Sweet (or bitching?) 16 attend lunch

Here’s Tom Moore’s report on the September 12 luncheon of Beacon Journal retirees at Papa Joe's ( Click on the headline to see more photos) :

I arrived at Papa Joe's about 12:45 Wednesday. I found one retiree—Gene McClellan– sitting at the table reserved for the Beacon Journal retiree bunch. “Gonna be one of those times with maybe a handful or less, I thought to myself.”

Gene and I exchanged greetings and wondered how many more would show. Then came retired printer Carl Nelson. Good. At least three of us. And as 1 p.m. rolled around, more folks began to arrive.

There was former Beacon Journal guard Bob Reese, his first time at one of the luncheons, even though he's been threatening to show up for the last three months. He finally made it. He was to pick up retiree Dave Boerner, but they had their time mixed up. He arrived at Dave's house at 11:30 and found nobody home, so he left. But Dave showed on his own.

The afternoon proved a bigger success than we've had for a while, in fact the restaurant folks had to add another table..when Bob Pell came in, bringing his daughter, Catherine Sandstead; his son, Bob Pell Jr. and daughter-in-law Phyllis Pell. Bob's getting ready for a trip to Florida with his relatives.

Eddie Hanzel and his wife, Norma, put in an appearance. And congratulations are in order: they are celebrating their 60th wedding anniversary...a happy couple.

Cal Deshong had a guest with him--his daughter, Mary Kinkelaar.

John Olesky sat down next to me. John and Paula have been doing a whole lot of traveling. Next trip, he says, his flying to Florida in two weeks to watch his beloved West Virginia Mountaineers play football. John doesn't miss any home games in Morgantown and for those games he can't
attend, he's got a big screen TV—that's almost like being there!

Also breaking bread with the group of 16 at the lunch were Dick Gresock and Al Hunsicker.

As usual, the talk was of the old days and the changes..(as somebody put it..all these old timers do, is bitch, bitch, bitch...) But why not? These retirees have put their lives into the newspaper, so, despite what folks might think, they've earned the right.

Fran Murphy usual comes up at one time or another. And this was no exception. Recalling what a following she had, how she babied her column each day like nobody else...she was one of a kind.. Bob Reese said her parking space was “sacred”. Nobody was allowed to park in it.

He recalls that the governor of Ohio showed up and needed a space to park. Since Fran was out of the office, it was suggested that maybe the Gov could park there. Bob called publisher John Dotson. Dotson vetoed the idea: “she might come back.”

Next monthly luncheon is Wednesday, Oct.10, at 1 p.m. At Papa Joe's in the Valley.

Come on down.

-------tom moore