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Peeking into the past

June 21

Coxton Yard ‘murder’ in 1963 was a prank

With Judy Minsavage

In this week’s Peeking into the Past, you will read about one community whose residents gathered to remember and begin healing from the devastation caused by Tropical Storm Agnes. A year earlier the storm waters damaged 25,000 homes and business in the Wyoming Valley.

Question: What was the height of the Susquehanna River, when it spilled over the levees in June of 1972?

1963 – 46 Years Ago

On a warm June evening, a gangland style murder was the object of an investigation by the Pittston City police. A young man and his girlfriend parked on a lonely road to Coxton near the Montrose Beef Co. slaughterhouse were shocked to see a car screech to a stop across the street.

Four men jumped out and appeared to be struggling. One of the men started running from the group shouting several times “don’t shoot”. Four shots rang out and the man fell. Obviously quite frightened at what they had just witnessed, the young couple drove to the Pittston police station to report the murder. Officers were dispatched to the area.

The Duryea Police Department was also alerted, as the incident was close to the Borough line. An investigation of the site did not produce a body. Apparently, the story unfolded later in some Duryea bars as a practical joke. Some good acting and cherry bombs produced the scene to scare the couple resulting in all the excitement.

Completion of construction on the Pittston City swimming pool was a huge achievement for the city in 1963. The front page of the June 23 issue shows the swimming pool ready to be filled with water for the June 30 dedication and July 4 opening.

The Redevelopment Authority of Pittston made the final payment of $195,000 to the Lehigh Valley Railroad for 27 parcels of land along the north track. Purchase also included the freight and passenger stations on Water Street.

Thomas Kehoe, Thomas Hennigan and William Norris of the Urban Redevelopment Authority presented a check to R.H. Hardie, real estate manager for the railroad. Total purchase price of the acquisition was $210,000.

William A. “Billy” Burke, of Port Griffith, familiar to the sports world as the “Old Timer,” passed away in June of 1963. He authored a column for many years called “Strolling Along” in the Pittston Bulletin, as well as the Old Timers Scrapbook in the Wilkes-Barre Times Leader Evening News.

Boxing was Billy’s forte but he became close to, and wrote about many sports figures both on the local and national level.

A grave marker dated February 22, 1862, was found in an excavation site for a driveway, near the Garden Village Bakery, West Pittston. Anthony Racine, bakery proprietor, and contractor Charles Ronell are shown in a photo with Ronell’s workers, Frank Brandish, Harry Evans, and Ozzie Paul, holding the tombstone inscribed Fannie Schooley, 4-month-old daughter of William and Sarah Schooley. The stone was lying about 16 inches below the surface; however, workers did not continue digging beneath that level.

Three Pittston girls, Margie McCabe, Ann Marie Babcock and Barbara Biga, known as dancing trio The Flashes, were to appear on Ted Mack’s Amateur Hour. The show, which aired at 5:30 p.m. on June 23, 1963, aired on local station WDAU-TV channel 22.

Pittston City High School offered registration for Summer School. Free tuition was offered to residents, for courses in History, English, Latin, Stenography and Bookkeeping.

1973 – 36 years ago

Residents of Port Blanchard, gathered at Milazzo’s Park to mark the first anniversary of the devastation left behind by hurricane Agnes. The residents banded together and collectively helped restore normalcy to their community. Mobile homes, brought in to provide shelter for some families were still in use. Eighty-five of the eighty-seven homes in Port Blanchard were damaged by the floodwater.

George Hizny, Sam Milazzo and Mike Chmarney chaired the picnic. Committee members were Charles Greco, Theresa Hizny, Betty Milazzo, Betty Matalonis, Pat Haggerty, Mike Krall and Albert Gosser.

After an election held by the Pittston Hospital Auxiliary, new officers were installed for the 1973-74 term. Outgoing president Mrs. W. Edward Dommermuth presented a gavel to the newly elected president, Miss Loretta Morrow.

At A Glance:

1. “Precious and Few” was the theme of the Pittston Area Senior Prom.

2, Wyoming Area and Pittston Area both held their seventh annual commencement exercises.

3. Mr. Joseph Fedor was installed as president of the Exeter Lions Club.

4. Barry Prandy, men’s hair stylist, was named second runner up in the Northeastern sectional finals of the PA State Hairstyling competition held in Wilkes-Barre.

