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When I met my wife at graduate school in Pittsburgh, not only was she beautiful, smart and funny, she was from the Big Apple.
She grew up in Brooklyn in New York City, in an overwhelmingly Italian neighborhood. So Italian, in fact that the fire hydrants were all painted in the colors of the Italian flag. Our story could really be the basis for many of the hallmark movies on TV these days -- city girl falls for a small-town boy and has to decide if she would return to the city or stay in the small town. Luckily for me, my story had a happy ending. When we moved back to Weirton after many years away, I told my wife about the extremely diverse community we have here, and she was surprised.
We have always been proud of our specific ethnic heritage here in our area. Our ethnic groups have really remained tight over the generations in our valley. I think a big part of that is the fact that there are people in those ethnic communities who have worked hard to keep their traditions alive.
For instance, for the Greek community, that has been the late Pam Makricosta. Pam suddenly passed away on April 8 while doing what she loved, recording "The Athenian Hour" on WEIR-AM. She had hosted this show since 1973, 50 years of tradition kept in the valley. In a 2020, an article written by Maria Sticco, she explained the history of the show, and how it is a lively combination of Greek music, relevant news, and up-to-date listings of cultural and religious events in the Tri-State Area. Makricosta imparts information in English, then repeats it in Greek."
In Pam's words, "I feel I'm an important part of preserving the Greek culture and language in our region." The radio program is the only Greek radio broadcast in West Virginia, the article explained. In that same article, Nick Tranto, former president of the parish council atAll Saint's Greek Orthodox Church, summed it up perfectly about why that program is so important to the Greek community in our area: "Many of our region's residents are first-generation Greek Americans, and many of us are still bilingual and closely tied to our parents' and grandparents' ethnic roots. Pam's program keeps us connected with our heritage and culture, through her music and Greek language. We are very grateful to have her devotion and tenacity in preserving the legacy of our immigrant roots."
Before Pam's time, the program was hosted by Crystal Kakalakis Sanderson and was called "Grecian Melodies" and was on the air for about 25 years before she took over. Pam worked hard to promote the Greek culture and history in Weirton. She explained in the article that even though she was born here in the states, Greek was her first language and she learned English at Trinity Lutheran Church in downtown Weirton. In addition to the radio program, Pam would present the story of her grandmother, who had to flee her home in Palea Phocaea in Asia Minor from the Turks in the early years of the nineteen-teens.
She carried a small bundle of all she could collect with just an hour's notice and her subsequent immigration to America in 1915. Her home on Fourth Street in North Weirton became a center for hospitality in those early years for the Greek community. So, what was in Pam's Yiayia's bundle?
Included was her dowry sheets and pillow case bordered with handmade lace and embroidered with her initials; slippers she made for her bridegroom; an icon of St. Nicholas' a book of prayers and scriptures; pictures of the family; a baby nightshirt; a set of baby sheets and a pillowcase which was embroidered the only word she knew in English -- Baby; and other personal effects, including her journal detailing her journey and fleeing from her homeland.
All of this information about the early Greek community of Weirton was recorded in Goldenseal magazine in the winter edition of 1997. The article is called "A bundle of Greeks in West Virginia" and it is certainly worth the read.
Although Pam is no longer with us, her legacy in preserving the Greek culture is felt strongly. Folks with WEIR and All Saints Church are working hard to keep the program on the air. The radio show that has been a staple of the Greek community for the past 75 years is something worth keeping.
Also, the memory of the sacrifices and determination that inspired many from our home countries to make the journey to America for a better life is something that should not be forgotten. So all in all, Weirton is not a big city, but our history is big. My wife, a person with Italian and Swedish ethnicity, has found a home here in our melting pot of a city, and there's no place we would rather be.
(Zuros is Hancock County administrator.)