Dunmorean of the Month: Greg Wolff

By Steve Svetovich

Dunmore borough manager Greg Wolff has a history of helping people.He’s a master at it.

Wolff is a long-time Dunmore resident who has been employed by the borough for close to three decades in several capacities from fireman to his present position as borough manager.

He is responsible for many areas and duties in the borough which the public does not fully realize. Ready to help anyone in every possible manner, he is respectful, kind and hard-working.

Prior to working for the Dunmore borough, he served three years in the United States Navy. He served as an aircraft mechanic in the U.S. Navy and also spent a year in Iraq as a civilian firefighter. After the Navy, he received an associate degree in fire science from Luzerne County Community College.

Married 15 years to the former Nicole Baldassari, he has a son Joseph, and three step-children: Mackenzie, Giancarlo, and Giulietta.

Wolff, 51, is a 1991 graduate of Scranton Central High School, part of its last graduating class.

He then moved to Dunmore when he became a firefighter for the Dunmore borough.

Dunmore Borough Manager Gregg Wolff is shown while in the Navy on board the USS Carl Vinson in 1993.

“We had fire training in the Navy,” he said. “I decided to take that knowledge and apply it to a degree to become a fireman. It was a good decision and led me to Dunmore.”

Wolff served for 25 years as a Dunmore fireman from October 1997 through October 2022. He was then named Dunmore borough manager after an opening came about.

“The opening came up when the previous borough manager resigned. I decided to apply and here I am.”

Wolff says he took great pride in the challenges taken on as a Dunmore firefighter.

“You face many challenges as a fireman,” he said. “Some challenges are greater than others, but you come prepared to meet them head on. You take great pride in being able to help people. It makes it all worthwhile. It’s nice when you can help a person or family out.”

Being a people person is important to the Navy veteran and he brings that attitude to his present position as borough manager.

“It’s all about helping people,” he said. “Everyday someone walks into the office with a problem to solve. The gratification comes with helping people out with their issues and problems.

“A borough manager has many varied day-to-day operations, from answering phone calls, responding to complaints, attending council meetings, administrative work, trouble shooting, reading and responding to e mails and dealing with problems such as frozen pipes, It covers a whole gamut of issues. Most days are very busy. My day goes by extremely fast. I look up at the clock and all of a sudden the work day is over.”

Wolff said he took on the position as borough manager because he was looking for new challenges and likes dealing with people.

“And I get to help people out just like with the fire department, but in a different way.”

The conscientious borough manager said his hobbies are “fishing and work.”

Wolff said he is currently working towards an online bachelor of science degree from Columbia Southern University.

In the meantime, he enjoys keeping busy as Dunmore borough manager.

“Now I get to work and help manage all aspects of borough government, help handle complaints, assist with the borough budget, work closely with council members, and even handle pot hole complaints.

“I have my hand in everything and love it. It’s great serving the people of Dunmore and helping them out.”

Athlete of the Month: Jack Davis

Jack Davis is shown after being awarded with the Freach-Keen in memory of P.J. Freach and Buddy Keen, two Moosic Little League baseball players who tragically died in 1973.

Saint Mary’s student honored with Freach-Keen Memorial Award

By Steve Svetovich

Jack Davis, 12, a four-sport athlete and student at Saint Mary’s of Mount Carmel Elementary School, Dunmore, was honored recently with the Freach-Keen Memorial Award.

The District award is in memory of P.J. Freach and Buddy Keen, two former Moosic Little League baseball players, who tragically died in 1973.

A member of the Dunmore Little League this past summer, Jack was chosen as the recipient of the Freach-Keen Award by the individual leagues. He was chosen due to his dedication to Little League baseball and his sportsmanship throughout his Little League career.

He was an all-star second baseman in the Dunmore Little League where he graduated last summer. Jack is a three-time Little League all-star.  He plans on playing Teener League this summer.

Jack is also a point guard and leading scorer on the Saint Mary’s basketball team. In addition, he excels as a cross country runner.

Son of Robert and Abbey Davis, Jack is in the sixth grade at Saint Mary’s of Mount Carmel Elementary School, Dunmore.

“It felt really nice to win the Freach-Keen Award,” the humble sixth grader said. “I’m thankful for getting it. It’s a really cool honor.”

Jack also plays soccer in the Green Ridge/Dunmore soccer league at Dunmore’s Sherwood Park.

