Harry Funk stories, Page 20

By vocation, Dr. Joel Greenberger has been fighting cancer for nearly half a century. By avocation, he’s one heck of a horn player. Along with treating patients while serving as chairman of the University of Pittsburgh’s Department of Radiation Oncology, Greenberger managed to add making music to the mix, playing...

Visitors to Plum Borough Community Library will notice something new, and probably intriguing. Mounted prominently on one of the walls is a Giving Tree, featuring leaf-shaped medallions of assorted colors bearing various inscriptions, such as a dedication to the “loving memory of Mike & Mary Maloney.” They were the parents...

The United Nations projects India to become the world’s most populous country by decade’s end. In the meantime, the 2020 U.S. Census shows more than 4.5 million Indian Americans, constituting 1.4% of the population and representing the nation’s highest-earning ethnic group. Yet India’s holiday of Diwali, which about a billion...

Move over, Steph Curry. When it comes to basketball-shooting accuracy, Sally may have your number. Sally, named after the late astronaut Sally Ride, is a robot constructed by members of Gateway High School’s Quasics Robotics Club. And during Family STEAM Night at Gateway’s Ramsey Elementary, Sally put on a heck...

Gateway scored a hit with “Headphones On.” That’s the title of the show presented by the high school marching band this season, and it impressed judges at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association Championships to the tune of an 87.575 score out of 100, good for sixth place among 17...

“A Night to Dismember” was, if you’ll pardon the expression, a night to remember. The Hampton High School Marching Band’s horror-themed show received a score 90.375 out of 100, good for fourth place among 17 sets of performers, at the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Marching Band Association Championships. “That was exciting. We...

That ice-cold beer you’re sipping had its share of searing temperatures on its way to your taste buds. “Boiling, perhaps surprisingly to some folks, is extremely important in the brewing process,” Hunter Bedford told an inquisitive group gathered at Plum Borough Community Library. The professional brewer, happily plying his trade...

A song with a name like “Drinkin’ Wine, Spo-Dee-O-Dee” has to have a story behind it. And Bethel Park resident Mark Shuttleworth tells it whenever he performs the 73-year-old precursor to what became rock ’n’ roll. Spo-dee-o-dee, you see, was the nickname for a concoction made of port and lemon...

The first-graders gathered at Miners Memorial Park had learned their lessons well. “Why do we plant trees?” Brian Tarbert, president of the Bethel Park Shade Tree Commission, asked the youngsters, who proceeded to give detailed answers based on their studies about the environmentally beneficial attributes of the tall, woody perennials....

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Bethel Park Music Boosters’ hoagie sales, the organization is taking a cue from Willie Wonka. “When you purchase your delicious hoagie, look inside the wrapper for the special surprise of a golden ticket,” Aaron Booz announced. “In each sale, we slip in 50...

When it came to deciding how to keep herself sufficiently entertained, Sonia Troiana had to choose between splurging and sticking to her budget. “They were really trying to sell it to me,” the Hampton Middle School student said. “They were like, ‘Well, you’re going to be really lonely and have...

At the height of the covid-19 pandemic, recently widowed Kathleen Zimbicki found a way to maintain her sanity, as she’ll admit, by painting watercolors of neighbors’ homes in the Rennerdale section of Collier. Through social media, she shared her portraits with other artists, seeking their feedback. “One of the greatest...

When contemplating a musical instrument to pursue, many a young man’s thoughts turn to percussion, particularly the primal attraction of beating on a drum kit. That was Lou Lucarelli’s selection back in the day. But eventually, he decided to study a second, not nearly as well-known percussive instrument. “I played...

Plum residents know how to fill a high school parking lot. Nearly 1,000 members of the community arrived on Oct. 6 to show their support for the Mustangs football team and several other school groups. The occasion was a Homecoming extravaganza featuring food trucks, performances and a massive bonfire to...

Heidelberg Volunteer Fire Department hosted its first Fall Fest in 2021, around the time that residents of the borough and surrounding communities were starting to participate in activities following the prolonged limitations caused by covid-19. “We were really excited to finally bring everyone together,” Noah Wanielista, fire department vice president,...

Boy Scouts of America Troop 215 still is going strong after 100 years, with Bethel Presbyterian Church serving as its charter organization since 1922. On Sept. 24, the church served as the site of a centennial celebration attended by many of the current 41 members and 30 or so adult...

Through the end of October, Bridgeville Public Library is serving as home to an intriguing collection of artwork. On the patio outside, patrons will find pieces with titles such as “Achromatic Modules On Polished Aluminum Platform” and the ironic, given its location, “Interior Reflections I.” And positioned atop bookcases are...

Combine favorable weather with success on the football field, and Gateway High School’s Homecoming weekend was a winner. A pep rally at Antimarino Stadium the day before the Gators’ 21-10 victory over Penn-Trafford set the pace, as did the immediately following Community Homecoming Carnival, hosted by the Student Government Association....

If cinematic bully Scut Farkus had attended University Park Elementary School, he may not have been so inclined to pick on Ralphie and his classmates in “A Christmas Story.” The midpoint of each week is Kindness Wednesday at the Gateway School District building, serving as a reminder for students —...

The lighting of what Pennsylvania law deems as consumer fireworks will continue to be permitted in Plum. During their Oct. 3 work session, members of borough council agreed to maintain existing local regulations in the wake of a new state law that became effective in September. “The changes aren’t so...

The route may have changed for 2022, but the parade preceding the annual Bethel Park Community Day drew the same spirit of enthusiasm as ever. Instead of proceeding from the municipal building to Highland Avenue and Bethel Church Road, the parade took a more direct approach to Bethel Park High...

Among the people in myriad professions who have worked toward mitigating the devastating effects of the covid-19 are “unsung heroes that, in our opinion, went unnoticed.” “These are the men and women of human service agencies who selflessly and tirelessly, under the limitations of pandemic conditions, somehow found a way...

In 2018, families with children attending the pair of Catholic elementary schools in Monroeville, St. Bernadette and North American Martyrs, learned of their impending merger. Principal Nikole Laubham thinks the combination of the two, Divine Mercy Academy, is hitting its stride with the start of another school year. “With any...

What appears to be a routine football play has the potential to change a life drastically. Ask Ryan Shazier. On a Monday night in 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker collapsed after making a tackle, having suffered an injury that necessitated spinal stabilization surgery and had doctors wondering if he ever...

If it qualifies as an art medium, Sue Denner probably has tackled it. Whether she produces graphics or paints using acrylics, oils or watercolors, the past president of South Arts Pittsburgh continues to cultivate her creativity. “I’ve been sketching since I was in grade school, really, and have taken a...