearing about ‘sketches’ that someone had drawn of classmates, at my request, Freddie Layman (VHS ’46) sent me a sample. It turned out to be the work of a remarkable artist - Paul Barton, VHS Class of 1938. Because of the Depression, there were no yearbooks that year, so Paul took it upon himself to make silhouettes of each of 145 classmates.” Instead of a yearbook, the sketches were published in the Victory Optic monthly newspaper, May 20, 1938 edition.

Seventy years later the silhouettes are still having an impact. Linda Steele Smith (VHS 66) wrote, “Boy are we glad you sent us this. My mother-in-law is Thelma Powell (Pickle)…we lost her in June 2000.”

And Sharon commented, “Paul probably never realized, in doing this random act of kindness for his fellow classmates, what a remarkable legacy he left for us all…”

As wonderful as that unselfish act was, there’s much more to Paul Barton’s story. His silhouettes were not the only gift he had to give. A year after Paul’s graduation from Victory High, Germany invaded Poland.

Charles David Goldsmith (VHS ’49) recalls, “Paul Barton, the Reverend Barton’s (North View UB Church) son, was one of the first persons killed in action from North View. I think he was a pilot and was shot down in some place in Europe. I knew them well and his brother is my age named Burl Lee (sic). The Bartons moved over to Adamston while we were (in) the Fourth Grade and they later moved to Weston.”

Sharon noted that the May 20, Optic contains several predictions that perhaps Paul Barton would become a preacher, a politician, or an actor. During his school days he acted in several plays, was in the band, and under the tongue-in-cheek blockhead silhouette he made for himself is the nickname, Reverend. It was also noted that the baccalaureate sermon was delivered by his father, the Reverend B. L. Barton of North View United Brethren Church.

My own internet research allowed me to locate Paul’s brother, Berlie Lee. I wasn’t sure what to expect by bringing up this tragedy from 64 years ago, so was hesitant to call. But Berlie put my fears to rest immediately. I found him to be a man of wit, charm, and intelligence, and a veritable fountain of family history. It must run in the family, as Berlie Lee said “Paul worked very hard at trying to be kind and gentlemanly with everyone. He actually worked hard at it. You know, the only thing I really envied about my brother was the fact that he could always dress to be very natty and sharp, and to look gentlemanly. He could do that because he was built for it. But, he was really as common as an old shoe.”

Berlie said that Paul wanted be a pilot so bad he ate bananas for four or five months to bring his weight up so he could enlist in the Army Air Corps. Paul said he didn’t want to be a co-pilot or a navigator – he wanted only to be the pilot. Berlie Lee would become mildly annoyed as Paul worried constantly that he might wash out of flight school even though he already had a license to fly Piper Cubs, and was good at whatever he did.

Paul enlisted as a cadet, June 15, 1942. After link training in Charleston, WV, and advanced training in Douglas, AZ, Santa Anna, CA, and Albuquerque, NM, Lt. Paul Barton got his wish; first learning to fly twin engine planes, then four engines, he became a B-24 Bomber pilot. It was one of the biggest, and most difficult to fly airplanes in the Army Air Force.

“I wasn’t aware of them at the time, but I’m not surprised to hear about the silhouettes,” Berlie told me. “I had heard something about ‘blockheads’ but didn’t know what it was.” He said that Paul had made him a lamp that on the shade has a silhouette of a hunter with a shotgun and a dog. His pride in his brother shines through as he describes each detail of the lamp as the complicated work of art that it is.

“Paul was the ideal big brother. I was just a little kid, but he never treated me like I was a pest. He actually liked me, and I thought the sun rose and set on him. He was dearly loved by our mother,” Berlie continued with admiration, and not a hint of jealousy. “He would spend whatever he had on us. He bought my mother a Kelvinator refrigerator because we didn’t have a lot of things back then. He bought me a 26-inch bicycle for Christmas. I was only ten years old.”

“He would try to teach me things,” Berlie said with a laugh. “Once he had me chew some Mail Pouch tobacco right there in our living room by the fireplace. He didn’t do it out of meanness. He knew it would make me sick and I wouldn’t do it again. And it worked.”

Artist, actor, musician, big brother, warrior…hero – Paul Barton was all that and more. His friends called him Deacon, and he probably would have become a minister like his dad. But, on August 4, 1944, having completed 14 bombing raids over Germany, 24 year old Paul Barton was struck by a piece of flak from enemy anti-aircraft fire. His co-pilot and crew tried desperately to keep him alive, while struggling to keep the B-24, with 108 holes in it, in the air long enough to reach safety at Windling AFB, in Beeston, UK. But Lt. Paul Barton didn’t make it. He was buried in a cemetery in Cambridge, England, until after the war when the Bartons returned him home to the Masonic Cemetery in Weston, WV.

A month after his death, his repaired airplane, festooned with Paul’s slogan, I Came, I Saw, I Conquered, was being flown by a new pilot named Johnson when it was shot down over Kiel, Germany. In a letter from a kindly German lady, it was learned that Johnson and his co-pilot, Jim Wymer, were “blown from the plane.” Somehow they survived. After the war Berlie and his father, Rev. Berlie L. Barton, Sr., visited Wymer in Staunton, VA. “He was very badly burned. He survived, but his life probably was not very rewarding with those injuries.” Another hero, another story.

Paul Barton is a true American hero – a true West Virginia hero. He was a man who gave of himself to the very end of his too short life. He never got the chance to marry and have children of his own, but in his last letter to his parents, dated July 31, 1944, he wrote:

“Now folks, I don’t want you worrying about me. I am leaving my life in the hands of God. He has taken wonderful care of me. If anything happens, let’s all be brave and accept it as His will.”

For further research: “The West Virginia Veterans Memorial Archives Database contains information on more than ten thousand men and women from West Virginia who died during 20th-century military actions.” Paul Barton’s name is listed on this website.

http://www.wvculture.org/history/wvww2a-k.html

He was also listed under Lewis County, West Virginia World War II Casualties Army and Air Force.

http://www.accessgenealogy.com/worldwar/westvirginia/lewis1.htm

Below are some of the silhouettes drawn by Paul Barton. These are the pictures that stirred Buzzy Floyd to research this amazing story.







1944, Clarksburg Exponent-Telegram, Clarksburg, WV

Lieut. Barton Killed Aug. 4



paulbarton.jpg
Lt. Paul Frederick Barton, son of Rev. and Mrs. B. L. Barton of Weston, was killed in a bombing raid over Germany Aug. 4, according to a war department telegram received by his parents.

Lt. Barton was born March 10, 1920, at Troy. He was a member of the United Brethren church in Weston, of which his father is now pastor. A graduate of Victory High School, he attended Salem College and enlisted in the Army Air Force as a cadet June 15, 1942.

He was commissioned a second lieutenant at Douglas, Ariz. , Dec. 6, 1943, and was home for the last time Dec. 8 to 14 last year, reporting back to Albuquerque, N. M. , where he qualified as a B-24 bomber pilot. On May 28, he sailed with his crew for England. He had completed 14 missions over Germany and met his death on the 15th.

In his last letter to his parents, dated July 31, he wrote: “Now folks, I don’t want you worrying about me. I am leaving my life in the hands of God. He has taken wonderful care of me. If anything happens, let’s all be brave and accept it as His will.”

For eight years, while his family lived in Clarksburg, Lt. Barton was a carrier boy for the Exponent-Telegram.

SOURCE: The Ruby Mathews Casto World War II Obituary Album, Historical-Genealogical Collection, The Waldomore, Clarksburg-Harrison Library, Clarksburg, West Virginia. – Sharon Sprouse Bramhall, June 20, 2008



CLIFF JUDY
TO BE INDUCTED INTO
WV WESLEYAN ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME


Dear Cliff, I understand you are going to be inducted into the Weslyan Athletic Hall of Fame.
Congratulations! I hope you will tell me the story so I can put it in the WI Newsletter.
Sincerely,
Roleta

Dear Roleta:
I had no idea that this news would create such a stir among my WI/Clarksburg friends of long ago--but certainly we still are friends. I guess news does travel fast, doesn't it?

Here's the straight scoop from me. Only Tuesday this week I received a letter from Wesleyan, from the office of Dr. Pamela Balch, President, informing me I had been selected for induction this October into the Wesleyan Athletic Hall of Fame. The selection committee is comprised of alumni, current faculty and athletic staff. It is normal that the selection occurs in April and each year four individuals are chosen. Sometimes an entire team is selected rather than an individual, but the entire team still counts as only one inductee.

The induction ceremony will take place during Wesleyan's Homecoming weekend on Saturday, October 11. Wesleyan's Athletic Director, a new person whose name I do not know, is the coordinator of the activities and will be in touch with us inductees as further details are confirmed.

