Russ Musarra, Tom Moore on Cuyahoga Valley Railway train

Russ makes tracks to reunion with Tom

BJ newsroom retirees Tom Moore and Russ Musarra had a reunion on the Cuyahoga Valley Scenic Railway.

Tom has been a conductor for most of his retirement, when he’s not helping former BJ sports editor Tom Giffen run the Roy Hobbs World Series for older baseball players in Fort Myers, Florida.

Russ – Rosario Musarra is you look at his birth certificate – lives in Streetsboro with his wife for almost six decades, Bev. They moved there in 2003 after living 15 years in Northfield Center and 22 in Macedonia.

Wrote Tom: “Sometimes you get a pleasant surprise while volunteering on the Scenic Railway. “This guy looked me up and I hadn't seen him for a while. We worked together for 30 years at the Akron Beacon Journal. He's a first-class reporter and person. They just don't make guys like that anymore.”

Two years ago Paula and I met Russ and Bev for dinner in northern Summit County. We didn’t go on or off the rails that time.

Russ is 75 pounds trimmer than during his days at Ol’ Blue Walls. He walks around Sunny Lake in Aurora during good weather and inside a Lowe's store near their Streetsboro residence when Mother Nature doesn't cooperate.

Russ was a BJ City Desk reporter and succeeded the late Polly Paffilas as the BJ's About Town columnist. He retired in 2000.

Russ and retired BJ artist Chuck Ayers in 2007 got their "Walks Around Akron," a long-running BJ series, into a book published by the University of Akron.

After the Beacon Journal dropped the "Walks" essays, they were published by Akron City magazine and later Akron Life and Leisure magazine.

They also collaborated on two other books -- "Greetings From Akron" (subtitled "Celebrating Akron’s History in Picture Postcards"), published in 2000 by the Summit County Historical Society, and "Joe’s Place: Conversations on the Cuyahoga Valley," published in 1999 by the Cuyahoga Valley Association.

Russ also wrote "Sleep With the Angels," with former Cleveland detective Robert L. Bolton, that was published in 1985. 

Bev and Russ have four children, nine grandchildren and two great-grandchildren, all living in the area.

If you want to touch base with Russ:

Russ Musarra
8916 Falcon Drive

Streetsboro 44241
Home phone: 330-626-4188
Cellular phone: 330-322-8890
E-mail: rmusarra@neo.rr.com

Tom was born in Richmond, Virginia. His 41-year newspaper career included the Bluefield (West Virginia) Daily Telegraph, Zanesville News, Lorain Journal, Columbus Citizen-Columbus Citizen Journal and the BJ.

Tom and wife Dot have four children.

John S. Knight was born in Bluefield.