Jefferson Street School

We would walk to school.

Butler Airport ~ Our Early Interest in Flying

BUTLER AIRPORT - small planes lined up at the old Butler Airport which was located along New Castle Road just across from Deshon Hospital and is now the location for a shopping center. Bob Headland was one of the early promoters of aviation in the Butler area. (I flew in and out of this airport and Pgh/Butler airport in the early 40s before enlisting in the Air Corps.)
- Don Carlson

Dairy Queen ~ Dan Joseph BHS '56

. . . and it wasn't far from our High School.
My dad built and ran the Dairy Queen at top of New Castle Street hill in the early 50's. I worked there when I was a teenager until I went to the Marines in 1956 just after graduating from Butler High School.
Dan Joseph
E-mail: itsmefolks@centurylink.net

Majestic Theater ~ Butler's Broadway

For us, Hollywood came here.

Remember This? ~ 10,000 Meter Race

In 1979 nearly one thousand runners competed in the annual Ten Thousand Meter Race. The winning time was 30 minutes 18 seconds. And the first prize was a silver bowl.

Photo: Jack Bowman

Sgt. Major Abie Abraham ~ Bataan

For generations of Butlerites since the Battle of the Pacific in World War II the name Sgt. Abie Abraham has been synonymous with the infamous Bataan Death March. While fighting a hopeless battle and surviving two and a half years of inhuman imprisonment Stg. Abraham showed the noblest human qualities. He was the only soldier who fought on Bataan to see the final Japanese surrender.

You have received many honors, Abie, but there is no Medal of Honor that can represent our pride or render adequate gratitude to you for the valiant spirit you have left us to emulate.

Butler Country Club ~ Butler's Lushest

Butler Country Club ~ First Fairway
Does the Butler area have the most golf courses? ~ 16

Aubrey's Golf Course
Conley Golf Course Resort
Cranberry Highlands Golf Course
Hiland Public Golf Course
Lake Arthur Country Club
Lake Vue North Golf Course
Mount Chestnut Golf Course
Pine Needles Par 3
Saxon Golf Course
Serene Valley Golf Course
Stoughton Acres Golf Course
Suncrest Golf Course
Butler Country Club
Armco Country Club
Krendale
Rittswood

Forty-Six Years Ago ~

Main Street, December 1960

Thanks: Brian Crouch

Jimmy Stewart ~ Butler's Kick Boxing Champion

Jimmy Stewart
Super Welterweight World Champion
International Kick Boxing Federation
Were' on our feet, Jimmy, and applauding!

Alameda Park ~ Coming Back to Life

Alameda Park 1901

Jump on the streetcar or ride out there on your bike and you were in a summer paradise. Will the new Alameda Park be like the one we had? 

[Carousel where the streetcar is parked.]

Oneida Dam ~

Oneida Dam
A beauty spot near town, and our local fishing haunt.

Broad Street School ~ School of Distinction

How many of us passed through these arches?

Acknowledgement

Thanks to Elizabeth and Robert Johnson BHS '53 for their help with these blog postings.

Butler, Pa. ~ Avant-garde Architecture

Playthings Etc.
New Toy Shop in Butler
Owners Todd and Nadine Shingleton BHS '75
Congratulations to both of you for your daring idea. You keep Butler forward-
looking.
Photo: Paul Johnston Jr.

Butler ~ Boy Scouts

Scouting was/is important. We started young.

Clinton Hotel ~

One of our former imposing buildings, a favorite hotel. Now sadly missed.

Melanie Buczko at Bucknell ~ Breaking Records

Our Melanie Buczko in her Senior year at Bucknell is breaking records. She set a new school record with a leap of 13'3 1/2 then shattered her own school record in a the vault at the NYU FastTimes Invitational soaring over the bar at 13'5 1/2" . Melanie has won Bucknell's first-ever ECAC indoor gold medal with a clearance of 12'9 1/2".

Melanie, we're all watching you, with fingers crossed. . . shoving, to get you up and over!

BHS '53 ~ Recent News

March 2006, Get-together

We had a lot of fun since Shirley Deal Shook brought a sheet of cheers she had found among her souvenirs:

A RICKETTY, A RICKITTY, A RICKETTYA RAH, RAH, RAH

[Who is that strange male among all those women?

