Thursday evening, July 2, the 4th Annual Elk's Riverside Reunion opened with music, food and other refreshments. This reunion was started the year after the last All Class 5 Year Reunion as a way to fill the gap between those events. Until then there wasn't much to do in the ville to fill that void of seeing old friends, class mates and others to get together and enjoy each others company.
The good brothers & sisters of Wellsville's Elks Lodge 1040 came up with the idea and got a committee together to work out the details. What better place to have it than right in front of the Lodge along the shores of the beautiful Ohio. With the blessings of Village Council they got permission to block off the street for a couple of blocks for a few days and that idea blossomed into a reality. Entertainment was lined up along with vendors and other fun activities.
The second year they added honoring some of WHS' notable alumni and other folks to be honored as Wellsville Legends. It wasn't restricted to just WHS Alumni but included others that lived or worked in the ville. People who over the years have made a contribution in making the ville in some way a little nicer place to call home. These are people that made the ville, in their own ways, some place special.
This year's class is made up of seven of those people. Shown above is the Class of 2009 Legends that were inducted last night. Seated from the left is Darlene Porter and Chuck Amato. Again from the left, in the back, is Jean & Tom Broderick, Frank Daniels, Jack Gallagher and Tom Haugh.
The Broderick's were class mates and graduated from WHS in 1941. Following the war they were married in 1945 and have been active as a team every since. In addition to working and raising a family they have been active in their church and other organizations in the village. In 1950 they jumped feet first into arranging all the details for an All Class dinner for the first 5 Year All Class Reunion. After having done a remarkable job on that first dinner they were honored with that responsibility every reunion since then. Their last one was in 2005. Always willing to lend a hand where they could they embody the meaning of being a good neighbor.
Darlene Porter is the "Queen" in Dairy Queen. She opened her first Dairy Queen in EL in 1960. In 1969 she took over the Dairy Queen in the ville that was located right across Wells Avenue from where the WWII cannons sat at the foot of Route 45. In 1989 she relocated and expanded the DQ to its' present spot on 3rd Street. Over the years she provided part-time employment to many high school students. Some of them went on to make a career in the culinary arts and even more learned the discipline of what it takes to succeed in a customer service environment. Through all those years Darlene was a big contributor to Wellsville's Care & Share annual program to provide a Christmas to a lot of kids in the ville and that's just one of the many ways she contributed to raising funds for those in need. Darlene has time and again proven to be a good neighbor.
WHS Class of 52 alumni Frank Daniels is an Army veteran and served in the Korean War. Following his discharge he returned to the ville and started work in Crucible's Midland mill. In 1960 he took a second job as a member of the WPD and retired from that position after 28 years service to the ville. Daniels has often been described as a "tough cop" but I know different. His son introduced him as a cop you didn't want to see if you were up to no good but someone you welcomed with open arms if trouble was knocking on your door. However, I personally know Frank is not as tough as he might like you to believe. Many years ago we always had real Jack-o-lanterns at Halloween for the kids. If they lasted 24 hours we were lucky. One year I laid in wait for the trick-or-treat vandals and caught one. Calling the cops Frank shows up and puts the culprit in the back of his cruiser. Off he goes with me thinking he's taking the J.D. to the Police Station. A few months later I asked him what happened to the "alleged pumpkin smasher". He replied he didn't know. The kid's mother never told him what her son's punishment was!
Chuck Amato was another WHS alumni that is an Army veteran having served as a M.P. in the Korean War. Following his discharge Chuck joined the ranks of the WPD and in 1996 was one of the first inductees in the local Law Enforcement Officer's Hall-of-Fame. In 1960 he was the recipient of a FBI commendation signed by J. Edgar Hoover himself for his work as an officer. Later on he teamed up with his uncle, Pete Amato, and became a realtor. Chuck also served as the Safety-Service Director for many years.
Jack Gallagher is an EL native and served his country in the Marine Corp. Following his discharge he first went to work for the old A&P. In 1970 he joined the WPD eventually rising to the rank of Lieutenant. For many of the 24 years he was serving in the WPD he was the juvenile officer. He was instrumental in getting the Jim Kenney Youth Center started up for an activity center for the ville's youth. In addition to that he devoted many off-duty hours to providing activities and raising funds for those activities for the youth of our village. He often teamed up with Darlene Porter on the Care & Share program.
WHS Class of 61 alumni Tom Haugh is Wellsville, born, raised and retired. He started his working career in the family funeral home business, the old Haugh Funeral Home. Following high school graduation he worked for A&P for awhile and another old Wellsville business known as Culp Pharmacy. In 1981 Tom & his partner Larry Shafer bought Culp Pharmacy and renamed it Center Pharmacy. After selling the drug store a couple of years ago Tom retired but still helps out a few days a week at the store. Tom is a charter member of the Wellsville Lion's Club and has always been willing to lend a hand & donate time and money to many different causes to improve this place we call home. Introducing his father last night son Jeff said Tom never once hesitated to answer a call of distress for one of the pharmacy's customers that needed a subscription filled when the store was closed or shut down for a holiday. I can vouch for that. When our kids were small Tom helped us out more than once with some of those off hour calls. That's the kind of neighbor Tom has always been.
Invocation was offered by WHS alumni & Pastor Dirk Hall of the Nazarene Church. M.C. duties was handled by Councilman Joe Soldano.
Congratulations to the ville's Elks Riverside Reunion Committee for the tough job of selecting another outstanding class of "Legends". Speaking for myself and from watching those in attendance last night you did another outstanding job. DC Music handled the technical assistance and provided interim music between the scheduled events. Haugh Designs drew up and provided the programs and 'Hootch2" put the videos together.
The Reunion continues another two days. You don't want to miss it. I saw people from far away places like California & Minnesota that came "home" just for this. Tonight is dedicated to just getting together and socializing with old friends, neighbors and classmates. The doors open at six and the 7% Band takes the stage at 8 P.M. Temporary Elk memberships are available through out the event.
Tomorrow has a Classic Car Show from 5:00 - 8:00 P.M. Wellsville's own Route 45 band takes the stage at 8 P.M. Admission is free for all events. Although tables & chairs are provided it will probably be SRO Saturday night. In case of rain all activities will be moved indoors except for the car cruise! ;-)
Come early, come often and stay late. Buckeye guarantees a good time for all. Scroll on down for more on the Reunion. You can click on any of the pictures to make them bigger.
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