|
IN SYMPATHY
9/24/2007
8/30/2006 - Our condolences
to Dawn (Taylor) Costello on the passing her sister, Jeannie Pace.
4/25/2006
Nancy A. Dusho (nee Strauser), 58, of Lorain, died Tuesday. Gluvna-Shimo-Hromada Funeral Chapel, Lorain
1/17/2006 Our condolences to the family of Sally Hernandez
Ortiz Class of '66 ~ LORAIN -- Celida M. Ortiz (nee Hernandez), 57, of Lorain, died Tuesday, Jan. 17, 2006, at Community
Health Partners Hospital, Lorain, following a lengthy illness.
She was born Aug. 21, 1948, in Lares, Puerto Rico.
She moved to Lorain
in 1951 and graduated from Admiral King High School in 1966.
Mrs. Ortiz was employed at Lorain County Title as a clerk
for 18 years and previously worked as a clerk at a Lorain auto dealership.
She was a member of Sacred Heart Chapel,
Lorain, and St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church, Elyria Township. She enjoyed travel and camping.
Survivors include
her husband of 38 years, Juan Saul Ortiz; son, Christopher S. Ortiz of Lorain; daughters Marisol Ortiz and Michele Ortiz,
both of Lorain; her father, Raul Hernandez of Lorain; mother, Maria Reyes of Lorain; brother, Hernan Hernandez of Lorain;
sisters Norma Perez of Detroit, Mich., Erma Fletcha of Tampa, Fla., and Ruth ''Cuchi'' Hernandez of Lorain; stepbrothers Frankie
Hernandez of Lorain and Enrique Hernandez of Eldorado, Puerto Rico; and nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. She
was preceded in death by a son stillborn in 1969 and daughter stillborn in 1971.
Friends may call Thursday, 2 to 4
and 7 to 9 p.m., at Dovin Funeral Home, 2701 Elyria Ave., Lorain. Services there Friday at 8:45 a.m. will be followed at 9:30
a.m. by Mass in Sacred Heart Chapel, 4301 Pearl Ave. The Rev. Kevin Shemuga, pastor of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church of Lorain,
will officiate. Burial will follow in Calvary Cemetery, Lorain.
To send online condolence, go to www.dovinfuneralhome.com
©The Morning Journal 2006
11/06/2005
- Our condolences to Paul Biber on the passing of his father. Paul Biber Sr., 85, of Sheffield
Village, died Sunday, Nov. 6, 2005, at New Life Hospice Center of St. Joseph, Lorain, following a lengthy illnes.
11/02/2005 - Our condolences to Julianna (nee Stipe) AK Class of 1966 on the passing of her husband of 36 years,
Carlos F. Robles, 61 who died unexpectedly at home November 2, 2005.
11/03/2005 LORAIN
-- Peter J. Koler Jr., 58, of Lorain, died Tuesday, Nov. 1, 2005, at Community Health Partners Hospital, Lorain, following
a lengthy illness.
He was born Aug. 4, 1947, in
Weston, W.Va., and lived in Lorain since 1948.
He attended St. John Parochial School and graduated from Admiral
King High School, Lorain (Class of '66).
Koler was employed by U.S. Steel at the Lorain-Cuyahoga Works for
32 years, retiring in 1997.
He was a member of United Steelworkers Union Local 1104 and the Lorain Romanian Club.
He enjoyed league bowling and movies, especially science fiction.
Survivors include his daughters Ann Cliff of
Chicago and Christine Koler of Lorain; sons Anthony Koler and Daniel Koler, both of Lorain, and Aron Hogue of Elyria; his
mother, Mary (nee Carpino) Koler of Lorain; brothers Russell Koler and Mark Koler, both of Lorain; sister, Kathy Harris of
Lorain; and two grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his father, Peter J. Koler Sr.; and sister, Barbara Koler. Oct.
3, 2005 - Our condolences to Barbara Paskvan on the passing of her mother, Alvina A. Paskvan (nee Barney), 90.
She was born May 9, 1915, in Elyria. Aug
22, 2005 Our condolences to Zulma Quinones Velez on the passing of her mother, Julia Quinones (nee Velasquez),
87, of Lorain, who died Monday, Aug. 22, 2005, at Specialty Hospital of Lorain, following a short illness.
Aug. 9, 2005
- Michael J. Kurta, 67, of Lorain, died Tuesday, Aug. 9, 2005, at Community Health Partners Hospital in Lorain. Our condolences
to his family. He was born July 22, 1938, in Breza, Czechoslovakia, and had lived in Lorain since childhood. He was a graduate
of Lorain High School in 1956 and The Ohio State University in 1961, where he earned a bachelor's degree in mathematics.
