THE WI NEWSLETTER 06/14


THE WI NEWSLETTER


Editor: Roleta Smith Meredith Issue 178 June 2014






HAPPY BIRTHDAY WEST VIRGINIA!!




Holly Furbee sent this link to me a couple of months ago and I have really enjoyed it but thought I would just wait until June so you can enjoy it for the Birthday month of WV.

Just click on the picture in which you are interested and it will open up and on some of the pictures you can keep clicking and learn more and more. I didn’t notice a lot about Clarksburg but still it is very interesting. Play around with it and see how it works, it is very enjoyable and I have no idea how it is done.

Caution: You could spend hours watching this site!! Mingo gets its share, but check out that Pickens Hotel. Looks like a great place for a reunion bash!

http://www.pinterest.com/wvyourway/wv-history/



THANKS

A big THANK YOU TO:

Herb Cashdollar who sent a check to the WIN Scholarship. Thank you so much for your continued support to this wonderful cause.

Leslie McKinney Wallace (would have graduated from WI with the class of 1960) She now lives in South Carolina. Thanks for your generous check to this wonderful endeavor.

If you have never given, I hope you will decide to give this month.

The annual quilt ticket sale usually supports one scholarship. Our checking account is getting very low. If we don’t receive gifts to the cause throughout the year, we will have to decrease the amount we can give.

Write your check to:
Roleta Meredith / WIN Scholarship

And mail it to

Roleta Meredith
3025 Switzer Ave
Columbus, Ohio 43219

Thank you for all of your help.



2014 WIN SCHOLARSHIP

WASHINGTON IRVING NEWSLETTER SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

Scholarships were awarded to Daniel Melendez and Lindsey Woodlief who are 2014 graduates of R.C. Byrd High School. Each student will receive $3,000.00 awarded at $1,500.00 to their Student account for the fall and then again in the winter for their college expenses.

The readers have now given back to our community of Clarksburg $50,000.00 for education. We are paying forward out of gratitude. Hopefully some of the young people we have helped will also pay it forward when they mature.

If you would like to give something to the WIN Scholarship fund, no gift is too small or too big. It all goes in the same WIN Scholarship Bank Account.

Please make out your check to:
Roleta Meredith / WIN Scholarship

And send your check to :

Roleta Meredith
3025 Switzer Ave.
Columbus, Ohio 43219



WEST VIRGINIA THE ROAD TO STATEHOOD

This is close to being an hour long but it is very well done and I believe that you will not only enjoy it but will learn something from this. Hear about the Clarksburg Resolution.

West Virginia: The Road to Statehood - New - YouTube






DeFAZIO TO PERFORM FOR EVENT



Local crooner, Benjamin Britton DeFazio, and the award winning Washington Irving Middle School chorus will be among those who share their talents at theWashington Irving Centennial Celebration during the evening dinner and theater presentation at Robert C. Byrd High School on Saturday, August 23. Like most who will be attending the event, Benjamin grew up in Harrison County and attended Washington Irving as a part of his secondary education. From a young age, “Benji” has been performing for audiences all around West Virginia as well as those in neighboring states. He has won several area competitions including West Virginia Idol in 2006. He studied under the direction of local voice instructor Pam Krall. He enjoys listening to and performing the music of The Rat Pack, Tom Jones, The Beatles, The Drifters, and many more of that era. Benjamin has performed for countless weddings, banquets, fundraisers, and festivals—including regular appearances at the West Virginia Italian Heritage Festival during Labor Day Weekend.

In addition to performing for the WI Celebration and the Italian Heritage Festival in August, that month will also mark his graduation from West Virginia University with a master’s degree in Speech-Language Pathology. His parents are Joe and Jill Britton DeFazio. Also, his grandfather, Francis Eugene Britton, was a WI graduate.

The WI Show Choir is under the direction of DeeDee Warne.

Although it will be early in the school term for the members of the chorus, Warne believes that the students will “do their alma mater proud” with their performance. (Quote from Dee Dee)

Other activities for the evening include recognition of veterans; naming of Mr. Washington Irving and Mrs./Ms Washington Irving;

The meal for the evening, prepared by a local noted caterer, will feature baked steak and baked chicken.

PLANNING FOR WI CELEBRATION MOVES FORWARD

While most of the planning for the Washington Irving Centennial Celebration has been done by an ad hoc committee of 8-10 people, any graduate of WIHS is invited to attend the meetings. The next planning meeting is June 18, 2014, 6:30 p.m., Parkette Restaurant on Old Bridgeport Hill.

The theme for the celebration is the same as the old WI fight song, “WI Will Shine!”

Committee members are solidifying arrangements for the picnic and the evening events. The picnic which will be held in the Osborne Shelter in the Clarksburg Veterans Memorial Park on US 98 just west of the Louis A. Johnson Veterans Administration Hospital. There will be a sign at the entrance to the park. The banquet and theater program will take place at Robert C. Byrd High School.

The picnic will kick off at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, August 23. Meatballs in marinara and pepper sauce will be provided as well as tableware, ice and soft drinks. (No alcoholic beverages are permitted either in the park or at RCB where the evening’s activities will take place.) A free-will donation box will be at the registration table as attendees enter the shelter.

Background music for the picnic as well as the banquet will be provided by Jim Campbell, Class of 1960. “We will have music suitable for all generations,” said Campbell. “If anyone has anything special they want to hear, they should let me know.”

The picnic will adjourn at 2:30 p.m.

The doors will open for the banquet and theater performance at Robert C. Byrd High School at 5:45 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Theater doors will open at 7:15 p.m. and performance will begin at 7:45 p.m.

Reservations are required for the banquet . Tickets are $15 per person or $25 per couple. Reservation forms can be accessed at http://www.wicentennial.com/reservations-lodging.html or by calling 304-969-9179.

Preliminary deadline for reservations is June 15. Final deadline is July 15.



Front row (l-r): Joy Gregoire DeFazio, Sara L. Howe, Joanne Tetrick, Coach Al Castellana and Mary Rose Axton

Back row (l-r): Brad Underwood, Sam Scollapio Jr., Tom Elsey, Sharon Underwood, Donna Elsey, James Campbell.

Not pictured: Carolyn Pinella Warne, Dick Tetrick, Anna Walsh, Jerry Reed



THE QUESTION WAS:
DO YOU REMEMBER HAVING MILK DELIVERED TO THE HOME?

submitted by: John Teter (WI '61)

Roleta, I do indeed remember my parents having milk delivered to our house on Broaddus Avenue. I seem to think that the logic worked in such a way that if you needed milk, you would put the empty milk container on the porch on a certain day of the week and the milk would be replaced, whether you were at home or not. The company that delivered milk to our house might have been Chicago Dairy, but I am not certain about that. I also seem to remember that if you wanted extra milk and/or something else, you would put a note in the empty milk bottle that you left on your porch, ordering the extra milk and/or something else.



submitted by: Bob Bridge (WI '56)
Thanks Bob for a funny story about milk delivery:

Thanks for keeping the newsletter rolling through what have to be a significant challenges from time to time.

I have a few memories of my distant youth and one of them has to do with home delivery of milk. During WW II, my parents lived in a rental house on Waverly Way in Stealey. My one brother was in the Marines in the Pacific and had left his English Setter, Doc, with my parents for the duration. In good weather, we kept the dog at our next door neighbor's. The neighbor had a detached garage sited on a hillside so that one side of the garage was several feet off the ground. The dog house was under the elevated garage and there was a four-foot fence to the side of the garage, so Doc had plenty of room.

