Monessen 1962 grads showed class with mix of brains, brawn
Mention the 1961-62 school year at Monessen High School and most people — especially sports fans — will recall that it produced the WPIAL Class AA championship football team. But there was much more to the Class of 1962 than athletics.
“Obviously, we are very proud of the football team and the championship,” said Anthony C. “Bum” Borruso. “Our class was blessed with an outstanding group of athletes, but many others excelled in other areas.”
Borruso and his classmates will be talking about those achievements — and other subjects — when they gather for a 46-year class reunion on Oct. 11 at Monongahela Valley Country Club.
Why a 46-year reunion?
“Interest kind of fell off after our 30th (reunion),” said Borruso, who lives in Bullskin. “We tried to have an impromptu picnic-type get-together for our 45-year reunion, but it was put together rather quickly and wasn’t received too well. So we decided to try for a 46th with more advanced planning.”
The Oct. 11 festivities will begin at 5 p.m. and will include dinner and entertainment by disc jockey and classmate Michael Apostolakis. Costs are $35 per person or $70 a couple.
“The response has been picking up,” Borruso said. “Sadly, about 20 percent of our class has passed away. But we’re confident we’ll have a good turnout.”
The 1962 graduates will have a lot of memories to rekindle.
For instance, the class was recognized as the “brainiest” group — to that point in time — in Monessen High’s 62-year history. That designation evolved because:
• Scholarships worth $109,350 were awarded to members of the Class of 1962. This was double the amount in 1961.
• Five of the 178 graduates ranked in the upper 10 percent of students taking the National Merit Scholarship tests.
• About 45 percent of the class would continue its education. This was the highest in the school’s history and 5 percent above the 1961 figure.
• Seven students won full academic scholarships and 13 received partial scholarships ranging in value from $800 to $1,000.
Six members of the football team received athletic scholarships and two basketball players landed partial scholarships.
Class officers were Ronald Klasmeyer, president; Michael Grammatikos, vice president; Angeline Mavias, secretary; Irma Borsevich, assistant secretary, and Stephanie Stieska, treasurer. Joining those leaders on the Senior Council were Etta Santoro, Jim Cocchiara, Susan Stewart, Vitale, Jill Zubrisky, Mike Nicksich, Canova, Skurkay and Sandra Kurytnak. Tegnelia served as president of Student Council.
Jill (Zubritsky) Chelko recalled that Jimmy Beaumont and the Skyliners entertained at the Class of 1962’s junior and senior post-prom parties.
“That was something, having the Skyliners at our party,” said Chelko, now executive secretary to the provost and vice president for academic affairs at Gannon University in Erie. “They were one of the top groups in the (recording) business at the time. My dad (Lou Falbo) helped plan the parties. He was a member of the Kiwanis Club, which sponsored the post-prom activities.”
Chelko also was one of four seniors on the cheerleading squad in 1961-62. The others were captain Suzy Williams, Marietta “Etta” Santoro and Billie Lynn Dragan, the energetic Greyhound mascot.
“We had a lot to cheer about that year,” Chelko said. “The football team won the WPIAL championship and the basketball team also had a great season. We were proud to be cheerleaders, proud of our school and our community. I remember trying out when I was a sophomore in 1959. Betty D’Antonio was head cheerleader then and she told us at our first meeting, ‘You girls are the cream of the crop.’ I’ve never forgotten those words.”
