West Allegheny Workcamp returns, lending help to area residents Page 10 PLUS: WA Class of 1953 celebrates 70th reunion Scouts complete Eagle projects Dr. Quinn keeps winning Local teen secures national hurdling title These WA grads don’t let their disabilities define them Fall Festivals and Late Summer Happenings Page 34 M agazine West Allegheny Edition August 2023 FREE Direct Mail Community Publication One of 4 editions serving 17 airport area communities www.awmagazine.com West Allegheny School District Official Newsletter Inside Page 23 Allegheny West Congratulations West Allegheny Class of 2023 pages 23-24August/September 2023 • www.awmagazine.com • 34 • Allegheny West Magazine • August/September 2023 Thank you for picking up our August West Allegheny issue of Allegheny West Magazine. I hope you’re having a great summer and are just about ready to head back to school. To help everyone prepare, we’re once again bringing you our tear-out school calendars on our centerfold. Be sure to pull this out and stick it to your refrigerator or bulletin board as a handy reference in the months to come. On page 8, read about a historic recent reunion among members of the West Allegheny Class of 1953 and on page 9 read about some recent Eagle Scout projects that are now enhancing the West Allegheny community. On page 10, you’ll find our cover story about this year’s West Allegheny Workcamp. Find out more about this local philanthropic effort and those who it helped this summer. Then on page 12, read about a local teen who secured a national hurdling title this past spring. On page 23, read the latest news from West Allegheny School District, including a tribute to the Class of 2023. Then, on page 30, read our feature about how three West Allegheny graduates are overcoming their disabilities as they pursue success and happiness. Check out upcoming late summer and fall area happenings on page 34 and parks and recreation programming from Findlay and North Fayette on page 36. Finally, read our columnist Erma Dodd’s take on the work of local food pantries on page 38. Look for our next edition in October. Until then, I hope you have a great start to the school year. Doug Hughey, Publisher/Editor From the Publisher West Allegheny Edition ~ August/September 2023 { } Contents - - - - - - - - - - - - 8 9 9 10 12 15 20 23 30 34 36 38 Allegheny West Magazine-West Allegheny Edition is published in February, April, June, August, October, and December, six issues a year, Hughey Publications, LLC, P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057. Mailed and distributed free to residents and businesses in Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon, a portion of McDonald, and adjacent areas. Extra copies available at municipal offices, schools, libraries, stores, advertisers, hotels, and businesses. Available by mail subscription for $15 annually. Story ideas welcomed. Community events and announcements from non-profit groups must be received by the 15th of the month prior to publishing date. Announcements are limited to 30 words and must include a contact phone number. Reproduction of any artwork, photographs, or copy prepared by Allegheny West Magazine is strictly prohibited without written consent of Hughey Publications, LLC. Copyright 1999- 2021 Allegheny West Magazine. All rights reserved. Views and opinions expressed by contributors and/or advertisers are the responsibility of the contributors and not those of the publisher of Allegheny West Magazine. P. O. Box 220, McDonald, PA 15057 Phone: 724.673.3161 E-Mail: info@awmagazine.com www.awmagazine.com WE PROUDLY SPONSOR AND SUPPORT: A variety of community, school, and nonprofit organizations in our coverage areas of Cornell, Moon, Montour, and West Allegheny. We are committed to recycling our used and left- over products. We encourage our readers to be responsible and dispose of this magazine when finished enjoying it. Consider passing it along to someone else, or placing it in your neighborhood recycling bins. Thank you in advance for doing your part for our earth. Hughey Publications, LLC also publishes the Moon edition of Allegheny West Magazine, the Cornell edition of Allegheny West Magazine and the Montour edition of Allegheny West Magazine. MEMBER Allegheny West Magazine - West Allegheny, is an all positive, good news publication mailed free into the homes and businesses of the West Allegheny School District communities of Findlay, North Fayette, Oakdale, Sturgeon and McDonald to connect communities, promote people, heighten awareness about the richness of the airport region, and build pride in the western suburbs of Allegheny County. Allegheny West Magazine Doug Hughey Pat Jennette Sarah Kizina www.ddswebdesign.com Erma Dodd Pat Jennette West Allegheny Class of 1953 70th reunion Scouts complete Eagle projects Dr. Quinn keeps winning West Allegheny Workcamp returns for fifth year Local teen secures national hurdling title Chamberlink West Allegheny Sports and Academic Calendars West Allegheny Newsletter These WA grads don’t let