I assume this news has not been released to the media as yet; however, it may have been. I have received no other information than the letter mentioned above. I would assume some release will be made public in the near future.

FYI, my name was placed in nomination in October, 2006, for consideration to be in the 2007 group, but I didn't make the cut. This year was my lucky year. And this is the 50th anniversary of my graduation from Wesleyan. What a coincidence!

I appreciate your interest in this event, Roleta. If I can be of any further assistance to you, please drop another email. I'll assist in any way possible.

Sincerely,
Cliff Judy, WI, 1954



submitted by: Jim Ashley (WI '62)
jashley4@cox.net

Thank you for another wonderful newsletter………………….

I spent my Memorial Day weekend regaling (or, more likely, boring) my Babe Ruth team of 14 and 15 year olds with stories of sandlot baseball in 1950's Clarksburg. We were playing in a five day regional wood bat tournament (which we won, by the way!) and I had to start the first practice session by explaining that if you didn't hold the bat correctly, it would break ("label up" doesn't mean much to kids who have never swung anything other than expensive aluminum alloy bats).

Among the things that they had a hard time believing were that we:

? Had enough kids in our neighborhood to put full teams together
? Didn't allow girls to play (a very bad decision, considering how pretty those girls were when they grew up)
? Played without uniforms, umpires, or parents as spectators
? Considered ourselves lucky if we had more than one bat (taped together) and one ball (also usually taped over)
? Played games in the street or in any vacant lot we could find
? Somehow survived not having batting helmets or any piece of catcher's gear

I skipped over the part about my favorite bat being a Stan Musial model Louisville Slugger since I was pretty sure they would have no clue who Stan Musial was.

I did, however, tell them about the games on one of the flat spots on Duncan Avenue at Hart Street where I started my baseball career as one of the little kids whose job it was to keep the baseball from being lost. Those of us designated "little kids" got to chase down anything that went down the street in one direction towards the West Fork River and oblivion or in the other direction where it just kept rolling (seemingly all the way to Duff Avenue every time it got past us). I earned my first spot in the actual game by catching a pop foul and was promoted on the spot to being one of the "old kids".

I continued my baseball life when we moved to Clay Street, this time playing in the street in front of Bill Courtney's house on Thompson Street. I have walked down that street a couple of times in my visits home and still can't believe we never broke a window in all the houses that line the street. We were either the kings of directional hitting or else had bats so weak that we were never a threat to any of the glass that surrounded us. When we got older, we played in a large lot behind the Keeley house and even cleared a field in the woods below the Clay Street Market for games, but had a high loss rate for foul balls going into Elk Creek so that spot didn't stay in use very long.

As teenagers, the summer baseball days were spent at the VA field playing groups of kids from Chestnut Hills. We packed lunches and walked (this was where true disbelief set in for the kids on my team who were still listening) to the VA for an entire day's worth of play. Every morning started with me promising my mother that we would not use the train trestle over the river as a shortcut home and then every afternoon ended with us using the train trestle as a shortcut home.

By the end of the five day tournament, I'm not sure any of the kids on my roster had come up with anything from this other than "Coach Ashley is really old", but it brought back a lot of great memories for me of what baseball was like when it was played for fun.



THE QUESTION IN THE JUNE NEWSLETTER:

DO YOU REMEMBER WHEN?

In the “Hilltopper”, the WI news printout, “The Hallwalker" from December ---I won’t tell you the year. You can guess. Article said “Measuring up for a cap and gown, I noticed Randy Prichard the tallest senior boy.” What year was this written and give me one memory you have of that person or that year.

Correct Answer Below-Only one person knew the answer!

submitted by: Penny Fish Wolverton (WI '58)
bpwolv@gmail.com

The year was 1958. Randy had a car (few of us did back then) and since he and Linda Moore now Pritchard lived at Maple Lake and I lived in Bridgeport we enjoyed the transportation he sometimes provided. He and Linda now live close to Shinnston.



SUMMER JOBS AND FUN

submitted by: Bill Meredith (Monongah HS '57)
billmere@aol.com

As a young man, I would do just about anything to make some spending money, from delivering newspapers to cutting lawns or any number of odd jobs. However, my best job was one summer during my high school days, when I worked at a church conference at Winona Lake, Indiana. It was a long way from home, but fortunately, I had a good friend who also worked there. The place was famous for hosting conferences for many Christian organizations and drew visitors and speakers from all over the country. I was fortunate to have seen Billy Graham several times during my summer there. Working in a cafeteria, I got all I could eat, all of the milk I could drink and was allowed to stay in an old hotel with the rest of the work force. For a poor boy from West Virginia, this was a new experience. I loved it. We played basketball every evening except Saturday, when we took a boat across the lake to watch auto racing on a dirt track. I was trying to gain weight and get into shape for football. This job gave me the opportunity to do both, which I did. We even got a small wage for having all of that fun. A few years ago, Roleta & I drove through the area and found that all of the buildings were gone and the conference no longer existed. It was very sad to see, but they can never take away the wonderful memories of that special summer in the 50's.



submitted by: Sandy Zickefoose Lindke (WI '56)
Contact Sandy this summer c/o her brother Rex at: rexzickefoose@hrea.coop

I dated my first husband, Gene Thomas (WI 1954), during high school. Most evenings and weekends were spent with him. I did some babysitting for $ .25 cents an hour. Most evenings were spent on our front porch since it seemed to be the neighborhood hang out. Mrs. Webb's hotdog stand was on the corner across the tracks from our house. Now talk about a good hotdog, you could get one there. My mother worked for Mrs. Webb and sewed for some of the neighbors. Do any of you Hartland boys remember having her sew you a shirt or two? She also pegged pants. During Christmas season of my senior year I worked at Williams Jewelry Store. I kept the glass cases fingerprint free and gift wrapped packages. I rode the city bus to school but during nice weather, in the fall and spring, a bunch of us would sometimes walk home.

Gene was the one that insisted that I try out for majorette and took me to and from tryouts. It seems he was correct. Being part of the WI marching band was a lot of work but also a lot of fun.

I am about ready to pull the plug on my computer for the summer but will keep in touch thru brother Rex's e-mail.



submitted by: Fred G. Layman (VHS '46)
FGL46VHS@AOL.COM

My first paying job after school was at The Chicago Dairy & Baking Co. located on S. Fourth Street. It was owned by my Uncle Harry Kinnard. His son and my first cousin, Bucky Kinnard, was a WI Graduate and radio announcer for WBLK. I started in September 1944 during my junior year at Victory. As soon as school was out for the day at 2:35 p.m I went directly to work. I worked in the bakery building which was located in Traders Alley. The two bakers were brothers Richard "Dick" and Donald "Don" Hawkins. Upon arriving at work I started cleaning bake pans. Back then there were no inside liners used. Thanksgiving and Christmas I had many more pans to clean because of fruit cakes. I also iced cup cakes, donuts and raisin bread. My job was also to slice white and raisin bread. I worked from Monday to Thursday evenings and left each evening in time to catch the 10:30 p.m. street car. The fare was fourteen cents. On Saturday mornings I reported to work at 6:00 a.m. I then had to transport the baked goods over to the store on a metal buggy. The bakers started around 11:00 p.m on Friday nights and baked all night. They spent most of the night baking and designing wedding cakes plus regular baked goods. On Saturdays after transporting the baked goods I worked at misc. jobs in the store. There was a gentleman by the name of Bart Madison who kept the bakery and store cleaned. He later went to work at the Lowndes Bank doing odd jobs. In February 1945, I quit the bakery and got a part time job at the Workingman’s Store after school hours. After graduating I became a full time employee. Dick Hawkins and his brother, Don, both quit the Chicago Dairy Bakery in late forties as Dick opened up a bakery in Nutter Fort and named it Bonnie Belle's Bakery after his wife. It is still in business today.

In March 1947 I quit the Workingman’s Store because they started selling ladies shoes. Trying to sell a women a pair of shoes was just a big headache. After showing them just about every pair in stock they would then get up and leave with out buying any style shoe. I then took two months off selling name plates in the evenings and on Saturdays. On June 26, 1947 I started working at the Harrison County Courthouse and stayed for forty years retiring on June 26, 1987. The Kinnard Family moved to Hollywood, Florida around mid fifties.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Freddie learned what hard work was when he was just a young lad….he told me----I worked on the farm from age seven mostly in the summer hay season till my sophomore year. Back then you were paid by your age starting at 25 cents a day at age seven, 50 cents a day at age eight till you were nine then a whooping $1.00 a day. Didn't get rich but money went a long way back then. Now you see why I gave up farm work except my own garden. We always kept 100 chickens and two hogs for butchering on Thanksgiving Day. Neighbor sold us fresh milk at 25 cents a quart.