The neighborhood had daily milk delivery (I don't remember the dairy) and glass bottles with cardboard tops were left on people's front porches in the early morning. Neighbors started complaining to the dairy that the milkman was carelessly placing the bottles so that they would tip over spilling all the milk - more than once! It had never happened to us. One morning my mother was up a little early and happened to be looking out the front window. She watched horrified as Doc, our mild-mannered dog, walked slowly up the sidewalk to the house across the street, went up on the porch, knocked over a milk bottle with his paw, whereupon the cardboard cap popped and the milk poured out. Doc calmly lapped up the spilled milk and returned to the street apparently heading for another house with milk on the stoop. My mother told my father the dog had gotten loose and what she saw him do. After Dad got dressed he went to check the fence around the neighbor's garage to see if the gate was open. It was not and a very contented Doc was inside the fence snoozing there in the sun. Until that moment Dad had no idea that Doc could leap that fence let alone do it both ways. I don't know if my parents ever owned up to the neighbors to the "milk-napping," but the statute of limitations on that crime is long passed.



submitted by: Roleta (WI '59)

My parents were gone most of the day so our milk was delivered to our front porch. We had an insulated aluminum box that sat on the front porch out of the sight from the street, and out of the weather. The milk man drove to in front of the house, jumped out of his truck, ran to the porch and put the milk in the container for one of us to take inside when we arrived home from school. Later, after Bill and I had 2 children, we had milk delivered 2 times a week to our home (yes, we were all milk drinkers), and the milk man, knocked on the front door, walked in the house, put the milk in the refrigerator. The milk was in a 2-1/2 gallon container that sat on it’s side with a pull spigot on the front and our little family. It was so easy, so convenient and so fresh. But if you are interested enough to be reading this. Let me tell you of the best milk Bill and I have ever had. It was delivered by a local dairy to my daughter’s home in a suburb of Chicago, Ill. It was so fresh and so special, straight from the dairy.

And maybe if enough people write about this subject, I will tell you a really funny story about something that happened between me and a milkman.



submitted by: Bob Teter (WI '60)

Someone recently mentioned Producers Dairy.

I have many memories about this place. We always went by there before we returned to TN or SC to pick up some of the very best cottage cheese in the world. It was a staple at our home in Clarksburg for many years. What a sad day when the place closed!


submitted by: Patty (Hickman) Cravey (WI '61)
patricia.cravey@yahoo.com

First of all let me thank you for all the work you did getting the Sarasota Picnic together. My husband and I really enjoyed being there.

As for the telephones in our house, we had only one for years then my Dad put in a barber shop and so he had another phone put in, so we ended up with two.

As for milk delivery we got our milk from Gold Medal Dairy and our neighbor was our dairy man and I loved that fresh milk and the other products that they had. I loved being the one that carried the milk in. I remember the cream that was on top of the milk and my uncle always shook the cream down into the milk and then gave my sister and I cookies and we loved dunking them in our milk and because the milk was so good it also made the cookies taste better.



submitted by: Mary Virginia (Duncan-Johnson) Wilke (WI '55)

In response to the May newsletter.

1. Phone in home. When I was very young in Bridgeport, we had one phone and it was mounted on a wall in the dining room. It was next to a table where we all did our homework. You had to call the operator with the number that you wanted & I believe that we were reached by two rings. Everyone had party lines then. When we moved to Clarksburg and I was nine, we had a dial phone and you just dialed the number that you wanted.

2, We always had milk delivery. When in Bridgeport, it was delivered from the local dairy, but my milk (for some unknown reason) was always Clarksburg dairy milk with Vitamin D. I remember my Mom would take the cream and put it in a cheesecloth and hang it on the clothesline to make cottage cheese. I loved going to the country to my Dad's uncle's house and having the milk straight from the cow! It was put in a crock and refrigerated, then they set the pitcher on the table.

Of course, when we moved to Clarksburg, it was from the dairy there. I remember when it was cold, the tops would be up, because the cream on top would freeze. The milk was pasteurized, not homogenized at that time. The milk was always in glass bottles and you left them on your doorstep so the milkman would take them away. You also, left notes in the bottles if you had a change in your order.

When we moved to Ohio, I had home delivery from Lawson dairy there. When we moved to AZ, we had Shamrock Dairy delivered to our home. Those were the days, now we have to go to the store for our milk supplies.

3. I think the most important course that I took in WI, was Miss Holland's accounting class. I was an accountant after I moved to AZ. The most enjoyable class was Mr. Fredrick's American History class and Maude Yoak's English class. Of course, I took sewing and learned so very much that I made a lot of my clothes and my daughter's. I even made her wedding dress.

4. The film "Land That Made Me Me" was so enjoyable and I wish to compliment the author & film maker.

Well that is all for now. Again may I say how much I appreciate the WI Newspaper. I'm so sorry that I won't be able to come back to WV for the big WI day. I know it would be something wondrous!!



Bill, I truly appreciate your taking the time to forward the WI Newsletter to us. This time, I had a special treat: We just returned from a month's stay in Paris--which means that I read last month's newsletter and this month's back-to-back. I noted that you also send one to Vince Leasburg, who was one of my closest friends in high school, and Carol DeSanna (nee Gregory), who was my next door neighbor and someone whom I saw on campus during my undergrad days at WVU.

If I remember correctly, l think that you attended UCLA. If so, you might enjoy the slight typo in May's newsletter. One person said that he donated law books to USC Berkeley. This brought a smile to my face because my wife is a USC grad, and I did my graduate work at Berkeley. (I was offered a free ride to either Yale or Berkeley for the PhD--and, of course, took Berkeley!) If you did not attend UCLA, you will not appreciate my humor.)

Again, thanks. We are now headed for Mexico City to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

submitted by: Larry Jett (RW '56)
Larry.Jett@csulb.edu



NOTE: Bill did not go to UCLA. He is a WVU boy forever!



submitted by: Linda L. Smith Rinehart (WI '66)
floylind@gmail.com

I just found this 2004 Newsletter---10 years later, in 2014! I recognized a few names, enjoyed some of the letters, and think finding this Newsletter was such a treat!

I graduated from WI in 1966 and lived across the street from the front steps. My how the times have changed that neighborhood. Any how, the Feb Picture Trivia caught my eye. I'm sure that was Minard's Spaghetti Inn on Pike Street. I was in Clarksburg for the last two years of my mother's life and went to dinner with my family and some friends after my Mom died. The food was still as good as it was "back in the day".

My life has been good thanks, in part, to some of the wonderful teachers at WI. Mrs. Virginia Connley, choir director (4 years of A-Choir helped lead me into a career as a music teacher). Miss Lillie Mae Bauer, speech teacher. I was active in my church and frequently spoke at various church related activities, and found my speech class and performance requirements at Marshall University to be less daunting because of Miss Bauer. And yet one more, Mrs. Geniveve Broughton, Sr English teacher. She prepared me for life in so many ways, writing and literature was just the beginning. These teachers not only enriched my education, they enriched my life.

I hope your newsletter continues.



GROWING OLDER

submitted by: Hank Kiesel (WI '47)

“Good friends are like quilts-they age with you, yet never lose their warmth."

I am forwarding this to those on my Seniors email list because it is well written.

I have seen too many dear friends leave this world, too soon; before they understood the great freedom that comes with aging.

Whose business is it, if I choose to read, or play on the computer, until 4 AM, or sleep until noon? I will dance with myself to those wonderful tunes of the 50's, 60's & 70's, and if I, at the same time, wish to weep over a lost love, I will.

I will walk the beach, in a swim suit that is stretched over a bulging body, and will dive into the waves, with abandon, if I choose to, despite the pitying glances from the jet set. They, too, will get old.

I know I am sometimes forgetful. But there again, some of life is just as well forgotten. And, eventually, I remember the important things.

Sure, over the years, my heart has been broken. How can your heart not break, when you lose a loved one, or when a child suffers, or even when somebody's beloved pet gets hit by a car? But broken hearts are what give us strength, and understanding, and compassion. A heart never broken, is pristine, and sterile, and will never know the joy of being imperfect.

I am so blessed to have lived long enough to have my hair turning gray, and to have my youthful laughs be forever etched into deep grooves on my face. So many have never laughed, and so many have died before their hair could turn silver.

As you get older, it is easier to be positive. You care less about what other people think. I don't question myself anymore. I've even earned the right to be wrong.

So, to answer your question, I like being old. It has set me free. I like the person I have become. I am not going to live forever, but while I am still here, I will not waste time lamenting what could have been, or worrying about what will be. And I shall eat dessert every single day (if I feel like it).

