Brownsville Time Capsule
By Glenn Tunney For the Herald-Standard
Brownsville Time Capsule looks back over the years through the archives of the Brownsville Telegraph.
25 Years Ago – February 1980
Trumper’s Men’s and Boy’s Wear in downtown Brownsville is holding a “Quitting Business Sale.” The Market Street business is offering “Final Markdowns” on its entire inventory of clothing, resulting in some irresistible bargains. Sweaters, sport and dress shirts, dress gloves and raincoats are priced at 50 – 60% off, tennis shoes are marked as low as $4.99, and ski jackets are only $13.50. These are just a few of the great deals that await shoppers this week at Trumper’s.
Jeff Penn reached a very special milestone this week in Brownsville Area High School’s 79-69 basketball victory over Waynesburg High School. When Penn dropped in a free throw with 2:32 remaining in the contest, a partisan Falcon crowd exploded as Penn’s teammates, coaches and cheerleaders all rushed to congratulate the senior cager on scoring the 1,000th point of his high school career.
Penn finished with 31 points, leading Coach John Chuma’s Falcons to their 8th victory against 7 defeats. Wayne Gaddis and Jim Vasiloff were also in double figures for Brownsville with 15 and 13 points respectively.
45 Years Ago – February 1960
The Brownsville Optimist Club will present its 12th annual minstrel at the Brashear Joint Junior High School auditorium. There will be two evening performances of the two-part presentation, which is expected to be a crowd pleaser with eight excellent numbers in the olio portion and a galaxy of stars in the minstrel.
David Cohen will serve as master of ceremonies for the olio, with the program including: “Little Elvis,” Tommy Snyder; “Primitive Jazz,” Gloria Bilconish, with Bob Sabatine on the drums; pantomime specialty, Linda Fero; Bell Trio, Emmett Sabatine, Lee Higinbotham and Barry Motrichesky; accordion solo, Eddie Bukovan; acrobat, Susan Wilensky; tap duo, Vicki Shipley and Junior Martinelli; and trumpeteers, John Romito, Jerry Spallino, Bob Peltonen, Bruce Copler, with John Caputo on the drums.
Norma Milazzo will direct the show and Loretta Hall will be pianist. Don Neel, president of the Optimist Club, will serve as interlocutor.
The Water Street home of Brownsville Post 377, Veterans of Foreign Wars was visited by safe crackers during the night and about $30 in cash was taken. Police Chief Anthony Salvatore discovered the burglary when he found a side door to the home on Arch Street standing open when he was making his rounds at 4:45 a.m. Thinking that the intruders might still be inside, he summoned Patrolman Joseph Borsody, and the two entered the building to find the office and grill in a shambles.
One safe had been broken open and the combination knocked off a second safe. The vending machines were not disturbed. The officers surmised that someone who had visited the home last evening had a part in the crime, since the front door jamb had been stuffed with paper so the lock would not catch completely, leaving it open for a later visit.
Donora High School moved a step closer to the Section 5 crown by downing California High School, 64-42, on the Donora court. The Trojans were led in scoring by Eddie LeJohn with 12 tallies and Joe Parkinson with 11.
In Brownsville, Bellmar High School defeated Brashear High School, 83-69, in a Section 5 encounter. The Brownies’ loss to the Hurricanes left Brownsville with a 2-8 section record. Willibe Brooks led Brownsville in scoring with 28 points in a losing cause. DeWayne Cruse also tallied 19 for the local squad.
60 Years Ago – February 1945
Anthony Basile, Beaver Falls, a teacher in the Beaver Falls Junior High School, was elected band director for Brownsville High School at the February school board meeting. Basile succeeds E.S. Sweadner, who resigned to go to Charleroi High School.
The board also elected Amelia Jones, Marianna, as home economics teacher in the junior high school to succeed Martha Denbow Manspeaker, who resigned. The resignation of J. Robert Craig as science teacher was accepted.
Attending the meeting were President Willard A. Griffin, Robert M. DeLaney, John T. Vickers, J. Park Williams, Supervising Principal Raymond T. Barner, and Secretary H.B. Johnston.
Sixty candidates were initiated into the Brownsville Lodge of B.P.O. Elks No. 1344 at an impressive ceremony at the Elks home on Water Street. The new group, one of the largest initiated at any one time, went into the organization as the Michael V. Bergen class. Exalted Ruler Bergen was in charge of the ceremony.
Following the ceremony, a delicious ham dinner was served in the dining room by the ladies auxiliary. In charge of the dinner were Thomas Burns Sr., Wallace Rohrer and Newel Porter.
“Binky” Berlinsky gave East Pike Run fans all the field goals they wanted by tallying 31 points in the Bucs’ 65-21 decision over Ellsworth. Coach Joe Guerra’s squad was easily the best team in the Section 15 encounter.
At California, the California Cubs repeated a previous win over the Monongahela Wildcats with a 42-28 Section 4 victory. Steve Bellovich paced Coach Bill First’s aggregation to its fourth league victory by hitting the hoop for 14 points and controlling the rebounds all night.
Your feedback about these Brownsville Time Capsule articles is appreciated. Please mail your comments to Pete Skirchak, Brownsville Editor, Herald-Standard, Box 570, Brownsville, PA 15417, or e-mail begin pskirchak@heraldstandard.com pskirchak@heraldstandard.com end
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Glenn Tunney may be contacted at 724-785-3201 or by writing to 6068 National Pike East, Grindstone, PA 15442.