A special once-in-a-lifetime reunion

A SPECIAL REUNION — Classmates from Mingo High School’s Class of 1954 gathered at the Ville inside the Fort Steuben Mall on June 21 to celebrate the class’s 70th high school reunion. Those able to attend the special event included, from left, front, Margie Rusciolelli Serafini; Florence Smith, who married classmate Harry Smith; Mary Caranda Karovic; and back, Bob Olexia, Joanne Shaw, Henry Smith, John Canestraro and Don Benedict.
— Julie Stenger

STEUBENVILLE — Reunions. Once upon a time they were held only on special occasions.

For one’s 25th. A 50th. Perhaps even a 60th … if life allowed.

Today, however, some alma maters are celebrating high school reunions every year. They are sometimes referred to as all-school reunions.

There is catching up to do, after all.

Throughout the summer, graduating classes will reunite. Having get-togethers for dinner, drinks and capturing time in yet, another photograph.

FIRST DRIVER’S ED CLASS — The first class to learn driver’s education was the Class of 1954 at Mingo High School. This group of students included some of the classmates who recently attended its 70th reunion. The men stated mostly girls took the class because the boys already knew how to drive.
— Contributed

These group pictures are often submitted for publication. And readers will glance through each, hoping to capture a hint of someone they once knew … long ago.

In another time.

Another place.

There aren’t too many people, however, who receive the opportunity to celebrate their 70th high-school class reunion.

Its graduates would all be in their late 80s, by now.

A SPECIAL OCCASION — Seven members from the Class of 1954 at Mingo High School gathered for a special reunion June 21 at the Ville. A cake was served from a local bakery, purchased by one of the members. Helping to serve to classmates were Mary Karovic, left, and Joanne Shaw.
— Julie Stenger

But for one local high school class, that is precisely what they did June 21.

It had been seven decades since certain memories were conjured up. The smiles and laughter of those memories soon came.

Days of football games. Dances at the Avalon. Going to Blanche’s soda shop where all the kids hung out after school.

The Mingo High School Class of 1954 gathered around a table in the back of the Ville restaurant inside the Fort Steuben Mall. Seven members and a spouse sat quietly talking about their lives, and reminisced about the past.

It had been 70 years since each had walked across that stage to accept their high school diploma. A lot had changed.

Each had married and had children. What had not changed was the fact that most of these classmates never moved away. They always remained in Mingo Junction. Because, well, because that is simply where their home and heart lied.

Henry Smith attended the celebration with his wife, Florence. The two met while in high school. Florence was a sophomore and Henry, a senior who graduated in the Class of ’54.

The two have since been inseparable. Married 65 years, they share a son and daughter, who live in Indiana and Mingo Junction, respectively.

The couple has six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

They have loved each other for literally a lifetime.

Sitting across from the Smiths was Don Benedict, who also lives in Mingo. Although he moved to George’s Run for a while, he moved back to his hometown where he shared many years with his wife, Doris, who attended Steubenville High School and whom he married shortly after graduating. Doris died three years ago, Benedict explained, adding together they had a son and daughter. His son is currently living with him and his daughter is close by in Wintersville. He has two granddaughters and four great-grandchildren.

Marge Rusciolelli grew up in Mingo. She lived in a little house by the lower entrance to the steel mill. Today, it is the only home on the street that is still standing.

She soon became Marge Serafini, having married her husband, Carmine, and sharing a wonderful life with him for more than 40 years. She stated he died 22 years ago and together they had three daughters, all of whom attended Catholic Central High School.

Today, Serafini resides in Steubenville. Two of her daughters became nurses and the other a teacher.

Sitting next to Serafini was Joanne Shaw, another lifelong resident of Mingo Junction.

Shaw was married more than 40 years, sharing a son and daughter. Shaw’s daughter lives in Johnsontown, Ohio, while her son is a retired Mingo fire chief.

Bob Olexia was seated next to Shaw. He, too, is a lifetime resident of the village. Olexia said he married, but his wife died 16 years ago.

Classmate Mary Caranda attended the reunion. She married her love, Edward Karovic and together they shared 49 years with one another in Mingo.

Karovic said they share two sons, Eddie who lives in Steubenville, and Kenny, who is now in New Jersey. She has four grandchildren and one brand new great-grandbaby.

Traveling the greatest distance to attend his reunion, was John Canestraro. The Louisville resident came in especially for this purpose. His wife, Linda, whom he will celebrate his 65th anniversary with on Wednesday, was unable to accompany him on this trip.

Canestraro commented he moved to Louisville shortly after graduating to work in his brother’s jewelry store. This was where he met Linda, who was from Alliance. Together, they had three children: A son in Minerva, a daughter in Montgomery and a son in Maryland. He smiled at the mention of his five grandchildren.

Each sat eating their meal, listening to another speak. But when the question was asked to recall of some of their favorite moments about being in high school with one another, they all began speaking in unison.