THE GOLDEN HORSESHOE

submitted by: Anna Walsh (WI '71)
abanana53@verizon.net

I teach at Washington Irving Middle School in Clarksburg. Our eighth graders still study West Virginia History and take the Golden Horseshoe each year. There is still a ceremony in Charleston knighting them. I just talked with a father of a winner during the Multiple Sclerosis walk that the W.I. Leo Club participated in.

On May 30th at 7:00 p.m. at Robert C. Byrd High School, there will be an alumni basketball game between Washington Irving and Roosevelt Wilson. This game is a fundraiser for our relay for life team. Our principal, Doug Hogue, lost his wife to cancer this past winter, and at the same time found out he has Multiple Myeloma. If it would be possible, could you send this out as an announcement for those who are out of town who might wish to attend. I realize this is short notice. Thanks for all you do.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Sorry, I received this too late for the June issue. I thought the readers would like to know about this anyway. I hope the event was well attended




SNIPE HUNTING

Did you ever go Snipe Hunting? Tell us about your experience. This is a game played in the summer quite often. And is actually a gag pulled on an unsuspecting person…. Write your memories about that memorable Snipe Hunt…write to Roleta1@aol.com. Here is a story that will revive your memories:

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

Ever go snipe hunting after dark?

"What is a snipe," you ask.......

"Well, a snipe is an animal that you'll know when you see it. What you must do is catch one in a bag and bring it back to the rest of the group."

"Well, what does it look like?" You're really curious now.

You reply, "Well, it's just a little animal that comes out at night." Then you point in the direction of someone's garden or open back yard and say, "I thought I saw one there." So everyone starts running in that direction, paper bags in hands. "Don't let it bite you," you yell.

You didn't notice everyone else holding back and not running as fast as you. Hmmm.

Someone yells, "Do you see any?"

"No. Are you sure you saw one over here? Are you sure it isn't a rat?"

So this goes on until the innocent novice realizes that his/her friends have been pulling his/her leg. To the best of my knowledge there never was a thing called a snipe except in the imaginations of those kids from Broad Oaks.



THAT BAKERY ON MAIN STREET
submitted by: Anna Walsh (WI '71)
abanana53@verizon.net

The bakery that I remember that was west of the court house was Home Industry. My mother owned a small restaurant on Second St. and bought her pies and frank rolls from them (1967-1982). They are now located on Third St. next to the old Broida's clothing store. They still bake donuts and pepperoni rolls daily.



submitted by: Sharon Melvin Kinney (WI '64)
sharonymc@citynet.net

I remember the Home Industry Bakery, next to Aaron's Shoe Store on Main Street. It is still in existence, but has moved to Third Street. Still making great pastries and pepperoni rolls. They serve a lunch crowd now, as well. Saturday mornings, my brother and I would be sent to the bakery for fresh doughnuts and fresh salt rising bread. Salt rising bread with peanut butter was a special breakfast treat.

It was always our Sunday ritual after church to stop at Hagan's for ice cream. They were located just up the street -- near the Arcade that became J.C. Penney's.

A favorite Saturday outing was a trip to the library which, thankfully, is still going. Choosing just the right books to take home was difficult, as we could only choose 3, I believe. We would race home to begin reading and see who could finish their books first.

Shops were busy and downtown streets were crowded, especially at lunchtime. I remember when we could do all of our Christmas shopping in downtown Clarksburg, making lunch hours special as gifts were bought and rushed back to the office to be wrapped. The restaurants and shops were busy till long after dark on cold winter nights -- and open and inviting on summer afternoons.

Our town has changed over the years from a bustling, busy thoroughfare, to a more desolate downtown landscape, as shops move away and businesses go to different, newer areas. Many buildings stand empty now. It is sad to watch Clarksburg struggling to stay alive. We need a real "shot in the arm," to get our town going again. I find myself wishing that all those who left for one reason or another, might consider coming home in retirement years to help the area get back that breath of life.

Keep Clarksburg in your prayers.



submitted by: Laura Lattea Cleavenger (Bridgeport HS '71)
lauraljc@aol.com

Could you please add my brother-in-law to your list to receive the newsletter. His name is Rockey Zannino. He graduated from WI in '65. His email address is Zrock57@aol.com.

My husband (Cliff Cleavenger) & I really enjoy reading the newsletters. If you wouldn't mind, please add my email address to the list too. Sometimes Cliff forgets to tell me when he gets the newsletter. My email is lauraljc@aol.com. I graduated from Bridgeport HS in 1971. We used to live on Chestnut Street when we were younger & went to grade school with several people who have been in the newsletter. Those are some of the best childhood memories for me & my sister. If we had not moved, we would have eventually graduated from WI.

Keep up the good work & I will look forward to the next newsletter.

Thanks so much,



submitted by: Jim Weekley
ImDunrovin@aol.com

I am married to the former Barbara Gregorie, class of 54, and daughter of Fernon Gregorie. The mechanical drawing teacher at WI.

Barbara is now confined to a nursing home in Spartanburg, SC and after 53 years I still look after her.

I enjoy seeing the write ups on Clarksburg although it is depressing to drive thru there now and remember how it used to be back when.



submitted by: Eugene Jaumot (VHS '54)
(VictoryHi54@aol.com)

I grew up with Jim Iaconis in North View the class of 54 from WI, do you have a Telephone # or address for him. I haven't seen him for 55 years.

The class of 1954 Victory High School is planning a 55th reunion July 24 & 25 of 2009. Contact Eugene Jaumot at VictoryHi54@AOL.Com or Jackie Lafferty at Grannieof15@ aol.com. Thank you.




KICK THE CAN

submitted by: Don Sager (WI '56)
Forwvu@sc.rr.com

As I remember, someone was designated as "it" and their job was to find people in hiding and bring them into a holding area near the tin can. The "it" person had to hide their eyes and count to some number while the other people hid. However, if someone ran in and kicked the can while the "it" person was looking for people then the people in "holding" were then free again to hide.

We also played as teams. One group hiding and one group guarding the can and looking for players. The group hiding was larger than the group looking.

We played at the corner of Vermont and Ocello a lot since there was a street lite and not a great deal of traffic. There were no fences from Alice Crim's house up to Sandy Conway's on that side of Vermont and Andrew's house wasn't built on the corner. Going down Ocello to Scott's was also open behind the houses. We couldn't go toward Terry Riley's because of Mrs. Milam next door but we could hide around the garages in the alleys.

We also played near the corner of Point and Haymond Highway in front of Harold Brewster's house but traffic was a problem. And we played in the lot by Joe's Dairy Bar but this was tough because of all the fences between the houses. And I remember playing by Gene Jones's house at Tyler and Harrison. And I think by Dave McMunn's at Vermont and Tyler.

We certainly didn't need a designated field to play, but we probably drove the Broad Oaks neighbors crazy with the noise on the streets. But I cannot remember any of our elders requesting that we not play. And we always played at night running through the back and front yards. Those days are long-gone for kids now-a-days.

I do remember that someone (not me or you for a change) kicked a can thru Ambrose's window. Their house was right on the sidewalk. For some reason Harold's name rings a bell but don't quote me on this.

Perhaps some of you Broadoaksians can add more to this e-mail for Roleta or forward to some other players I forgot..

Anyhow it was a game that girls and boys could participate in before hormones got in the way.



submitted by: Pat Elder (ND '57)
St1Pat@aol.com

I just remember what a thrill it was to KICK THAT CAN !!! That was a real rush !! When I lived in North View, I was real good at hiding from the cops. When I moved to Broad Oaks I was pretty good when we played & I could have stayed out all night--I loved that game !!




ALL AROUND CLARKSBURG



ADAMSTON
ANMORE (FORMERLY GRASSELLI)
ARBUTUS PARK
ARLINGTON
BROAD OAKS
BROADWAY
BRUSHY FORK
CHESTNUT HILLS
COLONIAL HEIGHTS (aka THE HILL--where WI was located)
COUNTRY CLUB ADDITION
DAVIDSON RUN
DESPARD/ SUMMIT PARK
EAST POINT
EAST VIEW
EDGEWOOD
GLEN ELK
GOFF PLAZA
HARTLAND
HEFLIN HEIGHTS
INDUSTRIAL
KELLY HILL
MONTPELIER (AKA PINNICINICK HILL)
NORTHVIEW
NIXON PLAZA
NUTTER FORT/NORWOOD
PARK PLAZA
POINT COMFORT
STEALEY
STONEWOOD

DID I MISS ANY?

EDITOR’S NOTE: STOP, look at the above list one more time, if your neighborhood/ section of Clarksburg is not listed, write and tell me the name of the section where you grew up so I can add it to the list. Write to: Roleta1@aol.com

Did I miss any Neighborhoods? I want every neighborhood of every reader to be included. Are you reading this newsletter and you don’t see your “Clarksburg Neighborhood” or nearby town listed? Write to me so I can add it…write Roleta1@aol.com. I want to have a list of all the places that you readers knew in your youth so we can get to know it. What made your area so special?

