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


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    THE 40's and PRIOR
      Melvin Bassi, '44
      Hubert Braunegg, '42
      Bonnie Moss, '44 & John Cooper, '04
      Eleanor Pyzynski, '44
      Stewart 'Budd' Cole & Ed Palumbo, '38
      William 'Bill' Suzich, '48
      Floyd Holroyd, '44

Former toastmaster welcomed into Hall... By Brian Herman, The Valley Independent, June 9, 2004
Mel Bassi is no stranger to the Mid Mon Valley Sports Hall of Fame.

When the banquet was resurrected in 1996, Bassi served as the event's toastmaster for four years.

Now he's among the inductees.

"I'm certainly surprised to be at the other end," admitted Bassi. "It's really nice to be honored for something you enjoyed."

Best-known as a lawyer and banker, Bassi had a busy athletic career as a player, coach and official.

It started at Charleroi High in the early 1940s in three sprots (football, baseball and basketball).

"That was a time when the Valley was loaded with talent," said Bassi. "Donora, Monessen, Brownsville and Redstone all had great teams and every game was a crisis each week. Playing against great players made you better."

Bassi's athletic career was interrupted by two years with the Navy in Okinowa during World War II before going to Washington and Jefferson College.

"I was a teammate one year of Dan Towler, Walt Cooper and Ace Heberling on the football team before blowing out a knee," he said. "But I did play baseball four years at W&J."

Bassi passed up an opportunity to play baseball for pay.

"There were only 16 major league teams at the time and I had a chance to play in the minor leagues, but I thought I was too old for a career in the minors and didn't think I was good enough."

So instead of playing, Bassi ended up coaching officiating.

Bassi guided youth baseball for 18 years with the highlight being a Mon Yough Colt all-star team advancing to South Carolina in the late 1960s.

"We were a game away from going to the World Series," he recalled.

He got into officiating through three other Mon Valley Hall of Famers- Jim Hamer, Tom Brown and Tom Parkinson.

"If it wouldn't have been for Jim Weir (former Rostraver and Belle Vernon Area High athletic director, I wouldn't have gotten high school games to start," he said. "He adopted me and was almost a press agent for me. He introduced me to a lot of people and I eventually gravitated to the college level."

Bassi spent 16 seasons as a college whistle-tooter working Division II games for the Eatern divison.

Bassi gave up officiating to follow his four sons'- Brad, Keith, Neil and Mitch- scholastic and athletic careers.

He's practiced law for 50 years, being the senior partner in the law firms of Bassi, McCune and Vreeland in Charleroi and Washington and for 41 years has been chairman of Charleroi Federal Savings.

Brian Herman can be reached at bherman@tribweb.com OR 724-684-2667.