NEED HELP: A reader from New Jersey asks for readers’ help
locating information about a man who played baseball in Bradford in
1953 as part of the PONY League. Brian Schuler of Berkeley Heights,
N.J., is looking for information about Frank Baldanza. “I am
seeking this information for my wife, his daughter, to help keep
his memory alive as he passed away 10 years ago,” he writes. His
address is 91 Briarwood Drive East.
ON PATROL: More today on those school patrols …
Benny Pessia of El Segundo, Calif., writes, “I was a patrol boy
at 5th Ward School during my sixth grade. We took the Washington,
D.C., trip in 1937. What I remember the best is when a friend,
Bruce Keltz and myself, got permission from our chaperones to walk
up the Washington Monument.”
“I believe it’s over 550 feet high. We didn’t count the steps,
but they told us the number was close to 900. And as we walked up
the steps we noticed the names of states that contributed blocks of
stone. As you can guess we didn’t walk down, but took the
elevator.
“It was quite a trip for a 12 year old. And to add a little
history, our sixth grade teacher that year was Miss Jessie
Stravino, who is the mother of Father Gallina, pastor of St.
Bernard’s.”
Jim Flynn in Erie writes: “I was a patrol boy at Second Ward,
1949-1951. I still have our photo taken in front of the Capitol
Building 12 May 1951. It was the ’15th Annual Assembly and Parade,’
according to the caption on the photo. Looks pretty much like the
whole class of ’57 were patrol boys (and 25 patrol girls). It is a
panoramic photo – 22x10inches
“Since it was the McKean County Motor Club, I assume some of the
kids are from Kane, Smethport and Port Allegany. I recall we had
poles with red flags attached with AAA in white in the middle of
the flag.”
Charles Guncheon of Port Allegany, who was a patrol boy in
1958-59, also believes kids came from a wide area. His Port group
was out of the Bradford chapter. Meanwhile, we received a photo
from Phil Kennedy in Smethport who went to D.C. in 1952.
Approximately 150 youngsters are pictured on the steps of the
Capitol but there’s no identifcations.
