Notable Bridgeville Residents January 3, 2020

Copyright © 2020                               John F. Oyler

January 3, 2020

Notable Bridgeville Residents

In today’s world Wikipedia has replaced the Britannica as a basic reference for significant, as well as trivial, information.

Wikipedia follows a simple format for similar subjects. For small communities they always include a topic entitled “Notable People”. The Bridgeville entry in this category includes seven persons – five athletes and two writers.

The criterion for being included in this list is unknown to us. Synonyms for “Notable” include “worthy of note”, “remarkable”, “distinguished”, “prominent”, “outstanding”, “eminent”, and “prestigious”. That would appear to be a good context for considering candidates for this designation.

As a point of reference, Wikipedia credits Carnegie with Honus Wagner and Governor James Duff; Canonsburg with Perry Como and Marty Schottenheimer; and Mt. Lebanon with Mark Cuban and Orrin Hatch as notable persons.

The Bridgeville sports figures include two soccer players – Paul Danilo and Nick Diorio; two NFL football players – Eric Kush and Ron Sams; and one NBA Basketball player – T. J. McConnell. We have no quarrel with any of these choices although we certainly would expand the list with a few of our personal favorites.

Aldo “Buff” Donelli deserves to be added. He was an outstanding soccer player, a fine football player, and a highly successful football coach. He has the distinction of being the only man to coach a Division I college (Duquesne) football team and an NFL (Pittsburgh Steelers) football team concurrently (1942).

Vic Vidoni played in the NFL in 1935 and 1936 for the Steelers (known in those days as the Pirates). Bob “Huck” O’Neil was a Steeler in 1956 and 1957, a Calgary Stampeder (Canadian Football League) from 1958 through 1960, and a New York Titan (American Football League) in 1961. They should be considered as additional entries.

Frank Burkhart “Burkey” Jones was a good enough soccer player to play for the United States team in the 1924 Olympics. Unlike Danilo, Diorio, and Donelli he has not been elected to the National Soccer Hall of Fame, but none of them were Olympians.

Although the sports figures were familiar to me, I had never heard of either of the two writers -- C. J. Henderson and Harold Stephens. Mr. Henderson is reported to have been born in Bridgeville in 1951, to have attended California University of Pennsylvania, and then become a prolific writer of detective novels, short stories, and graphic novels. Shame on me for being unfamiliar with him.

The other “notable” writer claiming Bridgeville as his home is Harold Stephens. He is reported to have been born in Bridgeville in 1926 and to have grown up on a nearby farm. After serving in the Marines in World War II, he attended Georgetown University, and began a career of travel and writing travel books and magazine articles. I am currently reading his “Take China: the Last of the China Marines” and am impressed with his writing.

My list of Bridgeville notable persons would begin with Casper Philip (“C. P.”) Mayer. His accomplishments as a business man and entrepreneur – the C. P. Mayer Brick Company and Mayer Air Field – were impressive, as was his development of the industrial park in Kirwan Heights.

Another personal hero of mine is Dr. William Shadish. His efforts ministering to fellow prisoners of war for over one thousand days during the Korean War are unprecedented. They are documented in his book “When Hell Froze Over”. I consider him “notable”.

Other possible candidates for designation as Bridgeville notable persons are successful businessmen Frank Salizzoni, Dan Colussy, Bob McMillen, and Bill Novelli. We would be interested in input from any of our readers regarding folks whom they think should be considered.

A good New Year’s resolution for me would be to contact Wikipedia and suggest additional names for their Bridgeville list.