Charleroi native's legacy still 'a work in progress'

By Ron Paglia FOR THE TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, March 16, 2008

Sheri Monack has lived elsewhere most of her adult life. But a large part of her heart and soul remain in her hometown of Charleroi.
 
"I can't imagine what it would have been like to grow up somewhere else," Monack, who has lived and worked in Atlanta since 1992, said. "After living in a large city, and traveling throughout the world, there is no place that can compare to the Mon Valley. I knew all of my neighbors; heck, I knew half the town, many were like family. It wasn't unusual to just drop in on someone for a chat, or a card game, or a sandwich and cup of tea. That doesn't happen everywhere."

Those fond memories remain entrenched, even with Monack's hectic schedule as a production artist for an award-winning graphic design studio, freelance designer, accomplished potter, fundraiser and Reiki master/teacher and owner of the Atlanta Reiki Center.

"It does seem, at times, like there are never enough hours in the day," Monack, a 1975 graduate of Charleroi Area High School, said with a smile. "But I love being busy."

After graduation from CAHS, Monack attended Indiana University of Pennsylvania and the University of Maryland. She also has had extensive training in pottery, Reiki and religious/spirituality studies.
And she is a veteran of the U.S. Armed Forces.

"After serving two years in the Army in Germany as I finished my education I lived in Indiana (Pa.) and was assistant director of publications at IUP," she recalled. "I was responsible for all major university publications and mentoring student interns and freelancers. It was a great experience."

Monack returned to Charleroi for a few years while her son Jeff "was very young, so he could be closer to my family." Now 28, Jeff works as a commercial site inspector for a mortgage company in the Atlanta area.

"Since there wasn't need for graphic artists in the Valley at the time, I was a hair stylist for Maison Rebecca when the salon was in downtown Charleroi," she said.

Ensuingly, Monack and her son lived in Lancaster from the late 1980s until 1992. She worked there as a graphic designer with Sir Speedy Printing, the largest franchise location in the country at the time.

The move to Atlanta was, in large part, for career advancement, she said. In addition, Monack also appreciates the educational and cultural opportunities in Atlanta.

"Over the 15 years here I've worked as an art director for three publishing companies, responsible for various magazines, medical journals and textbooks (print and Web)," Monack said.

Since June 2005 she has worked as a production artist for RR Donnelley & Sons at The Project Center, a full-service graphic design studio.The firm offers conceptual design, interactive media, photography, production/pre-press and large format printing. Monack is part of a team that creates store communications, corporate identity and marketing materials for major corporations throughout the United States. Among her clients are The Home Depot, Chick-fil-A, Delta Airlines, Coca-Cola, Hanes, Tensar, Georgia Pacific and The Varsity.

Her freelance work includes low-cost or free marketing material design, pre-press and editing books and Web design for churches and non-profits.

Those assignments notwithstanding, Monack also looks forward to her endeavors as a potter.

"After years of admiring and collecting pottery, I finally found an opportunity to learn the art a little over five years ago," she said. "I love working with clay."

Proving she is a quick learner, Monack entered several pottery pieces in the North Georgia State Fair and won first- and second-place ribbons on all of her entries. She also has been blessed to have her work

selected for several national pottery shows, and several are displayed and sold in three galleries in the Atlanta area.

Monack's interest in Reiki, described as universal energy healing, about 20 yars ago when she had a traumatic injury to her back.

"I was misdiagnosed and untreated for almost a year before they figured out I had several bulging discs and a disc herniation that required surgical repair," she recalled. "During that year the only thing that kept my pain down enough to function at all was Reiki. I wasn't familiar with it when it was first offered to me, but I was willing to try anything to help with the pain as I went from specialist to specialist until my injury was finally diagnosed."

She continued to use Reiki, then became a practitioner to accompany medical treatment from the back injury and also a serious rollover automobile accident in 2003. She founded the Atlanta Reiki Center last year when she began teaching the hands-on application of Ki (or Chi, in Chinese).

"The basic tenet is that it balances the energy body, similar to acupuncture but without needles," Monack said. "Extensive medical studies show Reiki reduces pain, stress and stress reactions; calms anxiety; lowers blood pressure and heart and respiration rates; raises the red blood cell count; reduces bleeding, and helps overcome insomnia.

"Reiki emphasizes working on yourself through meditation and healing to become the best person you can be spiritually, mentally and physically. Part of that journey, the spiritual path, is being able to share Reiki with others."

Spirituality and faith also guide Monack's efforts as a fundraiser. She represented her church as an international delegate for 15 years and then worked for the district as an adviser for eight fledgling churches in Georgia. She produced (pro bono) fundraisers to benefit her church fellowship in raising more than $20,000 for the down payment for a new church in Lancaster and $180,000 in one year for the down payment of a church building in Decatur, Ga. She also has produced fundraisers for numerous nonprofit organizations in Georgia.

Monack didn't have to look far for a role model whose words of wisdom and guidance continue to drive her today.