their disabilities define them Fall Festivals and Late Summer Happenings Parks and Rec. Programs Penned by Erma: Neighbors helping neighbors West Allegheny Workcamp volunteers constructed this ramp for Dennis Mullenix (at center) of Sturgeon after his friend Kathy Wilkinson (to his right) filled out an application for assistance. Ryan Waggoner, a board member of Heroes Supporting Heroes, the local organization that helps organize the camp, is pictured with several volunteers who came to the camp from other parts of the country. They are: Kyle Spiegel and Emily Crum from First Presbyterian Church in Wheaton, Illinois; Duncan Myers from Bath United Church of Christ in Akron, Ohio; Parin Schmidt from South Minster Presbyterian Church in Glen Ellyn, Illinois; and Janelle Jaworski from Rejoice Lutheran Church in Omaha, Nebraska. PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY August/September 2023 • www.awmagazine.com • 56 • Allegheny West Magazine • August/September 2023 Heritage Valley Health System NEW to Robinson Township Medical Neighborhood Conveniently located at: 2201 Park Manor Blvd., Robinson Town Centre Positron Emission Tomography (PET)-CT scanning is now available at the Heritage Valley Robinson Township Medical Neighborhood. A PET-CT scan is an imaging test that produces multidimensional color images of your organs and tissues. These scans not only show what an organ looks like, but also how it is functioning. The test uses a small amount of a safe, injectable radioactive liquid known as a tracer. Your healthcare provider may order a PET-CT scan to check for signs of: • Cancer • Coronary artery disease, heart attack or other heart problems • Brain disorders, such as brain tumors, epilepsy, dementia and Alzheimer’s disease A Radiologist with specialized training in PET-CT scans will review your images and send a report to your healthcare provider. We are pleased to announce that Rheumatologist Dr. Baowei Tang is now seeing patients on Thursdays in the Robinson Township Medical Neighborhood. Dr. Tang will be available on Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Dr. Tang is board certified in Rheumatology and Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine and certified in Rheumatology Muscular Skeletal Ultrasound by the American College of Rheumatology. He is a Fellow of the American College of Rheumatology. Dr. Tang completed his Rheumatology fellowship training at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in 2007, and his Internal Medicine residency at Indiana University Health Ball Memorial Hospital in 2005. He received his medical degree from Southeastern University Medical School in Nanjing, China. Dr. Tang’s practice interests include complicated autoimmune diseases, inflammatory arthritis/ myositis, and general rheumatologic conditions (lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica, vasculitis, scleroderma, psoriatic arthritis, ankylosing spondylitis, gout, osteoporosis and osteoarthritis). He specializes in muscular skeletal ultrasound, which improves early diagnosis and treatment of inflammatory diseases. Positron Emission Tomography (PET)-CT Scans Rheumatology Care To schedule an appointment with Dr. Tang, please call (724) 773-1928. Dr. Tang’s office in the Robinson Township Medical Neighborhood is located in Suite 100. To schedule your PET-CT scan, please call (866) 251-0710.August/September 2023 • www.awmagazine.com • 7 Heritage Valley Health SystemCAround Your Town Around Your Town ABOVE: Those present at the West Allegheny Class of 1953 70th reunion included: Bob Susa, Tom Zimmerman, Melva Daily Kohler, Fred Lutz, Anna Mae Wray Farrow, Charlene Avery Davis, Mary Lou Windsheimer Buell, Caroline Lukawecz Anderson, Betsy Martincic Ergen, Shirley Ruperto Sandman, Mary Lou Beck Matteson, Evelyn Rippee Moore, Marge Franchek Tacna, Harry Curtis, Shirley Wilcoxen Moore, Betty McNees Martin, Bill Fluharty, Betty Hood Wallace, Joe Stein, Cathy Cain Reddinger, Olen Bittinger, Dale Reddinger and Lamont Anderson. RIGHT: Also present was Byron Yecko. 8 • Allegheny West Magazine • August/September 2023 The West Allegheny Class of 1953 held its 70th reunion July 27 at MJs Steel City in North Fayette Township. In all, 24 members of the historic class, which has been meeting every five years since they graduated, attended. The class was the first sophomore class to attend West Allegheny after the three schools of Findlay, Oakdale and North Fayette merged to form the new district. “Despite the competition that had existed among the three previous districts, the 1951 sophomore class seemed to function as a cohesive unit without previous school rivalries or hang- ups,” Olen Bittinger, a class member in attendance, writes in a retrospective submitted in honor of the occasion. “The class of approximately 130 students excelled scholastically, musically, athletically and socially throughout high school. Our 1953 winning football season was the first in the school’s short history, highlighted by a stunning 18-13 victory over heavily favored