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Well Dun: 35th annual New Year’s wish list

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By Steve Svetovich

It’s that time of year already. This marks the 35th consecutive year of the New Year’s wish list in The Dunmorean.

So here this scribe goes again with the 2025 wish list:

Less political talk…less angry political talk…no sexual abusers in politics…less potholes…Ichiro, Billy Wagner, Jimmy Rollins and C.C. Sabathia in the National Baseball Hall of Fame…Dick Van Dyke celebrating his 100th birthday…Jimmy Carter celebrating his 101st birthday…Barbara Eden in a “Jeannie” bottle…Barbara Eden back at the Scranton Cultural Center…a peanut butter frosty at Wendy’s…A Dunkin in Forest City…hot coffee and a toasted everything bagel with butter from my friends Liz and Angie at the Retro Cafe in the Pinebrook section of Scranton…my picture a bit closer to Cher and Taylor Swift in the celebrity bathroom at the Retro Cafe…a smooth transition to whatever awaits Senator Bob Casey, one of the most honest, moral, ethical men I know…Joey Votto back with the Cincinnati Reds as a coach or broadcaster…Dunmore’s Joe Tomko back in politics…a nice playoff run for Joe Tomko’s Minnesota Vikings…a night at The Roosey in Dunmore…a Guiness draft at The Bog…a glazed donut from Krispy Kreme…a trip to Cooperstown with my sons…more of Christopher “Mad Dog” Russo…another Bob Dylan concert…a Robert Plant and Jimmy Page reunion…Dunkin hot coffee…Gomer Pyle reruns…my dad’s chilli…Hazleton’s Joe Maddon back in baseball…a Hank’s hoagie from Tommy Owens in Green Ridge…Tommy Owens firing his wicked curve with a wiffle ball…another AL MVP for Aaron Judge…a Brett Gardner Day at Yankee Stadium…The Yankees back in the World Series and winning it…Taco Bell…Nardozzi’s Pizza in Dunmore…an Italian hoagie from Roseanna’s in West Side or Dickson City…Carly Simon…breakfast at the Bucktown Diner…Eva Longoria…no rainouts this summer for Brian McGurl and Tom Hallinan at the Bucktown Music Fest…a stop to American Water Company’s unjust and skyrocketing bills to Dunmore and Scranton consumers…a Pappas Pizza grinder…more Howard Stern interviews…pasta at Carmella’s in Dunmore’s Bunker Hill…Shania Twain anywhere…Strangers Rock…QBall…the return of Saint Parrick’s picnic in West Side…Marie Osmond continuing to turn the clock back with Nutrisystem…Cher turning back time…less drones…Jackie the Jokeman back at the Dunmore Holiday Inn…wings at Honeychild’s in Dunmore…Cara Mia’s hoagies in Dunmore…Stuttering John back on the Howard Stern Show…David Letterman back on TV…Johnny Carson reruns…Mick Jagger and Keith Richards rocking at 81…another Rolling Stones tour…Springsteen at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park…Kenny Anderson, Isaac Curtis, O.J. Anderson and Torry Holt in the Pro Football Hall of Fame…Warren Zevon, Jim Croce and The Guess Who in the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame…wings at Haggerty’s in West Side…a night at Legends in Dickson City…burgers and sausage at the Clarks Summit VFW…Alyssa Milano…dinner at Ragnacci’s in Dunmore…crumb cake from Cwikla’s in Avoca…a square tray of pizza with onions from McAlpine Pub in Avoca…a West Side Flava’s hoagie…a Taylor Swift concert…Dunmore’s Anthony Duchnowski back for another season in the Tri-Valley Baseball League…a healthy year for former Dunmore councilwoman Atty. Melanie Naro who is kicking cancer in the butt…Mickey Gannon’s wings…a Lady Gaga concert…a decrease in real estate taxes…peace in the Ukraine…Olena pouring fresh drafts at The Patch…a visit with Tim Wagner at his sporting goods store in Green Ridge…a Rod Stewart concert…a German brownie from Minooka Bake Shop…the return of peanut sticks in donut shops…Susanna Hoffs…Rolling Rock bottles…Joe Snedecker weather reports…Vince Sweeney back as a weatherman…Vince said it would be like this…Maroni’s Pizza in West Side…Gold Crown Pizza in Dunmore…Local music talent Alyssa Lazar back at Crotti’s on Ash…The Wannabes…less haters…less division in our country…less divorce…peace and quiet…good health to our departing President Joe Biden…Miller Genuine Draft…Jimmy Connors singing “Johnny B Goode” in heaven…Nicholas Pizza in Green Ridge…a new Neil Young CD…the return of Bartels beer…the return of cassettes…the return of the Throop Cow Flop…more of Bernie Sanders…Dunmore’s Brian McGurl on keyboards with QBall…another Sperazza Band reunion…a Popeye’s chicken sandwich…an Arby’s gyro…Saint Ubaldo’s in Jessup…Paul McCartney in concert…Willie Nelson at 92 at Bethel Woods again…another Lynyrd