MAY OUR FRIENDSHIP NEVER COME APART, ESPECIALLY WHEN IT'S STRAIGHT FROM THE HEART!



To Bill:

(Ed: With reference to the track team picture in the May Newsletter)

Mike Lada was my "Uncle Mike". He ran the shuttle hurdle relay on this team with Coach Bill Moore and Bob Heidelmier and ? They held the state record in the event for a few minutes and then their record was broken. All three men were in the military, Mike was in the Navy, Coach Moore was a Marine and Bob was in the Navy. Some of the 1960 football team might remember that Coach Moore had Mike working with John McFarland and others on punting the ball at one of our practice sessions. At the time, Mike was in his late thirties and could still kick the high spiraling kicks. He also was showing us how they "Drop Kicked" extra points when he was playing in the forties at WI. Mike owned Clarksburg Signs and made all the signs for the Homecoming cars for the Class of 1961. Bob worked for Compton Inc. as a welder and moved to Denver, CO in 1962 and worked at General Iron as a welder. Coach Moore was a leader and a friend to many of us at WI.

Fond Memories,

Gary Dawson, WI 1961

Reply To Gary:

Thanks for the note. I love your comment about the relay team "holding the state record for a few minutes". I wonder how often that happens in sports? Of course, records are made to be broken and most of them are, although it is not usually on the same day.

Your mention of the teammates serving in the military confirms what I said last month about most of the young men probably going to war, shortly after the picture was taken. Patriotism ran high in those early days of WW II. I'm not sure that will ever happen again in our country. I hope I'm wrong, but national pride seems to be diminishing these days.

Again, thanks for writing. Fond memories are what this is all about.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)


To Bill:

You may not know that at the entrance to WI's auditorium (we toured the place two years ago) there is a plaque, maybe two, listing all the WW II veterans. These are the ones who served, not just the ones who died. I was shocked to see my dad's name there. I have no memory of it being there when I went to WI. It must be WW II only, because there are surprisingly few names -- I would guess about 100.

Steve Limbers, W I 1957

Reply To Steve:

I would guess that many people do not know about or do not remember the plaque(s). I asked my wife, Roleta, if she remembered the names being displayed and she did not. I think it is quite appropriate to do this. Our country appreciated our veterans after WW II, but it all seemed to diminish from that point to today. I'm not sure how we can change this trend, but I believe it needs to be done. Perhaps it should start at the top of our government. Regardless, let's hope future generations appreciate the sacrifice that those in the armed forces have made.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)

EDITOR’S NOTE Do you remember these plaques? Write and tell me what you remember and if you have a relative listed there Thanks Roleta1@aol.com


To Bill:

I would be hard-pressed to pick the BEST ATHLETE in any of the sports (during my tenure at WI) that you had listed in the latest WI Newsletter, but IF I had to pick one, I would have to pick Bob Secret (WI, 60), for both football and basketball. But, being that football and basketball are both "team sports", it is hard not to mention those that helped Bob Secret be as great as he was in both football and basketball; like, Bob Teter, Gene Donaldson, John McFarlin, Danny Pettrey and George Cinci.

I think that each year in sports, there were outstanding "team players"; like in my senior year (61). There was Bob Swiger, Gary Dawson, Jim Coffindaffer, in both football and basketball. Charley McGlumphy, Bob Swats and Dick Lejeune in basketball.

WI did not have high school baseball and/or softball during my years there, and I did not really pay a lot of attention to track.

John Teter, W I 1961

Reply To John:

Thanks so much for your comments. I am surprised I didn't get more people writing on this subject. I didn't grow up in Harrison County, but I remember reading about some pretty good athletes from the area. Of course, Bob Secret was well known all over the state, but so were several other W I athletes. Bob Clousson and Jim Warren are a couple of them. Rex Bumgardner was a great one at Victory and Clayce Kishbaugh starred at R W. Shinnston produced Don Vincent, plus many others. Those are just a few.

I'd like to hear from some of the other readers about their favorites. Don't limit it to just one. Let's hear about all of the really good ones. How about you ladies. Who were your favorites? Send your list to:

Bill (billmere@aol.com)


To Bill:

I would say that Bobby "Seeks" Secret was the best overall athlete ever to compete in sports in Harrison County and the whole area. He lettered in all three sports at WI in all his four years there. I played Babe Ruth Baseball with him and he was spectacular there also. Everyone who played on the same teams or played against him would totally agree.

Fred Alvaro, W I 1959

Reply To Fred:

I think every era and every area has its own great athletes. Bobby certainly fit that mold for the late 50's in North Central West Virginia. It's too bad that the school didn't have a baseball team or he might have lettered in all four sports. Thanks for your selection.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)


To Bill:

I appreciate your helping draw interest to various sports topics for the newsletter. I read them all with great interest. I find the issue of best team and players of particular interest. The baseball team picture brought back memories of a lot of baseball playing I did, unfortunately none for WI, as sadly, there was no team during my time there. And also sadly, no girls softball!

Best football player would be hands down, Gene Donaldson, who went on to play at Purdue and for the Washington Redskins. One very tough individual and a teammate who I was always happy about not being on the opposing team.

Best basketball player from WI would be between Phil Carter who went on to play at Marshall and Bob Clousson, who sadly passed recently. Bob Schneider would be among those high on the list as he played at my alma mater, Va Tech.

An interesting story about Bob C. was that during my senior year at WI, he was home over Christmas and Coach Moore arranged to have him come by one of our practices. Bob took me over to the girls gym alone and showed me a lot about the game, mostly about rebounding. I still have some of the bruises to prove it! Certainly helped me as a player and enabled my getting to play a year at Va Tech on the freshman team (no one knew a thing about blocking out for rebounds, which, of course, Bob schooled me in well).

Finally, best all around goes hands down to my very dear friend, Bob Secret. In high school he was much more of a talent than the rest of us in football, basketball, track, baseball, you name it. Played football at Notre Dame, WVU etc and could have done the same with baseball or basketball had that been his choosing.

From conversation with Secret, I know there have been discussions at the summer WI picnic about the best team ever from WI. Hopefully you have been able to enjoy those discussions. Incidentally, I would probably concede that to the team with Clousson, Tustin, Hart, et al.

Best I can do and many thanks for your contributions to the newsletter.

Bob Teter, W I 1960

Reply To Bob:

Thanks for the nice letter. You have covered several good athletes. I remember all of them and agree with you that they are all worthy candidates.

I have also had some discussions with Bob Secret at the picnic, but it is usually about WVU sports. He has a lot of inside knowledge about the Mountaineer programs. Bob tried to get a discussion going last year as to which W I basketball team was the best, but no one would comment on his choice. Maybe your comment will resurrect the subject.

I'm hoping for more letters next month, particularly about athletes who played at Harrison County schools other than WI. See you at the 100th reunion in August.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)


ALMOST, BUT NOT QUITE

Through the years, I really didn't follow the WVU baseball team that closely. I would read their scores if the paper I was reading listed them, but I seldom searched for their game summaries or scores. After all, Morgantown's spring weather isn't exactly perfect for baseball.

That all changed this year. After reading a bit last season about the team doing well, I made it a point to keep an eye on their progress. Soon, I was following most of their games on Twitter. It was worth the effort. The team did well for most of the season. Then, the wheels came off. It seemed that they just couldn't get the timely hit with men in scoring position. It happened again and again. Also, the pitchers ran out of steam. The games were close until about the seventh or eighth inning, but then, the opposing team would have a big inning and the game was lost. They lost 9 of their last 10 games.

In the end, the season record was 28--26. Their RPI index was 38, making them one of the better teams in the country. However, they failed to make the NCAA tournament. But, I look forward to following them next year, when Randy Mazey's crew will move into the new ballpark in Morgantown. I'll have something to do besides ignoring the NBA and NHL playoffs.

The WVU basketball team hit another bump in the road, when sophomore Terry Henderson followed Eron Harris, by leaving the team. Huggins has replaced him with Jaysean Paige, a JC signee, who has two years of eligibility left.

