A Christmas Poem

Twas the Night before Christmas Poem

by Clement Clarke Moore (1779 - 1863)

Graphics from a children's book with a Perry Como narration 
Click here to View:

A Christmas Edition

 

Santa's Special Treat For Canonsburg Friends

Click Here For Part I

Click Here For Part IIThe Ups and Downs of Mapleview Park

Canonsburg Veterans

Veterans Day ~ 11.11.11 

Canonsburg Friends Honors the Veterans of Canonsburg. 

Canonsburg 1887

An 1887 illustrated map of Canonsburg Pa  sourced from history-map.com.

Canonsburg of 1887
Click on map to Zoom

Note the lake where the stadium is located today. 

The lake was created each year by controlled flooding from Chartiers Creek. Once frozen, it was chopped/cut into blocks and stored in the row of ice houses seen on the north side of the lake. Most of the ice was shipped by train to Pittsburgh.

Nick Dano Passes

Nick Dano, 75, of Canonsburg, died unexpectedly Monday, October 17, 2011, in Allegheny General Hospital, Pittsburgh.

He was born November 26, 1935, in Canonsburg, a son of the late John and Eva Bovan Dano.
Mr. Dano lived most of his life in Canonsburg, where he was a graduate of Canonsburg High School Class of 1955, was on the golf team and wrestling team and was a state wrestling champ.

He was a member of St. John's Baptist Orthodox Church and retired from Transformer as a welder.

After high school, he joined the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War, having served two tours with the Underwater Demolition Team 11, now known as Navy Seals, and afterward was stationed in California, Key West and Bahamas, before returning to Canonsburg.

Mr. Dano was an avid golfer and woodworker, a great bread baker, gardener and story teller and made people laugh.

Surviving are two sons, Cole and Nicholas Dano; a brother, Michael Magera of Detroit, Mich.; three sisters, Olga (John) Rusinko of McMurray, Eleanor Boettcher of Canonsburg and Julia Krisfalusi of Detroit; and many nieces and nephews.

He also leaves his two faithful dogs.

Deceased, in addition to his parents, are sister, Mary Lasicbak, and two brothers, William (Bill) Dano and John Dano Jr.

Friends are welcome from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday in Salandra Funeral Service Inc., Joseph P. Salandra, owner/supervisor, 304 West Pike Street, Canonsburg, 724-745-8120, where a blessing service will be held at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday, October 19, followed by services at 10 a.m. in St. John's Baptist Orthodox Church, Canonsburg, with the Rev. Father Joseph Oleynik officiating. Interment will follow at Oak Spring Cemetery, Canonsburg. Full military honors will be accorded by the combined Honor Guard Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 191 of Canonsburg and American Legion Post 902 of Houston. Parastas Service will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the funeral home.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations be made to St. John's Growth and Development fund in memory of Nick. To view or add condolences, please visitwww.salandrafunerals.com.
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Salandra Funeral Home

www.salandrafunerals.com

Six To Be Inducted Into Canon-McMillan Hall Of Fame

by Amanda Gillooly

A judge, a pioneer athlete, and a famous quartet of vocalists will be inducted into the Canon-McMillan School District Hall of Fame Friday night, prior to the Big Macs varsity football game against Montour.

The inductees are Judge Katherine B. Emery for citizenry, Raymond H. Kemp for athletics, and the Four Coins, whose members are George Mantalis, Jim Gregorakis, George Mahramus and Jack Mahramus, for arts.

Judge Emery, has been on the bench of theWashington County Court of Common Pleas, since 1996. She is a graduate of Canon-McMillan High School, where she was Student Council president, and received a B.A. in economics fromPenn State, an M.B.A. from the University of Dayton, a Juris Doctorate from the University of Dayton School of Law, and an International Economics Certification from the University of Cologne, Germany. 

She was a member of the Canon-McMillan Board of Education 1983-1993, during which she served as president, and also was president of the Intermediate Unit 1 Board of School Directors. She served on the Canon-McMillan Long-Range Planning Committee and the Pennsylvania School Boards Association Board of Directors.  

She previously served as Washington County solicitor and personnel director, worked for the Allegheny County Juvenile Court, and had a part-time private law practice. 

