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MINGO JUNCTION – The second-annual Joe Fortunato Scholarship and Community Awards Banquet held Thursday evening recognized 11 recipients applauded for their contributions in various categories.
Hosted by the Mingo Business Association, the event was held at the Mingo Knights of Columbus Hall where George Irvin Jr. served as master of ceremonies.
“The community awards give appreciation and respect to Mingo’s greatest assets – its people,” Irvin said.
Event proceeds benefit the Joe Fortunato Scholarship Fund, so named for the Mingo native and linebacker in the National Football League who played 12 seasons for the Chicago Bears. Since 2008, the Mingo Business Association has awarded 18 $500 scholarships to Indian Creek High School graduates.
Guest speaker Andrew Connor, head coach of the playoff-bound Indian Creek High School Redskins, told the audience, “We try and do our best to encourage our kids to see some of the players that have impacted the district. Joe Fortunato impacted our district, and we try to remind our kids just how successful he was.
“Each week we hand out a No. 31 sticker that the football player will put on his helmet, so the kids continually remember how important Mr. Fortunato was to our school district.”
Connor said from Fortunato to the Mingo Indians 1988 undefeated football team to the current squad headed to the playoffs Saturday, the school district has “a rich tradition, a rich history.”
John Balzano, introduced by Irvin as “Mingo’s Regis Philbin,” presented the community awards, with the recipients also receiving resolutions from federal and state leaders. The honorees were:
– Air Force Capt. David “Nick” Hauck, honored posthumously, a Mingo resident who was performing in an air show with the Air Force Thunderbirds at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, on May 9, 1981, when his T-38 Talon aircraft experienced an engine malfunction. Knowing it could crash and ultimately kill numerous spectators, the captain chose to sacrifice his own life and down the plane away from the crowd. His courage led to a section of state Route 7 being designated as the Capt. Nick Hauck Memorial Highway. The award was accepted by Greg Hauck, his brother.
– Rose Gron Angelica, who served as band director at Mingo High School from 1978-88, attended Ohio State University and was one of the first women to be in the OSU Marching Band and receive a degree in music and education. She took the Mingo High School Marching Band to parades and competitions all over the country. She taught at four high schools and three colleges, including OSU, and created the Dean Martin Music Scholarship.
– Richard Angelica, a lifelong Mingo resident who taught at Mingo High School, Central Junior High School and Wayne schools for 37 years and was principal at Central Junior. He was the Key Club adviser and took students to national conventions in California, New Orleans, Florida, Canada, Arizona, Missouri, Yellowstone National Park, Grand Canyon and Mount Rushmore.
– Pete Burkey, a 1986 graduate of Mingo High School, who received numerous college scholarship offers before settling on the University of Louisville. A career highlight was playing in the 1991 Fiesta Bowl and defeating the University of Alabama 34-7.
– Mike Herrick, a 1962 MHS alumnus who was appointed head football coach at Mingo in 1981. He had a career record of 79 wins and 41 losses. In 1988, Mingo had its first and only undefeated regular season football team. Its team members were acknowledged at the banquet.
– Dr. William Johns, a 1963 Mingo High graduate, attended one year at Ohio State University before serving his country by joining the Marine Corps Reserves. He served six years and pursued a bachelor’s degree from OSU in pre-med, later graduating from the Autonomous University of Guadalajara, Mexico, in 1971. In 1979, he returned to Mingo Junction to join his previous family physician, Dr. Paul Ruksha.
– John Valuska, a 1949 MHS graduate and its valedictorian, who played high school football with Joe Fortunato. There, they became known as Mr. Inside and Mr. Outside, the “Touchdown Twins.” Valuska went on to Columbia University where he played football and graduated in 1953. He ran Valuska Insurance and later the Mingo Bank and owned the Mingo Theater. The posthumous award was accepted by Tom Valuska, his son.
– Dr. James W. Valuska, a 1954 MHS graduate and valedictorian like his brother, who continued his secondary education at Princeton University and played football. He graduated with a medical degree from Columbia University before serving his country as a lieutenant commander in the Navy during the Vietnam War. He retired in 2002 and died on May 5, 2012. The posthumous award was accepted by Wendy Manfresca, his daughter.
– Mingo Knights of Columbus Council 4361, which was chartered on March 10, 1957, with 45 members. In 1968, they purchased property and started construction on a new building that was completed four years later. The Mingo Knights Council has established itself as one of the best councils in Ohio and on several occasions was ranked No. 1 in the state, according to officials. In its history, it has donated more than $500,000 to various charities
– Baci Carpico, Joe Fortunato’s best friend and past state deputy of the Ohio Knights of Columbus, was recognized for his years serving at the state level. On Sept. 1, 1997, he was appointed the vice supreme master of the fourth degree (Hennepin Province) for four years, which encompasses Michigan and Ohio.
– John “Wiz” Fabian, who graduated from Mingo High in 1949, played varsity football for three years and played with Fortunato. As a senior, Fabian made First Team All Valley as lineman. He later spent more than three years in the Air Force and is a Korean War veteran. He worked at the Mingo post office for 32 years and has served Mingo Junction and Jefferson County in elected and appointed positions for more than 35 years.
The evening also was occasion for the unveiling of three signs that will be erected in the north end of town, including “Home of Pete Burkey, 1985 Lineman of the Year;” “Home of Mike Herrick, 1985 Ohio Class A Coach of the Year;” and “Home of Mingo Indians 1988 Undefeated Football Team.”