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

Pair keep Charleroi's history alive... By Dorothy Yagodich, For The Tribune-Review, August 11, 2005
Nikki Sheppick and Vicki Molesky want to keep the heart of Charleroi beating for generations to come, and history is the heartbeat of a town.

Sheppick, secretary to the Charleroi Historical Society's board of directors, conducts research and staffs the archives. Molesky is the genealogy/history research center manager, as well as a historical society member.

As volunteers, the women have logged hundreds of hours, often on their hands and knees, sorting through stacks of dusty boxes that contain information about the early years of Charleroi's existence, and the people who lent their ingenuity to build the town.

Sheppick explained the three phases of the archival inventory that is under way.

In the first phase, a general overall inventory catalogs items, notes where they originated, references them and provides preservation status.

In the second phase, items are sorted into collections. These are put into binders for hands-on reference.

In the third phase, copies of items, pictures and documents are put into presentation form for exhibition.

Sheppick said there are various ways to construct a meaningful exhibit, some simple and some that need a trained eye.

The result of Sheppick's work and trained eye can be seen at the J.K. Tener Library in the reading room where an exhibit of John Kinley Tener's life is on display.

"Charleroi's real claim to fame is based in the life and times of one special man, the Irish-born immigrant who came to America in the 1800s and became an American baseball legend," said Sheppick.

The 6-4, 180-pound Tener was a pitcher who caught the eye of scouts and was signed to play professional baseball. He made the big leagues in 1888 on the Chicago White Stockings of the National League. He later became the league's secretary.

While Tener was playing baseball in Haverill, Mass., he met and later married Harriet Day, of Charleroi. Married in 1889, the couple returned to Charleroi, where Tener's influence as a banker and financier grew.

Sheppick tells Tener's story in the library that bears his name. Tall, three-sided exhibits, featuring stark black-and-white photos, depict the life of the man, the only one from Washington County who went on to become not only a baseball great, but also governor of Pennsylvania.

Tener was governor when the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission came into being, Sheppick said. Also attributed to Tener is an overhaul of the public education system, the state Department of Labor and the public commission on utilities, now called the PUC. Tener also championed women's suffrage, and supported an amendment to the state constitution to guarantee women's voting rights.

In Charleroi, Tener began as a clerk at the Charleroi Bank at the corner of Fifth and McKean, said Sheppick. He initiated or became involved in many projects in the fast-growing community, including the building of the Charleroi-Monessen Bridge.

Most of Charleroi's architecture took form between 1890 and 1897.

"Terri Necciai, our historical and architectural district consultant, has checked each building that is in the historical district and found that about 80 percent of what's there now was built by 1907," said Sheppick. For Charleroi to consist of 2,000 buildings, all about 100 years old, built in the first seven to 17 years of the town, "is highly unusual," said Sheppick. Of the 2,000, 1,806 buildings exist in the historical district. The architecture here is reflective of the era, she explained.

Sheppick recently made a presentation to borough officials on the status of the application process under way to designate Charleroi's Historical District and have it put on the National Register.

"The whole town becomes the museum," Sheppick said.

She is also working to have the town known as Tener's hometown, and to have his name placed into the Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame. Tener is credited with starting baseball in the Mon Valley as well as initiating and playing on the first baseball team in Charleroi.

That is a huge undertaking for Sheppick, originally from Fort Wayne, Ind. After a failed marriage and a stint in the Army, Sheppick came east and later married Richard Sheppick, of Fallowfield Township. She has lived in the area for the past 19 years.

In 1996, Sheppick earned a degree at California University of Pennsylvania.

Her counterpart at the research center at Tener Library, Vicki DuJordan Molesky (the late Edward DuJordan was her brother), graduated with Charleroi Area High School class of 1971 and now resides in Bentleyville.

As Molesky works at the computer, she catalogs and researches data.

"People may come here looking for deceased relatives," and with the system under way, Molesky may be able to point them in the right direction. The task is unending as she combs through newspaper archives and ancestral archives in two special programs purchased for historical/genealogy research.

The two women encourage anyone with information or items of historical value to have copies made of the item or information and bring them in. The women are there on Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and other days by appointment. Call 724-483-2030 to schedule a meeting with the women.

Information on settler farms, houses, cemeteries, event sites, people, families, churches, school and other communities in the Charleroi Area School District are of interest to the CAHS Genealogy and History Center, said Molesky.

One of the sites that Sheppick called "a historical travesty" was the building that once housed the First Christian Church in Charleroi, built by the town's first professional architect, Robert L. Barnhart.

"Its loss is mourned by many who remember its beautiful appointments and the fact that it was torn down to make way for a parking lot," Sheppick said, noting that this noteworthy architecture is now designated as a "lost treasure."

She also is saddened when older family members pass on and the children come and "just toss everything away."

"The wheels of history move slowly," said Sheppick, "even slower, when only a few capable hands are helping to move things forward."

She is especially concerned about right of eminent domain. "It is a pretty sad state of affairs when they tear down important old landmark buildings," she said.

Sheppick dislikes losing any part of the history connected to Charleroi's Tener era. But the town's prehistory is also significant.

She points to an area surrounding the Mon Valley, site of the Whiskey Rebellion, with communities such as Spicewood Hill (Speers), Walnut Hill (Long Branch), Samuel's Farm (Fallowfield Township), Grey Forest (Maple Creek of Fallowfield), Hough Mansion (Charleroi and North Charleroi), Morea (Shannon and Carson Farms) and Luzerne (Lover area), as being part of the region's history.

Support for the heritage tourism industry is important to this area, Sheppick said. The Charleroi Area Heritage & Tourism Community Fund has been established for that cause. For those who wish to contribute, call 724-222-6330 or visit wccf@cobweb.net.

Dorothy Zippay Yagodich, '52 has been an ardent and enthusiastic supporter of the alumni site, since its inception in October of 2002.