Finally, we have just three months until the first football game in Atlanta vs Alabama. My question to the readers is, "Do you look forward to the Mountaineers playing the U. of Alabama in their opening game or do you dread having to possibly suffer through another humiliating defeat?" Send your thoughts and comments to me.

Bill (billmere@aol.com)



WI SENIOR PLAY, CLASS OF 1940

submitted by: Arreta Radcliffe Jaranko (WI '40)



This is a picture of the girls playing in the Senior play, class of 1940, including me, on the left. I have had it for so long it is beginning to fray around the edges as you can see.


COACH JOE MARRA





submitted by: Charlie Wilson (WI '81)

Joe Marra, Gotta love the Coach.

Most loved and respected man at WI for nearly 2 generations. Asst. principle and coach. Regardless if you were a star athlete or a private kid in the library, tops of your class or struggling to pass....'Coach' always smiled and took the time to listen and provide his thoughts to help the situation. He resolved disputes and gently provided order, encouraged participation and respect for not only the staff but between students as well. He past away in Jan. 2004 at 82 at his home in Clarksburg on North 20th Street.



submitted by: Bud Wheelock (WI '60)

The man in the mystery picture is no mystery to me. It is none other than Coach Joe Marra, my dear friend and mentor during the years we worked at WI and RCB together. He was one of the very finest men I have been fortunate enough to have as a friend. He was able to solve, through his caring attitude, many school situations that the administration could not. He was a friend to all.



submitted by: Gladys Williams (WI '71)

The picture is of Coach Joe Marra. He coached football, basketball and track. He became Assistant Principal during the 1970 -1971 school year. Was a wonderful, caring person.



Joe Marra, according to the 1967 yearbook, taught physical education and was a graduate of WI himself. He enjoyed golfing, dancing, and eating good food. By 1967, he had already been teaching 19 years. He coached football and my impression is the players loved him for his devotion to the school and team. Obviously, I didn’t have Coach Marra for physical education and didn’t know him from a student’s perspective, but from 1978-84 I served as a member of the English faculty at WI while Coach Marra was assistant principal. (And yes, we still called him “coach.” Once a coach, always a coach.) I remember him as a jolly fellow, always laughing at the antics of the kids. I believe he really loved working with them.

submitted by: Donna Stanley Meredith (WI '69)




submitted by: Jim Alvaro (WI '56)

I believe the mystery person for June is Coach Marra. I didn't know Coach Marra while living in WV but many years later I got to know him through my younger brother Larry. He played for Coach Marra and after he graduated from WI Larry became close friends with the coach and his wife. Coach Marra was a great man. Many people loved him especially those who played for him.



EDITOR’S NOTE: Several people sent me emails that told me the name of the person pictured.

We know the name before we publish the picture but we want to know what you remember about the Mystery Person. We want memories. Memories are the reason for this newsletter. So participate. Have some fun. Help me keep this newsletter alive.



GUESS WHO FOR JULY



Do you know the identities of the people pictured? What was the occasion? A party, a dinner or just a good time among friends. We know who the 3 guys are but not the 2 gals. Please help us identify them. Send your guesses to Roleta1@aol.com




REMEMBER TO DISPLAY THE FLAG ON FLAG DAY
JUNE 14, 2014



YOU'RE A GRAND OLD FLAG
by George M. Cohan

You're a grand old flag,
You're a high flying flag
And forever in peace may you wave.
You're the emblem of
The land I love.
The home of the free and the brave.
Ev'ry heart beats true
'neath the Red, White and Blue,
Where there's never a boast or brag.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
Keep your eye on the grand old flag.






YEARBOOKS NEEDED FOR THE WI HISTORY

submitted by: Tim Cork (WI '62)
tpcork@bellsouth.net

I have received a 1961 yearbook from William L. Seckman III Class of 1961. I'm scanning it now so look for it in the WI History in chronological order.

Below is an updated list of WI yearbooks still needed:

As of May 28, 2014:
Total yearbooks needed: 24 total, 6 in bold promised, but I have not received them to date.

1925, 1935, 1940, 1941, 1947, 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995.

Carol Schweiker has 1925. Joy (Gregorie) DeFazio has contacted her. Joy said on 4-30- 2024, "it's on its way to me." As of 5-8-2014, I have not received it.
Cindy Miller Murphy Class 74 - promised to scan 1973 and 1974.
Thomas Beatty promised back on 3-11 to send 1976, 1978 and 1979, but I never received them.

Please contact me at the above email address if you can lend me any of the yearbooks we need to complete the WI History. I will copy the areas of the yearbooks that I want to put in the history and then I will return the books to you ASAP.

Thanks,
Tim.

From: THE EDITOR:

Tim is continually updating the WI History as more yearbooks are received so keep checking back to some of the past segments to see if the year you were wanting to see but was not in the History has now been added.

List of additions after April 1, 2014

1920     Segment 1
1921     Segment 1
1922     Segment 1
1936     Segment 3
1937     Segment 3
1938     Segment 3
1939     Segment 3
1945     Segment 3
1946     Segment 3
1959     Segment 5
1960     Segment 5
1961     Segment 5
1962     Segment 5
1968     Segment 6
1969     Segment 6
1970     Segment 6
1971     Segment 6
1972     Segment 7
1975     Segment 7







What happened to the bust of Washington Irving?



Click below and get the whole story.





WI HISTORY
VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED
TO HELP WITH THIS PROJECT

submitted by: Dave Kuhl (WI '62)
dbkuhl@bellsouth.net

If you live in the vicinity of Clarksburg, Charleston or Morgantown or plan to visit there in the next month and would like to help copy yearbooks, please send me an e-mail at dbkuhl@bellsouth.net or to Tim Cork at tpcork@bellsouth.net.

We have determined that the Clarksburg Library, the State Archives in Charleston and the WVU library in Morgantown all have partial sets of WI yearbooks. We have also determined that there are yearbooks in the RCB library. We need to coordinate volunteer activities so that we do not duplicate efforts of other volunteers.

Tim Cork is leading this effort and does the difficult work of extracting material from the copies to compile the display which may be seen at https://wihs59.tripod.com/news/.

1916 thru 1927
http://washingtonhighschoolmemoirs.blogspot.com/2013/10/segment-one.html

1928 thru 1930
http://washingtonhighschoolmemoirs.blogspot.com/2014/01/segment-two.html

1931 thru 1948
http://washingtonhighschoolmemoirs.blogspot.com/2014/02/segment-three.html

1949 thru 1958
http://washingtonhighschoolmemoirs.blogspot.com/2014/03/segment-four.html

1959 thru 1967
http://washingtonhighschoolmemoirs.blogspot.com/2014/04/segment-five.html

1968 thru 19??
http://washingtonhighschoolmemoirs.blogspot.com/2014/05/segment-six.html

19?? thru 1995 In planning
http://washingtonhighschoolmemoirs.blogspot.com/2014/06/segment-seven.html

We want to take some of the work load off of Tim and get other volunteers involved. We also want to make sure that the copies are adequate quality and that all of the pages which Tim needs get copied.

This is your chance to get involved in compiling the history of WI. Tim will include the names of all of those who have helped in this effort. This is your chance to be a bigger part of the history and to make that history just a little bit better than it would have been without your contribution.

If you can not help in copying yearbooks but still wish to contribute, send me an e-mail with the subject “WI history research volunteer”.

Examples: The WV Div of Culture lists 68 from Harrison County who lost their lives in WW I but does not list their school or class year. For WW II, there are 285 listed (includes at least one woman). The only list we have is displayed with the 1945 yearbook and does not identify their class year or if they died in the war.

You can help with a little more research. A few hours of your time looking things up on the Internet from the convenience of you own home could make a difference. Let me know if you want to help.



SAY GOOD BYE

The letter below was sent to us by Sharyn Cottrill McGahan whose parents were charter members and later when raising her sons, they were members again when the family returned to Stealey.