Does that look like Dick Powers?]

Our Football Gem ~ Terry Hanratty ~ BHS '64

Terry Hanratty — our Butler High School star quarterback. Terry went on to become one of Notre Dame's outstanding quarterbacks, completing 304 of 550 passes for 4,152 yards and 27 touchdowns at Notre Dame. When he left ND in 1968, he held the all-time Irish record for attempts, completions and passing yards. He still holds the Notre Dame record with 63 pass attempts in a single game.Terry's pro football career was spent with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1969-75 and Tampa Bay in 1976.
You made us proud, Terry.

Butler Senior High School ~ A Remembrance

. . . and once inside, I mounted the stately winding staircase.

From: The Butler Pennsylvania Poems

William J. Perry ~ Secretary of Defense ~ BHS '45

A onetime resident of Butler, William Perry is now a Professor at Stanford University. He is an expert in U.S. foreign policy, national security and arms control. He was the 19th Secretary of Defense for the United States, serving under President Clinton from February 1994 to January 1997.

Around Town ~

Do you remember this intersection?

A vague memory . . .

St. Fidelis Seminary ~ Cardinal O'Malley

A onetime seminarian at St. Fidelis Seminary near Butler,Pa. Sean O'Malley, has just been elevated to the office of Clardinal by Pope Benedict XVI. Cardinal O'Malley began preparing for the priesthood at the age of 13 in 1957 at St. Fidelis Seminary. Congratulations and to Cardinal O'Malley and the Capuchin Order from well-wishing Butlerites.

Student of Butler Teacher ~ Olympic Silver Medal

Stephanie Boehler and her German teammates win Olympic Silver in the Women's Cross Country Event. Stephanie was the student of Charles Cingolani at St. Blasien College in Germany.

Nixon Hotel ~ Butler, Pa.

Does anyone remember this elegant Butler hotel?

Prizewinning Photographer ~ Dick Gamble

Nature's Best Photography magazine has selected Dick Gamble's underwater entry to be one of twelve photos for publication in their 2005 Fall Collector’s Edition. Moreover, Dick's award-winning photo is now being displayed at the prestigious Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History from November until April.
Dick Gamble is a '58 graduate of BHS. He and his wife Juli now live in San Diego.

Congratulations Dick!

Eric Namesnik~ Butler's Olympic Medalist

When Eric stepped up on the podium to receive his silver medals at the '92 and '96 Olympics everyone in Butler trembled with pride. Eric died in a car accident on his way to swim practice last Saturday. A colleague at the University of Michigan where Eric was a swim coach said: "Eric wasn't flashy, he was kind of a quiet guy, but with a deep, deep resolve. He had the heart of a champion, with all the things you think a great athlete should be. He was just the best."

That's how we feel about you Eric, and bow to you in recognition for your accomplishments.

Our condolences to Eric's wife and two children, Austin, 5, and Madison, 2 who live in Ann Arbor, Michigan and his parents who live here in Butler.

Judge Martin J. O'Brien ~ BHS '48

Judge Martin J. O'Brien is retiring after nineteen-and-a-half years of service to Butler County. He is a 1948 graduate of BHS and a 1955 graduate of Georgetown University Law School. He practiced law for 28 years in Butler before being appointed to the bench. His service has been of untold value to Butler and Butler County. We thank you wholeheartedly, Judge O'Brien.

Match cover from the 1986 campaign.

Jim Simons ~ Our Homegrown Golfer

Jim Simons, as an amateur, came within three strokes of the U.S. Open Title in 1971. Jim's performance was arguably one of the finest by an amateur in the post-World War II era. Jim had a two-stroke lead heading into the final round, only to shoot a 6-over 76 and tie for fifth, three shots behing Jack Nicklaus and Lee Travino.

Jim died on 8 December. He was 55. From Butler we send condolences to his three sons, his mother and father as well as his three sisters.

† 8 December 2005

Diehl's Bakery

Remember the Diehl Bakery [later Chandler's Bakery] at the foot of Center Avenue . . . and the sweet smell of bread when passing by?