"My grandmother, Libby Behanna, is the person I try my best to emulate," Monack said of the well-known Monessen woman who died at age 92 in June 2007. "She was widowed before she was 30 and worked hard as the cafeteria supervisor at Monessen High School for many years to support her three children. She also gave generously of herself to her church and community and was a sweet, talented, funny and loving woman. I would consider myself very blessed to be compared in any way to my grandmother."

Complementing the lessons learned from and deep love of her grandmother is Monack's philosophy on personal achievements.

"My contributions to the world around me are gifts from the Divine, through me," she said. "I hope to give them my best efforts," she said. "The greatest accomplishments humans can have are being good, honest, kind and giving people, which for me will probably always be a work in progress."

And the memories play on ...
By RON PAGLIA

If Sheri Monack had her druthers, she would order candy from Gene and Boots, chipped ham from Isaly’s and an assortment of goodies from Keystone Bakery.

"And don’t forget those 10-cent Sno Cones from Easton’s (pharmacy)," Monack, of Atlanta, GA, said. "They were my absolute favorite treat. As a child I did errands on Saturdays for my Aunt Nora, and I’d run straight to Easton’s when I finished, with the dime she’d give me. The hard part ws picking a flavor from the long list. Cherry or vanilla were usually my pick."

While Easton’s is part of Charleroi’s past, Monack does find ways to savor the flavor of growing up in the Magic City in the 60s and 70s.

"I always buy 10 pounds of Isaly’s chipped ham, some Italian bread and buns and some chocolate on every trip home," she said, laughingly. "I freeze the chipped ham when I get back (to Atlanta) and it lasts for a few months."

Monack, a 1975 graduate of Charleroi Area High School, also has other favorite recollections of her hometown including twirling baton with Carol Claybaugh’s Mon Valley Superstars and "great times" with the Cougar marching band.

"Our band trips, marching in parades and performing at football games were so much fun," Monack said. "I still laugh when I think about marching down Fifth Street hill on the way to the stadium for a football game, precariously balancing our high top hat full of food to eat during the game. And, as crazy at it seems now, I remember marching through parades with the Superstars or the band then getting driven back to where the other group was in the parade while changing uniforms and switching the baton for a drum, or vice versa, then marching through the parade again."

Monack and other former band members enjoyed a poignant reunion several years ago when "Professor" Edward Sweadner, the longtime and legendary conductor of Charleroi High School’s award winning bands, died.

"I was so grateful to be part of the Alumni Band that honored (Sweadner) with a tribute at the football game," Monack said. "So many former band members representing virtually all of the years he directed the band came from all over the country. Our drum section getting together was great. We shared our old marching cadences with the young drummers, and Mark Smith pulled us all together in a quick drum practice before the game and made us sound like we’d been playing together for years."

Monack has tried to stay in touch with her ‘75 classmates and other friends over the years.

"I’ve helped with the reunion committee in the past and I’ve been back home for all but one of our reunions," she said. "I even popped in at the Class of 74's last reunion."

Monack’s passion for retaining those ties led her to establish a Class of 1975 website several years ago, a move that sparked an impromptu reunion with another CAHS grad.

"A few months after putting up the site, someone contacted from California trying to find the owner of a class ring found in her deceased brother’s belonging from his wrecker business," Monack recalled. "She told me it was a man’s ring with the initials RJS inside the band. I pulled out my yearbook and found only two guys from my class whose initials matched. I tried for a few weeks to locate both of them and posted a notice on the website."

As it turned out, the ring belonged to Randal Salay, who lost his ring while stationed at Camp Pendleton, CA.

"Ironically, Randal owns an insurance company based in Atlanta and lives only a few miles from me," Monack said. "We had dinner and exchanged hometown talk and got his long lost ring back to him."

Because of an increasingly heavy work schedule, Monack recently closed the ‘75 website and continues to encourage classmates and others to utilize the Charleroi High School Alumni site (www.charleroipahsalumni.org) founded and administered by Jeane Palfrey.

"(Jeane’s) site is such a great resource for reuniting with old friends," Monack said. "It’s very comprehensive with contact information and news about reunions and other events."

Monack’s penchant for staying in touch also extends to sports.

"I was an athletic child, but about the only sports available for girls, besides playing hoops at the garage or baseball in the street, was private training in gymnastics, dance or baton twirling," she said. "In my high school days, before Title IX required schools to equally fund athletics for women, there was a short season of intra-murals for girls but no (varsity) athletics for girls."

Monack later found an outlet in basketball, softball, volleyball and other sports in college, the military and local leagues. She was part of a military team that won division champions in basketball, softball and bowling and played on a softball team in Homer City, PA that won a state championship in 1986.

"Basketball was always my favorite sport, although it wasn’t my best (for participating), due to asthma limitations," she said.

Her passion for basketball is intense. She has attended numerous women’s Olympic and college games and tournaments for more than 35 years including the past 10 women’s NCAA Final Four competition. Using a pseudonym, she also was a columnist and photographer for a popular Southeastern Conference (SEC) women’s basketball web site for more than three years. She recently resigned due to her increasingly busy work schedule.