Skynyrd concert…more band jobs for my dad, the leader of The Fabulous Fortunes as he begins his 78th year of performing…Valerie Bertinelli back on a TV sitcom…Happy Days reruns…a Happy Days reunion…no road rage…no school shootings…Madonna…Thunder Road…a night with Bugeye McGuire…Richie Kossuth and Sugar Ray Nemetz with Flaxy Morgan…Martina McBride back at the Kirby Center…continue success for Kevin McHale and the Dunmore football program…Success to all of the Dunmore and Holy Cross sports programs…a successful New York Mets and flea market season for my friend Steve Gall…Lori Loughlin back on the Hallmark channel…Dunmore’s Shannon Miele back dancing with her sister Michelle at the Waldorf Tike Bar…Dunmore’s Paul Nardozzi back in politics with his New York Giants on the winning side…continued success for former Dunmore basketball standout for Moriah Murray as a starter for Penn State…a successful basketball season for Dunmore’s Ciera Toomey at the University of North Carolina…a return to good health for my great friend and Dunmore community activist Gary Duncan…my son Ryan singing “Yesterday” in any music venue…success to my son Ryan in the music industry…success to my son Dylan in the medical sales industry…my son Dyan out in centerfield chasing fly balls in the Tri-Valley Baseball League…my dad on drums…Jimmy Tigue on keyboards…Vince Parise singing and on guitar…Jack Mead on sax…The Fabulous Fortunes back at the annual Bucktown Music Fest at Dunmore corners…good health to my great friend Tom Duggan who continues his great work counseling prisoners…Everybody Loves Raymond reruns…Ray Romano back on a TV sitcom…a beer with my buddy Brian Bosley at his Moscow country home…my talented musical friend Diane Luke singing “White Rabbit” with her great voice…The Sperazza Duo at Ernie G’s in Avoca…more Carolina  Panthers wins for my dear friend Miranda…Cooper’s Maryland Crab Bisque soup…three great summer nights of St. Rocco’s and Saint Anthony’s picnic at Dunmore’s Bunker Hill…another trip with my sons to the Montrose and Hawley Winterfests…a special place in heaven for my lifelong friend Jim Gregorowicz, family friend Santa Burne and my cousin Jeff Kardos who all passed away in 2024…King of Queens reruns…a successful year for Dunmore’s Bob Walsh, president of the Northeast Chapter of PA Sports Hall of Fame…success to my nephew George as he pursues a political science degree at West Chester University, my niece Livy as she pursues a master’s degree in Special Education at West Chester University and my niece Mia as she pursues her career in the restaurant management field in Orlando, Florida…a special place in heaven for Dunmore’s Guy Valvano, a legend in local sports journalism…Sirius-XM…a special place in heaven for late Dunmore community activists Addie Michalik, Blanche Shaw, Carmel Arnone, Leonsrd Verrastro, Fritz Voytek, Tom Cali, Sam Cali, James McHale, Sr.; Al Frioni, Sr.; Philomena Errico, Lou Perrella, Mike Mashurak and Billy Weller…a special place in heaven to my friend Bill Hoppel who taught me to always look at the bottle as half full…good health to my great friend Jeannie Hoppel…good health to my ex wife Beth, a cancer survivor…a special place in heaven for recently departed Sandra Buzas, my eighth grade English teacher who inspired me to be a writer…a special place in heaven for my aunts Stella and Annette, Uncles Gus and Wally and my two wonderful grandmothers…a most special place in heaven to my wonderful mom, a strong believer in education, who always told me to take a chance…continued success to Atty. John Hart III who continues to honor his late dad’s wish to keep The Dunmorean alive as its publisher…and a big cigar in heaven for his dad, John Hart, former publisher and local legend…great health to Maureen Hart as she continues her role as dedicated editor of The Dunmorean…great health and lots of hiking and kayaking for my dear friend Janet Fargo…good health to my brother George and his wife Maria…great health and happiness to my sister Denise…great health, happiness and lots of family gatherings for my dad who is always there for me…continued health and happiness to my son Dylan, the best center fielder and base runner I ever saw…continued success and happiness to my son Ryan, the best guitarist, drummer, pianist, harmonica player and singer I ever heard…little baby ducks, old pickup trucks, tomatoes on the vine…peace, love and tranquility…just the simple things in life…nothing ventured, nothing gained…life is short…and finally a wish for 35 more years of the New Year’s wish list…a Cool Yule…Happy New Year, everyone.