Each month I will list one or 2 neighborhoods and then if that is where you grew up, I want you to write to me about that neighborhood. So many people have great memories about growing up in a certain area and how great it was. Well, tell us why your area was so great Write to Roleta1@aol.com

Now for August----if you are from Stonewood ----------write and tell me about your area of town, your friends, your family, your neighborhood store, bakery---whatever it is that made your area a great place in which to grow up? Tell us what made your neighborhood the best?





THOSE WHO GAVE TO THE SCHOLARSHIP THIS MONTH

George Scholl (WI Class of 1952) gave a gift to the Scholarship in memory of his brother Jerry Scholl from the WI Class of 1954………..thanks again George

Marcia Fletcher (WI 1964) sent a check to the WI Newsletter Scholarship in memory of Sharon Winters, Pam Randolph and Carol Ann Posey all from the WI Class of 1964…..some student at RC Byrd appreciates what you gave.

Connie Bailey Casto (WI 1959) again sent a check to the Scholarship. Connie knows how important education is in this world.

Dr. Chuck Thomas (WI 1956) sent a thank you note along with his gift.

MaryAnn Baily Donato (WI 1956) again sent a check to the scholarship fund.

Dr. Ann Pushkin (WI 1952) sent a check along with a nice thank you note for the newsletter.

Bryan McIntyre (WI 1965) sent a check to the scholarship account with a thank you note for the newsletter.

Norma Huling (WI 1951) gave a gift to the WIN Scholarship in memory of Dian Hurley.
(Norma does not have a computer but mailed her check to me as she felt the passion to help with this worthy cause).

Do you wish to give to the WIN Scholarship? Just send your check or money order to:

MAKE CHECK OUT TO:
Roleta Meredith/WIN Scholarship

MAIL TO:
Roleta Meredith
c/o Meredith Brothers, Inc.
3025 Switzer Ave
Columbus, Ohio 43219



LET ME INTRODUCE YOU

The counselors at R.C. Byrd picked 2 young people as the recipients of the Washington Irving Newsletter Scholarships for 2008. Thanks to you readers who have given to this cause, this year, these scholarships are for $3,000.00 for each student and will be paid in two installments of $1,500.00 each semester to help defray the costs of their college education. As anyone who is in contact with a college student knows, books for a semester can run close to $500.00.



Pictured above is Caroline Smith Sprenger, daughter of Chris and Melanie Sprenger, they live on Brighton Drive in Clarksburg. Caroline works part time in the summer at Bonnie Belles Pastries. She had a grade point average of 3.63 and is ranked 21st in a class of 150 students. Caroline served on the Student Council, was a cheerleader, was a member of the swim team, yearbook staff, National Honor Society, Rhododendron Girls’ State SADD, TATU, Hugged, School Musicals, Eagle Cabinet, Homecoming Court, Prom Court, Career Day, Business Symposium, Girl of the Month in September her senior year, Class Favorite of her senior class, WVU Journalism Competition Finalist, Nominee for Elks Teenager of the year her senior year, Fairmont State’s Dean List, and was on the Honor Roll all four years of high school. She served the community by taking part in Food Drives, Serving at the Mission, Baskets to needy families, Easter baskets to Children, School Cleanup, Move in a Teacher Day, Kindergarten Orientation at Nutter Fort, United Way Teen Day of Caring, Elementary School Clean Up and Mission Cleanup.

We wish the best to Caroline as she goes to West Virginia University to seek a degree in nursing.

NOTE: Caroline wrote you a thank you note.

My name is Caroline Sprenger and I was one of the two recipients of the WIN Scholarship from RCB. I just wanted to say Thank you, and tell you how much I appreciate this scholarship. I need all the help I can get for Nursing school and It will come to great use for my schooling.

Thanks again,

Sincerely,
Caroline Sprenger



Pictured above is Cody Richard Gilmore, the son of Ron and Lois Gilmore. They live on Pennsylvania Ave in Nutter Fort. Cody worked the summer of 2006 doing concession work, the summer of 2007 he was involved with the Harrison County Parks and Recreation and the winter of 2008 he was involved with Jerry West Refereeing. He participated in the following: was a Boy’s State delegate, member of SADD, was in several school plays, participated in football and basketball all four years. Was awarded Special Mention All State Football, All- Big Ten 1st Team Quarterback, 1st Team All County-Quarterback, One of the football Captains for RC Byrd’s first undefeated football team. Set RC Byrd records for most career touchdown passes and most career passing yardage. Is a member of UMYF that serves food to the homeless at the mission. They also did a mission trip to Buckhannon to help repair their food pantry.

We wish Cody the best of luck as he goes to Glenville State where he will play basketball as he pursues his degree in biology with plans to be a dentist.

NOTE: Cody sent you a thank you note:

Dear WIN generous readers:

Thank you for the scholarship. It will help a great deal in getting my education. I'm going to attend Glenville State College and I will be following in my father's foot steps by playing basketball. I am planning on studying biology and earn my degree in that field. I also plan on attending WVU's Dental School after I complete my four years at Glenville. This scholarship means possibly the most to me because of the ties my family has to WI. With all the stories I have heard over the years from my dad it was a great place to go to school. I hope that I will make all of you WI alums proud with my effort and performance in the class room and on the court. And Thank you all again.

Thanks
Cody Gilmore

A THANK YOU NOTE FROM A PARENT
OF A 2008 WIN SCHOLARSHIP WINNER

submitted by: Ron Gilmore (WI '72)
Cactus Ron@aol.com

My wife and I (Lois and Ron Gilmore) would like to thank you so much for your thoughtfulness and those of the newsletter. This year we had started reading it regularly and my friend Steve Goff has been entering music information. What a wonderful surprise to have our son Cody win the WIN SCHOLARSHIP. We did not know until the awards ceremony and that made it a very exciting surprise. Cody is going to Glenville to study Biology and hopes to become a dentist. Though we had always thought he would make a great elementary teacher because he spent a lot of his afternoon time when he didn't have class reading to elementary students at Nutter Fort Grade School. Cody likes sports and was the quarterback on the football team that went undefeated in the regular season for the first time ever in school history. He also liked playing basketball and their team went 23-3 and made it to the state playoffs. Cody tried out and made the Glenville basketball team as a walk on. We are very proud of Cody. He saved his own money for his car and works to keep insurance and maintain it. He also is paying for some of the college himself.

We feel very honored and blessed to receive the scholarship. I graduated from WI in 1972 and spent some very memorable years there. My wife was a South Harrison graduate. Many people may have know her father who coached for years around the county at Wallace, Unidis, and South Harrison (John Southern). I currently coach the girls team at WI middle school. Thanks so very much for the help. Over the last several years I have had neck surgery and now I am looking at lower back surgery. So my income has not been what it once was. This was a great surprise blessing. Cody will thank you himself when he gets back from Glenville. He is working as a counselor at their basketball camp this week.

Thanks again,
God Bless

EDITOR’S NOTE: Thank you Ron and Lois. I am glad your son applied for the WIN scholarship at R.C. Byrd High School. It seems as though the counselors at RCBHS picked 2 good students to receive the Washington Irving Newsletter Scholarship again this year.




WHO WAS THE MISS CENTRAL WV PICTURED IN THE MAY ISSUE?

EDITOR’S NOTE: We still don’t know her identification but Ron Watkins has a hint for us. Can you give us her name?

submitted by: Ron L Watkins Sr. (VHS '54) Garland, TX
ronw@tx.rr.com

In reading another great newsletter, I saw Betty Miller's question to her identity. I don't remember her name, but she was from Salem and her family owned a restaurant in Salem at the end of the bridge where the little park is downtown now.



CAN YOU HELP FIND “Hoppy”?

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

I have been trying for several years to find some people that I knew during my Clarksburg upbringing and I have not been able to locate ANY information about this one. If you have any information that can help me find him, please write to me….

Robert (?) “Hoppy” (as I knew him) Junkins who lived up on the hill in Broad Oaks I played baseball with “Hoppy” and have not seen or heard anything about him for years.

One person that I had the privilege of talking to the last time that I was in Clarksburg, was another of my baseball “buddies”. That person being CARL SMITH. I had the best time talking to Carl and was sorry that his schedule did not allow for us to have time to get together.



THE TRIVIA PICTURE IN THE MAY ISSUE

submitted by: Rev. John Campbell (WI '55)
jrcpastor@earthlink.net

The picture in the May newsletter is of the White Motel located on W. Milford Street. Their son, Roger, played sousaphone in the W.I. Band. He was a good kid and a good bass player. He went on to WVU and died, as I recall, as the result of a faulty gas heater in his room.