STEALEY POOL

Dear friends,

We have come to the decision to discontinue our efforts to keep the Stealey Recreation Center in operation. The pool has been open since 1959, and has been a great asset to the community, as well as a wonderful place for members to watch their children grow. We have witnessed many generations at the Stealey Pool, and always looked forward to our summer up on the hill. As the years have passed, and families have become busier, our memberships have dwindled. We never let that stop us, and tried to keep everything going with fundraisers, elimination dinners and the swim team.

This year, we were excited to welcome new members to our board, and have several other members step up to lead committees. We had plans to purchase new filters and pumps, had wrapped up a successful fundraiser, started planning our calendar, and began our yearly clean-up of the grounds. During this regular maintenance, we have found that our yearly bandaids are not enough. The required work to the pool, in order to open, is extensive, time consuming and expensive.

So, with a sense of sadness, we have decided that it is time for us to close. With the closing, the Board will be meeting to discuss the property and finances. We invite you to these meetings, and will post the times and dates through member emails and our Facebook page.

Those that have paid memberships will be reimbursed. We appreciate our members, past and present. The pool could not have lasted as long as it did without all of the hard work, time and money that a lot of our members put into it for so many years. So thank you for making memories at the Stealey pool over the last 54 years.

Thank you,
Stealey Pool Board of Directors



MEMORIAL DAY SERVICE AT ANDERSONVILLE, GA

submitted by: Mere Gurson Schwartz (WI '57)



Above is Mere in her Civil War costume that she wore to the 2013 ceremonies.




Martin Schwartz did the invocation at Andersonville, GA, Prisoners of all Wars Memorial and Confederate Prisoner Prison on May 26,2014 for Memorial Day. Mere will represent The Daughters of the Union War Veterans by laying a wreath honoring the soldiers buried there from all wars. Mere is a member of the DAR in Louisa May Alcott Tent 11 in Fl.

Andersonville is now a National Cemetery.





MILITARY SERVICE

Don Sager Alta Vista, CJHS, WI-56, WVU-64. Below is a little bit about his service that he sent me after I twisted his arm a few times. Thanks Don


The end of the summer following my graduation from WI, I enlisted in the Navy for four years. After boot camp in Bainbridge, Md., I was assigned temporary duty in Norfolk on a Tug Boat. Only 8 on board including the Captain and Cook who lived off-base. More food than we knew what to do with. Put on 20 lbs. in 5 months. Of course the nite life in Norfolk contributed to some of the gain. Then I went to Illinois for Electronics Technician School. Next stop was 18 months in Morocco- North Africa. A small communications base (Sidi Yahia) in the middle of nowhere where I met Kitty (my wife). Her father was my CO. I spent the last 1 ½ years on board the USS Fremont-APA 44, where I was lead Petty Officer in the Communications Division. The attached picture was taken while on liberty in Gibraltar. Most visitors are still afraid of the apes but they won’t hurt you. Actually got out of the Navy a week early (HOORAH) so I could enroll in WVU in Sept. 1960.

The rest is history.



MILITARY SERVICE
Typing in the Army

submitted by: Jim Nutter (WI '71)

WI prepared me well for college, and one class in particular proved to be important to my military service. It was Janet Robinson’s typing class. My ancestors had served in nearly every American war beginning with the Revolutionary War. Therefore, I felt it was a natural duty to enlist as did my cousins. I thought that due to my typing skill, I may end up with a job closer to the flag pole and further from the foxhole. But the Army thought differently and issued me orders for Vietnam. When I reported back for duty, I was informed the order was rescinded and the new order was for a tour in West Germany. I was not disappointed.

I was assigned to Munster Kaserne, a nuclear weapons warhead maintenance facility hidden in the woods between Babenhausen and Darmstadt, Germany. We were prohibited from talking to the public about NATO Site 111, but since the end of the Cold War and disarmament, the facility no longer exists. It was built as an ammo depot during WWII and the Allies did not find it until after the war. There were only about 200 of us in the 545th Ordnance Company (Special Weapons). In addition, we had approximately fifty members of the 9th MP Detachment to provide us with security. Upon arrival I showed the First Sergeant that I could type. The Commander asked me if I would like to be the Nuclear Weapons Human Reliability Program Specialist. Their current Surety Clerk was scheduled to depart and they needed to train a replacement. It was a job with some importance and perks, which I truly enjoyed. For the most part, I stayed pretty close to the flag pole, except on occasion when I performed Custodial Agent duties while transporting warheads by chinook helicopter. I was able to site see and experienced the cultures of Western Europe. I served there until the end of my enlistment in December 1973. They offered me incentives to reenlist, but I had fulfilled my obligation and did not want an Army career.

My freshman year of college was completed by attending evening classes at the University of Maryland, in Babenhausen. Therefore, I was accepted as a transfer student when I resumed my studies at Glenville State College. Those of us attending on the GI Bill easily bonded and had an active veterans club. We would meet in the Student Union between classes for coffee, lunch and stories. One time during class break, someone noticed that another was wearing a VC belt buckle. The topic of discussion quickly turned to their war souvenirs. I just sat and listened. Then the table conversation got unusually quiet and they were all looking at me. I exchanged a serious glaze back at each one, and with a grin proclaimed, “You guys should see the beer mugs I brought back from Germany”!

During my first year at Glenville, I decided a little extra money would be nice and so joined the US Army Reserve, 459th Engineer Company (Bridge), Clarksburg. I proved my typing skill to First Sergeant George Kovach, and he made me his clerk. 1SG Kovach and SFC Boyd Welling were also the civilian Unit Administrators (UA). They were primarily responsible for the administration, planning, advising the commander, and logistics support for the reserve unit. Also stationed at the USAR Center was Colonel Underwood. He noticed that I would perform extra training time to help the UAs. Near the end of my senior year, he asked if I would like to be an Army civilian administrator for the reserve. I was interested in working for the federal government, but not necessarily for the Army. He stated that based upon my education and experience I would qualify without taking the civil service exam, but staying in the ready reserve was a requirement. The application was submitted and he made some phone calls. A week after graduation, I was working as a UA for the 326th Ordnance Company (Ammo) in Huntington. Several years later, I transferred to the 38th Ordnance Group (Ammo), South Charleston, and was promoted to Sergeant First Class.

In 1985, I transferred my civilian status to the US Army Corps of Engineers, Contracting Division, in Huntington. Although the Huntington District is part of the US Army, their primary mission is environment improvement for public safety, flood control and river navigation. Some of my proudest procurements were issuing disaster recovery contracts for FEMA, toxic waste cleanup contracts for the EPA, and awarding flood mitigation contracts, which included contracting with local public service districts to provide community water and sewage facilities.

I retired in 2011, as a Contracting Officer with a combined 35 years, 9 months and 14 days of military and civil service. You now know why, I give credit to my WI typing class for opening a career path within the US Army. It turned out to be an awarding journey, but in a direction I had not initially planned on taking.

EDITOR’S NOTE: I want to honor anyone who served the USA. If you served in the military, please write and tell us about your time in the service. I hope we can salute one or two of you each month. I would also like to have a picture to accompany the article. Write it and send to Roleta1@aol.com. Don’t think you can’t write. If you can type, just put down your thoughts. Between the two of us, we will come up with something for the newsletter. Thank you for helping me thank all who served in the military.



PICTURE FROM FRANK MCGAHAN


Frankie McGahan (WI 1960) sent me this picture for the newsletter. Do you remember the McGahan brothers? Weren’t they our own Three Musketeers? Seems they were always together and they were each born only 1 year apart.

Back row Mike (WI 1959) and Dave McGahan (WI 1958).
Front row: left Mike Swiger (WI 1959) and Gary MonteIth (WI 1959---Gary moved away near his Freshman year)



THE SUGGESTION WAS FOR YOU TO TELL US WHERE
THE TELEPHONE WAS LOCATED IN YOUR HOME
WHEN YOU WERE GROWING UP?