Photo: Steven Golubski

Admiral Jonathan Greenert ~ BHS '71

Jonathan Greenert, native of Butler, is now Chief of Naval Operations
as of Sept. 23, 2011.
Commenting on his hometown he said: "You take what you learned from growing up and from high school, and you apply it to real life. I'm very proud of being from Butler".

We salute you, Admiral Greenert.

Information

We're Proud of You ~ Norma Norris

In 1987, after hearing a sermon by Msgr. Francis Glenn in St. Paul's Church, lamenting the fact that local prosecutors and law enforcement agencies had been deluded into thinking that people didn’t care about the hardcore porn being sold in their neighbor-hoods, Norma Norris gave herself the challenge to inspire the Butler community to send out the message: "We Care - We Count". She adopted the White Ribbon as a symbol for decency and a new movement was born involving many organizations, churches, and citizens in Butler County.

Now her White Ribbon Against Pornography campaign has spread nationwide. This year, the week of October 26 through Novermber 2 is nationally recognized as Pornography Awareness Week. Thank you, Norma.

BHS Football 2005 ~ 3 Wins ~ 6 Losses

Quarterback Nick Monteleone

BHS 24 – Kiski 14
BHS 28 – Hempfield 7
Upper St. Clair 34 - BHS 0
Shaler 21 - BHS 17
North Hills BHS 42 – BHS 21
North Allegheny 27 - BHS 24
Bethel Park 28 - BHS 14
Mt. Lebanon 50 - BHS 17
BHS 47 - Seneca 29

William Purvis ~ BHS '66

Hornist William Purvis, a native of Butler, Pa., displays virtuosity at the service of artistry in a recent album of music [Bridge Records] by the one of the 19th century's most famous musical couples, Robert and Clara Schumann.

A graduate of Haverford College with a major in philosophy, he is currently a faculty member of the Yale School of Music, The Juilliard School, and SUNY-Stony Brook. 

Photo: Yale

But. . . Our Viaduct is Gone! ~

The new replacement structure will be a dual structure carrying two lanes northbound and two lanes southbound separated by a barrier. One sidewalk will be carried on the East side of the bridge. The new bridge will be on a curved alignment to the west of the existing structure and will tie into existing Route 8 south.

Our Penn Theater is Back !

Sixty-seven years ago the Penn Theater on Main Street in Butler opened its doors, offering films to patrons of the thriving downtown business district. Now the new Penn Theater is seen as a catalyst to downtown's revitalization. The Butler Penn Theater Community Trust acquired the theater last year and began to return the structure to its original Art Deco splendor. Already numerous performances have taken place.

Butler Senior Women's Basketball ~ Ages 50 to 70

Butler women are going strong, setting example for women across the nation!

We're Proud of Our New Museum ~ The Maridon

The museum and collection is Mrs. Mary Hulton Phillips' gift to the city of Butler. More information

Matt Clement ~ Butler's Major League Pitcher

Matt Clement is Butler's contribution to the Boston Red Sox.
Matt's Major League Debut was in 1998.
We're gunning for you Matt. Keep that right hand delivering the stuff!
(Photo:Stuart Cahill)

Keep track of Matt's record here.

Congratulations ~ Vincent Sanzotti BHS '54

PGA Golf -- Holes in One
Monday, June 13, 2005 ST. CLAIR -- Vince Sanzotti of Butler, No. 7 (Terrace), 328 yards, driver.

The Library of Bygone Days ~

Classical entrance to our library.
Poem about the library

One of Ours ~ Butler Mourns

Sgt. Carl J. Morgain, 40, of Butler, Pa., died May 22, in Balad, Iraq, of injuries sustained in Kadasia, Iraq, when a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device detonated near his HMMWV. Morgain was assigned to the Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 112th Infantry Regiment, Butler, Pa. [Pa. Army National Guard].

 For the Mothers of the Fallen on Facebook

Our Hospital 1980

Poem

Butler, Pa. --- Home of the Jeep

The first Jeep was designed at the American Bantam Car Company in Butler by Karl Probst. All in all, the company manufactured 2,675 of its version of the car. But the demand was so great and the Butler plant so small that the War Department authorized other larger companies in Detroit to produce their nearly identical version of the Jeep to fill the urgent military need. The Butler company went out of business in 1956.

Poem about our Jeep