Question:
In 1948, What report released to the residents of the city of Pittston sounded encouraging but a dangerous underlying factor made it questionable?
1949 – 70 YEARS AGO
Bingo, noted as “the game that took over Pittston 15 years prior” was “given a heavy blow” by the initiation of an amusement tax. At the time, there were at least six bingo events weekly with estimates of at least $500 in receipts at each bingo game. According to the US Inflation Calculator, that figure equates to over $5,000 today. That meant that Pittston City Council would levy a tax of $25 and Pittston School District would receive another $25 for a total of 10 percent of the intake. Many feared the tax would cut down on the total prizes and boost the average price of participants’ cards. Bingo was first introduced to Pittston at the Elks Home on North Main Street. It was reported crowds were so large it was necessary for the club to move the game to the Armory building on South Main Street. The Hughestown Hose Company, St. Casimer’s Church also sponsored the events. It was estimated there were about 2,000 regular bingo customers in Greater Pittston who attended at least three parties each week. The bingo games, which originally started as merchandise parties, were noted for high cash prizes.
1958 – 61 YEARS AGO
Members of the Duryea Council of Republican Women, Mary Rincavage, Lucille Logue, Bertha Swenton, Jean Wywiorski, Marge Gryczko, Betty Howell, Stella Piorkowski, Jean Lambert, Sylvia Williams and Edith Evans prepared to model the most fashionable styles of the year at the council’s Easter Hat Fashion Show. According to the website www.midmanhatten.com, “The history of he Easter Parade is a New York tradition that dates back to the middle of the 1800s. The social elite would attend services at one of the 5th Avenue churches and parade their new fashions down the Avenue afterwards.”
1969 – 50 YEARS AGO
Members of the Pittston Area Class of 1969 will celebrate their 50th anniversary reunion in August 2019. They will share senior highlights from the class in our “Peeking into the Past” column throughout the coming months leading up to their reunion event.
The Spanish Club of Pittston Area High School sponsored its second annual Spanish Fiesta on March 1, 1969. The affair was a dinner dance held at the Mayfair Supper Club with music furnished by The Buoys. Special guest at the affair was Hugo Marroquin Canales from Lima, Peru, Pittston Area’s first-ever foreign exchange student. His host while a student at Pittston Area was the family of John Jerrytone, president of the senior class. Canales was interviewed for “The Patriot,” the school newspaper, and asked what he thought of Pittston Area compared to his school in Peru. “It is a very different system of study, but I like it,” he commented. He explained that a school day in Peru starts at 8 a.m. and dismisses at 11:45 a.m. for a break. Students then return to finish the school day from 2 until 4:45 p.m. Canales further stated the school year also differs from ours. In Peru, school starts in April and ends in December. During July, there is a two-week vacation. There are five examination periods to our two: the first between April and May, the second between June and July, the third between August and September, and the fourth between October and November. The final exam is taken in December. Canales told “The Patriot” staff that in Peru he was compelled to take 11 subjects, including English, History of Peru, Psychology, Literature, Spanish Grammar, Military Education, Physical Education, Religion, and Geometry. When asked if teenagers are any different here than there, he replied, “No, they dress just about the same and have just about the same ideas.” When questioned about the types of sports in Peru, Canales responded, “There is no football in Peru; instead we play soccer. But basketball is also a very popular sport in Peru.” Canales said he was very happy here and wanted to thank everyone — his teachers, classmates, and especially the Jerrytone family for having made his stay here such a pleasant one. He said he would never forget the friends he made here and expressed a desire to return someday.
1994 – 24 YEARS AGO
Mary M. Boylan was honored at the Luzerne County Commission for Women Dinner in celebration of the sixth annual Women’s History Month. Mary served as the executive vice president of the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce. Ann Marie Adonizio, Maria Capolarella Montante and Judge Joseph Augello presented Mary with an award. In 1978, the Education Task Force of the Sonoma County California Commission on the Status of Women initiated a Women’s History Week. In 1980, the celebration of women garnered national attention and support of Congress and President Jimmy Carter. In 1986, 14 states had declared March Women’s History Month. The National Women’s History Theme for 2019 is “Visionary Women: Champions of Peace & Nonviolence.”
1995 – 23 YEARS AGO
Maria Zangadi, of Duryea, was the winner of the Times Leader Spelling Bee. She was originally an alternate, but stepped in when another team member became ill. Spelling the word “magazine” correctly, she became school champ in the 20th round. Paul Matalonis, a sixth-grade student, was runner-up. Maria was set to the regional Spelling Bee at Wilkes-College.
Michael Stallone, Maria Foglia, Angelo Talamelli, Mary Lou Bomber, Gina Milazzo, Sal Risko, Kathy Kopko and Mel Casagrande, all Wyoming Area grade school students, were named Students of the Month by their respective teachers.
Chairpersons Fred and Pat Gubitose kicked off The hugely popular American Cancer Society’s Daffodil Days drive. At the time, Pennsylvania led the nation in sales of the flower known as the “Flower of Hope.” In 1995, the fundraiser was expected to reach the annual goal set at 5,775 bunches or $28,875. Some of the members selling daffodils were Justine Haddow, Edythe Kepics, Kate Prokopchak, Joan Perconte, Roberta Taylor, Betty Miller, Betty Stankus, Inge Markarian, Ann Llewellyn and Marie Griglock. 1995 marked the 22nd year Pennsylvania participated in the National Daffodil Day sale.
2004 – 15 YEARS AGO
Electrician 2nd Class Petty Officer Chris Ross was awarded the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal after sustaining serious injury in Iraq when a power panel he was working on accidentally exploded. The award was presented to Officer Ross at the Naval Reserve Center in Avoca.
Dupont Borough Manager Ed Vogue announced the borough’s newly remodeled council chambers would be named after Dupont resident James D. Cocco. Ann Marie O’Malley and family members fondly remembered Cocco, a newspaper reporter and member of various clubs and organizations. A plaque was unveiled in his honor.
Answer:
Mrs. Thomas Newcomb, city health officer, released the annual report concerning contagious diseases. According to the city records, in 1948, there were two cases of diptheria, four cases of Scarlet Fever, 10 cases of Mumps, 13 cases of measles and 2 cases of tuberculosis reported. The figures reflected a reduced number of instances from prior years. Newcomb, however, was concerned that doctors and parents weren’t reporting all cases, creating a dangerous situation and leaving the public unaware of the just how wide-spread the diseases were.
THIS DAY IN HISTORY
1905 — Anna Eleanor Roosevelt, niece of President Theodore Roosevelt, marries Franklin D. Roosevelt in New York.
1910 — The Camp Fire Girls are founded in Lake Sebago, Maine.
1924 — Four Douglas army aircraft leave Los Angeles for an around the world flight.
1930 — Mob boss Al Capone is released from jail.
1942 — The Nazis begin deporting Jews to the Belsen camp.
1962 — The Soviet Union asks the United States to pull out of South Vietnam.
1966 — U.S. submarine locates a missing H-bomb in the Mediterranean.
1970 — The Army charges 14 officers with suppression of facts in the My Lai massacre case.
BORN ON THIS DAY
1828 — Patrick R. Cleburne, Confederate general
1832 — Daniel Conway Moncure, U.S. clergyman, author, abolitionist
1846 — Kate Greenway, painter and illustrator (“Mother Goose”)
1902 — Bobby Jones, American golfer
1919 — Nat “King” Cole, American jazz pianist and singer
