KingsKings forfor aa nightnight Tony Callaio | For Sunday Dispatch Sunday Dispatch staff reportors Gene Axton and Jimmy Fisher stand with the 2016 award recipients. From the left, GeneA xton; 2016 Joseph Saporito Lifetime of Service Award recipient, Keith Moss; 2016 Greater Person of the Year recipient, Ron Faraday; Jimmy Fisher. SUNDAY DISPATCH Sunday, April 23, 2017 S2 2 Sunday, April 23, 2017 PERSON OF THE YEAR Sunday Dispatch Preserving Pittston’s history one step at a time Greater Pittston Historical Society President Ron Faraday named 2016 Sunday Dispatch Person of the Year By Jimmy Fisher the community with the final vote being [email protected] made by the Dispatch editorial staff. Faraday was honored at a special ban- PITTSTON — For Ron Faraday, the quet in front of over 100 people at Coo- only way to know more about Pittston’s per’s on the Waterfront, put on by the present is by learning from its past and Times Leader and Sunday Dispatch staff. the president of the Greater Pittston His- The 50-year-old Pittston resident was torical Society has dedicated his life to unsure what to think when he was told learning all he can. the news of receiving the award and From revitalizing the historical society assumed it to be a joke. to working with college students and to “I thought I was being lied to,” Faraday playing a hand in the city having a docu- said. mentary made about it, Faraday’s dedica- tion to the society and the impact it’s had His own history on the community is what makes him the Faraday was born in Port Blanchard, 2016 Sunday Dispatch Person of the Year. but his family moved to Pittston when he The Sunday Dispatch Person of the was 6 years old and he graduated from Year represents the person/persons who Pittston Area High School in 1984. had the greatest impact on life in Greater Sean McKeag | Sunday Dispatch Pittston. Nominations are solicited from Ron Faraday talks about his personal background leading to his involvement with the Greater See HISTORY | 3 Pittston Historical Society. Saporito, Falcone & Watt Attorneys At Law We congratulate Keith Moss for being named the recipient of the Joseph F. Saporito Sr. (The Founder of our firm) Lifetime of Service Award & thank him for his many contributions to the Greater Pittston Community. We salute Ron Faraday for all his accomplishments and being named the Joseph F. Saporito, Sr. (1919 - 2001) 2016 Greater Pittston Person of the Year. Sincerely, Atty. Samuel A. Falcone, Jr., Atty. William J. Watt III, Atty. Maura Armezzani and Carlo Saporito 80822762 490 N. Main St., Pittston • 654-4643 S3 Sunday Dispatch PERSON OF THE YEAR Sunday, April 23, 2017 3 HISTORY | from page 2 He went to Johnson College and PAST PErsONS Congratulations, earned a degree in Electronics and Fluid- OF THE YEAR ics, then attended Misericordia Universi- 2000 - Michael Lombardo Ron, on being chosen as this ty where he obtained a Bachelors Degree 2001 - Lori Nocito in Business and Administration. 2002 - Frank Bartoli year's Person of the Year! After college, Faraday worked for 2003 - Our Fighting Men and Techniglass for 17 years before it closed, Women which prompted him to take classes at 2004 - Ron D’Eliseo Congratulations, Keith, on your Luzerne County Community College 2005 - Father Paul McDonnell, (LCCC) for Hotel and Restaurant Man- O.S.J. agement. 2006 - The Joyce Family Lifetime Achievement Award! “When they closed, I was halfway 2007 - Monsignor John J. Bendik 2008 - Peggy Burke through my Bachelor’s,” he said. “Since 2009 - Trooper Joshua Miller we were (North American Free Trade (posthumously) Agreement) affected displaced work- 2010 - Rich Kossuth ers, we were eligible for education from 2011 - Those Affected by the the government. Hotel and Restaurant Flood of 2011 Management offered the most amount of 2012 - Charles A. Adonizio III classes I could transfer for my Bachelor’s. 2013 - Stephanie Jallen “I wasn’t interested in Hotel and Res- 2014 - Barb Sciandra taurant Management; I was interested in 2015 - Rose Randazzo getting my Bachelor’s Degree faster and Mark your calendars for Paint Pittston cheaper.” Pink Week beginning with He went for a Master of Business 501(c)(3) organization working to col- Paint the Night Pink on Friday, September 29 Administration (MBA) degree at The lect and preserve local history. University of Scranton, but was unable to Faraday said the society consisted of and ending with the finish due to health issues. mostly retired citizens in Pittston who 2017 Color Me Pink 5K and “I don’t plan (on finishing),” Faraday were unable to devote much time to it. said. “I got involved with the historical “They were all elderly and worked on Gentlemen's Dash