Vol.120 No.8 THE BACK MOUNTAIN'S NEWSPAPER SINCE 1889 February 22 - 28, 2009 "DALLAS 50¢ Serving the communities of the Dallas and Lake-Lehman School Districts | www.mydallaspost.com CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Bob Fleming looks over a Dallas Borough High school yearbook. DHS graduates are reconnected Bob Fleming, Sherman Mead are last remaining male members of Class of 1937 By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Bob Fleming and Sherman Mead lost touch after graduating together from Dallas Borough High School in 1937. The men went their separate ways in life and didn’t have contact for over six decades. It was at their 63rd anniversary high school reunion in 2000 at the Castle Inn in Dallas when Fleming and Mead not only re- connected, but realized they had both served in the United States Navy in the area of the Solomon Islands during World War II. “That immediately sparked an interest on both his part and mine,” Fleming said. “We decid- ed then we better stay in touch with one another. And further- more, our classmates were start- ing to die off.” Fleming, of Dallas, and Mead, of Gouldsboro, are both 89 years old and the only surviving male members of their graduating high school class. There were 22 students - 11 boys and 11 girls - in their class. The men meet for lunch twice a year at a Perkin’s Restaurant halfway between Dal- las and Gouldsboro. Sometimes Fleming takes his wife, Eleanor, along. Mead recently became a first- time published author. His book, “From Guadalcanal to Tokyo Bay - A Destroyer Sailor’s Story” con- tains 128 pages of his journal en- tries and stories while he served on the Fletcher Class Destroyer USS Nicholas during World War II. Mead got the idea to write the book after reading an advertise- “We decided then we better stay in touch with one another. And fur- thermore, our class- mates were starting to die off.” Bob Fleming ment from Trafford Publishing in “VFW Magazine” that called for a person who served in World War II to tell their story by writing a book. Mead is especially proud that his unit won the presidential unit citation in 1944, which he dis- cusses in his book. He also men- tions that he legally changed his name from Francis Sherman Mead to Sherman Francis Mead when he was in his 50s. Mead made the switch because his wife, Alice, was tired of answer- ing calls for “Francis,” “Frank” and “Frankie” when everyone called him “Sherman.” “It’s a rather interesting book to anybody who has an interest in World War II,” Fleming said. “Sherman is not a well-educated man. Sherman was not a good student when he was in high school, so he never went on to school. It’s written by an ordinary American, working man who vol- unteered to serve his country.” A story on Mead’s account of the war and presidential unit cita- tion appeared in a 1944 edition of The Dallas Post. Mead is also proud of an article in The Dallas Post in 1939 that featured him for shooting a bear in Noxen. He has original copies of both articles. “Were the last leftovers,” Mead said of Fleming and him- self. “We've known each other all our life, but we're good friends because we're the two remaining graduates.” Bob Fleming, of Dallas, and Sherman Mead, shown here, of Toby- hanna, are the last surviving males of the 1937 graduating class of Dallas Borough High School. At 89, Mead recently became a first-time published author. His book, “From Guadalcanal to Tokyo Bay - A Destroyer Sailor's Story” contains 128 pages of Mead's journal entries and stories while he served on the Fletcher Class Destroyer USS Nicholas during World War Il. «809815 9 7 200 CHARLOTTE BARTIZEK/ FOR THE DALLAS POST Dorothy Peiffer, upper right, swims every morning with other women at a water aerobics class at Misericordia University. Water aerobics class keeps Dorothy Peiffer active A healthy swim By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Three mornings a week, Dorothy Peiffer heads to the pool at Misericor- dia University’s Anderson Sports and Health Center for water aerobics. That might not sound like a huge ac- complishment, but Peiffer is 88. And she’s not nearly ready to trade her bath- ing suit for a rocking chair. “I refuse to believe I'm 88,” said Peiff- er, who was born Jan. 8, 1921. “I've always been active and I just don’t think of my age. It’s rare I spend a day without some kind of activity.” The community water aerobics pro- gram at Misericor- dia was started by Those who are interested in water aerobics classes at Misericordia Uni- versity should call the Center for Adult and Continuing Education at 674- 6289. £5 Bod Bonnie Konigus in 1993 when the Anderson Center opened. Konigus was formerly an aero- bics instructor and designed her own water aerobics routine for the class. Mary Bartos and Debbie Miller now teach the hour-long class at 8:30 a.m. Monday through Friday. There is also an evening class taught by Konigus on. Monday, Mary Bartos, left, swim instructor, and Bonnie Konigus, right, originator of the water aerobic swim program at Misericordia, share a moment with program participant Dorothy Peiffer, center. Wednesday and Thursday which is more popular with younger people. Although mostly women attend the classes, men are welcome and sever- al have come before. “It’s not just a bunch of old people moving up and down lanes,” Konigus said. “It’s the perfect workout for peo- ple of all ages and sizes.” A native of Reading, Peiffer moved to Wilkes-Barre in 1945 because her fa- ther, Dr. William Imhoff, a psychiatrist, came to the area to help open a Veter- ans Affairs office for World War II sol- See SWIM, Page 8 age, “I remember being a little nervous because it's Carnegie Hall and a lot of great people played there.” Sarah Flannery Of playing at the famous musical venue She's been tickling the keys for 13 years now By REBECCA BRIA rbria@timesleader.com Sarah Flannery picked out her Charles R. Walter piano from a sale at Wilkes Universi- ty’s Dorothy Dickson Darte Center when she was just 5 years old. That same piano has been with Flannery from the time her fingers first tickled its keys to the present day, in which she is an advanced musician. Flannery, 18, of Shavertown, recently received a Certificate of Achievement from the Penn- sylvania House of Representa- tives for her achievements as an accomplished pianist. State Rep. Phyllis Mundy presented the certificate to Flannery at her district office in Kingston. “Sarah has achieved more than most teenagers at her ” Mundy said in a press re- A i EE , lease. “I believe her dedication to music will take her far in life and I wish her much success.” The daughter of Jim and Liz Flannery, Flannery is a senior at Dallas High School. When she approached her parents with the idea of play- ing the piano as a small child, Flannery received a piano and lessons. At age 8, Flannery hooked up with Andrea Bogusko to take lessons in Bogusko’s Wilkes-Barre Township stu- dio. In eighth-grade, Flannery won a competition through the Northeastern = Pennsylvania Music Teachers Association to perform a recital at Carnegie Hall in front of about 100 peo- ple. To be chosen, she had to memorize a piece, perform in See KEYS, Page 8 5 4) 4 3 Rep. Phyllis Mundy presents an official Certificate of Achieve- ment from the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to Sarah Flannery, an accomplished pianist with 12 years experience. Flannery has performed at Carnegie Hall and received the presti- gious Paderewski medal from the National Guild of Piano Teach- ers. She is a senior at Dallas High School and the daughter of Jim and Liz Flannery, of Shavertown.
Significant historical Pennsylvania newspapers