Thanks for the good work you do in keeping so many of us "connected" to WV!



HARD TO FORGET THIS HAIRCUT

submitted by: Marcia Young Fletcher (WI '64)
myfletcher@cox.net

Wayne Winters' article in the June newsletter about his first professional haircut has triggered a series of memories I'd like to share.

In the summer of 1964 (or possibly 1965) I traveled by bus from Clarksburg to visit his sister, Sharon Winters, at their home in Huntington. While there I must have asked Sharon to trim my hair. When she had finished the task she discovered that one side was shorter than the other and proceeded to "even it up." On next inspection the formerly longer side was now shorter, so another "even-ing" session was in order. After about three (unsuccessful) attempts I stopped the process, deciding that an uneven head of hair was better than no hair at all.

Wayne's article also mentioned Brenda Logue. She and I constituted 50% of the females taking Physics from Mr. Duckworth our senior year, and then we roomed together our freshman year at WVU. We have managed to get together several times in the not too distant past, the most recent being at a ski resort in the Italian Alps in 2004.

Sharon Winters was the first of my friends from the WI class of '64 to die too young, followed by Pam Randolph and Carol Ann Posey. In memory of these three, I am sending you a WIN Scholarship donation.



REMEMBERING BARBER SHOPS

submitted by: Fred Alvaro (WI '59)
Falvaro33@aol.com

My first barber was 'Doc' Stalnaker whose barber shop was just across the bridge from our house on Haymond Highway. I think it was 50 cents. One time I and my older brother, Jim, took our younger brother Larry down to Doc's and asked to give him a Mohawk haircut, to our mother's dismay. Later we went to Frank LaCaria on Second Street and he pretty much put you in the chair, put the clipper to your head and spun the chair. You were out in 5-10 minutes. Then in high school, it was a treat to go to the expensive Stonewall Jackson Hotel Barber Shop. Some of us then went over to Troy on Court Street. Troy was acquiring the reputation for giving the most even (flattest) of "flat tops"



submitted by: Don Sager (WI '56)
forwvu@sc.rr.com

Following up on Wayne's story in the last Newsletter, I also had my first haircut at Shorty's which was catty cornered from the A&P and over-looked scenic Elk Creek.

My mother would not let anyone cut my hair for a some time as she wanted it long. I never realized I must have been a little hippy in the early 40's. My father had been going to Shorty's probably from his original opening and they were friends. I too remember the booster seat and the board. It was also a big deal when I was allowed to ride the bus by myself to get a haircut. Got off at Monticello and Main, walked about 30 yards to Shorty's and the bus back to Broad Oaks stopped right in front of his shop. When I was a little boy, I never said a word in the shop except "Hello" and at the end of the haircut when Shorty turned me around to look in the mirror, "yes that looks fine". And I always had to wait for Shorty even if the other barber was open. It also seemed that the adults sometimes got in front of me. Not sure about that, but I was there some Saturdays for nearly three hours. The magazines were always outdated but I read them. Some were Look, Life, Saturday Evening Post, Boys Life, Readers Digest, Popular Mechanics and Hunting and Fishing ones. Kids in those days did not join in adult conversations.

When I got to Central, I started going to Cal in the Stonewall Jackson Hotel. He was the flat-top specialist. And he always put a little alum on it to keep it standing. Along with this, when I walked home to Broad Oaks past Shorty's, I walked on the other side of the street in front of the Cleaners. Guess I was embarrassed that I had changed barbers. Another dumb kid thing! In high school, Cal also became a specialist in cutting DA's and we always said "Block It in the Back". Having Cal cut your hair was a big deal for guys.

Now waiting and talking with everyone wasn't so bad. After the cut, over to SJ Billiards to shoot some pool.



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



My dad was know as “Jimmie the barber”. In his day men were known by their trade. My dad worked and owned several barber shops in Clarksburg, Jimmie’s Barber Shop on N 4th street in Glen Elk (before most of us were born), Trader’s Barber Shop on Pike Street near the Ritz Theater and the Empire Shop in the Empire Bank Building. There were others but they were before our time.

My dad first learned how to cut hair standing on a box. His teacher was Mr Julian in Glen Elk. Mr Julian’s son was Alex who was also a barber and one of my dad’s best friends. They barbered together and dad helped teach Alex the trade.

When my dad and George Hart bought the trader’s shop it was the largest shop in Clarksburg. There were six barber chairs. I remember dad saying that one of the first things he did was to get rid of the spittoons. He hated to clean them. I have one of the beautiful wooden coat racks and my brother Donnie has a red leather barber chair. My brother also had the privilege of sweeping and cleaning the shop after school.

The Empire Barber Shop was the first in WV to have hair cuts by appointment. Several young men served their apprenticeship under my dad. Joe Null (class of 61)and John Folio were two that I remember.

To watch my dad cut hair was like watching an artist. His right hand curled around the scissors with his pinky finger raised. Snip...snip, snip was the rhythm. As a girl I never went to a beauty salon, my dad always cut my hair at home. He would take his black striped barber cloth, snap it and pin it around my neck. He would always give me a mirror to hold in my hand so I could watch him and to make sure he didn’t cut off more than I wanted. My favorite thing was after the hair cut, my dad would gently brush the loose hair off my neck and face with talcum powder.

Today my powder room is decorated with memories of my dad’s barber shop. I have a small red and white barber pole, a glass barbicide container for combs, a pair of scissors, razor, my grandfather’s saving mug and brush, a silver spittoon, old photographs and a barber sign that I had made with “Jimmie the Barber” on it. Men seem to love the room...

So you can see that my memories of a barber shop are different from the men’s. I know many will remember having their first hair cut from my dad. He was the greatest...I am just a little bias. As a woman I notice men’s hair cuts and wonder what butcher they went too.

My dad passed away May 1, 2005. Just 4 months shy of his ninetieth birthday.


TRADER'S BARBER SHOP



BOSTON CRÈAM PIE

submitted by: Bernie King McHenry (WI '52)
BerniceMcHenry@aol.com

I have been digging through my mother's cook-book collection, and haven't found the recipe. She may not have even written it down.

My Grandparents lived on old US 50 in Wilsonburg, about a half mile from Daily's. Milk was provided them, and at our home in Stealey by Tom and Jerry Williams, (Gregorys Run). Dailey's was just at the bend in the road, before you started down the hill to cross the RR tracks to the Carnation plant.

What I have come up with, from memory:
The first step would have been a yellow sponge cake, baked in two 8 or 9 inch pans. After they cooled, the cake was split across. (now you have 4 layers..

Between those layers there was a layer of vanilla pudding, ie. cake layer, pudding, cake layer - pudding. Then a layer of WHIPPED CREAM Mother always ordered "double cream" from the dairy.. richer!

At this point, Ron, my hubby, interjects the chocolate frosting topping. BUT the chocolate frosting was a post Daily's commercial addition, not part of the original.

Let me know how this compares with what you have tried or remember.

We sure ate a lot of them, before we knew how our arteries hated that double cream!!

Happy Father's Day to all your guys!



SUBJECTS FOR DISCUSSION IN THE UP COMING MONTHS

PLEASE WRITE ABOUT EACH DIFFERENT SUBJECT IN IT’S OWN EMAIL….THANKS

Why is the award for the West Virginia History called “The Golden Horseshoe”? Subject suggested by Carolyn Burnside…..Write to Roleta1@aol.com

Mary Sue Spahr suggested we discuss your memories of “SNIPE HUNTING”… Write your memories to Roleta1@aol.com

Tell us how things about sports have changed since you were young? Write to: Roleta1@aol.com This subject was inspired by the letter in this issue from Jim Ashley.

Do you have any stories to tell us about your WW II, Korean or Viet Nam experiences? Either your own experience or some from a friend or relative. I enjoyed reading the story sent this month by Arreta Juranko who told about her uncle serving in that WWI submarine. I can’t imagine how primitive those submarines must have been. Write to: Roleta1@aol.com.

Your neighborhood store………remember when every neighborhood had a grocery store? What was the name of the stores in your area when you were growing up in Clarksburg? Tell us about the store…….Write your memories to Roleta1@aol.com

Tell us about the bakery that you remember in Clarksburg? Write to; Roleta1@aol.com

John Teter said he has heard rumors about a bomb threat at WI sometime between maybe 1958 and 1961—school was dismissed for the rest of the day---and perhaps it was just to get someone out of school-----do you know anything about it? Share this memory with us…write to Roleta1@aol.com

NOTICE: Some letters on subjects suggested above may be used in different months…not just the month upcoming. Thanks



NEIGHBORHOOD STORE

submitted by: Jim Ashley (WI '62)
jashley4@cox.net

Roleta, while thinking about the baseballs rolling down the hill into the West Fork, it reminded me that the last stop on that hill on Duncan Avenue was Huber's grocery store at the intersection of Duncan and Winding Way. I don't know if we've talked about the old neighborhood grocery stores before, but they were an important part of our lives before the days of Krogers and A&P (and all those books of savings stamps that we could exchange for magical things).