Judge Emery is a member of Canonsburg United Presbyterian Church, has been president of Canonsburg Business and Professional Women, and was named BPW Woman of the Year. She is a board director of Pathways, formerly United Cerebral Palsy, and Roberts House. She is on the Committee on Judicial Disputes of the Pennsylvania Conference of State Trial Judges, and is a member of both the National Juvenile Court Judges’ Association and the National Association of Women Judges. 

Judge Emery is married to attorney Gary Gilman, and they are the parents of George Gilman, a member of the Canon-McMillan Class of 2014.

Raymond H. Kemp,(picture unavailable)  a graduate of the former Cecil High School, was a 1933 member of thePittsburgh Pirates football team, now known as the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was the second African-American member of the National Football League. When he died in 2002, he was the last surviving member of the original Pittsburgh Steelers. 

At Cecil High School he played in the band and earned letters in football, basketball and track. He earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Duquesne University, attended the University of Pittsburgh and Ohio State University, and was a doctoral candidate at the University of Michigan. 

While at Duquesne University, he earned All-American honors in football and was named to the All-City of Pittsburgh Collegiate Football Team and earned awards in track and field. 

Kemp was devoted to academic excellence and interracial competition. He was a pioneer in scheduling of competition with predominantly white institutions. 

He was included in an exhibit at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, as one of the Black Pioneers in Professional Football. He was recognized in the Duquesne University Sports Hall of Fame and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame. 

Kemp received the Outstanding Educator Award from the Conference of Pennsylvania Black Basic Education Association, Frontiersman of the Year by the Nashville Chapter of Frontiersman International, Eighth District Omega Man of the Year by Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Duquesne University Century Club Member and received special citations from Pigskin Club Inc., Washington D.C., State of Tennessee General Assembly, and First Baptist Church, Capitol Hill, Nashville, Tenn. 

Kemp did pioneer research in the study of school dropout problems and integrated this information into educational course work. 

He was the director of health, physical education and athletics, and coached varsity football, basketball and track and field at Bluefield State College in Bluefield W.Va., Lincoln University, Jefferson City, Mo., and at Tennessee State University, Nashville, Tenn., where he was athletic director, track and field coach, and professor of sociology. 

While at Tennessee State University, he coached Olympic Gold Medalist Ralph Boston when he won the broad jump in 1960. Kemp also served as commissioner of the State of Missouri High School Athletic Association.

The Four Coins – consisting of brothers Jack and George Mahramas, Jim Gregorakis, and George Mantalis – hail from Canonsburg. While attending Canonsburg High School, they formed a band withBobby Vinton, another famous Canonsburg singer. The vocal group broke away and began to perform on their own as “The Four Coins.” 

In 1952, they entered an amateur contest in Pittsburgh and won the weekly prize and finally the grand prize, which they used to join AGVA, (American Guild of Variety Artists). 

Lee Barrett, another Canonsburg musician, took them to Cincinnati and New York where they signed with General Artist Corp., the worldwide entertainment agency, and a recording contract with Epic Records. 

They began traveling throughout the country and recording for Epic Records: “We’ll Be Married” (their first record), “Memories of You,” “My One Sin,” “The World Outside,” among others that made the Billboard charts. 

It was not until 1957, with the help of Lou Popliokowski, another Canonsburg musician and former Canon-McMillan teacher and administrator, who rehearsed The Four Coins before going to New York, when they recorded “Shangri-La,” their million seller. 

Throughout the years, traveling all over the world, The Four Coins performed in the most popular clubs, including New York’s Copacabana with Tony Bennett, the Far East with Nat King Cole, Chicago with the McGuire Sisters, Las Vegas with Sammy Davis Jr., and many more. They also performed in the Warner Brothers movie, “Jamboree.” 

Besides recording, television appearances kept them busy. They were twice on the Perry Como Show, another famous Canonsburg native, and with Patti Page, Steve Allen, Soupy Sales, Mike Douglas, three times on the Ed Sullivan Show and four times on Dick Clark’s Bandstand. 

However, in 1970, they all decided they had enough touring and went back to their families and friends. 

George Mantalis moved to Palm Beach, Fla.; George Mahramas to Arizona, and Jim Gregorakis and Jack Mahramas chose to remain in this area. 