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

We had one phone in our house. It was located in the hallway that was in the middle of the sun parlor, living room, a bedroom, and the dining room. HONESTLY! We had a cord that was long enough to reach all the rooms. The phone was recessed into the wall and we could push the lengthy cord into the wall when not carrying it to the bedroom for privacy. I know we had a party line and Jerry Paugh's family was the other party. If we wanted to make a call, we would pick up the phone to see if anyone at the Paugh's home was using it. I remember my mom would ask, "Ruthy, (Jerry's mom) how long are you going to be on the line?" I can't remember when the transition happened between asking the operator to make the call or the dialing took place. However, I do remember our number was 231J and I don't know why, but I remember my best friend, Jack Borror's telephone number. That was 5150W. I also remember way before the dial phones, we had to count the rings to determine if it was for us or someone else on a 4 party line.

Don't think that would work today. There would be some killings and phones thrown through the walls. I am sure you will, or should, get some response from your suggestion on this topic.



submitted by: Bill Meredith (Monongah HS '57)

The first telephone that I remember in our home was a very heavy, black phone, which sat on a small table in my parent's combination living room-bedroom. We were on a party line, which was the least expensive way to own a phone. Of course, when you picked-up the receiver, if a neighbor wasn't using the line, the operator would say, "Number please" and you would give her the number and be connected to your party.

Two of my sisters worked for the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Co. as operators in Fairmont after high school. I was able to tour the facility and was amazed at all of the switchboards and the constant hum of activity.

A few years ago, I was visiting a cousin, who grew up with me. He asked me if I remembered our first telephone number, to which I replied, "no way". He said it was "533R3". Of course, then I remembered it---he was right.

A simpler time, but not really the good old days. Things were tougher then, but we survived with the help of the Good Lord and hard work. As a friend of mine once said, "You only go around once in life, but if you do it right, once is enough".



GRATEFUL FOR PARENTS MOVE

submitted by: Millie Fullerton Kennedy (WI '78)

(Millie says she met her husband, George Kennedy, in Coach Castellana’s World Cultures Class at WI in 1977 and they have been ecstatically happy ever since.)

My father, a union carpenter working mostly in the D. C. area, retired in 1976. We had lived for decades in southern Maryland and my father was looking for a change for our large family. There were 12 of us, ten girls and two boys. By the time of his retirement, my oldest five siblings were out of the home, starting their own families and careers. One of those five, my oldest brother, Matt Kennedy, had recently been graduated from Salem College with a music teaching degree. Matt student taught in some Clarksburg schools and had been impressed with the quality of life offered by this area. So, he suggested my parents consider relocating to the Harrison County area.

Long story short, my father liked what he saw and bought a home in Clarksburg. He told my mother about the home he purchased after the deal was done. Odd, but my mother complained more about the fact he didn’t consult her on the new refrigerator he had ordered.

Well, all of that got sorted out and we moved here in the spring of 1976. The seven daughters my parents were still raising commenced to infiltrate Morgan Elementary School on Duff Street, Central Junior High, W. I., and WVU.

My first day at W. I. was actually not till the fall semester. I had remained behind in Maryland to complete my sophomore year at my old high school. I started as a Hilltopper actually in summer band practices and then band camp in Huttonsville.

I should point out here that at my old school, marching band was considered a necessary nuisance by the educational system. The focus in our region had been concert band.

Concert band started with summer band and lasted throughout the school year. When we went to competitions, we were performing the 1812 Overture and similar pieces. When we did appear at half time (home games only), we stood in a block formation, played a couple of popular tunes,and then left the field. So, when I went to band camp and saw that there were sequences and configurations and abbreviations like TTR (to the rear), I was overwhelmed. They wanted me to do all of this AND play? After many embarrassing mistakes, I got through it. I received an immense amount of help from then sophomore Laurie Ellifritt, another flute and piccolo player. I can still hear her yell, “Guide right !”.

But the most surprising changes were still ahead. I had come from a large, modern school made of metal, faux marble, and painted cinder block and filled with extras likes science lecture halls, a theater department, an art studio, a state of the art video lab, and the like. When I first saw W. I. and its beautifully maintained cozy interior, I was thrilled. I remember coming home and telling my mother about the lustrous woodwork and wood floors, small classrooms, the old fashioned auditorium, and little things like the charming creaky stairs leading to the library. I immediately knew what a treasure W. I. was to be to me and to my younger sisters. What an opportunity my parents had given us!




BOY SCOUT

submitted by: Charles Farrell (WI '46)

The photo of me and one of our Cub Scouts was taken at Gaithersburg, MD City Hall a few years ago. I have been a scout leader for over 45 years as a WEBLOS leader, scoutmaster, merit badge counselor, advancement chairman, and Eagle Scout Board of Review Chairman. I have earned the Award of Merit, Commissioner Award, Silver Beaver and James E West Award. My name is on a brick at the scout HDQ in Bethesda, MD. I still sit in on monthly Eagle Scouts Boards of Review. A photo of a photo of our 1998 Class of Silver Beavers is in "The History of the National Capital Area Council" publication of the Boy Scouts of America. We had 8 Eagle scouts on one block of our street in Gaithersburg including two of my sons. The new National Scout Jamboree has been located to WV.

NOTE FROM ROLETA SMITH MEREDITH: Thank you Charles for serving. I was a Cub Scout Den Mother. But once the boys became a Weblo, the leaders were MEN!



THE SUGGESTION WAS: WRITE AND TELL US SOME “HILLBILLY” TERMS
MOUNTAINEER OR HILLBILLY TERMS

submitted by: David Bates (WI '51)

Hillbilly (or a bit more dignified, "Mountain William") sayings -

- "He's tougher than a hill side plow."
- "I wouldn't take his word for 'Good morning' with the sun three hours high."
- "He'd sooner climb a tree to tell a lie than stand on the ground and tell the truth."

I'm the one who suggested asking " what was the best course?". My answer-

Latin 1&2 taught by Mrs.Melody and Miss Albright.


submitted by: Jim Alvaro (WI '56)

Peope think "Hillbilly terms" originated and carried on just in WV. Well, in Georgia we have several. We use "fixin' and "carry" a lot. "We are fixin' to go to the store and on the way, we will "carry" you by grandma's house." And, "sho 'nuf, y'all don't believe me, but lawdy me, I'm telling the truth."


submitted by: Charles Ferrell (WI '46)

I thought that you would like to see the 1950 military version of Hillbilly. The term Hydromatic Hillbilly meant a Shiftless Hillbilly and the term Mountain William meant an Educated Hillbilly.


submitted by: Bill Meredith (Monongah HS '57)

In the May Newsletter, you asked for, what you called, "Hillbilly" words, which we remembered being used during our younger days in West Virginia. I'm sure everyone has heard the old standbys, such as "Crick" and "Hollor". However, there are many, many more. I've listed a few below. Most of these are seldom used anymore. Some are legitimate words, while others are "made up".

By the way, I would never "make fun" of anyone for using these words. In fact, they are music to my ears. I, for one, wish I had never had to leave the area where I grew up.

PONDER---I've got several things to ponder, before I make a decision.

FETCH---Throw that stick and my dog will fetch it for you.

YONDER---He lives over yonder.

YOUNGINS--She's got ten youngins.

YOUR'N and HIS'N---Bum Phillips, coach of the Houston Oilers once said, when referring to the greatness of Don Shula, coach of the Miami Dolphins, "He can take your'n (players) and beat his'n or he can take his'n and beat your'n".

THIS-A-WAY and THAT-A-WAY---He went this-a-way or was it that-a-way?

THEY'S---As a gate guard in North Carolina once told me, referring to the other guards, "They's idiots".

Many of us also mispronounce words or use the wrong word on occasion. Some examples I remember are:

Give me some more of that "cold" slaw.

Give me a "cartoon" of cigarettes.

I've got a "Cadillac" on my eye.

I've got an "irrigation" on my skin.

Finally, I often think of what a boring country we would have if all of us sounded alike. The language may be difficult to learn, but it certainly is colorful. Maybe next month I will have thought of more of these "colorful" words.


submitted by: Gloria Hunter Kennedy (Would have been WI 1957 but left in 1952)

In the winter of 1948-49 all three of us Hunter kids were sick with pneumonia and it was like an infirmary in the living room. I remember my mother saying, "The doctor is coming, I have to redd this place up."

