Part 13 – Bridgeville High School, 1954-1955

The Bridgeville Area Historical Society October “Second Tuesday” workshop was a review of the Bridgeville High School classes of 1954 and 1955. As could be expected, it was a nostalgic trip back to an era when life seemed much simpler.

Once again the football team had a new head coach; this time Cyrill “Night Train” Lane fresh from four years at Kiski Prep as head basketball coach. Coach Lane’s credentials included playing for Paul Brown on the undefeated 1942 Ohio State football team.

In addition, Pat Malarkey had been announced as head football coach at the Pennsylvania Training School at Morganza. Clyde “Tiny” Carson was his assistant coach.

The BHS team had a fine season. They went into their last game, with South Fayette, as a sure bet to qualify for the WPIAL Class B championship playoff. Trailing 14 to 13 late in the game they put on a drive that seemed certain to provide a victory. Unfortunately, a fumble on the opponents’ goal line was recovered by Lawton Hallam and carried 105 yards for the clinching score.

The basketball team, led by Seniors Fred LaSota, Frank Calabro, David Colton, Herman Vock, and Marvin McCormick, had a successful season, but were edged out for the Section title by Peters Township. Soccer was a different story as the locals won their second consecutive WPIAL title by edging South Fayette.

One of the stalwarts on the soccer team was Richard “Rope” Heinrich. He was in the audience at the workshop, accompanied by his wife and fellow classmate, Mary Hergert Heinrich. She shared with us the story of the student strike in 1954, protesting the school’s failure to properly honor the soccer team’s achievements.

The other member of the ’54 class present at the workshop was Nancy Pesavento LaSota. She contributed a set of photographs of her classmates and a commentary on them. Her husband, Fred LaSota, was a typical all-around athlete of that era, starring in football, basketball, and soccer. He scored twenty-eight goals in ten soccer games.

John Mikus was Class President in 1954; Marvin McCormick, Vice President. Our Lafayette Street neighbor, Genevieve Panizza, was Class Secretary. Constance Wider was May Queen; Carol Rush, Maid of Honor.

This was the year that Dr. Colton retired, ending a productive career of thirty-eight years in education which included twenty-three years at Bridgeville as Supervising Principal. The newspaper article reporting on his retirement emphasized the significance of his long participation on the WPIAL Decision Committee.

His replacement was C. J. McMahon, superintendent of schools in Braddock. Mr. McMahon’s charge to the Seniors, in the ’55 Yearbook, begins, “Our country today has entered upon the most perilous period in our history”.

The workshop facilitator exemplified the peril of the period with three contemporary newspaper clippings. One reported the return home of Dr. William Shadish after nearly one thousand days as a prisoner of war in Korea, praising his service to hundreds of fellow POWs.

Another clipping reported the death of Amos Jones (Class of 1951) in the crash of a naval patrol plane on a glacier in Iceland. Amos was our neighbor on Lafayette Street and a prized friend. The other fatality was Dick Johnson (Class of 1948) in an Air Force training flight.

The 1954 football team went 6-2-1 and ended the season with a satisfying 6 to 0 win over South Fayette. Gary Jones (Amos’ brother) was one of the stars of the team. He had an outstanding football career at Carnegie Tech where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering, followed by a successful career in construction with the Rust Corporation.

Another member of the football team, Ralph Weise, was present at the workshop. Also a neighbor of ours, Ralph graduated from Carnegie Tech and then had a fine career with the Corps of Engineers, Pittsburgh District.

Another ’55 classmate participating in the workshop was Lillian Vosel Rotella, the widow of ’54 alumnus John “Butch” Rotella. She was heavily involved in many of the activity clubs, serving as officer in most of them.

Classmate Ron Otricelli also participated in the workshop. He and his wife are active supporters of the Historical Society; it is always a treat to see them.

The basketball team was led by the Deep twins, Ron and Don. They successfully navigated their Section XIV schedule, handling Peters Township easily for a change. Their first playoff opponent was Wampum, led by future Pitt All-American Don Hennon. He delivered thirty points in a 72 to 57 victory.

The soccer team won a third straight WPIAL championship. The Yearbook doesn’t identify any coach; apparently the Beadling and Heidelberg students understood the game so well that they didn’t need coaching. There was also no mention of a student strike; perhaps the school properly rewarded this achievement this year.

Ron Deep was Class President; he was a member of one of the first graduating classes at the Air Force Academy, leading to an impressive career in the Air Force. His twin brother, Don, earned a degree in Education at Duquesne and eventually became Superintendent of Schools in Moon Township.

Lois Kovach was May Queen; Joan Gout, Maid of Honor.

This was also my brother Joe’s class; recent health complications prevented him from attending the workshop. After graduation, he earned a Civil Engineering degree at Penn State, followed by a Master’s Degree at Pitt. Following an impressive career in engineering at Duquesne Light, he has had an equally impressive career in service to others since retirement.

Perhaps because it was my brother’s class, the ’55 group seemed to include an unusually large number of memorable students – Don Toney’s sister Geraldine, Leo Dalzotto, Gene Chappel, Don Cimarolli, neighbor Tom Paroline, and Joseph “Jerry” DeBone.

The Classes of 1954 and 1955 were both quite impressive, a testament to the generation that produced them. The young men and women they produced turned out to be solid citizens, the foundation of a society that we revere.