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Peeking into the past

Sheridan Soldier of Month in Korea in 1957

With Jack Smiles

This was a front page teaser on the July 3 issue in 1977: “Two of the World’s Rarest Dog Breeds Living Here.” It led to an inside story about two Egyptian Pharaoh Hounds and a Chinese Shar-Pei. The Pharaoh Hounds were owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ed Rees, owners of Dog World in Exeter. They were pictured on a treadmill. The story said the Pharaoh Hounds were among the oldest breeds and could run 52 miles per hour.

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Bob Simonson when he played for the West Pittston team in the Greater Pittston Teeners League 42 years ago.

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The Shar-Pei was owned by Mrs. Janet Cefalo of West Wyoming. In 1976 the Guinness Book of World Records listed the Shar-Pei as the rarest breed in the world.

Chester Geneczko of Dupont graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Scranton in 1977. Why was it news? He was 49 years old. Starting at age 43 it took him seven years of night school to get the degree. He worked at Tobyhanna during the day.

An arson fire destroyed a trailer and several tons of paper stored inside by the Dupont Vets. The paper drive was a fund raiser for Dupont children’s’ parties.

In Wyoming parents protested the school district’s plan to close the Sixth Street Elementary School and won. Some 200 parents turned out for a public hearing on the closing proposal and that convinced the school board to keep the school open. School director Walter Placek said more people turned out for the meeting than for all meetings combined for two years.

The local 10-piece rock band Ralph played at the West Pittston Armory on July 5. Admission was $2.25.

At The Big T Family Restaurant on the By-Pass hot dogs were 25 cents and an all-u-can-eat salad bar was 79 cents.

Simonson’s Bar in West Pittston offered all-u-can-eat spaghetti for $2.

“Young Frankenstein” was in the Moon-Lite for $4 a carload.

42 years ago – 1967

Paul Hoban and his sons Robert, 17, and Michael, 15, arrived home to Pittston via the Susquehanna River in July of 1967. They completed a –three-day raft trip down the Susquehanna from the New York border.

“Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” was held over for three more fun days at the American Theatre this week in 1967.

Students got free ride tickets at Rocky Glen on July 9 for As and Bs on reports cards.

Paul Hall made it back from Vietnam. He was staying with an aunt and uncle in West Avoca.

In Greater Pittston Teeners League baseball, West Pittston defeated Moosic 5-4 with a three-run inning in their last at bat. Behind 4-2 in the seventh, WP scored three runs on a single by Bill Langan, a triple by Bill Dickinson, a single and steal by Bob Simonson and a single by Al Hanusin, who was also the winning pitcher.

A woman who lived in South Africa and was the daughter of a 1920-30s featherweight boxing contender from Pittston visited Pittston in July of 1967. Joan Rodola Heap was the daughter of August Rodola who boxed as “Mickey Doyle.”

Joan was born in Pittston, but moved back to her mother’s native South Africa at age two. She was on her first visit back to Pittston visiting relatives she had never met. Her husband Ralph Heap was the advertising manager of the Johannesburg Sunday ExPress.

A brand new 1967 Rambler (that’s a car) could be had for $1795 at Luchetti’s on Tunkhannock Avenue in Exeter.

52 years ago – 1957

A golf pro from Exeter was on the front page of the July 7 issue in 1957. Vince Yanovitch was named the golf pro at the White Face Inn Golf Club at Lake Placid, New York. He held the course record there with a round on 67.

A picture on page three of the July 7 issue showed bulldozers clearing land for the site of a B.F. Goodrich Plant on the back road in Exeter. The plant was expected to employ several hundred.

The Dispatch polled 100 local people with this question: “How would you know if an attack on the Unites States and particularly Greater Pittston by enemy planes was imminent?”

Of the 100 only five knew that air raid sirens were in place locally.

A thief broke into the Lithuanian Club in Inkerman and stole $100. He also took the TV and threw it into the nearby woods.

Pfc. Frank Sheridan was named solider of the month for June in Korea. A former Pittston Hi quarterback he played for the Seoul Mountaineers, an Army team.

“Rock All Night Long,” a movie featuring the Platter,s was in the Comerford Drive-In in Dupont.

In Teeners Baseball the Dispatch sponsored team was in the league lead after beating Avoca 7-6. Bernie Richards knocked in Carl Tuinylas with the winning run in the last inning.

Miss Wyoming Valley, Marion Salvo of Pittston, appeared at the Teenage Record Hop at Holy Rosary auditorium on July 10 in 1957.

62 years ago – 1947

John Kehoe, who owned this paper, bought the Dime Bank from the Miners’ Savings Bank in July of 1947. His coal company, Kehoe-barge, had offices in the building.

A parade of 20 fire departments from Luzerne and Lackawanna counties at the Falls Block Party was delayed -- by a fire. The Falls department responded to a barn fire just as the parade was about to start. Lightning started the blaze at the Miller barn at Mill City.

In 1947 Pittston City council donated $50 to each Veterans Post in the city. Council was surprised when it was reported how the Spanish War Vets spent some of the money. They paid $3 for a bugler to play taps at a member’s funeral.