1947 – 72 YEARS AGO
A bill up for vote in the PA State Legislature presented by Michael Demech, of Pittston, would solve two important problems, the need for re-forestation and cleaning of stream beds and employment of returning GIs who served in World War II. Demech pointed out the need for the planting of trees and cleaning of streams is evident because of the annual flooding that frequently resulted in heavy damage to land and building. The state, on the other hand, was concerned with hundreds of thousands of unemployed war veterans who returned to the US to find obtaining employment difficult. The bill provided for the vets to receive an average wage of $150 per month. The wage would increase with the number of dependents reported for each veteran. According to the US Inflation Calculator, the wage amount would equate to $1,693.13 per month today. Demech was encouraged by the reception of the bill and had hopes it would pass without opposition. A search for the bill was inconclusive as to whether it passed in the form Demech presented it.
The Junior Prosperity League of Greater Pittston was comprised of unemployed veterans who banded together to investigate industries that would come to the area to create jobs and look into “secrets of anthracite and perhaps manufacture some synthetic product from the material.” This would attract that type of industry to locate locally and provide jobs. The group, however, noticed some “out of town visitors” at one of their meetings who the vets suspected were “avowed communists.” The veterans warned the newcomers if they tried to attend future meetings they would be tossed out. Officers of the club were Hugh Richards, president; Edward Colmas, vice-president; John O’Malley, secretary; William Castner, treasurer; Ray Killian, public relations; Joseph Petchuk, Paul Waters, Gene Dougherty, Thomas Gerrity and Robert Stine, trustees.
1948 – 71 YEARS AGO
Francis Davis, of Avoca, and three other women from Moosic decided to pressure the Laurel Line Transportation Company for better service and equipment on the line of buses that carried passengers between Pittston and Scranton. The three women charged that the buses operated by the company were dangerous and regarded the service poor and inadequate. The formal complaint stated, “The buses were not in good mechanical condition with brakes in disrepair and the buses were continually overcrowded and without heat. The filing of the petition to the PUC was further justified as was evidenced by a Laurel Line bus that crashed into a moving train at Dupont when the brakes failed to hold.
1952 – 67 YEARS AGO
Though no details were given regarding the circumstance, the Sunday Dispatch came into the possession of a diary that detailed the writer’s memories of what was simply called Music Hall, located in Pittston in the late 1800s. The Dispatch wondered if anyone, although of advanced age, would remember any of the acts that once performed at the venue. The diary listed all the shows that appeared from 1881 to 1888. One of the most famous listings of those who stood on the Music Hall stage was that of Buffalo Bill in December 1881. William Frederick Cody, also known as Buffalo Bill, served in the Civil War and began buffalo hunting soon after. Cody received the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1872. In that year, he went to Chicago to make his debut in a wild west stage show. By 1883, he had his own stage show which included Wild Bill Hickok. They toured for 10 years. Another notable show featured professional boxer John L. Sullivan also known as the “Boston Strong Boy.” Sullivan was said to have walked onto the stage in 1887 offering to “fight any man in the world for any price that could be raised.” He knocked out six volunteers and took on the last three, leaving them “stunned on the floor.” Sullivan was the first heavyweight champion of gloved boxing, holding the title from Feb. 7, 1882 to 1892.
The Sunday Dispatch Inquiring Photographer asked, “Should a prospective bride know her husband’s financial standing before they are married?” Sidney Friedman, of West Pittston, answered, “No. They shouldn’t marry for money. It shouldn’t matter to the girl whether her husband is rich or poor.” Paul Tripus, of Dupont, stated, “Yes, she should. She will know whether she will have to work or stay at home. I believe the wife should stay at home.” Vincent Ward, of Wyoming, added, “No. If the fellow is alright morally, they can work out the financial angles. After all, money isn’t everything.”
1955 – 64 YEARS AGO
The borough of Dupont furnished “competition for television viewing” by reopening the Lincoln Theater. The theatre, which had been closed for months, was the property of the Nardone family. Manager Joseph Chesniak, of Dupont, announced “The Last Time I Saw Paris,” starring Elizabeth Taylor and Van Johnson would be shown at the opening.
1965 – 54 YEARS AGO
Hubert and Anthony Faltyn, brothers from Exeter, fought in the Battle of Iwo Jima and, although at times, only 400 yards apart, neither knew of the other’s presence until the battle ended. Hubert, a lieutenant colonel in the Marine Corps Reserves, was decorated for bravery for his part in the battle and received a battlefield commission. He was a sergeant when all the officers in his company were killed. Even though wounded, Hubert, a member of the famed Carlson’s Raiders, took command, leading the rest of the men in an advance against the Japanese who were “entrenched in caves and pillboxes.” For his bravery under fire, he was awarded the Navy Cross. In the book, “The Battle for Iwo Jima,” author Robert Leckie writes, “It became the greatest battle fought by the U.S. Marine Corps in World War II. From it came the most famous image of the war, the raising of the flag on Mount Suribachi. When it ended a month later, the Marines had suffered 20,000 casualties — almost 5,000 men killed in action. And, an astonishing 26 Marines were awarded America’s highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor.”
1979 – 40 YEARS AGO
John Licata, of Pittston, won the East Coast Conference Wrestling Championship in Philadelphia. Licata started the tournament with a pin that proved to be the fastest of the tournament. He then went on to beat the number one seed from Ryder College. The championship win qualified Licata to compete in the national tournament held at Iowa State University.
Dan Spak was a unanimous choice for All-Scholastic honors in the Wyoming Valley Golf League during the 1978-79 season. Spak placed fifth at the Annual District II PIAA Individual Championships. His fifth-place finish qualified him to participate in the annual state meet held in Hershey.
1995 – 24 YEARS AGO
The seniors at Wyoming Area High School formed Students Against Drunk Driving. Nick Anzelmi, health and physical education teacher at the school, was asked by students to serve as faculty advisor to their SADD chapter. John Chintala, president of the group and a senior at the school, organized a four-hour assembly program during which a film called “The Last Prom” and guest speakers were featured. Members of the club were Carolyn Hennigan, Kim Pazdziorko, Kim Bond, Bianca Evans, Tamara Walton, Rebecca Balent, Mary Boedeker, Tracy O’Mara, Shonda Murray, and Luanne Degnan.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1836 — Some 3,000 Mexicans launch an assault on the Alamo and its 182 Texan defenders.
1916 — A film version of Jules Verne’s “20,000 Leagues Under the Sea” opens in New York.
1944 — Merrill’s Marauders, a specially trained group of American soldiers, begin their ground campaign against Japan into Burma.
1959 — Khrushchev rejects the Western plan for the Big Four meeting on Germany.
1968 — North Vietnamese troops capture the imperial palace in Hue, South Vietnam.
1972 — Hanoi negotiators walk out of the peace talks in Paris to protest U.S. air raids on North Vietnam.
1991 — General Norman Schwarzkopf, commander of the coalition army, sends in ground forces during the Gulf War.
BORN ON THIS DAY
1836 — Winslow Homer, American painter
1841 — John Phillip Holland, inventor of the modern submarine
1874 — Honus Wagner, baseball shortstop, known as “The Flying Dutchman”
1885 — Chester Nimitz, U.S. admiral who commanded naval forces in the Pacific during WWII
