Kendra Croker Brunner from Old Forge along with her husband Zach and daughter Angeline ran into me at the Credit One Charleston Open last week in South Carolina.
Submitted photo
Don Cassetori, his son-in-law Nick Pye and daughter Dr. Dominique Pye take time out to take in women’s professional tennis at the Credit One Charleston Open on Daniel Island, Charleston.
Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch
WEST PITTSTON — They say all roads lead to Northeast Pennsylvania.
If you’ve lived long enough in NEPA, you would probably agree that no matter where you go in the country, you will run into someone from back home or someone that used to live in NEPA or someone who knows someone from NEPA.
When I traveled 850 miles to Charleston, South Carolina, to work the Credit One Charleston Open, a stop on the women’s tennis pro tour, on Daniel Island, Charleston, from April 2 to April 5, it always amazes me how many people I run into from our neck of the woods.
Jeff Church is the head groundskeeper at the tennis club. I’ve known Jeff going back to my first time I worked at the tournament 18 years ago.
Jeff grew up in Bloomsburg before ending up at Charleston. He told me this year he subcontracts out and works on the grounds crew at a few Penn State games.
One of the volunteers told me she lived in Scranton for a while.
I also was able to spend time with retired Wyoming Area faculty member, Don Cassetori, his daughter, Dr. Dominque Pye, and her husband, Nick.
Dominque relocated to the Charleston area many years ago and Don and his wife, Sherry, moved to Charleston three years ago.
I was able to have dinner with Wyoming Area graduate Mike Saia. Coincidentally, Mike played tennis under then tennis coach, Don Cassetori.
When leaving the tennis center’s Media Center to shoot a few matches, I opened the door only to see Kendra Croker Brunner, her husband, Zach, and 11-month-old daughter, Angeline.
It was one of the encounters like, “What are you doing here?”
Dr. Kendra is deeply involved in local tennis as she is Scranton Prep’s head coach and an assistant coach at Wilkes University.
She is a former District 2 Class 2A tennis champion and was named All-Region.
It was Kendra’s first time going to the Credit One Charleston Open and she told me she loved it. It’s not hard to love when temperatures were from 80 to 85 degrees daily with deep blue skies.
The flowers and trees were fully bloomed and the grass was nice and green. It might be some time before our grass is green and the trees and flowers blossoming.
If you don’t follow tennis or know who won the tournament, it was Jessica Pegula, our nation’s No. 1 ranked female.
If the name Pegula sounds familiar, her dad, Terry Pegula, and is family are owners of the NFL Buffalo Bills football team and the NHL Buffalo Sabres ice hockey team.
If you don’t think all roads lead to NEPA, here’s another thought for you, Terry Pegula grew up in Carbondale and graduated from Scranton Prep.
If my credentials are granted next year, I’ll look forward to getting my 19th year under my belt and will look forward to another encounter with someone from NEPA.