I used to spend an occasional afternoon in the store with Mrs. Huber when my mom had uptown appointments and always loved being allowed behind the counter and listening to the ring of the old mechanical cash register. In that same neighborhood, I also enjoyed buying candy cigarettes and those little wax bottles filled with sweet colored syrups from the store across from Morgan School. On the way home from Morgan, I would stop at the larger store at the corner of Duncan and Duff to get bones from the butcher for my dog. There was another small store attached to the side of a house near the corner of Duncan and Stealey that sometimes got my allowance money, so no lack of stores in that short trip between my house and school.

When we moved to Clay Street, I hit the jackpot as we lived right next door to the Clay Street Market where the wonderfully friendly Maxine Wilmoth always had a huge smile to go with whatever we needed for our shopping. During the spring and summer months, I got 50 cents from my mother every Saturday morning and took it right out the door and into the market to buy 50 baseball cards. The rest of the year (when my budget wasn't entirely devoted to that little rectangle of gum that came with the baseball cards), I was always over there buying RC Cola out of the cooler of soda that Maxine kept in front of the store or looking through all the candy on her shelves. Once in a while I was given a little wink as she let me put an item on the tab books that she kept for all of her customers and my parents pretended that they never noticed me running up their bill (that attitude would change when I became a teenager and the bills were for gasoline on my dad's Pure Oil charge account).

I remember some people in the neighborhood who would order their groceries from Maxine every day and seeing her delivery boys (Paul Romano comes to mind) going down the street to the houses and coming back with a dime in their pocket for their effort. I somehow don't think my own kids are building these same types of memories when they go into the local 7/11.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Every neighborhood had a NEIGHBORHOOD STORE….tell us about the one close to your home…Write Roleta1@aol.com



DID YOU EVER FEEL YOU WERE TREATED UNFAIRLY BY A TEACHER?

submitted by: Diana S. Cleavenger Swiger (WI '66)
MaMaSwag6@aol.com

Miss Nutter was the teacher. I had a term paper due at the end of March, 1965, I believe. Any how, I had been at Sandra Fox's house typing until around midnight. I had been there for several hours finishing it up, as I did not have access to a typewriter at home. I walked home at around midnight from Chestnut Street to the lower end of Mulberry Ave. Anyway at around 6am. the next morning we got a phone call saying my Dad had passed away in the Broaddus Hospital in Philippi, WV. Now turning in a term paper was the farthest thing from my mind. However, my sister's boy friend offered to take the term paper and turn it in for me. Of course by this time it was a day late by the time I thought about it. So, Frank Hart turned it in and because it was late, Miss Nutter cut my grade a letter. In my view, she was all heart???? She was not one of my favorite teachers, then or since. When I think of Miss Nutter, the only thing I can say about her, is she had fat feet, that overflowed her shoes



RECIPE WANTED

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

Do you have a recipe for “Friendship Cake”? Bill and I were recently in WV for a few days before Memorial Day and a gal gave us 3 small “Friendship” cakes as a gift. A very thoughtful gift and we certainly enjoyed them. They were moist and maybe had little pieces of fruit in them or fruit flavor….they were delicious. Do you have a recipe you are willing to share? Please email it to me. I will print it in the newsletter. Thanks



A NEW SCHOOL AND ADJUSTING

submitted by: Loretta Mayer Brickman (WI '59)
bd_consulting@hotmail.com

After finishing my freshman year at Plainfield High School in Plainfield, NJ, my parents and I moved to Clarksburg where I attended WI until I graduated in 1959. I can't begin to tell you how nervous and upset I was for having to move so far away and for having to go to a new school knowing absolutely no one. To make a long story short, my parents couldn't have made a better decision. My three years at WI were magnificent. My new classmate, Joy and I became best friends. Truthfully, she became part of our family. I made many friends during those days. I remember on Friday nights we always got together at someone's house. Even if we had a date, we would bring the person with us. No one went out alone that night. Saturday evenings were reserved for individual dating.

A lot has happened since my days at WI. I became a pharmacist, got married to a wonderful man, Stephen who is also a pharmacist. We have two loving sons, Joseph and Eric and a magnificent grandson Devon. There is so much more to tell, but I'll save that for another time.

Hello to all my classmates.



A BOOK SIGNING TO BE HELD

submitted by: Bob Stealey (WI '64)
BobnAlong1@aol.com

"On the last Saturday of July, my book publisher has asked me to be at the Grand Central Mall in Parkersburg/Vienna to sign some books. These are the names of them:

Images of America -- Harrison County
Images of America -- Doddridge & Ritchie Counties
Images of America -- Clarksburg, W.Va., and
Images of America -- Bridgeport, W.Va.

All are $19.95 except the Harrison County book, which is $18.99. At least 200 or more B&W photos in each book.



WE LOVE THEM
WE CRAVE THEM
PEOPLE OUTSIDE OF WEST VIRGINIA CAN’T GET THEM
NOT THE SAME ANYPLACE ELSE IN THE WORLD

http://www.wvhotdogs.com/




WDTV—WESTON TV CHANNEL

submitted by: Barbara Paugh Patton (WI '61)
BAP5555@aol.com

I was trying to find information on WBOY when I found this site for WDTV Channel Weston WV. WDTV also has some interesting history.

History of WJPB-TV/WDTV, Weston, West Virginia




submitted by: Buzzy Floyd (VHS '56)
Floyds4@cox.net

You asked me if Ch-5 was on the cable in Clarksburg. This is my memory of events from 50+ years ago.

In the early 50’s Clarksburg officially got cable TV. Before that were private antennas and small neighborhood links owned by hobbyists called DX’rs…people with equipment to bring in distant (DX) TV signals.

The Clarksburg cable was in business before the local TV stations, but the owner of a bank and newspaper didn’t care for competition so he fought the cable’s efforts. He wielded not only a lot of editorial power, but local businesses needed advertising space in his paper, and it is said most local businessmen were in his debt for loans.

It’s said he finally allowed the cable only because they (allegedly) gave him part ownership.

In 1957, when it was announced that Clarksburg would get its own local TV station, the fight began anew. Since that man had no control over the FCC, the station went on the air anyway, but he had pretty much convinced the locals that it was the end of the world as we knew it. Of course, we had been carefully trained by those who would take our land, coal, oil, and timber, not to mention money, and our wimmin, that we weren’t deservin’ of things like TV stations ‘n stuff.

So the good people of Clarksburg didn’t really take well to the station, even though it may have been the best gift they ever got as a community. They didn’t understand that their very own TV station aided the local economy by stimulating business through advertising, and free programming, as well as money spent locally, and by providing several jobs to folks such as this po’ boy. It provided news, promoted local public service projects, and provided a forum and venue for local groups, such as schools, choirs, churches, Scout troops, political groups, and civic projects. And, it was free, and it didn’t try to suppress any of those things for the good of one man.

Even today I doubt the average person understands the overwhelmingly powerful impact a TV station has on everything in the community. TV’s credibility factor is off the charts when compared to second place radio, and third place newspapers. People believe if they hear it on TV it’s true, but they don’t believe newspapers. Channel 12 was/is Clarksburg’s cheerleader. But, as dynamic a positive force as it was and is, I never stopped getting the question, “When is Ch-12 going off the air?” asked with a sneer and a wringing of hands, as if the asker couldn’t wait for all of us who depended on Ch-12 for our livelihoods to end up in the unemployment line.

But I knew what it meant. The negative attitude of the time created by vested interests, especially politicians, was that we poor hillbillies were supposed to be depressed, and we couldn’t have anything good in dismal Appalachia (wherever that is), so if we didn’t roll over and be sufficiently depressed for them they would take it all away.

The thing that nearly killed Ch-12 was the cable’s refusal to put us on the system. Plus, in those days there were built-in antennas in most sets that could pick up the local stations. When the cable guy hooked you up, he unhooked that antenna to make sure you couldn’t watch Ch-12. Without viewers we couldn’t sell advertising. People ask me, “Isn’t advertising the main way a TV station makes money?” Jeez…man. It’s the ONLY way a TV station, makes money. We charge for ad time by how big the audience is estimated to be; thus, TV ratings.

There were other assaults on us too. We were the exclusive NBC affiliate in the market, but the cable excluded us for other NBC stations. This not only took away our audience but it blocked local advertising that ran during those shows causing economic harm to local businesses.