FYI, I notice you have my e-mail listed in the May issue, saying WI 1957. I would have graduated from WI in 1957, but have always told you I graduated from Santa Monica High School. We moved West in 1952. I spent 45 years in the Los Angeles area, and now live in Oregon. I ordered a reprint of the WI yearbook to see what became of my old classmates. Some were not there, I wonder whether they moved away like I did, or perhaps moved into a different high school district. Lonnie McCabe, Nancy Hamilton, Billy Hardy, Shirley Nutter, Paula Morris, Dixie Lee Whitehair, are some of the names I missed.


submitted by: Mary Sue Clark Spahr (WI '56)

Here are some hillbilly words that I'm putting in sentences to demonstrate how they were used:

1. Hain't: hillbilly for have not or haven't.
" I hain't seen nothin' like that before."

2. Britches: hillbilly for pants or underwear.
"You pull up them britches before I warm what's shinin" at me."

3. Warsh and rinch: hillbilly for wash and rinse.
" I warshed 'en onced and rinched em' twiced."

4. Rether: hillbilly for rather OR whether and can be used for either one.
"I didn't know rether I was comin' or goin'."

These are all I can think of at this late hour, but if I think of any more, I'll write again.


submitted by: Billie Anne (Cork) Clevenger (WI '52)

"Figger"

I could never figger out why all the boys chased after one particular girl in high school but I was finally able to figger why, I think it must have had something to do with her shapely figger!


submitted by: Bryan McIntyre (WI '65)
bfmcintyre@att.net

Having left Clarksburg for college at Ohio State in the summer of 1965, I have lived in Ohio, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Virginia and Arizona since then. Here are some words and phrases I took with me from Northern West Virginia:

"That's It, Fort Pitt" - said when you've finished something
Split a gut - laughed hard
Fixin' to _____ - Getting ready to do something
Deef or death - unable to hear
"She was ate up with cancer"
Worshington DC - Washington
strenth - strenGth
Shopping buggy - shopping cart
"I'll beat the tar out of you"
"It'd likedta skeered me to death"
theATE'er - theater
pop - soft drink
"I swan" - I swear
Huzzy - loose woman
Tote - carry
DEE''troit - Detroit
STEE'yet - still - as in "He's steeyet the same after all these years".





HELP!

If you don’t write, we have nothing to read. Below are a few suggestions that you can write about but anything you remember is fine, just write and share some of your memories with us.

1. Can you add to the list of “Hillbilly terms or words? Write and share them with us …Roleta1@aol.com.

2. What was the best class you ever took while in grades 1 thru 12? Why was it so good? Who was the teacher? Give us some information on why you selected this course (class) Write to Roleta1@aol.com.

3. Pam Brown (WI 1960) wrote and said she and some friends were discussing the sub sandwich that we used to enjoy at Parson Souders Café? What were the ingredients? Do you remember what type of bread was used and what was on the sandwich? I wish my friend DeeDee Souders was still alive and I am sure she would write and tell us.

4. Shop Projects? What were your shop projects? I think every male had to attend at least 2 years of Industrial arts while in Junior High and 2 years while in high school. Tell us about your projects. Do you still have any of them? Send us a picture. Write to Roleta1@aol.com.

5. If you served in the military, we would like to thank you for your service. Please send us a picture of you in your uniform and a brief story about your service. Please write and share with us. Write to: Roleta1@aol.com.

6. So many people I meet ask me where I am from in the south. I guess they think I have a southern drawl. Do you get this from people too? What is your response? Write to: Roleta1@aol.com.

SELECT ONE OR ANY OF THE TOPICS ABOVE: Write and share your memories with us. OR PICK A TOPIC OF YOUR OWN

Write to Roleta1@aol.com.


FOODS

submitted by: Roleta
Roleta1@aol.com

Did your mother prepare any certain foods that you don't find other places? Or did restaurants have certain foods on the menus in our area that you no longer see or don't see out of WV? For instance, did you eat grits or fried mush when growing up? Did you ever see that on a menu? Did you eat red eye gravy; fresh cooked greens; water crest salad; cucumbers, onions and tomatoes in sour cream or milk? How about corn bread and soup beans? Were they a staple in your diet? If so, what kind of beans do you prefer? What soup was the most popular in your home? Did you have meat every dinner? Did you say lunch and supper or lunch and dinner? Or was Dinner what you had on Sunday or holidays and other days it was called supper?

These are a few suggestions about FOOD......I have been asked some of these questions and wonder how did you eat? Was it different in your home due to your parents ethnicity? Ethnicity pertains to or is the characteristic of a people, especially a group (ethnic group) sharing a common and distinctive culture, religion, language, or the like. This would also pertain to the area from which your parents or grandparents were from. For instance, my maternal grandmother cooked much differently than my paternal grandmother, not only due to heritage but also due to cultural area where they were raised or lived. Did you find this to be true?

Write and tell me if this brought back memories to you.....tell me about your food desires and favorites. Write to Roleta1@aol.com.


MAY DAY

submitted by: Marolyn Tustin Jett (WI '56)

I always loved May Day because at Morgan Grade school and the Stealey Playground we would have a program of "dancing round the May Pole" with colorful clothing ....etc.... At the playground they would use the pole from one of the swing rides ..near the Merry go round. This was during the time that Miss Mattie Isreal was director of activities there.

I also liked May because I loved spring (still do-even in FL) and my birthday is this month and always it seemed to fall on a pretty day. Miss Israel was also a third grade teacher at Morgan and on my birthday that year she took the class on a nature hike up in the Goff woods above Stealey. (Where the Stealey pool is now and in the area where my dad had our garden at that time). And I got to be the leader of the class and walked single file through the fields since it was my special day!

And I married a man, had two children and three grandchildren with May birthdays! Altogether there are nine of us this month with birthdays!



NEW READERS
Patti Morelan Gyorda (WI '57) patti.gyorda@yahoo.com
Frank McGahan (WI '60)
Mike McGahan (WI '59) and
Dave McGahan (WI '58) 		DavidMikeFrank@frontier.com
Becky Runner Clark (WI '67) rebechu6@aol.com
Linda Smith Rinehart (WI '66) floylind@gmail.com


CHANGE OF EMAIL ADDRESS
Marty and Rusty Elliot (WI '57) rustyelliott1@myfairpoint.net




MYSTERY PICTURE FOR MAY

The picture was sent to us by Tim Cork (WI '62). He gave the following information. "It's the old WI shop and manual arts building that was located next to Central Junior High School. Central wasn't even built yet, but if anyone went to Central Jr. High they should remember the building."


The May mystery picture looks like the building beside Central Junior HS used for WI shop classes. The first floor was the wood shop, taught by Mr. Ramsey. The second floor was Mechanical Drawing & Drafting, taught by Mr. Gregoire & General Metals taught by Mr. Fowler. I had all three classes there. They helped me a lot in my future occupations. Thanks for all the work on the news letter that you & Judy do.

submitted by: David Lawrence Kinney (WI '51)
djkinney@windstream.net



submitted by: John Teter (WI '61)

I am thinking that the mystery picture in the current newsletter MIGHT BE the shop/industrial arts building adjacent to Central Junior High School. I do not remember there being so much grass between Central and the shop building, so I am not POSITIVE



submitted by: Jeff Westfall (WI '80)

Attended shop class in that building from eighth grade at Central Junior High through 12th grade at Washington Irving High School. Remembered helping the shop teacher build a pig house for his pigs as he was a farmer. The building also housed a mechanical drawing class.



submitted by: Jim Callis (WI Fresh and Soph./Greenbrier Military 1953)

I am pretty sure I took Mechanical arts and drawing in that building which was close or part of Central Junior High School.




MYSTERY PICTURE FOR JUNE


Can you identify the above picture? Please take a guess. Remrmber, I only print the correct ones. Please add a memory and include your name, school and year of graduation. If you want to play our game, write to Roleta1@aol.com.



