listing/roster of Charleroi, Pennsylvania High School Graduates/Alumni


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    THE 70's
      John Woodward, '77
      Andrea Todora, '74
      James R. Moon, '73
      David Mudrick & Cindy Colvin, '74
      George Braunegg, '75
      Bob Burns, '76
      Bill Woytovich, '73
      Michael 'Reed' Popovich, '74
      Karen A. Theys, '74
      Keith Spear, '74
      Vicki DuJordan, '71
      Leslie Kibler, '77
      Valerie Marraccini, '76 & Dennis J. Stitch, '78
      Janey Potts, '75
      Joseph R. Scaccia, '75
      Cheryl Deep, '74
      Mark Mascara, '74
      Jeff Kossol, '71
      Philip J. Kellman, '72
      Sheri Monack, '75

Popovich loves returning to Valley... By Melanie J. Martin, For The Valley Independent, August 14, 2004
Just a few weeks ago, Charleroi area native Reed Popovich and his wife celebrated his 30-year high school reunion at Linden Hall in Dawson.Though Popovich lives in San Diego, he happily returns to the Mon Valley at least once a year.

Michael “Reed” Popovich grew up in Fallowfield Township, and graduated from Charleroi Area High School in 1974. He then decided to become a nuclear engineer, pursuing a degree at the University of Michigan.

He put himself through college on a Navy Reserve Officer Training Corps scholarship.

That turned out to be the key to his future career.

Right after college, the Navy commissioned him as an ensign. He attended nuclear power school in Florida and submarine school in Connecticut. He then spent five years assigned to the USS Robert E. Lee in Pearl Harbor. After that, he was assigned to the USS Portsmouth in San Diego.

In 1987, he held the position of Officer in Charge of Deep Submergence Vehicle Sea Cliff. It descended to 20,000 feet (further than any other manned submersible ship at the time), and Reed accompanied it to that depth three times. His expertise in this field landed him a cameo role in “The Hunt for Red October”, after doing some consulting work for the film.

In 1990, Popovich left active military duty. He married his wife, Mary Ellen O’Connor, four years later. The next year, he started a defense contracting company called M.R. Popovich & Co. Through his company, he now specializes in computer and communications training for the Navy. He lives in San Diego, but his company has a Norfolk, Va., base as well.

Through all of his travels, Popovich has returned to the Mon Valley at least once a year. His mother, Dina Popovich; his uncle, Bill Popovich; and a few cousins still live in the Mon Valley. He also has an aunt, uncle, and cousin in southern California.

While Popovich doesn’t miss Pennsylvania’s ice and snow, he does miss the golf courses.

“A lot of folks around the country don’t realize how beautiful the golf courses are in Pa.,” he said.

He also loves the friendly attitude of most Pennsylvanians.

“I can honestly say, that of all the places I’ve lived, the nicest, most sincere folks are from the Mon Valley,” he said. “You can strike up a friendly conversation with just about anybody at any time on any subject.”