Dishin’ the Dirt: January 2025

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By Steve Svetovich

Congratulations and best of luck to Marguerite Garbolino Bradley who is retiring this June after 34 years as Dunmore Elementary School librarian…Dunmore basketball coach Mark Finan has his Bucks off to fast start in turnaround season…Dunmore junior power forward Brayden Canavan scored between 12 and 16 points in Bucks first five games, all wins…His sister Tristan Canavan, former all-state softball player and member of Dunmore Lady Bucks state champion basketball team, is now freshman at Cecil College in Maryland…Holy Cross sophomore forward-center Adam Badyrka averaging 17 points and eight rebounds per game in early going for Crusaders…Fan favorite Nasty Nestor Cortes and infield prospect Caleb Durbin gone from New York Yankees to Milwaukee Brewers in trade for all-star relief closer Devin Williams…Nate Schimelfenig scored 33 points in West Scranton’s 59-58 win over Nanticoke Area…NFL Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss, second all-time with 156 touchdown catches and record 23 TD receptions with New England Patriots in 2007, battling cancer found outside of bile duct between pancreas and liver…Mollie Urban led Lady Crusaders with eight points in Holy Cross girls’ basketball loss to,Holy Redeemer, 55-26…Dunmore School District students of the month this past November for grades seven through 12 include Michael Gentile, Beau Golden, Elena Piepoli, Sascha Novak, Miles Stephenson and Aidan Walsh…It was 20 years ago when Dunmore graduate Brett Trichilo was named to Associated Press Little All-American Team for second straight year…Playing football for Wilkes University, he was named to third team in annual list of top Division II, Division III and NAIA football players in nation after rushing for 1,685 yards and 21 touchdowns…Do you remember Dunmore VFW winning 1992 Little League City-County championship?…Dunmore VFW 1992 team members included John Joseph, P.J. Sacco, Chris Gilhooley, Jim O’Malley, A.J. Thompson, Frank Olechna, Justin Amendolaro, Thomas Murphy, Richard Dempsey, Joe Bonewicz, Jeff Bonewicz, Tim Connors, Kevin Moylan and Thomas Kelly…Dunmore VFW coaches in 1992 were Joe Sacco and Donald Moore, Jr….Holy Cross boys’ basketball, No. 1 team in Times-Tribune Top 10 Poll, earned 84-81 road win over Abraham Lincoln High from Brooklyn, New York on opening weekend…Matt Lyons led Crusaders with 19 points…Michael Hughes scored 18 points and Adam Badyrka added 17 for Holy Cross…Mario Matrone scored 12 and C.J. Thompson added 11 in balanced scoring for Holy Cross…Michael Hughes scored 18 points to lead Holy Cross to non league win over Holy Ghost Prep, 67-55…Matt Lyons added 16 points while sophomore Adam Badyrka finished with 15 for Holy Cross…Jimmy Clark scored 28 points and Nate Aviles added 22 to lead Dunmore over Montrose, 73-45, in non league basketball contest…Bill Belichick taking his Super Bowl rings and going back to school at age 72 to coach University of North Carolina football team on five-year, $50-million contract…Belichick, despite his accolades, was 29-39 in final four years at New England without Tom Brady as his quarterback…Beyon McLean scored 15 points and Aiden Smola added 14 as No. 5 Valley View handed top-ranked Holy Cross its first loss of