Thirty-three years later, in 2003, friends and family persuaded the group to reunite for another show. They rehearsed with Steve Lemonakis, another Canonsburg musician, performed at the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse to a full house and had to do an extra show to accommodate the overflow crowd. 

Since then, The Four Coins have performed three more times at the Pepsi-Cola Roadhouse. They also traveled cross-country to Palm Springs, Calif., for three months and a few other venues, including The Meadows Casino. 

After all the years of traveling and performing, The Four Coins never were too far from their families and friends and their love for Canonsburg, where they all settled and live today.

Pike Street - A Picture History

Evolving over a period of 100 years, 

Pike Street from 1898, 1903, 1962 and 2002.

1898▲            1903▼                   Pike Street - Camonsburg, PA            1962▲             2002▼

These four photographs were taken from about the same spot on West Pike Street in Canonsburg over a period of more than a century  .In the upper left is a view taken before the Great Fire of 1898, when the buildings on the right half of the picture were destroyed. In the photo below it, the south side of Pike Street has been rebuilt, but the street is still dirt, so it is before 1903.

The photo at the top right was taken in 1962, and the one below about 2002. The little hot-dog stand ("Sandwich Shop") and the Gowern Building had been replaced by a parking lot.

(Submitted by Jim Herron)

Electric streetcar on Pike St

Recently came across this picture of this electric streetcar on Pike St.  Not sure of its source.  It appears to be late 1930 early 40's. 


A blow-up (right side) reveals an advertisement poster for Rubinoff , a famous touring violinist of the time  and near the center the  Hildegarde's sign whose shop moved to the location in 1938.(JCTimes 9/2010). 

A cold brisk Canonsburg morning
Pike St. & N. Central Ave. - winter of 1939

On a cold brisk Canonsburg morning,  passengers on a snow packed street, women wearing "babuskas", men tucked in hats  politely and patiently await arriving passengers to depart so they may board the "Big Red" a 3700 series, single end interurban car headed toward Pittsburgh.      Fare... 10¢ please!

East College Street, Canonsburg Pa

A fairly recent view looking East on College Street, taken I think from a vantage point near St Genevieve church.  


Not sure of the date, but still a familiar view full of good memories from attending mass at St. Genevieve or  each school day, just walking along, carrying on with classmates on our way to attend Harry Waters' machine shop class at Curry Field,  

East College Street

and of course during the summer, those early morning walks down College St. to Weavertown Bridge to hitch-hike a ride out to the then Mt. Lebanon CC to caddie. 


Oh yes,  me and East College Street... we've met. 

A Canonsburg Corner's History

102 W. Pike Street 
circa 2000
NW Corner of West Pike Street and North Jefferson Ave.

A skating rink was at the intersection in the 1880s, and was the only lot with a non-substantial building.


Here is a chronolgy (history) of this NW corner as provided by, who else Dr. Jim Herron:

1875 Espey Livery Stable 

1898  J J VanEman pur Espey Livery Stable in 1898; added hardware             store 

1900's  J. A. Fife purchases livery stable from J.J.VanEman

1904 Building  remodeled and covered with galvanized iron  

1906  H.H.Bebout, new building owner converts stable into  50 x 100’ store

1909  Welty’s Big Store Dept Store

1930s  J. A. Johnson purchases and brick veneers the building

1934  Welty’s New Furniture Dept operated by Brody’s Inc 

1936  Rogerson’s Department Store occupies  Brody moves out  4/1/36

1939  T. F. Rogerson  quitting business

1939  Kroger Grocery and; Baking Co. leases first floor and the basement

First (ground) floor dropped to street level with steel girders in the   basement. Front changed with show windows and entrance at street level

1941  Kroger Store

1953  Spear Home Furnishing Co.

1957  Baron Furniture Co. 

1957  Western Auto
2002 Bahr Hardware

2009  Humble Carpet and Decorating Center 


Note:The dates in the chronology are not etched in stone. For the most part they were when the occupant was found in the Daily Notes, usually an advertisement. I have not done detailed research into the site, so the list is rough.  Jim Herron

JCTimes - March 2008 - Morganza

Click here to view the JCT Morganza Issue:

Canonsburg Opera House Tragedy

A Special 100 Anniversary Issue

For 100 years the "Opera House Disaster" has been a part of the fabric of Canonsburg.  It was on the evening of August 26, 1911 that the largest loss of life due to one single event in the town's history occurred.