arch rival Burgettstown High School.” Bittinger writes that members of that class chose a variety of career paths and that many remained in the area to raise families. “Regardless of the path chosen, if possible, it was agreed to meet every five years to renew old friendships and remember those wonderful school days,” he writes. “Over the years, as age began to take its toll, we chose to meet yearly. Special thanks to the girls who meet monthly and have been the backbone, holding our class together.” Bittinger writes that the class has lost many classmates over the years, raising the question of how many reunions remain to be held in the future. “But, those of us who were physically able will be anxiously waiting to be part of our 2024 class reunion!” he writes. “What a journey it has been!” West Allegheny Class of 1953 holds 70th reunion STORY AND PHOTOS BY DOUG HUGHEYCAround Your Town Around Your Town Dr. Quinn keeps winning August/September 2023 • www.awmagazine.com • 9 Two members of Scout Troop 248 in Oakdale completed their Eagle projects earlier this year. One of those scouts, Ben Wagner, worked with VFW Post 7070 and American Legion Post 171 to install a sign along Clinton Avenue just outside of Oakdale promoting the RED, or Remember Everyone Deployed, Program. The initiative encourages the wearing of red on Fridays in order to honor deployed service members in the armed forces. Ben designed the sign and received assistance with printing from Chroma Graphics. Troop members assisted with installation and the borough planted a garden around the sign. On May 27, a dedication ceremony was held with members of the VFW and American Legion posts, as well as Oakdale Mayor Steve Trusnovic, North Fayette Supervisor Bob Doddato, North Fayette Manager JR Mangan, state Sen. Devlin Robinson and state Rep. Jason Ortitay. At the same time Ben was working on his project, fellow troop member Connor Romano was assisting the Western Allegheny Community Library by installing permanent displays in Donaldson Park for the library’s story walk program. Using the story walk, families can visit 18 different stations and read a different page from a story at each. Librarian Becky Proie says that previously the library had been clipping pages to cardboard signs that could get blown away by the wind. She says the new signs are a big upgrade and that about 30 to 60 people attended the library’s weekly guided story walk activity in June and July. Librarians will continue switching out the story so families can enjoy it on their own the rest of the year. Connor donated 380 hours and raised $5,000 for the project. He says troop members assisted with installing the displays. Scouts complete Eagle projects Ben Wagner (above) is pictured with the sign he installed along Clinton Avenue for his Eagle project while Connor Romano (below) is pictured at one of the story walk stations he installed at Donaldson Park. PHOTOS SUBMITTED STORY AND PHOTO BY DOUG HUGHEY As an assistant basketball coach at West Allegheny High School and Our Lady of the Sacred Heart High School, Dr. David Quinn, who also operates Allegheny West Eyecare in Imperial, has experienced plenty of success. He won a WPIAL championship with West Allegheny in 2007 and has coached OLSH teams to four WPIAL titles and two state championships. For many of those years, Quinn has also been a softball coach. He started when his daughter, Emily, began playing youth softball for Findlay and he also coached her Pittsburgh Spirit travel teams. Emily went on to play for OLSH and graduated in 2015. Two years later, Quinn became head coach of the school’s softball team and has led the team to the playoffs each year since. In 2022, the team reached the AA WPIAL semi- final game and earned a state playoff berth, the program’s first. This past season, the team reached the semi-finals again. Though they didn’t secure another state playoff appearance, OLSH did finish with an impressive 14-5 record. The season was also the sixth consecutive one in which the team reached the playoffs under Quinn after it had struggled to do so prior. Not one to take credit himself, Quinn says the team has benefitted from a strong roster of players and assistants, including coaches Jack Graff, Natalie Graff, Sam Giles and Quinn’s daughter, Emily, who has returned to coach alongside her father. She and Natalie Graff played together for Mercyhurst University after graduating from OLSH. Together, Quinn says they’re not just coaching better softball players, but preparing student athletes for the next step in their lives. “My philosophy is I try to create a positive culture and, with that, the winning is all great, but in the end I want to see the girls succeed in their life,” he says. “There are students who need mentoring and to me that’s more important, if I can provide that to the kids. That’s why I do it.” The team graduates five seniors off this past season’s team, all of whom are now heading to college under either athletic or academic scholarships. Dr. David Quinn STORY BY DOUG HUGHEYNext >