Ch-12 was one of few stations in the United States allowed to cherry-pick the best programs from all three networks. Even though we were primarily an NBC affiliate, we carried CBS and ABC shows too. But the owners of Ch-12 also owned CBS affiliate WSTV in Steubenville, Ohio, which was on the cable. We were being forced to compete with ourselves, but they were out for our blood, so the cable refused to take WSTV off, prompting us contest the right of cable to steal a station’s signal and sell it.

Shortly after Ch-12 signed on it went before the FCC, and to court, where the fight lasted for several years. The TV station sued for $2 million in damages (would probably be at least $200 hundred million today), and told the cable, pay up or buy the station for $2 million (they eventually did the latter).

But before the arguments were resolved the FCC made the cable add us and remove Pittsburgh’s Ch-11; at least when we both carried the same programming. At a Jaycee meeting one night, a resolution was proposed to complain to the FCC for the loss of Ch-11. After I basically gave the same heated speech as I made above, they not only rescinded the vote, but sent Washington a letter of commendation about us.

So, the outcome was that one of the smallest TV stations in the United States, took on the then largest cable company in the United States, as well as one of the most powerful newspapermen, “The Czar of Clarksburg” as Time Magazine called him, and won. It resulted in landmark government decisions that affect all cable TV to this day (although IMHO, not nearly as much as they disserve), placing cable TV under control of the FCC where before they were under nobody’s control.

So in answer to your original question, “Was Ch-5 on the cable in Clarksburg”; yes, eventually, thanks to us troublemakers at Ch-12.



SUMMERTIME AND THE LIVING IS EASY!

submitted by: Steve Goff (WI '72)
Sgoff53@hotmail.com

Hey Hilltopppers....IT'S SUMMERTIME...and the living is easy. This month I've gathered a batch of 'Summer Songs' for your enjoyment. Here is a beach bag full of music that will hopefully stir up some fond memories of your days in the sun while on 'summer vacation' from WI. We sure did love our summers back then didn't we? Long days, full moon nights, sunburns, deep dark tans, Bob Prince and Pirate baseball, fireworks on the 4th, drive-in movies (and whatever other joys that entailed!).....and three full months to luxuriate in our youth and vigor.....with July smack dab in the middle.

This month the emphasis is on a summer 'vibe' rather than a variety of #1 songs from various years. Also, I had a harder time finding some tunes than I expected. I was very surprised I couldn't find a good 'TV' video of Brian Hyland doing 'Itsy-Bitsy-Teeny-Weeny-Yellow Polka-Dot Bikini'; but perhaps just by your reading that title the song will take on a life of its own and get stuck in your head for days. Never underestimate the power of the popular song.

Keep your fuses dry, your sunscreen on, and let your toes do the tapping.

SUMMERTIME, SUMMERTIME.....The Jamies.....1958.....This is one of those songs I love to hear each summer.....but maybe only once.....so catchy it can be annoying.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oS6r8Or8-uo&feature=related

IN THE GOOD OLD SUMMERTIME.....Pearl Bailey with Floyd, the hipster Muppet....Title tune from the 1949 Judy Garland movie, playfully performed here by Ms. Bailey and one of my favorite, but rarely featured Muppets. This jazzy version is a very cool little 'number'.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=USSb0WELsSo&feature=related

THOSE LAZY-HAZY-CRAZY DAYS OF SUMMER....Nat King Cole....1963.....Not much of a video, but a staple of summertime recordings.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2OhpGvnOMO0

SUMMER SONG....Chad and Jeremy....1964....I saw them perform this at the Nathan Goff Armory as part of the Dick Clark Caravan of Stars show that summer....here's a live, TV version.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=WDRo1hclnhk

Theme from 'A SUMMER PLACE'.....Percy Faith....1960...A live performance of a big #1 song from a very popular movie. It held the top spot in the country for nine weeks....by the way....in was on the charts in JANUARY and FEBRUARY!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mERbQIvgJXs

SUMMERTIME BLUES....Eddie Cochran....1958....Excellent live version by one of rock 'n' roll's most under rated performers.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Vm2Mdma2dXw

***BONUS CLIP** The Who covering 'Summertime Blues' in 1967, live at the Monterey Pop Festival.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=t5euZ3YWLXQ&feature=related

SUMMERTIME.....written by George Gershwin....for me the quintessential song of the season and here are three very distinctive versions, each one marvelous in its own way.

*Ella Fitzgerald live in Berlin--1968 http://youtube.com/watch?v=NkOuLZ2zcY0&feature=related
*Janis Joplin live in Stockholm--1969 http://youtube.com/watch?v=mzNEgcqWDG4
*Billy Stewart...this peaked nationally at #10 in the summer of 1966...longer album version.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Yy8vsnbTSQ0

Which way to the beach? In the early to mid sixties even we land locked, mountain bound youngsters sure liked our beach/surfin' music...go figure....Here's two from that era.

PIPELINE...The Chantays....1963....This is a classic from the LAWRENCE WELK SHOW!!! Check out the clever 'steps' by the band members. Instrumental surf-rock was very popular. Guitars with heavy vibrato and echo effects ruled...The Ventures were probably the best known surf band and Dick Dale the most famous guitar player.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=K285GtwwDA0

I GET AROUND....The Beach Boys...1964.....If you're compiling summer music, you gotta include some Beach Boys.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=mN7Xs9WVNBU

SUMMER IN THE CITY....The Lovin' Spoonful....#1 the July of 1966. This always sounded so good on a transistor or car radio.....my personal favorite 'summer' song. Nice 'color' TV version....
http://youtube.com/watch?v=1fxhebNeFXk

HERE COMES SUMMER....Jerry Keller....reached #14 in 1959.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=Lheo5PCWocE

UNDER THE BOARDWALK....The Drifters...1964. Anyone want to take a drive to Ocean City, MD?
http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZabCT1CndQc&feature=related

HEATWAVE....Martha and the Vandellas....1963.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=XE2fnYpwrng

HOT FUN IN THE SUMMERTIME....Sly and the Family Stone...1969. Excellent 'live' TV clip. When they were on their game, this band was amazing.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=UpBKpnsOltw

SUMMER BREEZE....Seals & Crofts...1972. This live clip is from an ABC music special in 1974. They played at WVU in 1973.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TEF470mXqU4&feature=related

VACATION....The Go-Go's....1982. They were in Morgantown that same year.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=eo8S3iFdzUc

GIRLS IN THEIR SUMMER CLOTHES....Bruce Springsteen....2007. I was wondering how I was ever going to get The Boss in this newsletter, as he is my favorite artist of all time....pardon me while I sneak in this new tune..a throw back to pop songs of the sixties, and the Phil Spector 'wall of sound'. I bet you like it....give it a shot.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=U7g7-lL6cQU&feature=related

IN THE SUMMERTIME....Mungo Jerry....summer of 1970. KAROKE VERSION!!!
http://youtube.com/watch?v=KbdyrRlYR2E&feature=related

And finally, a quick shout out to Bryan McIntrye, Class of '65. He sent me some great suggestions for this piece, and in so doing I learned/remembered he was a DJ on WHAR in the mid-60's. He was most often on the air during the weekends, spinning records from 'Mac's Shack'. He also had a key hand in putting together the 'Top 40' charts for the station. I would always rush down to Murphy's music section and pick up my copy to keep by my radio for the week, checking off songs as I heard them. Thanks Bryan!!

Thanks for all of the kind comments and great requests. Until next month....


THAT RADIO CLUB PICTURE

submitted by: Michael McClain (WI '62)
crazymanmichael@bellsouth.net

Concerning the Radio Club picture in the newsletter a couple of months ago, I believe the unidentified member standing between Bob Teter and Mr. Davis is Phil Marstiller(sp) who would have graduated in '62 had he not gone away to finish his schooling.



NEW READERS

Robert H. Welch (WI '54) welch24@embarqmail.com
Charles Shuttleworth (WI '53) and
Lois Fitch Shuttleworth (WI '55)		 lilypond1900@yahoo.com
Marlene Hinig (ND '62) tennismars@verizon.net
George McQuain, Jr (WI '71) MCQUAINJ@aol.com
Darla Merrill Clark (WI '63) darladclark@pcu.net
Jennifer Cone-Wells (WI '72) jencone@cfl.rr.com
Laura Lattea Cleavenger (Bridgeport '71) lauraljc@aol.com
Rockey Zannino (WI '65) Zrock57@aol.com
Jane "Phillips" Heitz (WI '70) janeheitz@att.net
Mary Ellen and David Killingsworth (WI '56) davidshachat@yahoo.com
Eugene Jaumot (VHS '54) VictoryHi54@aol.com
David Jack Cottrill “JACK” (WI '49) LCOTTRILL@wv.wvsom.edu
Sharon Sprouse Bramhall (VHS '60) sharon.bramhall@yahoo.com
Carolyn Moore Hess (WI '58) CHess12365@aol.com
Barbara Gregorie Weekley (WI '54) ImDunrovin@aol.com


CHANGE OF EMAIL ADDRESS

Wilford Johnston (WI '42) tomcatsix@comcast.net
Hayward Snyder (WI '59) snyderhb@gmail.com
Glen Cowgill (WI '59) GWCowgill@yahoo.com
Scott Miller (WI '77) (not 1978 as stated)
NOTE: the year of graduation stated last
month was incorrect, please change.		 msmiller4@yahoo.com




SOMETHING SO SIMPLE, WHY DIDN’T WE KNOW THIS?