Jack played for Lenahan and Dempsey in the Dunmore Little League. His coach was Mike Schulte. “He taught me to trust myself.”

Jack Davis was an all-star second baseman in the Dunmore Little League where he graduated last summer. A three-time Little League all-star, Jack plans on playing Teener League this summer.

The standout student-athlete said he enjoyed playing on the Dunmore Little League all-star baseball team. “We were pretty good. We went pretty far and it was fun.”

Jack’s basketball coach at Saint Mary’s is Pat Burke. “He tells us to hustle all the time and have a good attitude.”

The Freach-Keen award winner said his favorite sports teams are the Philadelphia Phillies, Eagles, and 76ers.

He likes Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and is a big fan of Phillies shortstop Trea Turner.

Jack’s favorite sports are baseball, basketball and soccer.

Jack said it takes “a lot of hard work” to excel as a second baseman in baseball.

He said his parents teach him to “be nice to people.”

Jack said he is enjoying running the point guard position for Saint Mary’s biddy basketball team and running cross country for the school.

“With grades in the mid 90s, Jack is on the honor roll at Saint Mary’s of Mount Carmel.

His future goals reflect his personality. “I want to keep my grades up and just be a good person,” he said.

Former Holy Cross standout eyes law school after scoring 1,000 points at Immaculata

By Steve Svetovich

Former Holy Cross basketball standout Abbey Lentowski is a proud member of two 1,000 point clubs.

She scored 1,075 points in her basketball career at Holy Cross and then poured in 1,001 points in just three years playing at Immaculata University.

Abbey, 21, decided not to play basketball in her senior year at Immaculata in order to concentrate on academics and work in preparation for beginning law school after graduation.

Daughter of Atty. Andrew and Tricia Lentowski, Abbey plans to attend Widener University Law School in Delaware on a part time basis while continuing to work in a law office next year.

She currently works part-time in a law office in Media, PA and plans on doing the same next year while attending law school part time at night.

“I’m getting some great experience right now,” she said. “It’s really cool. My boss lets me shadow him, which is so nice because it has helped me to know that this is really what I want to do. And I will continue doing it while attending law school. Media is very close to Widener in Delaware.”

Always positive and energetic, Abbey ended her three-year basketball career with 1,001 points at Immaculata. She scored her 1,000th career point with just 15 seconds left in her final game, a close playoff loss to Newmann University.

“I scored in the last 15 seconds on a layup in a close playoff game, so it was both hectic and chaotic to score the 1,000th point. It was kind of crazy. It was an unreal feeling to score 1,000 points both in high school and college.”

Abbey was a first-team Lackawanna League Coaches’ All-Star in her junior and senior seasons at Holy Cross. She was named to the second team in her sophomore year.

She was named Academic All-District for three years and All-Conference for two years at Immaculata. A forward, she is also a member of the 500 career rebounds club at Immaculata.

The hard-working, well-spoken senior said she owes a lot to her parents. “My parents have supported me through all of this,” she said. 

“They are always there for me. They tell me to support others and be a good person and just love people. This will help me in my future work as an attorney. I currently coach a AAU basketball team, so I give my girls the same advice.”

Abbey’s brother, Joshua Lentowski, is a standout senior baseball and football player at Holy Cross.

Always on the go and ready for a challenge, Abbey said she is taking on a new sport for fun– NCAA girls’ flag football. “I will be learning on the go, but it should be fun,” she said.

Abbey is a psychology major with minors in pr- law and political science at Immaculata. “I love psychology,” she said. “Learning about people, the mind, and human behavior will be useful for me as an attorney.”

The bubbly yet serious senior was a prolific scorer and rebounder at Immaculata. She averaged 14.5 points per game for three years, including 15.0 points and 8.0 rebounds in her junior and final season of playing. She certainly went out on a high note.

Well organized, she plans on spending the upcoming summer working, coaching basketball and getting ready for law school.

And she wants to enjoy the rest of her senior year.

“It feels unreal being a senior,” she said. “It’s been a great experience here at Immaculata, but I’m excited to be experiencing more things in the world. I want more experience in the working world in preparation for the future. I will be able to continue working part time, gaining more experience while attending law school three nights a week from 6 to 10 p.m. I also want to leave some time for studying, coaching and working.”