MR. ORIE McCONKEY
(former principal of WI)



submitted by: Joy Gregorie DeFazio (WI '59)

Thought you might be interested in this booklet which is on Facebook.

https://archive.org/details/westvirginiac1902190319011902west

Orie McConkey is mentioned on page 54. He graduated in the Class of 1893 from Wesleyan.




REUNION TIME?
HOW TO FIX THOSE BAD MAILING ADDRESSES

submitted by: Dave Kuhl (WI '62)
dbkuhl@bellsouth.net

Every year 10% or more of our classes are typically involved in a reunion finding people, getting correct addresses, etc.

Here are some guidelines which might help speed up that procedure. Often times we get bad info from a second hand source and we have to do a little research to get it right.

How to look up addresses using the post office database

Why do this procedure? The post office does not deliver mail to people, they deliver it to an address. It is irrelevant whether your mail is going to you or to occupant. Only valid addresses are listed in the database. If the address in question does not have the full nine-digit zip code then there may be a problem with the address and the mail may not be delivered or it may be delivered late because postal workers will have to process the mail by hand.

GENERAL PROCEDURE
Go to this site

https://tools.usps.com/go/ZipLookupAction!input.action

Copy enough of the individual address from the source to be checked and paste it in the blocks in the post office website. For example, pasting in the zip code and the city & state is redundant.

Click on the blue block labeled Find.

See if the address produced looks right and the city and state match the zip code in your source.

Repeat the procedure with more details if needed.

Now copy the correct address from the website on to the address list for your source. If you have e-mail or phone for the individual, contact them and verify that this is their correct address. Somewhere along the way, someone may have provided a bad address such as by reversing digits. Your effort to be diligent may replace an almost good address with a completely different valid address but for someone else.

Make a note of any problems and follow up.

OVERVIEW
This computer database is used by the government and companies all over and there is only one correct address with the 9-digit zip code for any address. The program searches hundreds of millions of addresses in a fraction of a second and is a marvel of Internet capability.

DETAIL PROCEDURE
For the most accurate results with the least amount of effort, set up a split screen with two Windows displayed. Open the website in one window. Open the source list in the other window.

Move your cursor to the address list, place the cursor at the beginning of an address component such as the street number and street name, hold the left mouse button down and drag it across the street address to highlight it. Press ctrl C to copy the address to your clipboard. Then move the cursor to the website. Place the cursor in the “Street Address” block and press ctrl V. The street address from the source list should now appear in the website block. Repeat with the Zip code next. Then click on “Find”. If you don’t have a Zip code in the address, copy the City and state and click Find.

Now, reverse the process and copy the verified address elements from the website onto the source list.

The separate elements of an address are
1. Apartment, suite, lot, etc. number if any.
2. Street number and name
3. City
4. State
5. Zip code (including four digit zip extension for full nine digits)

TYPICAL PROBLEMS
Some people may include a neighborhood or other element in their address. If the post office does not recognize these other elements as part of the address, then do not include them. Many have gone through enhanced 911 implementation and their address has been changed. Some may not be aware that a change has occurred.

For example, I live in a golf course subdivision called St. Andrews. Some people include that as part of the address just as an affectation. The post office does not recognize it so leave it out. I have lived in the same place for 30 years and my address has been changed twice.

Good luck, let me know how well this procedure works for you and if you have any suggestions to improve the procedure and help others. --Dave Kuhl dbkuhl@bellsouth.net



1959 CLASSMATE PASSED AWAY


RICHARD 'DICK' PALMER

submitted by: Habie Snyder (WI '59)

Richard 'Dick' Palmer was one of our early '59 WI classmates to pass away. I will always remember him.

I grew up in Stealey on McDowell Street, and Dick and his family (Lyle, Regina, a sister) lived a couple of houses up the hill on the right. We were best friends beginning at ages 4 or 5 and did everything boys at that age did. We built forts in the green woods, played softball, made carts to ride down local streets and generally hung out.

Unfortunately, Dick had an epileptic condition which would cause sudden and unpredictable seizures, some lasting less than a minute, others up to five minutes or more. I remember feeling so helpless when this would occur and could only try to make Dick realize that someone was there with him. This condition would ultimately deprive Dick of a normal and fruitful life.

I left West Virginia after graduating from WVU in 1964, and Bonnie and I were married in 1968. I learned Dick's father had passed away, and Dick had been confined to the mental institution located in Weston. During a trip back to Clarksburg to see my mother, we stopped at Weston and enjoyed a visit with him. He seemed content with his surroundings, not happy but content, and was wearing a protective type helmet to prevent injury in the event he fell as a result of a seizure. A couple of years later, we again stopped in Weston but were told that Dick was no longer a patient there, and his fate or where-abouts could not be revealed.

Whenever Dick and I saw each other, we didn't say hi or hello but rather gave a military type salute. Our class is having it's 55th reunion in August and because this could be the last one, I intend to drive by Dick's old house on McDowell Street and give my final salute.

So long old pal. I'm sure God has already blessed you.

EDITOR'S NOTE: If you were a Classmate of Dick Palmer's, please write and share your memories of this nice person. We will have a salute to him in the July newsletter. I have memories of my first experiences with Dick.



OBITUARIES

MILES CREIG GOULD

Miles Creig Gould, 78, of West Milford, passed away peacefully in the arms of his loving wife at 7:20 p.m. on Friday May 2, 2014, in the WV Veterans Nursing Facility in Clarksburg following a courageous journey with Alzheimer’s.

He was born in Clarksburg on March 8, 1936, a son of George Ray Gould and Georgia Underwood Gould.

On May 26, 1960, he married his high school sweetheart, Rebecca Lou Steele, and they celebrated 53 years of marriage.

His kind and affectionate spirit will be carried on by his two children, Matthew Creig Gould and wife, Shana, of Kincheloe and Susan Christine Ford of West Milford; five grandchildren, Mitchell Creig Gould and wife, Brittany, and Samantha Leigh Brosius and husband, Charlie, all of Kincheloe, Morgan Elizabeth Ford of Columbus OH, Rebecca Madison Ford of Good Hope and Monroe Susanne Ford of West Milford; two great-grandchildren, Aubrey Paige Gould and Kaleigh Jane Brosius; half brother, George Ray Gould Jr. and wife Connie of McBeth; and several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his stepmother, Eilene Gould; and his grandparents who raised him, Wilber “Mickey” Gould and Hattie Gould, whom he loved dearly for their care and devotion.

Miles was a star athlete at Victory High School and went on to become an honored veteran of the United States Army. He was employed as a glass worker for Pittsburgh Plate, Fourco Glass and Adamston Glass. He later retired from Precision Coil with several years of service. He was an outdoor enthusiast who enjoyed hunting and fishing and was known for his expert gunmanship. His passion was ministering to the elderly, with whom he had a special relationship



LESLIE DALE WOODS

Mr. Leslie Dale Woods, 85 years of age, of Bridgeport, WV, passed away on Thursday, May 1, 2014, at the United Hospital Center, Bridgeport, WV.

He was born November 14, 1928, in Anmoore, WV, the son of the late Leslie Walter and Retha Wentz Woods.

Dale is survived by his wife, Mildred Bishoff Woods. They had celebrated 55 years of marriage. He is also survived by a son, Ronald Dale Woods and his wife Tracey Morgan Woods; a daughter, Lisa Marie Woods and her husband James Roby; four grandchildren, Leslie Dale Woods, II, Benjamin Chase Woods, Cheyenne Marie Woods and Tristan Alexander Woods; one brother, Bill Woods; three sisters, Helen VanHorn, Lillian Davisson and Alberta Rollins.

He was also preceded in death by a brother, George Woods, and four sisters, Jean Summers, Emma Strother, Patty Hardin and Betty Babbitt.

He was a 1946 graduate of Bridgeport High School. He served in the Unites States Army during the Korean Conflict, where he was part of the C Battery of the 47th Infantry Division at Camp Rucker, AL. After returning to West Virginia, he worked for the Union Carbide and retired with 45 years of service.

Dale was a 50-year member of the Bridgeport United Methodist



MARY LOU SECRETA









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