By Jenna Macciocco-Urban

What would it be like to reach 96? That’s the question we posed to our grandfather, Guy Valvano, who reflected, “It went by so quickly.” This month, we are deeply grateful to celebrate both his 96th birthday and the release of his autobiography—a project we worked on as a family.

Over the years, my grandfather would often encourage my cousins, our children, and me to write down stories. It was something he wished he had done throughout his life, almost like keeping a journal. However, he never fully embraced the practice. 

Ironically, despite this wish, he authored 12 books and countless articles during his illustrious 40-year career as a sports writer. His stories about the people he met and the experiences he had were captivating to all of us. But what intrigued us even more were the stories of his childhood and how he met our grandmother.

One evening at dinner, I decided to ask him about those early days for my own memory. It turned into a heartwarming conversation about his journey into sports writing. I couldn’t help but ask if he felt fulfilled by his career choice.

Reflecting on this, my grandfather revealed that the joy he experienced as a 10-year-old creating his first paper collage mirrored the fulfillment he felt every day as a sports writer. That sense of purpose stayed with him throughout his remarkable career.

This conversation sparked an idea—why not capture his stories for future generations? We knew time was of the essence, so we enlisted the help of writer Tom Robinson to help us bring the project to life. Each family member played a role: we crafted questions, recorded Pop’s answers, and transcribed them for Tom. Even during Pop’s hospital stays this summer, we worked on the book, determined to complete it. The project became a labor of love for our entire family.

Through this journey, we revisited familiar characters and learned new things about our grandfather. Why is our family so close-knit? I believe this project brought us even closer, giving Pop the opportunity to share his wisdom while allowing us to understand him in a deeper way.

We’re excited to share his story with you and encourage others to do the same with their loved ones. Even if it’s not in the form of a book, recording conversations or keeping journals can create priceless memories for future generations. There are even apps that make it easier to document stories.

For our family, this book will always be a treasured keepsake, something we can pass down to our children and their children. Everyone has a story worth sharing, and we’re honored to share Pop’s with the world. For more information on his book visit www.guyvalvano.com

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Guy Valvano became fascinated with high school athletics while an elementary student in the Dunmore School District. When he moved on to high school he became a member of the Dunmore High School basketball team and kept close to other sports by keeping score for the baseball teams and serving as the statistician of the football team. 

Valvano started his newspaper career late in the summer of 1946, a few months after his graduation from high school. He was hired as a copy boy by The Scranton Tribune, a morning daily, and its sister newspaper, The Scrantonian, a Sunday publication. After six months, he was promoted to correspondent, a position he held for 2 1/2 years, before his appointment to the general news staff of the two newspapers. 

Valvano covered high school, college, and amateur athletics during his 43 years as an employee of the newspapers. At the time of his retirement in 1990, he was sports editor of The Scrantonian and assistant sports editor of The Scranton Tribune. Two years after his retirement, he resurfaced as sports information director at Lackawanna Junior College, retiring after 11 years to follow the athletic pursuits of his grandchildren. Books written by Guy Valvano are “The Dream Lives On,” a history of the football Dream Game; “State Champions,” which chronicles the Scranton area teams that won state basketball titles, and “Royals of Renown,” a tribute to the men’s and women’s basketball teams at the University of Scranton that captured national championships.

He lives in Dunmore with his wife of 71 years, Marie.. He has 4 children, 5 grandchildren and 9 great-grand children.