Going to a Friday night football game together was the activity most in the group unanimously mentioned.

“Mingo had a beautiful stadium on Commercial Street,” Serafini commented, with Shaw adding, “The best football team and best band around was from Mingo.”

“Before we got there, it was the worst!” replied Canestraro, to which everyone laughed and agreed.

They made mention of one of their teachers, Mike Rodak, who previously played for the Cleveland Rams and Pittsburgh Steelers in the National Football League prior to finishing his career at Mingo High.

Rodak was the football and basketball coach when the Class of ’54 attended, with Shaw saying, “When you were in his class, you got football plays.”

Olexia and Canestraro can remember Rodak telling one of his players to shave before coming to class.

“He was a tough old bird, I tell ya,” Henry Smith added.

Shaw recalled one time when the team played an away game in Cuyahoga Falls. She was a member of the band, serving as a majorette for six years. She remembered they were getting off the bus and told to make sure they got back on the same bus that they came on.

Someone had changed the order of the buses, however, and everyone ended up on the football team’s bus.

“It was really great when they marched through town,” Florence Smith reflected, to which everyone agreed watching the band perform was a wonderful time.

Henry Smith and Canestraro both played football. Benedict noted his parents didn’t allow him to play those types of sports so he had to find other things to do with his time. Since he lived on the hill close to where the Wintersville teens lived, he spent time with them, playing sports on the playground. Something his parents never knew. Everyone found something to do with their time.

Some in the group participated in Pep Club, the camera club and Y-Teen. They were the first class to have the opportunity to take a driver’s education class. Although the men commented it was mainly girls who took the course, being that boys already knew how to drive.

After school, most of the teens went to hang out at the local soda shop, Blanche Devore’s, located downtown.

Serafini was working there and can still recall the skyscraper ice cream cones they sold, noting they were huge.

“We had a good time every time we got together,” Florence commented.

Everyone recalled the times when Bobby Vinton came to play in Steubenville and Follansbee at the Hilltop.

They would go watch him sing on weekends.

Following the football games, everyone would go to the Avalon, climb the three flights of stairs and then dance for hours upon hours.

There were party lines. Several school plays, which Serafini always enjoyed. Downtown businesses that offered practically anything you could want, Benedict commented. The classmates named Isaly’s, Weisberger’s clothing store and DiCarlo’s grocery store in addition to the former buildings that once made Mingo flourish.

“Mingo and Steubenville were booming back then,” Olexia added.

“No one got in trouble in downtown Mingo then,” Canestraro said.

“Then all of a sudden, they all just left,” Florence pointed out.

“Now, when you go down and look at it, you just cry,” Serafini stated.

To which they all agreed.

But there was a time where the entire town pulled together and helped one another. It was during World War II.

Benedict commented when millworkers were drafted, the women had to go and do their work. His mom worked in the roundhouse and ran a crane, repairing and lifting the heavy engine parts to be repaired. They worked in the parts room and supply room, he added. “Everyone pulled together,” he said. “This little town like Mingo and all its people were pulling together. And it started with the kids.

The high school held patriotic music in the auditorium every week. School officials announced what was going on in the war, as many of their parents were involved in the fight overseas.

“Most families had gardens back then and we worked in them,” Benedict added.

Henry Smith noted each teenager was instilled with a work ethic.

“You didn’t always enjoy it, but you did it,” Benedict said. “Soldiers were coming home wounded. Everybody had to help out.”

Then there was the snowstorm of 1950. The two feet of winter weather had closed down the school, they all remembered.

“Army trucks had to bring food to the store at the top of the hill,” Florence Smith recalled, as she had lived on that hill.

“Bulldozers from the strip mines had to plow the streets down the middle of the road,” Shaw stated.

“The kids all sledded down the street because we didn’t have to worry about anyone driving on the roads,” Florence added. “But once you got to the bottom you had to pull it all the way back up the hill.”

There are 23 members left in that Class of ’54 from Mingo High School. Most live across the country and were unable to make the reunion.

But the fact remains there will always be the memories of the days they shared together.

Although they weren’t all happy ones, they are memorable ones.

One such moment came during graduation.

Karovic and Shaw explained one of their classmates, Danny Angelica, had been diagnosed with leukemia.

Despite his being in the hospital and having little time remaining, Angelica had promised he would stay alive until he graduated high school, they said.

And he did. His parents had driven him to his graduation ceremony straight from the hospital.

“When he walked across that stage, the place was so quiet,” Karovic said.

“I don’t think anyone was breathing when he walked across the stage,” Shaw added.

Angelica died soon after, they quietly stated.

Sometimes, if we are lucky, the people we grow up with, the ones we graduate with, become our best and dearest friends in life.

It’s fair to say that since their 60th reunion at Mario’s a decade ago, and their 70th reunion this month, the members of Mingo’s Class of ’54 are already making plans for where to hold their 80th.