PITTSTON — For Ron Faraday, the only way to know more about Pittston’s present is by learning from its past and the president of the Greater Pittston Historical Society has dedicated his life to learning all he can.
From revitalizing the historical society to working with college students and to playing a hand in the city having a documentary made about it, Faraday’s dedication to the society and the impact it’s had on the community is what makes him the 2016 Sunday Dispatch Person of the Year.
The Sunday Dispatch Person of the Year represents the person/persons who had the greatest impact on life in Greater Pittston. Nominations are solicited from the community with the final vote being made by the Dispatch editorial staff.
The 50-year-old Pittston resident was unsure what to think when he was told the news of receiving the award and assumed it to be a joke.
“I thought I was being lied to,” Faraday said.
His own history
Faraday was born in Port Blanchard, but his family moved to Pittston when he was 6 years old and he graduated from Pittston Area High School in 1984.
He went to Johnson College and earned a degree in Electronics and Fluidics, then attended Misericordia University where he obtained a Bachelors Degree in Business and Administration.
After college, Faraday worked for Techniglass for 17 years before it closed, which prompted him to take classes at Luzerne County Community College (LCCC) for Hotel and Restaurant Management.
“When they closed, I was halfway through my Bachelor’s,” he said. “Since we were (North American Free Trade Agreement) affected displaced workers, we were eligible for education from the government. Hotel and Restaurant Management offered the most amount of classes I could transfer for my Bachelor’s.
“I wasn’t interested in Hotel and Restaurant Management; I was interested in getting my Bachelor’s Degree faster and cheaper.”
He went for a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree at The University of Scranton, but was unable to finish due to health issues.
“I don’t plan (on finishing),” Faraday said. “I got involved with the historical society and there is absolutely no time to take on the workload of an MBA that classes require.”
He spent time as a plant engineer for Master Halco, Inc. in Scranton and then as a supervisor for Unison in Wilkes-Barre, but was laid off.
“I was the last hired supervisor, so I was the first to go,” said Faraday. “It set the stage for what I’m doing now. It gave me a lot of free time and it was a case of being at the right place at the right time, kind of like the Beatles.”
Today, Faraday works as a production supervisor for Greiner Packaging in Pittston Township.
Joining the historical society
After being laid off, Faraday caught himself being intrigued by history, saying he was watching a program on the History Channel when he wondered if Pittston had its own history-related organization.
After doing some digging, he came across the Greater Pittston Historical Society and decided to join the organization.
Founded in 2000, the society is a 501(c)(3) organization working to collect and preserve local history.
Faraday said the society consisted of mostly retired citizens in Pittston who were unable to devote much time to it.
“They were all elderly and worked on other things they had interest in,” he said.
Faraday joined in 2012 after getting in touch with John Dziak, who was project coordinator and the only member at the time.
“I called him and Dziak winds up living only 10 houses down from where I grew up,” he said. “I called him and asked him about the historical society and his first question was, ‘How did you find me?’”
After becoming a member, Faraday knew he had to find a way to reach out to Greater Pittston about the historical society, and thought, what better way to do it than through social media?
He said Dziak wasn’t keen on the idea of a Facebook account, saying whatever happens with it was in Faraday’s hands, but within 44 days of creating the page it had 0ver 1,000 followers.
Today, the historical society’s Facebook page has over 4,400 followers.
‘Ron is the historical society’
In 2013, the historical society saw a heavy increase in membership, thanks to the Facebook page and updated website.
A reorganization meeting was held and officers were elected in which Faraday was named president, a title he still holds today.
According to its Facebook page, the historical society’s current elected officers are William Hastie Sr., president emeritus; Julio Caprari, vice president; Jim McFarland, treasurer; Sharleen Palaima, secretary; Joan McFadden, corresponding secretary; Amy Morris, executive assistant; Kristina McHale, vice president of membership and fundraising.
Today, there are over 85 members who work to collect historical memorabilia or digitize copies of old newspapers and photos.
“When you’re at work, they tell you to be careful what you email, because digital is forever, and that is true,” said Faraday. “You have all these newspapers here now, but they’re not going to be here forever.”
The historical society also holds space in the basement of the Pittston Memorial Library, something Faraday played a heavy hand in obtaining, where they keep newspaper articles and the machines to digitize them.
McFarland said he joined the historical society after seeing on Facebook that volunteers were needed.
Since he joined, he called working with Faraday a terrific experience and said he works harder than anybody else in the organization.
“Ron is the historical society,” said McFarland. “It just languished there for a while and didn’t do an awful lot. Ron got involved and he started getting other people involved and moving things. I don’t think there’s one day out of the week that he’s not doing something with the society.”
Shaping young minds
A more recent project Faraday has undertaken is working with Misericordia University students on projects pertaining to Greater Pittston’s history.
Dr. Jen Black, Misericordia University Assistant Professor Of History and Government, said she first met Faraday in 2014 when a student was looking to do an internship with the historical the society.
The two have since collaborated on projects for students such as designing a website with archived photos and articles provided by the historical society, and mapping out Main Street in Pittston by assisting students in researching businesses that are, or once were, standing.
“On a personal note, working with Ron has been one of the highlights of my career,” said Black. “I know I’m young in my career so it’s hard to say right now. But, I’m continuously surprised by Ron’s humility, professionalism and imagination despite any advanced training as a historian. Ron displays a kind of talent for history and I think that stems from his passion on local history.”
Faraday said working with Misericordia University students has been great and that it’s important for younger generations to learn about their history.
“It’s important to get them involved,” he said. “It’s good to instill the importance of local history at that age. I didn’t get into it until I was in my mid-40s and I missed out on a lot of things I could’ve learned about and taught other people about. But, it’s nice to see younger people get involved so they can carry that with them.”
Black said she and Faraday currently have no projects planned, but the two are constantly in communication.
“We don’t have anything set in stone yet, but I think we’ll be collaborating on something again soon,” she said.
‘Our Town Pittston’
A project that’s taken Pittston by storm is “Our Town Pittston,” the latest entry into the WVIA documentary series, something Faraday played a huge part in.
Faraday said he reached out to “Our Town” producer Lisa Mazzarella two years ago, but the production station was booked.
He continued to call Mazzarella over the years, and last spring she informed him Pittston would get its turn in the series.
“I pestered her,” Faraday said.
The one-hour program, which will air Thursday, Feb. 23, will highlight the people, places, and happenings within the city.
The historical society’s role in the project was working closely with Mazzarella to providing anything she needed whether it was photos, videos, or tracking down individuals to interview.
Interviews were done with city officials, volunteers and residents eager to share their stories and Faraday said he’s excited for the premiere.
“It’s going to be very exciting,” he said. “I think there’s going to be a lot of people wishing they got involved. A lot did, but everybody who has their roots in Pittston is going to wish they were part of it.”
Helping the historical society
For Faraday, receiving the Person of the Year award is a huge honor and he hopes that it will be a way to highlight the Greater Pittston Historical Society and bring in more members.
Although 85 members may seem like a lot, more are needed, he said.
“We need more volunteers and we need more members,” said Faraday. “We have over 4,400 followers on Facebook so 85 about 3-percent.”
The historical society meets on the second Wednesday of every month at the Greater Pittston Chamber of Commerce, 104 Kennedy Blvd., Pittston.
It costs $20 a year to be a member, but $15 for students and elderly citizens.
Despite his achievements and the work he’s done, Faraday said he’s just a normal guy who loves history.
“There’s nothing extraordinary to what I’m doing; believe me,” he said. “I’m just an obsessive, compulsive person that had 80 to 90 hours a week to spend when I started this, and now I don’t, but I still try to fit everything in.”