I have been a mother and wife forever….and not until last month did I find out the secret to keeping that roll of foil or plastic wrap from falling out of the box when I was trying to cut a piece off…Who said, “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks?” Well, this “old dog” learned something new!---Roleta



Who ever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box?

We all use aluminum foil, which is great stuff, but sometimes it can be a pain. You know, like when you are in the middle of doing something and you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, “Press here to lock end.” Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there?!? I looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. Then I looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too! I cannot count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out when I was trying to cover something up.



OBITUARIES

GEORGE KOVACH

NOTE: Do you remember the City Service Gas Station that was across the street from the Stealey Playgorund?
During most of our days at the playground, that station was owned by George Kovach.

Mr. George Kovach, age 90, of 212 Reno Street, Clarksburg, WV passed away at 5:32 P.M. Tuesday, May 6, 2008 at the United Hospital Center. He was born in Wherum, Indiana Co., PA, January 27, 1918 a son of the late Charles Kovach and Maria Prodan Kovach.

Surviving are, his wife of sixty years, Louise Hinkle Kovach, whom he married November 16, 1947, two brothers, Stephen Kovach, Pocono Pines, PA and Joseph D. Kovach, Tipp City, OH, three sisters, Eva Palanes, Central City, PA, Judy Allard & husband Stephen, Altoona, PA and Betty Shibilski & husband Henry, Lodi, NJ and several nieces and nephews.

Mr. Kovach was also preceded in death by three sisters and a brother.

Mr. Kovach was a U. S. Army Veteran of World War II, having served in the 702nd Military Police Battalion. He then served with the U.S. Army Reserve, retiring in 1978 as a First Sergeant of the 459th Engineers Company with over twenty years of service to his country. Mr. Kovach had also been employed by the A. & P. Tea Company and Swift & Co. He had also owned and operated George's City Service Gas Station in Clarksburg for several years. He retired as a Department of Army Civilian Unit Technician in 1980.

He was an avid bowler for many years and directed the youth bowling program in Clarksburg and for the state of West Virginia. He was an active member of the First United Methodist Church in Clarksburg and served as a volunteer at the church and on various committees at the church. He was a member of the B. P. O. of Elks No. 482 and the Loyal Order of Moose No. 52, both for over fifty years, and the Roy E. Parrish Post No. 13, American Legion of Clarksburg.

NOTE: From Bob Alton (VHS '55)
ralton1@satx.rr.com

I worked for George at the station during the summers while in high school and before I joined the US Air Force in September, 1956. George was a boss, a mentor, and, most of all, a great friend. I still visited him and his wife Louise every time I got back to Clarksburg.



ROBERT STANLEY EARLE

CHARLESTON — Robert Stanley Earle of Weston, and recently of Charleston, died May 25, 2008, at The Haven in Cedar Grove. He was 89. He was born Nov. 13, 1918, in Clarksburg, W.Va., to the late Guy H. and Rosalie H. Earle.

He was a 1936 graduate of Washington Irving High School and a 1940 graduate of West Virginia University. He was in the first graduating class of the P.I. Reed School of Journalism and was elected editor of the Daily Athenaeum, the student newspaper.

He was working on the Grafton Sentinel when Pearl Harbor was bombed. Shortly afterward, he enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was a cryptographer in the Signal Corps, U.S. Intelligence, obtaining the rank of captain when the war ended. In 1942, he married the late Nancy Thrasher of Clarksburg, who preceded him in death in 1985.

In 1946, he went to work as a reporter for The Weston Democrat, and three years later he and the late George I. Davisson bought the weekly newspaper.

For more than 40 years, he was publisher and editor of The Weston Democrat. He covered news and sports events of Lewis County, sold advertising, laid out pages and wrote all the editorials and a weekly column — the Town Topics. For many years, the Democrat was the largest weekly newspaper in West Virginia.

He was active in the West Virginia Press Association and in the community. He was the recipient of the Alumni of the Year Award from the WVU School of Journalism and the lifetime achievement award from the press association. In Weston, he served for nearly 30 years on the board of directors of the Stonewall Jackson Hospital, and was on the board of the Stonewall Jackson Jubilee in its early years. He was a member of St. Paul's Episcopal Church, where he served several terms on the vestry. He enjoyed golf, skiing and traveling, especially his numerous trips to England. He was a loyal fan of the Mountaineers. In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by his brothers John and Lawrence Earle.

He is survived by his daughters, Nancy Westberg and son-in-law Arnold Westberg of Calgary, Canada, and Rosalie Earle of Charleston; brother, Guy of Savannah, Ga.; and grandchildren Elizabeth and Eric Westberg; several nephews and a niece.



PAUL KENNETH LIFE

Paul Kenneth Life, 86, of Bridgeport, passed away Thursday, March 13, 2008. He was born November 13, 1921 in West Milford, a son of the late Samuel Dwight Life and Martha Reed Life.He is survived by four daughters, Pamela Jane Hughes and her husband Gerald of Jane Lew, Barbara Louise Wrachford and her husband Dick of New Albany, OH, Ann Tarasi and her husband Pete of Pittsburgh, PA, and Kathy Atha and her husband Larry of Bridgeport; twelve grandchildren; 17 great-grandchildren; three great-great-grandchildren; and two sisters, Ruth Lynch of Colonial Heights, VA and Alice Bell of Dunedin, FL.

Paul was preceded in death by his wife, Louise Winters Life, on June 5, 1994. He was also preceded by a grandson, John Kenneth Wrachford, a sister, Olive Reger and a brother, Dwight Life.

Paul served in the US Army during World War II where he received three Battle Stars. He was a professional photographer who owned Ideal-Sayre Studio for 35 years, retiring in 1982.

He was an active member of Saltwell Road Ministries, attended Bible Baptist Church and also was active with the Gideons. He was an avid hunter who never failed to get a deer. He loved to do yard work and enjoyed woodworking and carpentry.



BETTY BICKERS LEGGETT

FAIRMONT — Betty Ann Bickers Leggett, 79, went to be with the Lord following a short illness on Friday, June 13, 2008, in the Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown, West Virginia. She was born May 28, 1929, in Clarksburg, W.Va., daughter of the late Bernard Basil Bickers and Florence Edna Jamieson Bickers. She is survived by her husband of 59 years, William Randall Leggett of Fairmont, W.Va. She was a beloved daughter, wife, mother and grandmother.

She is survived by four children: Randall Richard Leggett and his wife Marilyn, of Niceville, Fla., Elizabeth “Bunny” Guido and her husband J.P., Bernard Keith Leggett and his fiance, Jeannine Thobois, and Mimi Jane Leggett, all of Fairmont, W.Va.

Mrs. Leggett was a homemaker who loved to take care of her house and children. She devoted so much of her love and care for her disabled daughter Jane. She loved to play bridge with her many friends, but most of all she loved spending time with her family. She was a member of the First United Methodist Church of Fairmont, W.Va. She had been active with the Ladies Church Circles for many years.

She was a graduate of Washington Irving High School.



ELEANOR S. MCCLAIN

BRIDGEPORT — Eleanor S. McClain, 94, of Clarksburg, passed away Sunday, June 15, 2008.

She was born April 10, 1914, in French Creek, a daughter of the late Charles Smith and Jessie Knight Smith.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Earl McClain, on February 2, 1984.

She is survived by two daughters, Rebecca Werner and her husband Ronald of Clarksburg, and Maureen Wilson of Morgantown; seven grandchildren, Gregory Werner of Clarksburg, Kelly Audia of Wilsonburg, Keith Wilson of Morgantown, Amanda Wrachford of Morgantown, Julie Nichols of Fairmont, Bryan Wilson of North Carolina and currently serving in Iraq, and Jocelyn Mitchell of Morgantown; 11 greatgrandchildren; one sister, Dorothy Jean Hymes and her husband William of Pennsylvania; and several nieces and nephews.

She was also preceded in death by her granddaughter Lorie Chisler; three sisters, Ruth Bowen, Kathleen Yokeley and Willard Miller; and her brother, Robert Smith.

Eleanor was a graduate of Washington Irving High School and was a homemaker. She was a member of the Central Church of Christ who liked sewing, quilting, her plants, and reading.

Thanks to the Clarksburg Exponent for allowing us to use excerpts from their obituary column.









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