Dunmore’s Keystone Chapter of UNICO National has chosen The Hart Free Library Fund for a donation in its “Random Acts of Kindness” program. This donation is being made in memory of John M. Hart Jr., who passed away in August.
The initiative of the Hart Free Library Fund is twofold. One is to renovate the Little Free Library located on Morel Street, Scranton, and secondly is to start a small museum to showcase the hobbies and collections of the late John M. Hart Jr.
Donations to this project can be made to the “Hart Free Library Fund” at 1175 Morel St., Scranton, PA 18509.
Pictured at the check presentation in the front row are Mary Ann Coviello, Keystone UNICO donations committee cochair; Maureen Hart, editor of The Dunmorean, and John M. Hart III, Esq., publisher of the Dunmorean.
Second row: Mark E. McDade, Keystone Charter president; Valerie Riggi, Frank Coviello, donations committee cochair; Sylvia and Bob Tagert, Sandy and Bob Collins, and Marilyn Vitali, all Keystone UNICO committee members.
New members for Keystone UNICO are always welcome and should contact Membership Director Ann Summa at 570-842-9336 or Mark McDade at 570-343-7009 for further information.
John M. Hart Jr., the son of the late John and Berniece Gilmartin Hart, who founded and served as the publisher of The Dunmorean and TheDunmorean.com, for the past 30 years, passed away unexpectedly on August 23rd in Scranton. He was a longtime resident of Scranton, PA, but was born and raised in the city of Carbondale. A product of Carbondale’s public school system, he graduated in 1971 from Benjamin Franklin High School and pursued further studies at the University of Scranton, earning degrees in history and English from the institution in 1975-76.
While in college in 1973, he accepted a position as a neighborhood reporter with the former Scrantonian-Tribune. Hart remained with the newspaper for 13 years, serving in nearly every editorial role, including the position of night city editor. In early 1983, Hart became deeply involved in a community effort to establish the world’s largest steam railroading museum in Scranton – Steamtown.
After successfully leading a $2 million public fund-raising campaign, he joined the museum’s board of trustees and later rose to the positions of executive director and chief operating officer. During this period, in 1986, Hart initiated contact with elected officials in Washington and Harrisburg to develop the museum into a national park. In late 1986, President Ronald Reagan signed the Steamtown National Historic Park Act into law, allocating $88 million to establish Steamtown as the nation’s newest historic site.
The National Park Service honored Hart as the linchpin in the establishment of the historic site. Concurrently, he was appointed by the Lackawanna County Commissioners to a task force aimed at preserving freight railroad service in the county. Later, he played a pivotal role in founding and served as the inaugural chairman of the Lackawanna County Railroad Authority, which oversees freight service in Lackawanna, Wayne, and Monroe Counties, safeguarding numerous local jobs to this day.
After his tenure at Steamtown, Hart ventured into the private sector, establishing a commercial printing business in the city. Following the acquisition of one of his competitors, he rekindled his involvement in journalism, creating several community newspapers, including The Dunmorean, which continues to serve the borough of Dunmore today.
The late John Hart Jr.,seated at right, is shown with his children and grandchildren, including, seated at left: Padraig Liam McDonald. Standing are Elizabeth McDonald, holding Jameson Maxim Hart, and John M. Hart III, Esq., holding John Martin Hart IV.
His first wife of 26 years, the former Mary Margaret (“Meg”) Holland, passed away in 2005 and they had two children: Elizabeth Mary McDonald, a clinical dietitian with Geisinger Community Medical Center, and John M. Hart III, Esq., the owner of Hart Law and a solicitor for the City of Scranton. His second wife of 16 years, the former Maureen Garcia-Pons, currently serves as the editor of The Dunmorean.
Beyond his business pursuits, Hart founded and commanded GAR Post II, Camp 299, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War (SUVCW) in the Union League of Philadelphia. He also held the position of past commander at Griffin Camp 8 in Scranton and was the founder and former commander of the Delaney DeLacy Guard, Sons of Veterans Reserve, also located in Scranton. He received the Distinguished Service Medal of the Sons of Veterans Reserve twice, along with a Unit Citation Medal for his community service. He was a two-time recipient of the SUVCW Benjamin Stephenson Award.
Hart was a past president of The Scranton Club and member of the Union League of Philadelphia. During his tenure as president of the Scranton Club, he was credited with preserving the club’s future during a period of uncertainty. He held a genuine fondness for youth and progress, attributing the club’s survival to increased involvement from younger generations.
He also contributed to the Antique Automobile Club of America (AACA) finance committee, aiding in the development of the national antique automobile museum, which opened in 2003 in Hershey, PA. Additionally, he served as the president of the Scranton Region of the Antique Automobile Club. Alongside his membership in the SUVCW, national and local AACA, he belonged to The Confederation of Union Generals, a living history organization, and sat on its Board of Directors. He was also affiliated with The Newspaper Guild, The International Federation of Journalists, and the Columbia Hose Co. of his hometown, Carbondale.
In addition to his extensive involvement in various clubs and organizations, John M. Hart Jr. was acclaimed for his diverse collections. Many visitors to his home found delight in his expansive miniature toy soldier dioramas, diecast cars, and model trains. He also had a penchant for collecting unique hats, pipes, canes, bow ties, and various other curiosities. Drawing from his historical background, he held a deep admiration for historical figures and even took on the roles of General Winfield Scott and Winston Churchill. He was also the co-founder of the local Diogenes Society, a small organization that paid tribute to Sherlock Holmes.