He earned a master's degree in science and combined science from the University of Mississippi in 1965.
Kurta taught at Lorain city schools and then became an associate professor
at Lorain County Community College in Elyria, where he taught mathematics for 30 years.
He was a member of Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Lorain, St. John/Holy
Trinity Lodge 228 and the American Slovak Club. He enjoyed computers, puzzles and reading.
Survivors include his
wife of 41 years, Margaret Kurta (nee Straka); son, Paul Kurta of Brunswick; daughters Anne Kurta of Brownsville, Texas, and
Susan Wilkerson of Irmo, S.C.; brother, Joseph Kurta of Richland, Wash.; and sister, Helen Deck of Summerville, S.C.; He was
preceded in death by his father, Michael Kurta, in 1953, and mother, Josephine Kurta (nee Matejcik), in 2005.
Friends
may call Friday, 2 to 4 and 7 to 9 p.m., at the Gluvna-Shimo-Hromada Funeral Chapel, 3224 Broadway Ave., Lorain, where the
rosary, conducted by St. John/Holy Trinity Lodge 228, will be recited at 3 p.m. Funeral services will be held Saturday at
10:30 a.m. in the funeral chapel followed by the Mass of Christian burial at 11 a.m. at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 2428
Elyria Ave., Lorain. The Rev. David A. Novak, pastor, will officiate. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery in Lorain.
Memorial contributions can be made to Holy Trinity Catholic Church, 2428 Elyria Ave., Lorain, OH 44055.
Aug.
4, 2005 Our condolences to Dolores Delgado on the passing of her sister, Gloria Alicea, 54 at Community Health Partners
Hospital, Lorain, following a lengthy illness.
July
17, 2005 - Our condolences to Stella Ioannides Atanasovski on the passing of her father Nick Ioannides, 90,
of Lorain; he died at home, following a lengthy illness. He was born May 15, 1915, in St. German, Macedonia, and
lived in Lorain since 1951.
April
3, 2005 - Our condolences to Betty Lou Doza Pollack on the passing of her husband, William Pollack (Class of
'64)
Jan. 14, 2005 Our condolences to James Popiel on
the passing of his mother, Frances Popiel (nee Turton), 99, of Lorain.
Dec.13, 2004
- Our condolences to Irma Castro on the passing of her father. Antolin L. Castro, 80, of Lorain, died Saturday, Dec. 11, 2004,
in Specialty Hospital of Lorain, following a brief illness.
October
13, 2004 - Condolences to Roberta Johnson Treadway on the death of her brother Robert A. Johnson Jr., 62.
Sept., 2004 - Our condolences to Iris Rosario Gracia on the loss of her father.
-Our
condolences to Carmen Torres on the lost of her daughter and unborn child in an auto accident in Puerto Rico.
02/07/2004 - Woody Mathna lived for Lorain, died at 90, serving
city he loved
It's hard to imagine Lorain without
Woody Mathna. The 90-year-old former mayor, councilman and political legend who died Thursday was as much a city landmark
as the Ford Assembly Plant. Mathna helped lure Ford to Lorain when he was a rookie councilman in 1956. He even helped string
up the temporary power lines to the plant site on his day job as an Ohio Edison foreman.
Yesterday morning, the
big question on people's lips, with their morning coffee, was, ''Did you hear Woody Mathna died?'' Mathna
never drank coffee; never drank alcohol and never smoked. He was a hard-working campaigner, going door-to-door, and a hard-working
public official who always put the city's best interests first.
Politics was his life, as he said himself.
With his death, Mathna's fellow Republicans and his long-time rivals and colleagues in the Democratic Party all remarked
sadly on his passing and fondly on their memories of him.
Last fall, at 90 and still sharp, Mathna was again running
for a seat on City Council, and we were proud to endorse him. Though he wasn't elected, he still served his beloved Lorain
to the very end as an appointed member of the City Planning Commission in Mayor Craig Foltin's administration.
Mathna was a straight-shooting, independent thinker. He spoke his mind fearlessly and truthfully. Heavily outnumbered in
a Democratic town, he was a formidable Republican counterbalance on City Council.
He was elected to several terms
on City Council across five decades and served as mayor for 10 years from 1962 to 1972. In fact, Mathna was the last Republican
to hold a seat on council, in the mid-1990s when Joe Koziura was mayor.