basketball season, 52-49…Adam Badyrka scored game-high 20 points for Crusaders…Women’s flag football will become 23rd varsity sport at Marywood University, beginning in 2025…The Pacers will play as club team in spring of 2025 before competing in Atlantic East Conference, which last year became first NCAA conference to offer varsity women’s flag football…Jimmy Clark and Bobby Hoban scored 11 points each as Dunmore beat Carbondale Area, 55-19, in non league basketball game…Two-time world champion and four-time gold glove shortstop Brandon Crawford announced his retirement from baseball after 14 seasons, first 13 with San Francisco Giants…Congratulations to Dave “The Cobra” Parker and family of late Dick Allen for election by Veteran’s Committee into National Baseball Hall of Fame…Allen hit .292 with 351 homers in 15-year career with Phillies, Cardinals, Dodgers, White Sox and A’s and was former NL Rookie of Year and AL MVP….He had .378 career on base percentage, leading AL twice…He led AL in homers twice and was league leader in OPS four times…Parker, known as “The Cobra” and currently afflicted with Parkinson’s, was long overdue as five-tool player with rifle arm and 2,712 career hits…The Cobra played with Pittsburgh Pirates, Cincinnati Reds, Oakland A’s, Milwaukee Brewers, California Angels and Toronto Blue Jays hitting .290 with 339 homers, 526 doubles, 75 triples and 1,493 RBIs…He earned an NL MVP, three silver sluggers, three gold gloves, two consecutive batting titles and was two-time world champion…Both Allen and Parker were seven-time all-stars…But what about Tommy John and late Luis Tiant not being elected?…John, 83, who Tommy John surgery is named after, won 288 games, totaled 162 complete games and 46 shutouts, had 3.34 career ERA and won 20 games three times after his historic surgery by Dr. Frank Jobe…El Tiante, who recently passed away at 83, won 229 games, completed 187 games with 49 shutouts, had 3.30 ERA with two AL ERA titles at 1.60 and 1.91 and won 20 games four times…Its a huge slight these two legendary pitchers are not in National Baseball Hall of Fame…No pitcher in today’s game is compiling these numbers…Both pitched to go the distance and win…Look for baseball writers to elect Ichiro, southpaw reliever Billy Wagner and possibly former Yankees lefty C.C. Sabathia into National Baseball Hall of Fame this month…It’s time former Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins gets more support…Times-Tribune sports writer Scott Walsh called late Scrantonian-Tribune sports editor Guy Valvano a great resource on local sports history who will be missed tremendously…Dunmore’s Valvano died two months ago at 96…Dunmore’s Brian McGurl, John Quinn and rest of QBall put on quite a show at Dunmore corners for Dunmore’s highly successful Chrstmas on the Corners event attended by hundreds last month…So Juan Soto signs with Mets for $765-million and private suit for his family…Yankees offered $760-million, but no suite…Good way to get out of shelling out $765-million…Do you remember John Loury?…Whatever became of Dennis Leonard?…Happy New Year, everyone…

Dunmorean of the Month: Gemma Eckersley Bistran

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Holy Cross sophomore winning the race to beat cancer

By Steve Svetovich

When the going gets tough, the tough get going.

