listing/roster of Charleroi, Pennsylvania High School Graduates/Alumni


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    THE 80's
      Gai-Linn Tatrai, '87
      Jim Donley, '84
      William Procasky Jr., '85
      James A. Protin, '84
      Pete Kalamaras, '88
      Brend 'Bernie' Uhlemann, '85
      LaCarte Brothers, '85, '86, '87, '88 & '99

Dunlevy native 'combats the bad guys'... By Dorothy Yagodich, TRIBUNE-REVIEW, October 12, 2003
"I was in the Pentagon on 9-11. I was in Corridor Nine in an office with the Joint Chiefs of Staff."

The plane, taken over by terrorists that horrific day in 2001, came down on Corridor Five.

"It crashed into the Navy Command Center. I could feel the boom, smell the smoke, feel the fire. It was just a mess," said Donley, who works at the Joint Theater Air and Missile Defense Organization in its Air and Cruise Missle Defense Division in Washington, D.C.

"I will never forget the smell," said Donley. "I am a Gulf War I veteran and this was scarier than anything I ever saw before."

Since most of the people who work in the Pentagon are affiliated with the military, and better prepared for disasters, their main concern was to get everyone out to safety, he said.

Donley knew his family would be watching television news about the devastating event. He said all the phone lines were down and one of the worst things was not being able to call his wife at home and his mother in Florida to let them know he was all right.

As a young man growing up in Dunlevy, Donley's main interests in high school were math, computer science and physics. He graduated from Charleroi Area High School with the Class of 1984. He went on to Computer Systems Institute in Pittsburgh and then transferred to California University of Pennsylvania.

Donley joined the Navy and in the next 10 years, studied at Florida State University and Georgia Tech. "The Navy paid for most of that."

Armed with a bachelor's degree in computer science and an advanced degree in Computer Modeling, Simulation and Wargaming from Georgia Institute of Technology, Donley went to the nation's capitol.

He worked for the government in a program called Cooperative Engagement Capability. He also taught Aegis Weapon Systems. Donley also worked at the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in the Command, Control, Communications, Computer, Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance office, "known as C41SR."

Donley's current position with the Joint Theater Air and Missile Defense includes work with the Patriot Missile in planning and layout. "We have to combat the bad guys," he said.

On a typical work day, Donley is on the road at 5:15 a.m. for the drive to the Pentagon. He leaves work between 4:30 and 5 p.m. unless something unexpected happens.

At home are Donley's wife, Alison, and a 10-year-old son, James Aaron. The family has a 150-pound great Dane, Daphne.

In his spare time, Donley acts as a soccer referee and as coach for his son's soccer team.

"You've got to play soccer if you're from Dunlevy," said Donley. He recalled playing soccer from age 6 through high school. "Dunlevy kids all played hockey, softball, football, regular pickup teams of 15 to 20."

His parents, James and JoAnn, owned Mobile Home Trailer Sales along Route 88 and his mother ran a craft shop there. Donley has four sisters, Brenda, Megan, Tammy and Kerry."

When working on a family tree, Donley learned "I have a great-great-uncle in Webster. Walter Donley is in his 90's." He has been able to trace his dad's roots back to the early 1800s.

Donley has few material items to augment the memories of his early years, since a flood in the mid-80s washed everything away. "Dunlevy was wiped out by the big flood. The family was wiped out. I have little of any childhood stuff at all, only a couple of small pictures."

But Donley recalls Charleroi places and events. "The Coyle Theatre was there till I was about 12," he said. "And Fisher's Big Wheel. I bought my first pair of skis at the Ski Rack."

Donley recalls that "Mr.(Ralph) Arrigo" was the ski club teacher. Since physics was one his favorite subjects, Donley named David Puskar as his favorite teacher.

While in the Navy in 1986 and 1987, Donley visited Charleroi and danced on Saturday nights at the Night Express. "It was on McKean Avenue by the State Theatre."

Donley is in touch with good friends, Mark Haywood and Jimmy Thompson. "They still work in the Mon Valley."

Haywood became friends with Donley during their junior high school years. They were in the ski club together and Donley was also in the band, Haywood said. During high school, they both worked at McDonald's.

Haywood joined the Navy too. He is still in the Naval Reserves. Though he was "surprised at Donley's job at the Pentagon," the friends exchange phone calls and visits frequently.

"I called as soon as I could after 9-11 because I knew he was working in the Pentagon." Haywood said.

Haywood, who is employed by Allegheny Power with offices in Maryland, said he would not leave the Mon Valley, "at least until my daughter is out of school. She is in first grade now."

Thompson, a graduate with the Charleroi Class of 1983, described his friendship with Donley "ever since the third or fourth grade. We were just little tykes but good friends."

Thompson never expected Donley, known to his friends as "Boo", to be working in the Pentagon. "I'm pretty impressed at that."

Although he was from Dunlevy, like Donley, "I was one of the few who didn't play soccer. They were all pickup teams." Thompson said he is firmly planted in the Mon Valley. He lives in Fallowfield Township and is employed at the Federal Home Loan Bank of Pittsburgh.

Donley said no one wants to leave the Valley. "I would come back in a minute if I could find a job there."

Dorothy Zippay Yagodich, Class of 1952, is an internationally published free-lance writer and ongoing friend and supporter of CharleroiPaHsAlumni.org.