Monongah High Lions

                                                    STAN CAMEON AND SHERI SLAMEN CAMEON ON THEIR WEDDING DAY                   From left: Evan Cameon, Drew Cameon, Sheri Slamen Cameon, Stan Cameon       34 th wedding anniversary for Stan Cameon and Sheri Slamen Cameon 1981 North Marion High graduate Stan Cameon and wife, 1980 North Marion grad Sheri Slamen Cameon, are celebrating their 34 th wedding anniversary and Sheri’s birthday. Stan is owner/agent at Stan Cameon Insurance in Fairmont. He attended Monongah High before it merged into North Marion with other Marion County high schools.   Stan posted: “ Help me wish my bride of 34 years a Happy Birthday and Happy Anniversary! Not only is she the matriarch of our family, she’s the rock we all depend on. I love you!” Virginia Cameon Mezzanotte, who lives in Fairmont with husband Pat Mezzanotte. is Stan’s aunt. Virginia’s parents are Clyde and Maggie Cameon of Carolina and her siblings are Joe Cameon, Sr., Bill Cameon, Cla

              PREVIOUS MONTAGE FROM EARLIER WEDDING ANNIVERSARY  55 th wedding anniversary for Linda Lopez Gandy and Jim Gandy   Long-time Monongah High Alumni Association president Linda Lopez Gandy , Class of 1965, and Jim Gandy, Class of 1964, celebrated their 55 th wedding anniversary Thursday, August 24.   Linda posted:   “On this date 55 years ago I married a young man who became my best friend. Happy Anniversary, Jim.” Their address: Jim & Linda Gandy 10613 NW 60 th Terrace Alachua, FL 32615 Linda took her first plane ride in 1968 to Scotland to move in with Jim in Dunoon, Scotland. When both were young Linda eyeballed Jim washing his mother’s windows. Linda was one of coach Gene Kenzior’s softball players on the 1960 Marion County champs from Monongah. And, for one year, under coach David Van Meter. Linda father, the late Sam Lopez, Sr. survived the 1945 sinking of the USS Indianapolis, including four days in the Philipines Sea with sharks p

  Teenagers today! Much like 1950s teenagers!   When adults today complain about teenagers going to Hell in a handbasket because of the way they behave I have flashbacks to the 1950s when I part of the faceitiously named The Gang That Terrorized Marion County. We were stupid, not mean and certainly not destructive. Oh, we would have 2 of us in a car that drove into a Marion County drive-in theater after letting 4 or 5 others out of the vehicle to climb over the fence and get in free, have Drummond’s Restaurant fill the gallon jug we brought to them with draft beer so that we could go skinny-dipping in the West Fork River, steal watermelons to eat while we cavorted and once got thrown out of a Clarkburg theater when the late Ronnie “Cooley” Delovich couldn’t resist saying “Be nice, no fight” as the manager was admonishing us to pipe down so the adults could enjoy the movie. We were the Daffy Dozen: Cooley, Anthony “Plumber” DeMary, Jr., Lawrence “Sonny” Godby, Jr., Robert “S

                   Jim McDaniel in Air Force and in recent years 81 st birthday for Jim McDaniel   Jim McDaniel, Class of 1960, celebrated his 81 st birthday August 18. Jim lives in Behoboth Beach, Delaware. Jim spent in the Air Force serving his country for 23 years. He reached the rank of senior master sargent. His grandfather, Carroll Currey, owned the hotel, bank and movie theater in Monongah, all in the same block. Carroll also had a car dealership on 7th street in Fairmont. Jim's mother's sister was Ava Currey Cogar, who lived across U.S. 19 (Camden Avenue) with her husband Fred and was the best friend of my mother, Lena Futten Olesky. I listened to Ava cuss like a sailor during her visits to our Church Street home. Jim met two Monongah High graduates during his Air Force years, Sam Bearden and Larney Cain, both from Carolina. Jim grew up in Worthington at 103 Maple Avenue. He was there in the 1940s and 1950s. He left Worthington in 1960 to begin his Air Force

  Arnold Edwards honored for 1 million miles of truck driving   Monongah’s Arnold Edwards was honored Saturday, August 5 at Consol Energy Park in Washington, Pennsylvania for putting in more than ONE MILLION miles in his 20-plus years as a Wild Things bus driver. He lives in Port of Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and is owner/operator of Arnold’s Transport Services. Arnold Edwards has a Facebook page with his full name on it. Mike Ahouse’s Facebook post tipped me off. Mike’s sisters are Kitty Ahouse Morrison and Sue Ahouse Schrader. He is not related to Dolores Edwards,  Class of 1955, is Monongah High Alumni Association vice president. Linda Lopez Gandy is president. Arlene Edwards Costelac, Class of 1958, is Dolores’ sister. The late Linda Raines Edwards, who passed away in 2017, was married to Bob Edwards, Dolores’ brother.  If Mike Ahouse or anyone else know who in Monongah is related to Arnold Edwards, email John Olesky at jo4wvu@neo.rr.com or post it on the John Ol

  Class of 1950 catching up with attempts   Bernice Grandstaff Maranville, Class of 1950, is listed at  4747 Bell West Dr Kernersville, Nc 27284  and is registered to vote in Forsyth County, North Carolina. Bernice was born April 9, 1932. Previously,   Bernice lived in Knoxville TN. She is a widow.  Carole Williams ,  Charles Maranville ,  Charles Maranville ,  Richard Maranville  and  Katherine Brewer , and many others are family members and associates of Bernice.   Bernice once was a bowling league secretary who bowled 5 days a week.   Bernice’s husband, Charles Maranville of Fairmont, passed away in 1984. They have 5 children, 8 grandchildren and 2 great-grandchildren.   Bernice was a Volvo auditor in several states for decades before her retirement. She attended Fairmont West before transferring to Monongah High, where she and Patty Urban Utz of Springfield, Virginia finished as the top two in the Class of 1950. In November 2020 Kathryn Toothman Crim, Class of 19

  Jerry Thompson hospitalized after heart attack   Jerry Thompson, Class of 1964, brother of Sandy Thompson Barton, Class of 1967, has been hospitalized after a heart attack. He is in Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown. He has a serious liver issue and is a diabetic. He is the oldest of the 7 siblings. Sandy reports that Jerry's surgery was successful. Great!  Sandy, who lives in Beaver Falls, Pennsylvania, had a kidney donor transplant decades ago. She also has survived a stroke. Sandy’s phone number is (724) 513-9742 and her email address is SandyBarton2011@hotline.com Sandy is the daughter of Sam and Carlena Thompson, whose other children are Daniel Thompson of Monongah, Jerry Thompson of Mannington, Carole Spatafore of Fairmont (who supervises the Monongah High Alumni Association scholarship fund), Sammy Joe Thompson of Virginia, Rebecca “Betsy” Cole of Fairmont and Bernadette Thompson of Maryland.