5. Patricia Shovlin wins first prize in the Color Your Bus contest sponsored by Luzerne County Transportation Authority.

6. John Grula, a former Pittston Junction resident reeled in a 22 � inch, 7 and a half pound large mouth bass at Ox-Bow, Pa. near Tunkhannock.

Top Ten Songs: My Love, Paul McCartney; Pillow Talk, Sylvia; You are the Sunshine of my Life, Stevie Wonder; Frankenstein, Edgar Winter Group; Wildflower, Skylark; Bad Leroy Brown, Jim Croce; The Right Thing To Do, Carly Simon; Hocus Pocus, Focus; Willie Go Round in Circles, Billy Preston; Playground in My Mind, Clint Holmes.

Playing at the Moonlite: The Concert for Bangladesh, with George Harrison; and Fillmore, featuring Santana, Grateful Dead, Hot Tuna, Quick Silver and Bill Graham.

1983 – 26 Years Ago

Question #2: The wooden roller coaster, The Son of Beast at Kings Island Park, in Cincinnati Ohio has a record 214-foot drop. How much of a drop did Rocky Glen’s first million dollar coaster have? It was billed as the most thrilling of its time, in the year 1959.

GT Enterprises, owner of Rocky Glen /Ghost Town Park in 1983, decided not to re-open the park, because of past operating losses. The park, located in Moosic, opened in 1903 under the direction of its original owner Arthur Frothingham. In 1923, Ben and Mae Sterling became involved in the operation and the park grew and gained national attention. In 1970, the Sterlings sold the amusement center to National Services Inc. In June of 1983 and after hearing of GT’s decision, Marvin Roth a Wilkes-Barre businessman and owner of the Station Motel and Restaurant announced plans to lease the park with the option to purchase.

Mary Ann Mozal and Mike Farrell, Seton Catholic, Mary Jane Grella and Sam Falcone Pittston Area; Maria Pribula, and Jamie Kutzer, Wyoming Area were chosen from hundreds of student athletes to be honored as the best all around students from their respective schools and winners of the Sunday Dispatch Student-Athlete Award for 1983.

Rebecca Balent of Exeter was crowned Northern Pennsylvania’s Model of 1983 in the Junior Miss Category. Rebecca also received awards for Most Graceful and Best Showmanship at a pageant at the Wyoming Valley mall.

Ed Oprindick a Dupont Little League VFW pitcher, registered two no-hit games in little league action. Ed was also the leading home run hitter.

1993 – 16 Years Ago

Publisher of the Sunday Dispatch, William A. Watson Jr. passed away on June 17, 1993. “Pidge” as he was affectionately called by all who knew him, began his newspaper career in 1947 at the age of 15, he served in many different capacities at the newspaper owned and operated by his father William A. Watson Sr. He eventually took over as publisher upon his father’s death in 1977. During his tenure as publisher, the Dispatch circulation reached 14,000 copies per week. Under his direction, the Dispatch became the first facility in Northeastern Pennsylvania to install offset printing and in the 70s the company was the first to use computer typesetting.

DeMuro’s Pizza celebrated 16 years in business in 1993. In 1976, Joe DeMuro was transferred to Pittston to serve as operations manager for Grant Co. While living with his family on William Street, he noticed a space for rent at the bottom of the hill, and decided to try a pizza shop. The rest is history. DeMuro’s specialty Philadelphia style pizza became a hit. Respectfully, Joe admits, “Pittston taught me how to make white pizza”

Rebecca Ardoline of West Pittston was honored at the 10th annual College Misericordia Student Leadership Awards Dinner. Rebecca graduated summa cum laude.

Ed Kiejnowski took a suggestion by Mayor Legezdh of Dupont seriously, and set about compiling a list of names for a plaque that would honor Dupont veterans killed during service to their country. Upon completion, the plaque was presented to the Mayor and Council President Ann Marie O’Malley.

Rays Original Place on Laurel Street in Pittston advertised Buy one and get one half priced, on sundaes and banana splits. A 24 cut pizza was $10.00.

The Local Job Openings advertised by the Pittston Job Center were Data Entry Clerk $6.00 per hour. Secretary at $7.00 per hour, must have Dictaphone experience and word processing skills.

Answer #1: 41 feet, the height of the present day levees.

Answer #2: 96 feet