Click Here to view the
100 year anniversary issue of the
Canonsburg Opera House Tragedy

Pirate Retired Numbers

Retired Numbers: 10

Billy Meyer - #1

• 
  
• BORN: January 14, 1892, Knoxville, Tenn.
• DIED: March 31, 1957.
• CAREER: A catcher with the White Sox and Athletics (1913, 1916-17), Meyer won eight pennants as a manager of Minor League clubs from 1926 through 1947 before becoming the Pirates manager in 1948. Known for his rapport with players, fans and the press, Meyer managed in Pittsburgh for five seasons, compiling a record of 317-452. He was Manager of the Year in 1948 when the Bucs compiled a record of 83-71. Following his five-year tenure as Pirates manager, Meyer was a Pittsburgh scout for three years.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1954.
• Meyer's career stats »

Ralph Kiner - #4

• 
  
• BORN: October 27, 1922, Santa Rita, N.M.
• CAREER: A Hall of Famer (inducted in 1975), Kiner ranks second on the club's all-time home run list (301). Won or shared NL home run title in each of his seven full seasons with Pittsburgh (1946-52), a streak unmatched in either league. Hit a club-record 54 homers in 1949 and had a club-record .567 slugging percentage in his Pirates career. Was the key player in 10-man deal with the Cubs on June 4, 1953. Played with Cubs (1953-54) and Cleveland (1955) before a back ailment ended his career prematurely. He hit 369 home runs over his 10-year career, averaging 7.1 per 100 at-bats, which ranks among the best in Major League history.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1987.
• Kiner's career stats »

Willie Stargell - #8

• 
  
• BORN: March 6, 1941, Earlsboro, Okla.
• DIED: April 9, 2001.
• CAREER: "Pops" compiled a remarkable career in a 21-year span from 1962 through 1982 with the Pirates. In 2,360 games he batted .282 with 475 home runs, seven home runs in postseason play, and 1,540 RBIs. The Bucs' all-time home run, RBI and extra base hits king, Willie also ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in games, at-bats, runs, hits, singles, doubles and total bases. Stargell was a seven-time All-Star pick. In 1979 he was the NL's co-MVP and the MVP in the LCS and World Series. Stargell became the 17th player elected to the Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility (inducted in 1988).
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1982.
• Stargell's career stats »

Bill Mazeroski - #9

• 
  
• BORN: September 5, 1936 in Wheeling, W.V.
• CAREER: Mazeroski well-chronicled home run against the Yankees gave Pittsburgh the 1960 World Championship. During his 17-year career with Pittsburgh (1956-72), the Hall-of-Famer won eight Gold Glove awards and earned a reputation as one of the finest fielding second basemen in the history of the game. Among the Major League records for second basemen "Maz" holds are: most seasons leading league in assists (nine), most seasons leading league in double plays (eight), most double plays in a single season (161 in 1966) and most career double plays (1,706). A seven-time NL All-Star, he compiled a .260 lifetime average with 138 home runs and 853 runs batted in.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1987.
• Mazeroski's career stats »

Paul Waner - #11

• 
  
• BORN: April 16, 1903, Harrah, Okla.
• DIED: Aug. 29, 1965.
• CAREER: Waner's batting average of .340 with the Pirates ranks first in the history of the club. The three-time National League batting champion ranks sixth all-time in games played (2,154), third in hits (2868), second in triples (187), fifth in RBI (1181), third in at bats (8,429), third in singles (2,018), third in extra base hits (855), third in walks (909), second in runs scored (1,493), first in doubles (559) and fourth in total bases (4,128). After batting .336 during his rookie campaign in 1926, Waner became the first player in Pirates history to capture the NL MVP during the 1927 season. He led the Senior Circuit by driving in a career-high 131 runs while helping Pittsburgh capture its second World Series appearance in three years. The four-time All-Star (1933-35, 1937), who hit .300 or better 14 times in the NL, proved to be one of the game's most dominating players during the 1930s. From 1930-39, he led all Major League players in hits (1,959), ranked third in doubles (373) and triples (112) and was fifth in batting (.336). During the 1932 season, the outfielder collected a club record 63 doubles while batting .341. Waner was inducted into the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 1952.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 2007.
• Waner's career stats »

