Monessen inducts 1st 'Wall of Fame' class, will serve as fundraiser

Long before he beat Evander Holyfield to become the world heavyweight boxing champion in 1994, Michael Moorer would cross the Monongahela River from his home in Monessen to his grandfather’s house in neighboring Charleroi, where he would cut the grass and help plant an annual garden.

He can still remember the first day he finished the chores early enough to accompany his grandfather, Henry Lee Smith, to the Charleroi Athletic Club. After Smith’s own stint in professional boxing, he began training young fighters in the Mon Valley.

“I sat down and started listening to the ‘thumps’ coming from the guy hitting the heavy bag,” Moorer said. “I was intrigued.”

“Intrigued” is putting it mildly. Moorer would go on to become one of only four boxers in the last century to win a version of a world title in both the light heavyweight and heavyweight classes, alongside Roy Jones Jr., Michael Spinks and James Toney.

From the former world heavyweight boxing champion to an Academy-Award-winning actor, Monessen has produced plenty of residents who’ve gone on to have interesting, impactful and in some cases famous careers. Moorer (A’85) and five others will be recognized at the first-ever Monessen “Wall of Fame” induction ceremony on Oct. 7.

Sarah Graby, a ‘99 Monessen graduate and the founder of Sparkle My Head Scarves, pitched the idea to the school district based on her interaction with another member of the inaugural class of inductees, Ed Filipowski (A’79).

“When I moved to New York to start out in the fashion industry, someone asked me to reach out to Ed, who I found out was a partner at KCD, the leading fashion public relations firm in the world,” Graby said. “He got back to me immediately because we’re both from Monessen. He got me tickets to see the Marc Jacobs and Anna Sui runway shows, and over the years he was so wonderful.”

Graby said meeting Filipowski helped her start looking into other Monessen natives who’d gone on to great acclaim in their careers. This year’s inductees, in addition to Moorer and Filipowski, are:

• Actor Frances McDormand, who was born in Illinois but moved to Monessen and graduated from Monessen High School in 1975. After several successful films, her breakout role came as pregnant police chief Marge Gunderson in the Coen Brothers’ 1996 film “Fargo.” The role earned her an Oscar for Best Actress, a feat she has repeated twice through roles in “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (2017) and “Nomadland” (2020).

• Lt. Gen. Joseph Yakovac (retired/A’67), who spent three decades with the U.S. Army, where he received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit three times and the Army’s Meritorious Service Medal seven times. Prior to retirement, he was director of the Army Acquisition Corps and military deputy to the Secretary of the Army for Acquisition, Logistics and Technology. Yakovac joined global consulting firm The Cohen Group in 2008 as a senior counselor.

• John and Margaret Husher (A’50), who Graby said have been extremely generous to the school district, establishing the Husher Scholarship Fund for Monessen students in the 1990s and donating more than $5 million in grants and scholarships over the years. John Husher worked as an electrical engineer and invented the first linear integrated circuit on a silicon chip, and has obtained 16 patents in addition to writing 10 books.

Moorer, who will attend the induction ceremony, said he can remember the strong community spirit Monessen possessed in his youth.

“You grew up with a family and community that supports one another,” he said. “I miss the good people and my friends I had when I was younger. This day and age, a lot of people don’t have the things we had growing up.”

Moorer still has a sister and cousins in the Mon Valley.

Graby said it’s important to show students the things that Monessen alumni have accomplished.

“Someone from Monessen will always help a fellow resident,” she said. “But for kids who don’t have a lot of family in the area, it’s important to know who came before them and who from their town has gone great things. We didn’t have anything showcasing those people at the school.”

Proceeds from the $15 tickets will be donated to the school district this year, and Graby said district officials and event organizers may look into establishing a foundation to disburse the money in the future.

The event itself will feature a red carpet entrance with a photo area. Each inductee has chosen someone to give their introduction, and will attend in person or via a representative.

Framed photos of the first group of inductees will go on display outside the Monessen High School auditorium where students will pass by every day.

“I think it can become a great fundraising event,” Graby said.

Tickets for the Wall of Fame ceremony are $15 and available online at MHSWallOfFame.eventbrite.com.