Our brunches at Bob Evans continue to provide two red-letter days for my calendar each month. The tradition began in 1995, following the forty-fifth reunion of our 1949 Class, when Sam Capozzoli suggested that those of us still living in this area get together occasionally. We started out by reserving the first Wednesday of each month for brunch at Arby’s in Heidelberg.
When we lost that venue, we moved to Bob Evans in Kirwan Heights. The event proved to be popular enough that we doubled its frequency by adding the third Wednesday of the month to our schedule. As the years passed, our original group began to shrink. Jake Schullek, Ray Fagan, Jack McGrogan, and Dick Rothermund have died; Lou Kwasniewski and Sam Capozzoli have health problems that prevent them from coming.
Our response to this phenomenon has been to lower our standards and to welcome BHS alumni of other classes to join us. We remaining ‘49ers, (Don Toney and I) are delighted to have Alfred Barzan and Ben Rupnik of the Class of 1948 join us; as well as Russell Kovach (1953), my brother Joe (1955), and Tom Grossi (1957). We sorely miss two other associate members who have died – Dale DeBlander (1953) and Ed Weise (1948).
And then there are the Rosa brothers, “Yunner” (John, 1949) and “Boompsy” (Bob, 1952). John lives in Tucson, but spends his summers here with Bob. It is always a treat when he arrives and the two of them become part of our group. Nothing like a fresh perspective to liven up our conversation.
John’s favorite pastime is small time betting on races – horses or dogs. What seems like an extravagance to the rest of us is merely his investment in entertainment.
A retired truck driver and mechanic, he never enjoyed the comfortable salaries of most of the rest of us; yet today he is to one who appears to lead the most exciting life. When asked how he can afford to gamble, his response was that he has a discretionary budget for each day and a small part of it is for entertainment.
For our first brunch in September we were missing two regulars. Don Toney had notified us that he couldn’t come because of a dental appointment. We aren’t sure why Tom Grossi didn’t report in; he will be required to bring a signed excuse from home for our mid-month brunch.
As a special treat this time, Ben Rupnik brought in a bag of tomatoes for each of us. In addition to his other accomplishments, Ben is a serious gardener who raises his own seedlings in his basement in the late winter, then transplants them outside at the earliest opportunity. The tomatoes were well appreciated by all; we are fortunate Ben is a throwback to the gardeners of a previous generation.
Ben and Alfred Barzan are the only members of our group who actually live in Bridgeville today. We rely on them for updates on Borough news. Alfred lives on the northern corner of the intersection of Bank Street and Gregg Avenue (McKees’ house when we were kids); Ben’s home is a block and a half away in the middle of Chestnut Street. The two of them have been close friends since grade school.
For the past few months Alfred has been complaining about the construction at the intersection of Lesnett Road and McLaughlin Run Road, primarily because of its effect on the All-American Bistro Restaurant. This is a new venture established by Paul Massimino and his partner late last year; Paul is the son of Reno Massimino, another boyhood neighbor of Alfred and Ben.
Most of the time since they opened, the adjacent intersection has been under reconstruction. PennDOT decided to eliminate the traffic lights there and replace them with a roundabout. About two weeks ago the work was completed; I think the roundabout is a massive success. It particularly makes it easy for traffic on McMillan Round (Shades of Death!) to make the left turn on McLaughlin Run heading east to Clifton (Sodom). In addition to permitting the traffic to flow easily, the roundabout is much more attractive than the old setup.
I have been to the restaurant half a dozen times; it has easily become my favorite for lunch or dinner. I particularly recommend the blackened (Virginia) spots as prepared in the “From the Grill” section of the menu. Years ago my wife and I used to vacation at Hatteras Village in the late Fall and I would try my luck at surf fishing. I could always catch enough spots to provide us with a good dinner each evening. I join Ben and Alfred in hoping the completion of the work of the intersection will enable the All-American Bistro to prosper.
Much of our conversation revolves around remembering names from the past. Russ Kovach is our biggest asset in this area; the combination of his long career with the US Postal Service and his remarkably keen memory is powerful. Even he was stumped this time when Ben mentioned a local lad nicknamed “Dynamite” who was incarcerated at Morganza when it was a reform score. I remember the boy to whom he was referring, but cannot come up with his name.
Joe is the youngest of our group. He had some serious health problems two years ago, but has managed to handle them well enough to navigate his way halfway through the octogenarian phase of life, a condition for which all of us are grateful. He and I are the only ones without ties to Baldwin Street, frequently leaving us out of the conversation.
In “Old Friends” Roger Miller and Willie Nelson sing:
“Lord, when all my work is done,
Bless my life and grant me one
Old friend, one old friend”.
How fortunate I am to have these eight! And that’s just the Brunch Club!