Pie Traynor - #20

• 
  
• BORN: Nov. 11, 1899, Framingham, Mass.
• DIED: March 16, 1972.
• CAREER: Harold (Pie) Traynor was one of the finest third basemen in Major League history, earning that reputation in a 17-year playing career spent entirely with the Pirates (1920-1935, 37). Regarded as an outstanding defensive player, Traynor was also adept with the bat, compiling a lifetime .320 average. While he hit just 58 home runs, he managed to drive in 1,273 runs. Traynor ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in games, at-bats, runs, hits, singles, doubles, triples, total bases, RBIs, extra-base hits, batting average and stolen bases. The Hall of Famer (inducted in 1948) also managed the Pirates from 1934 through 1939.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1972.
• Klein's career stats »

Roberto Clemente - #21

• 
  
• BORN: August 18, 1934, Carolina, P.R.
• DIED: December 31, 1972.
• CAREER: A Hall of Famer (inducted in 1973), Roberto Clemente was selected by the Pirates in the player draft when the Brooklyn Dodgers left him unprotected after the 1954 season, his first as a professional. For the next 18 years Clemente starred in the Pirates outfield. He won four NL batting crowns and batted .317 in his career, with 240 home runs and 1,305 RBIs. He also won 12 Gold Glove Awards. He hit safely in all seven games in both the 1960 and 1971 World Series, winning the Series MVP Award in 1971 when he batted .414 with two homers and two doubles against Baltimore. Clemente was a 12-time All-Star and the NL MVP in 1966. He ranks in the Pirates' top 10 in 12 offensive categories. He died with four others when a plane carrying supplies to earthquake-stricken Nicaragua crashed.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1973.
• Clemente's career stats »

Honus Wagner - #33

• 
  
• BORN: February 24, 1874, Carnegie, Pa.
• DIED: December 6, 1955.
• CAREER: One of five players originally elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1936. Honus Wagner is widely regarded as the best shortstop to ever play the game. "The Flying Dutchman" won eight NL batting crowns -- second only to Ty Cobb's 12 titles -- during a 17-year stretch in which he batted over .300 in each season. Wagner came to Pittsburgh in 1900 after three seasons with Louisville, a franchise that had disbanded. He played with the Bucs until 1917 and ended his career with a .329 average and 101 homers. Wagner was a coach with the Pirates between 1933 and 1951. He ranks among the Pirates' top 10 in 11 offensive categories.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1952.
• Wagner's career stats »

Danny Murtaugh - #40

• 
  
• BORN: October 8, 1917 in Chester, Pa.
• DIED: December 2, 1976.
• CAREER: A second baseman with the Phillies, Braves and Pirates (1941-43, 46-51), Danny Murtaugh was one of the most successful managers in Pirates history. He managed the Bucs in four different stints during 15 seasons between 1957 and 1976. During that time he became one of only 36 managers to win 1,000 games, compiling a record of 1,115-950, his win total ranking second on the Pirates all-time list to Fred Clarke's 1,422. He led the Pirates to four Eastern Division crowns and two World Series Championships (1960 and 1971). He was named Manager of the Year in 1960 and 1970.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1977.
• Murtaugh's career stats »

Jackie Robinson - #42

• 
  
• BORN: January 31, 1919 in Cairo, Ga.
• DIED: October 24, 1972.
• CAREER: Known forever as the first black player in the Major Leagues, Jack Roosevelt Robinson played for the Brooklyn Dodgers from 1947 to 1956, helping them to six pennants in a 10-year span and to their only World Championship in 1955. He was named the NL Rookie of the Year in 1947 and the league's MVP in 1949. A six-time All-Star, Robinson also became the first man to integrate the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1962. In 1997, as a tribute to the legacy he created, Major League Baseball retired his No. 42 league-wide on the 50th Anniversary of his breaking the game's color barrier. The Pirates officially retired his number in a pre-game ceremony on July 12, 1997.
• NUMBER RETIRED: 1997.
• Robinson's career stats »