on Saturday, October 7! society and there is absolutely no time other things they had interest in,” he to take on the workload of an MBA that said. classes require.” Faraday joined in 2012 after getting in He spent time as a plant engineer for touch with John Dziak, who was project Master Halco, Inc. in Scranton and then coordinator and the only member at the as a supervisor for Unison in Wilkes- time. Barre, but was laid off. “I called him and Dziak winds up living “I was the last hired supervisor, so I only 10 houses down from where I grew was the first to go,” said Faraday. “It set up,” he said. “I called him and asked him the stage for what I’m doing now. It gave about the historical society and his first me a lot of free time and it was a case of question was, ‘How did you find me?’” being at the right place at the right time, After becoming a member, Faraday kind of like the Beatles.” knew he had to find a way to reach out Today, Faraday works as a production to Greater Pittston about the historical supervisor for Greiner Packaging in society, and thought, what better way to Pittston Township. do it than through social media? He said Dziak wasn’t keen on the idea Paint Pittston Pink is a registered 501c3 organization whose mission is to support a cure for ALL cancer through research and clinical trials. Joining the historical society of a Facebook account, saying whatever After being laid off, Faraday caught happens with it was in Faraday’s hands, himself being intrigued by history, say- but within 44 days of creating the page it ing he was watching a program on the had 0ver 1,000 followers. History Channel when he wondered Today, the historical society’s Facebook if Pittston had its own history-related page has over 4,400 followers. organization. After doing some digging, he came ‘Ron is the historical society’ 2017 across the Greater Pittston His- In 2013, the historical society saw a torical Society and decided to join the heavy increase in membership, thanks to organization. Founded in 2000, the society is a See HISTORY | 4 Main Street, Pittston • September 29 - October 7, 2017 80824179 S4 4 Sunday, April 23, 2017 PERSON OF THE YEAR Sunday Dispatch HISTORY | from page 3 heavy hand in obtaining, where they keep nesses that are, or once were, standing. newspaper articles and the machines to “On a personal note, working with the Facebook page and updated website. digitize them. Ron has been one of the highlights of my A reorganization meeting was held and McFarland said he joined the historical career,” said Black. “I know I’m young in officers were elected in which Faraday society after seeing on Facebook that vol- my career so it’s hard to say right now. was named president, a title he still holds unteers were needed. But, I’m continuously surprised by Ron’s today. Since he joined, he called working with humility, professionalism and imagina- According to its Facebook page, the Faraday a terrific experience and said he tion despite any advanced training as a historical society’s current elected officers works harder than anybody else in the historian. Ron displays a kind of talent are William Hastie Sr., president emeri- organization. for history and I think that stems from his tus; Julio Caprari, vice president; Jim “Ron is the historical society,” said passion on local history.” McFarland, treasurer; Sharleen Palaima, McFarland. “It just languished there for Faraday said working with Misericordia secretary; Joan McFadden, corresponding a while and didn’t do an awful lot. Ron University students has been great and secretary; Amy Morris, executive assis- got involved and he started getting other that it’s important for younger genera- tant; Kristina McHale, vice president of people involved and moving things. I tions to learn about their history. membership and fundraising. don’t think there’s one day out of the Sean McKeag | Sunday Dispatch “It’s important to get them involved,” Today, there are over 85 members who week that he’s not doing something with Ron Faraday poses with a magnifying glass in he said. “It’s good to instill the impor- work to collect historical memorabilia the society.” the office of the Greater Pittston Memorial tance of local history at that age. I didn’t Library. or digitize copies of old newspapers and get into it until I was in my mid-40s and photos. Shaping young minds I missed out on a lot of things I could’ve “When you’re at work, they tell you to A more recent project Faraday has 2014 when a student was looking to do an learned about and taught other people be careful what you email, because digital undertaken is working with Misericordia internship with the historical the society.