Frugal was the word for Mathna's financial
outlook. His nickname was ''The Watchdog'' because he kept a razor-sharp watch on city spending and barked
loudly at what he saw as waste or excessive taxation.
As tight-fisted and tough a political contender as he was
for a half-century, Mathna had no enemies. Lorain's longest-serving mayor, Democrat Alex ''Kiki'' Olejko,
enjoyed socializing with Mathna despite their political tussles. Olejko undoubtedly spoke for many yesterday when he said
of Mathna, ''I'm going to miss his advice.''
Everyone is going to miss Woody Mathna.
Sadly, we won't see another like him.
But, happily for Lorain, he left his mark, untarnished, on this city
he loved so much.
©The Morning Journal 2004
10/19/2003 - Our condolences to Candy Rodriguez in the
passing of her uncle. Pablo Ruiz, 77, of Lorain died Sunday, Oct. 19, 2003, at Ohio Extended Care Center, Lorain, following
a lengthy illness.
|
|
Lincoln Elementary may be considered for closing
LORAIN -- The
Lorain School Board president and a district spokesman confirmed last night that Lincoln Elementary School could be considered
for closing by the school board based on a recommendation made by the district's superintendent.
Lincoln Elementary School, 1600 E. 31st St., which was originally slated for renovation
under Lorain schools' Ohio School Facilities Commission project, recently was recommended for closure by Superintendent Delores
Morgan because of low academic performance, said Dean Schnurr, spokesman for Lorain schools.
- Morning Journal
August 22, 2005
Author boasts of Lorain, but has concerns
RON VIDIKA , Morning Journal Writer 10/19/2003
SILVER SPRING, MD. -- Lorain native Michael Dirda's
life is an open book. Literally.
Dirda, 55, Silver Spring, Md., is author of the recently-published ''An Open Book:
Coming of Age in the Heartland'' (W.W. Norton & Co., Inc.), chronicling his life and times as a self-professed bookworm
growing up in Lorain in the 1950s and 1960s.
''It is about growing up. It's an affectionate portrait of growing up,
it's not just about books. I talk about books and how they mattered to me as a kid,'' said Dirda.
Dirda is recipient
of the 1993 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism and has been a writer and senior editor for The Washington Post Book
World for more than 25 years.
While his book is an overall feel-good walk through the Lorain of old, he shared, in this interview,
his dire concerns about the state of the city today.
Dirda said he and his family, his wife of 27 years, Marian Peck
Dirda and children Christopher, 19, Michael, 16, and Nate, 13, return to present-day Lorain three or four times a year to
visit family and friends. But he worries about the city's future.
"I've been surprised over the years that it has survived
the closing of AmShip and Thew Shovel and the downsizing of National Tube and survived as well as it has,'' said Dirda.
The very real possibility that the city may lose its Ford Assembly Plant over the next couple
of years also concerns Dirda.
''It would be devastating for the area,'' said Dirda. ''If that happened, I don't think Lorain
would have enough of a taxpayer base to support itself. I worry about the future of Lorain.''
Reminiscing about his youth,
Dirda said, ''I was lucky. It was a time and a place where you could master a bit of the world. Now, everything is out of
control.''
On a recent visit home, Dirda observed, ''The city is more run-down than I remember. I'm not sure about
the development along the Black River (HarborWalk and the Black River Landing). I'm suspicious about it; it doesn't feel like
Lorain in quality. It feels more like Shaker Heights.''
Of his 326-page book, Dirda said, ''It was a time of security
when the world seemed safe and Lorain was like a huge, big family. It was that sense of community that was important to me.''
Richly
detailing the persons, places and events that figured in his childhood and adolescence, and, in later years, his collegiate
years in Oberlin and visits to New York City and Paris in the summer of 1968, Dirda sprinkles each page with the names of
books and their authors he was reading at any particular time in his life.
''I wanted to write a book about the power
of reading to shape a life, to give one daydreams and hopes for the future. But it became more about growing up and became
a homage to this lost world,'' said Dirda. As he acknowledges in his opening line, daydreaming is Dirda's only hobby.
Asked
what image of the city emerges when he drifts back to the Lorain of older, safer times, Dirda said, ''It's the look and feel
of the streets; broken sidewalks, weedy, glass-strewn, not a pretty sight, and having to dodge these things as I rode my bike
through Central Park. I also see my bedroom, Lakeview Park and glimpses of the steel mill down to St. Vitus.''
Dirda
and his family lived on West 29th Street. His mother Christine (nee Burcl) still lives there.