Take Holy Cross sophomore student-athlete Gemma Eckersley Bistran, for instance.

In the spring of 2022, Gemma, now 16, was a 13-year-old student-athlete at St. Mary of Mount Carmel School, Dunmore. She was a fierce competitor in swimming and track and field.

However, during one swimming meet she struggled to breathe.

Her parents, Tristan Eckersley and John Bistran, raced to find a reason. Medical doctors involved in the case initially diagnosed long-haul COVID. However, after a chest X-Ray, it was determined Gemma had pneumonia.

Her Dickson City-based pediatrician, April Troy, MD, had a “gut feeling” something more serious was missed. She suggested Gemma’s parents take her to Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to have her lungs drained.

With this procedure, it was determined Gemma did not have COVID or pneumonia. Gemma’s chest cavity was being ravaged by primary mediastinal large B-cell lymphoma (PMBCL), an extremely rare, relentlessly aggressive blood cancer. About 2,500 people are diagnosed with PMBCL annually.

The Holy Cross sophomore is now in remission and back to swimming and also running cross country and track. She and her parents credit the support of family, friends and strangers for keeping them focused and hopeful throughout their ordeal.

Last year Gemma raised money for cancer research in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Lehigh Valley and NEPA’s Student Visionairies of the Year campaign.

If a student visionary for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society raises $50,000, then he or she can name a grant. Gemma raised about $103,000, so she named two grants. One grant was for pediatric cancer research and another specifically for lymphoma research. Gemma named them in honor of Sonny Crotti and Thomas Zelno who lost their battles with cancer.

Tireless and focused, Gemma spent six months sending letters, making videos, reaching out to businesses and foundations asking them to donate. Both St. Mary’s and Holy Cross held dress down days.

Gemma was selected student visionary of the year for the Lehigh and Northeast Region.

This past September Gemma helped raise $2,243.00 for childhood cancer. She was supported by the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia’s Parkway Run/Walk and members and coaches of the Holy Cross cross country team.

Gemma continues to use her platform to raise money for others fighting cancer.

Gemma has a highly impressive 4.2 grade point average at Holy Cross. Her favorite academic subjects are history, government and languages,

Gemma is hoping to eventually attend college at the University of Pennsylvania to study psychology and early childhood education. “I want to pay it forward,” she said. “They were very good to me there. I would like to become a child life specialist. A child life specialist helps the children in a hospital go through the process. You are assigned to a child to comfort them. I want to do that. It’s my way of paying it forward.”

Gemma and a Lakeland student, Juliana Grier, are also involved with “Gems and Jewels.” The two students get together to make calls and contact people for donations and community fundraisers for cancer.

Gemma, with a clean bill of health, recently qualified for states as a member of the Holy Cross cross country team. She is also a member of the track and field and swimming teams. Her swimming season started last month.

Gemma had an MRI and blood work last month and all went well. “It came back clear and I hit the three-year mark of being in remission. It is all good right now. I do feel different than most people expect, though. I have that fear of feeling sick again. I don’t want that feeling again.”

Positive and strong-willed, Gemma said her parents are always there for her. “They have been at every single treatment.”

Gemma is proud her fellow cross country runners and other students and runners took part in the 5K run in Philadelphia to raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“They got on a bus at 4:30 a.m. to go with me,” she said. “It was for a great cause. We will do it again. Everyone at Holy Cross is so supportive. It’s a great environment.”

“I want to pay it all back and raise money for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and for other cancer associations for children.”