Hart’s life was guided by his father’s final words to “leave the world better than you found it,” a principle he successfully and enthusiastically embraced. He took up the cause of erecting several monuments in Scranton and Gettysburg, PA, firmly believing that a thorough understanding of history served as a cornerstone for the successful future of the community.
Among his many accomplishments, Hart was most renowned for his captivating stories, earning him widespread appreciation throughout the community as a skilled and beloved storyteller.
Survived by his wife, children, and three grandchildren—Padraig Liam McDonald, John Martin Hart IV, and Jameson Maxim Hart—John M. Hart Jr. also leaves behind a son-in-law, Marcus McDonald, a daughter-in-law, Hannah Thebarge Hart, a stepdaughter Rebecca Garcia Pons, her partner B.J. Wallace, and an “adopted” son Michael Masucci. He is also survived by numerous McGraw cousins in Carbondale, whom he cherished as his brothers and sisters.
For those who would like to honor Hart’s memory in a lasting way, the family has decided that a fitting tribute to his enduring legacy is to support a cause he was truly passionate about. In recognition of his significant charitable contributions to the community, donations can be made to the Hart Free Library Fund, c/o 1175 Morel Str., Scranton, PA 18509. This fund will be used for much-needed renovations to the iconic phone booth, ensuring that the Little Free Library remains a beacon of knowledge and community spirit for years to come.
It is with both sorrow and pride that the staff and I have worked to produce this memorial edition in honor of my late husband, John M. Hart Jr., founder and publisher of The Dunmorean for the past 35 years.
We will miss John and his leadership immensely, but we are proud and determined to continue his legacy at The Dunmorean, which, ironically, became the last locally-owned newspaper in Lackawanna County on the day of his funeral when the century-old Scranton Times was sold to a conglomerate.
People mentioned to me on that day that John would have been pleased to have survived as the last local paper, because he had worked as a tough competitor against the Times during his reporting days at the old Scrantonian-Tribune.
But, actually, John would have been deeply saddened by such a major loss to Northeastern Pennsylvania. On his behalf, I offer my sympathy to the entire Lynett family and their employees. I’ve been there–when the Tribune closed in 1990 it was exactly like losing family, much less your career and your own professional identity.
John believed in community journalism wholeheartedly, and although The Dunmorean switched to upbeat, positive coverage of Bucktown and its citizens when it became a monthly, it was originally a weekly publication that covered the police and fire departments, school board, and council.
John and I both owe an immeasurable debt of gratitude to those who have helped in this labor of love, including Steve Svetovich, our writer, columnist, and sports editor who started with us in the newspaper business 40 years ago at the Tribune and has been with John every step of the way in multiple journalistic endeavors.
John Hart Jr., left, is shown in a three generation photo taken on the day of his grandson’s christening at St. Paul’s Church, Green Ridge.. Atty. John M. Hart III is holding John Martin Hart IV,
Cheryl Sempa Radkiewicz is our very popular food columnist, and her association with John and me also dates back to the Tribune where her late father, Frank Sempa, was city editor, and Cheryl took over from her grandmother as Down Valley correspondent. Cheryl has also followed John through his various ventures including The Scranton Weekly, The Mid Valley News, and The Dunmorean.
A newer colleague, and such a valuable one, is Emily Fedor Gerchman, who came aboard right out of college to be our online editor as The Dunmorean entered the digital age. Emily is a native Dunmorean who brings valuable insight to this publication.
Dunmorean Tim Drewes is our official photographer, but fellow Dunmorean Rich Banick has always contributed greatly to the publication and continues to do so.
Dunmoreans Nibs Loughney assisted John with ad sales and Sarah Masucci serves as our art director.
Bill Healey and Bob Sulger handle distribution of the paper on the first Wednesday of every month, and they often describe how people are eagerly taking copies of the Dunmorean out of their hands when they deliver at the many outlets where the paper is available.
Last, but not least, is our legal columnist John Hart III, John’s son, who is an attorney with law offices on Grove Street in Dunmore.
On a personal level I want to share with our readers that John and I were colleagues, friends, and finally husband and wife over a period of 50 years. We met at the Tribune in 1973, shortly after I married my first husband, Jorge Garcia-Pons. In 1979, John married his beloved Meg Holland. In 2005, both families were hit with unimaginable tragedy when Jorge died on St. Patrick’s Day after a long illness and Meg died very suddenly that August.
And so here we are again, our combined families sharing grief and trying to find positive ways to move forward. We believe The Dunmorean is one way to do so, and we hope the ever-generous and loyal people of the borough will support that dream.
We have always been grateful to our wonderful advertisers. During the pandemic, when business was at a stand-still, our advertisers stayed with us. I don’t know how they did it when their restaurants, offices, and showrooms were shut down, but the majority of them stayed.
I will never forget that support, but I also know that for many of them, their loyalty was based on their friendships with John Hart. I hope all of John’s friends will stay with us now, even though he is gone. This really was his dream, his pride and joy, and we hope to continue bringing good news to Dunmore for a long time.