From his juvenile days mopping
the floors and tending to the lavatories of the old Tic-Toc Cafe on Oberlin Avenue to humorous anecdotes of his school days
at Admiral King High School, Dirda incorporates a plethora of glimpses back at the city that once was and is no more.
The
evolution of his book began in the mid-1990s, when The Washington Post awarded Dirda a fellowship to Duke University to study
for three weeks. Instead of auditing classes or attending lectures, Dirda began to write about his childhood.
''I put it
aside for several years. When I picked it up again, I thought, ÔIt's not too bad.' In three months, I sent it off to an editor.
I took another month polishing it; I'm one of these writers who tend to fiddle right up to deadline,'' said Dirda.
In
his book, Dirda shared his list of ''must-read'' books that he jotted down for himself at the age of 16, from the intellectually
weighty tomes such as Homer's ''Odyssey'' and Ayn Rand's ''Atlas Shrugged'' to easily digested morsels like George Orwell's
''1984'' and Edgar Allen Poe's ''Tales.''
''A friend of mine, Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, a children's author who wrote
the book ÔShiloh,' said she thought it would be a pretty good book for high school kids dealing with issues of their problems,
hopes and dreams,'' said Dirda. ''I find pleasure in the fact that my oldest son's friends want to read my book.''
But
he does not want his sons, especially his youngest, to read ''An Open Book'' quite yet.
''I don't want a 13-year-old to
think he should run away from home for five days (as Dirda writes he did at that age). The world is different now. Eventually,
they will read it,'' said Dirda.
''Right now, they might find it difficult to read that their father, as a teenager, was
mooning over girls.''
He said his friends at The Washington Post have grown weary of Dirda's continual chatter about
how great Lorain is.
''I tell them it's the home of Toni Morrison, of Father Guido Sarducci (actor Don Novello), of Capt.
Lofton Henderson; that Lorain is the font of greatness. ... They call it ÔLorainia,''' laughed Dirda.
Even though he
is, and always will be, an admitted page-turner and lover of books, Dirda does not see today's computerized world as foreboding.
''I'm
not very adept with computers,'' said Dirda.
''I'm not someone who turns to computers to check Web sites. I've always loved
the advantage of going to a library and the serendipity involved; going in there looking for one book and the discovery of
other books by chance.
"But I think that the storytelling art will survive, no matter what the delivery truck looks like,''
said Dirda.
As for the mental time traveling it took to write the book, Dirda said, ''It was wonderful to lose myself
in my past.''
Meet Michael Dirda when he visits the Borders Books and Music store located
in the Promenade, 30121 Detroit Road, Westlake, for a book signing Friday at 7 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.
©The Morning Journal 2003
|
| Rob Bakalar & Steve Stohla |
"I had the pleasure of doing a "Focus" show with one of your classmates, namely
Steve Stohla, Superintendent of the Alliance City Schools.
Steve drove into Lorain today, and the two of us sat down and talked about the old times at
Admiral King High School (where, ironically at the same time we were taping the television show, LAKHS was in a lock-down
due to a gun having been brought into the high school... times have sure changed). We also talked about the things
he has managed to accomplish through the years and his insights on what's happening in today's educational climate.
The program that we video taped will be aired on WLCS, TV-20, Lorain Adelphia Cable
System, in the next two or three weeks." by Ron Bakalar, October 18,
2004
The three dates that the show will air on WLCS, TV-20,
Lorain's Adelphia Cable System:
Wednesday, November 3rd
Friday, November 5th
Sunday, November 7th
The Focus Show will air four times on EACH of those three days. The times are:
2am, 10am, 1pm, 7pm
If any classmate who is not in the Lorain Adelphia viewing area would like to purchase a VHS
copy
of the program, it will be available at a cost of $10.00, plus $5.00 shipping and handling.
Orders should be sent to:
Joe Bock, TV-20 Coordinator
Charleston Administration Center
2350 Pole Avenue
Lorain, Ohio 44052-4300
Checks should be made out to Joseph Bock
All proceeds, minus the cost of the tape, shipping, and handling, will be used toward the
purchase
of sorely needed equipment for the television studio.
He reaches out to students RON VIDIKA , Morning Journal Writer 05/27/2001
|
Saul Torres
|
Saul Torres, a career counselor at North Coast Christian Academy, goes over some options with
Charis Egland, 16
LORAIN -- For three decades,
Saul Torres has been a mainstay in the life and times of the Hispanic community in Lorain.
His goal is simple and
direct: ''If you help just one person to better their life, you've done your job.''
