Local Yankees fans took ribbing in ‘55

Pittston Dispatch // Peeking into the Past

Peeking into the past

October 4

With Judy Minsavage

The New York Yankees and the Brooklyn Dodgers were pitted against each other in the 1955 World Series. Pittston area business owners engaged in some good-natured teasing while in support of their favorite teams. In what year did the Dodgers leave their East Coast home and move to Los Angeles?

1955 – 54 Years Ago

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Members of Wyoming Borough Council pose in 1914 on an unpaved Wyoming Avenue. From left, Cornelius (Condy) Ward, Merle Breese, Freed Auston, John Lowson, John Masel, Art Eicke and Mr. Hooper. When the avenue was eventually paved, it was paved with brick.

Photo courtesy of Joseph Shaver

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In October of 1955, Pittston City businesses were pitted against each other over two teams playing in the World Series, but it was all in fun. Local Yankee fans were disappointed that their team lost the Series in the seventh game to the Brooklyn Dodgers. Dodger fans at Stauffer Auto Showroom on Wyoming Avenue arranged a mock funeral for the team. Floyd Stahl, Ducky Pisano, and George Moore painted signs heralding the Yankee downfall.

Yankee fan Carmen DeBaisi, of Duryea, arrived at his television repair shop to find a crepe hanging over his door with an anti-Yankees sign. Danny Conti, a Pittston barber, arrived at his shop to find his windows painted by customers who knew of his devotion to the Yankee team. His comment? “Wait ‘til next year.”

The International Ladies’ Garment Workers’ Union Local 295, Pittston sponsored I.L.G. Raves of 1955 to be presented at Pittston High School. A cast of 60 men and women from local sewing shops rehearsed for six week on skits, dance and novelty numbers. Manager Min Lurye Matheson was sure that residents from Pittston and surrounding communities would enjoy the show with arrangements prepared by musical director Bill Gable.

Ridolfi Brothers, a Pittston auto dealership, advertised push button driving on the new 1956 Dodge with Magic Touch control. This revolutionary advance allowed drivers to “tune in” the range of Power-Flite automatic driving eliminating the shift lever.

1965 – 44 Years Ago

Knees, particularly women’s knees, were posing a problem for the Sunday Dispatch photographer. The Dispatch announced that group photos of seated women, were the norm for the newspaper but with the shorter dress lengths knees were being seen in ever increasing numbers, and the paper felt that for modesty sake, cropping to above the knees would be favorable.

The local chapter of United Mothers of America also found knees to be a problem in a photo published. One observer felt knee length dresses were not in keeping with “stylish modesty”, one of the programs five points. Lillian Supplee, representative for the program stated “failure to adjust our fashionable knee-length dress is certainly should not be a cause for doubting our sincerity.”

The Pittston High School Panthers Booster Club, under the direction of Phil Adonizio, was conducting its annual membership drive. The club formed in 1962, with Dr. John Adonizio serving as the first president. From that time as well as during the direction of Val D’Elia, the focus of the club was to refurbish Albert West Park, and plan for the stadium that would be home to the Pittston Panthers. In 1964 and under President Lou DeGrose, the club held dedication ceremonies at the opening game.

Question #2

West Pittston was celebrating its bicentennial in 1975. What year did West Pittston officially become known as the Garden Village?

1975 – 34 Years Ago

West Pittston opened its bicentennial celebration with a kick off event at the borough’s municipal building. James L. Melberger, bicentennial chairman, and Mayor Merle Bainbridge accepted an official Bicentennial community flag from Representative Frank O’Connell.

Local fire companies were set to compete in the first annual Firemen’s Field Day to be held at the Pittston Plaza Parking lot sponsored by the Pittston Plaza Merchants Assoc. Firemen had the opportunity show off their skills in a friendly competition among local fire companies.

Hurricane Eloise had come and gone, leaving Wilkes-Barre, Kingston and Forty-Fort untouched by floodwaters, but Port Blanchard, West Pittston, Harding and Falls, were not so lucky. Another Hurricane, Gladys, was expected, and residents were calling for action to prohibit future floods.

The Wyoming Area Warriors Golf team, coached by Joe Satkowski, brought home their 81st straight win after beating a tough Wyoming Seminary Team. Rich Donlavage was five over par for 11 holes. John LaNunziata placed with 6 over par. John Petrosky and Joe Angelella played great rounds to help capture the victory.

Pittston Area’s Ray Musto was recruited by Indiana University of Pennsylvania football program and settled into the position of back up quarter back for the college team. For Ray, who was majoring in Elementary Education, it was a bit of a difficult transition from actively playing since the eighth grade starting as a defensive back and in his junior and senior years as quarterback. Ray commented, “I’m just glad to be part of the team. If I can help by being on the sidelines, then that’s the way I’ll help.”

1985 – 24 Years Ago

Sister Bertha, Sister Ruth, a book written by Wilkes-Barre native Marie S. Rice chronicled the lives of two missionaries, Ruth Shippey of Plains and Bertha Dommermuth of Avoca. The women spent more than 50 years of their lives along with close friend Ellen French, developing a school in Ethiopia, which sometimes taught 70 to 80 students as well as establishing the Full Gospel Chapel, on Main Street, Avoca.

The book details their arrival in Ethiopia in the 1930’s to the Italian invasion of the country. “I’m amazed because people tell me that anyone who reads it can’t put it down,” said Ruth. The book is still available on-line.

The Pittston Township homes of Steve Shamnoski Jr. and Richard Rubel were totally lifted from their foundations and washed away, and 18,000 residents of Dupont, Pittston Township, Laflin, Yatesville and Plains Township were without water in the aftermath of Hurricane Gloria.

Forty to fifty families were evacuated from Dupont when three creeks, Lidy, Collins and Mill, went over their banks. “Old-timers reported that the flooding (in that area) may have been the first in history.”

Sharpshooters from Avoca, Duryea and Moosic competed in the annual Black Power Tournament.

The super bowl of sharp shooting competitions was held at the Moosic Sportsmen’s Campgrounds in Springbrook. Moosic’s Mike Creedon took first place by scoring 24 out of 30 points.