Torres is not a minister, but
a high school counselor at North Coast Christian Academy in Lorain.
Torres, 54, who lives in Lorain, said he can remember
when the worst trouble a student could get into at school was chewing gum in class.
''The main problem now, which
is applicable to all students, is getting them to do their homework,'' said Torres. ''They don't seem to hand in their work.
It's a mix of too many unnecessary distractions at home and outside the home. I tell the students that they can't do a job
or an assignment halfway; they have to do the job completely. If they did only half of what was expected of them in the real,
workaday world, they'd be shown the door by their boss.''
Torres is the second oldest of 12 children born to Sixto
and Carmen Torres and arrived in the U.S. in August of 1953 from Puerto Rico.
A 1966 graduate of Lorain Admiral King
High School, Torres went on to receive his associate degree in liberal arts from Lorain County Community College, majoring
in history, government and languages and then transferred to Kent State University to earn a bachelor degree in secondary
education with a major in Spanish and a minor in history and government.
''I began teaching as a substitute teacher
in both Lorain and Elyria city schools. It was at that point in time I began with Project Libros (Books),'' said Torres.
Project
Libros was a program designed to service the educational and other needs of the Hispanic community of Lorain. I began that
work in July, 1972 at the Lorain Public Library and I was there until Jan. 12, 1973, explained Torres.
It was during
that period of time that Torres interviewed for the title of admissions officer at Lorain County Community College.
''My
particular emphasis was being a liaison between LCCC and the local Hispanic community. I did a lot of career advisement and
counseling,'' said Torres.
In the mid-1970s, Torres also played a part in the establishment of El Centro de Servicios
Sociales in Lorain, an organization that offers help and services to Hispanics in the community.
Addressing the importance
of helping the Hispanic population in Lorain, Torres said, ''Outside of New York City, the city of Lorain ranks second in
terms of the number of Hispanic Americans per square mile, with an Hispanic population of a little over 20 percent in Lorain.''
Torres explained how his life was swayed in the direction of counseling, and that it basically began with a conversation
he had with a musician friend who played for an Hispanic band called, ''Los Nombres.''
''My friend, Nelson Marquez,
told me about a position opening up at Lorain County Community College for an admissions officer. It was a blanket title.
I helped any and all students, although there was an emphasis on Hispanics. I started there on Jan. 15, 1973,'' said Torres.
It was then he was asked by then-principal at Southview High School, Ray Pagan, to discuss various opportunities at
LCCC with Southview parents and students. He found his services extended to counseling the Southview students and serving
as a ''sounding board'' as to what direction they wanted to take in their life.
One of Torres' many success stories
is Robert Davila. In the mid-1970s, Davila was labeled a ''problem student.''
Davila had been expelled from Southview
and was refused admittance to Admiral King, so he transferred to Clearview High School, where he graduated in 1979.
''We
spoke about the future and how you can't undo the past, but you can do something about the future. And Robert gave his life
to the Lord,'' said Torres.
''Saul was a help to me in that he encouraged me to pursue my education and obtain my
bachelor's degree. It was a miracle to me just to be able to finish high school,'' said Davila.
''I saw him as an
Hispanic role model. I thought to myself, ÔIf Saul can do it, I can do it, too.' I didn't have that many role models growing
up in high school. I don't want to make Saul out to be a god. But he is a pillar of local Hispanic society,'' said Davila.
''I saw him as one of the first Hispanics in Lorain who was well-educated and well-established in the community. He
was firm with me when I was a youth, and he carries with him a history of where we were as a people and where we are going.
He's a very good man.
''One of the things I like most about Saul is his quiet faith in God. He is also a good role
model, both as a husband and as a father,'' said Davila, who was recently named the next principal of Southview.
After
more than 25 years of service at LCCC, Torres took on the next challenge of his career, that of remedial tutor for North Coast
Christian Academy in August, 2000.
''There are about 280 students here and about 95 junior and senior high school
students,'' said Torres.
While he loves his work, he said being a tutor and a counselor in general is becoming a difficult
job.
''Over the last 15 to 20 years, if you talk to any counselor, you're going to find that they have become more
test administrators than anything else. In my estimation, it has taken away quality time we could spend counseling students
on career options and choices,'' said Torres.
Despite that, Torres is still dedicated to the goal of reaching students,
one at a time, and helping them to prepare for the road ahead.
''Just helping somebody, just one person, gives you
a good feeling deep down inside. It makes you feel good that someone was able to be helped by you,'' said Torres.
©The
Morning Journal 2004
|
