Bill OBoyle: Enjoy your life journey
Apr. 21—As we all travel through life, we encounter events that we celebrate and then we also endure some that are tragic.
When I look back, or when I hop into the Way Back Machine, I always like to travel to the good times that are filled with fond memories that live forever in my heart and in my mind.
So I decided to travel back to those good years before the not so good years.
First up, 1966. Oh what a glorious year this was — well, it actually started in September of 1965 and continued through 1966.
I remember this year clearly. I see all the stores lining both sides of Main Street, and they stayed open in the evenings. In 1966, Plymouth was celebrating its centennial and men grew beards and women wore bonnets as classic cars rode up and down Main Street.
Our high school's basketball team won the Wyoming Valley Conference championship and copped the District 2 title before losing in a controversial game against Williamsport. There were parades for the opening of Little League and for Halloween, as storefront windows were painted in festive scenes. The town was safe, and it was fun and it was "one for all, all for one."
I see the magnificent PHS school campus with its beautiful brick buildings, winding sidewalks and tall shade trees and Huber Stadium and its amazing wall and the Plymouth Little League that sat adjacent.
All this changed forever in 1966-1967 when nine West Side schools merged to become Wyoming Valley West, bringing rivals together, wearing new school colors and a new nickname — Spartans.
It got worse in 1967-1968 when we all were bused to one school. It just wasn't the same.
But it was even worse for me and my dad as we lost mom on the day before Mother's Day in 1968. So as bad as it was to adjust to the new WVW, it was mostly a blur for me because of my mom's illness and her passing.
From all the joy in 1965-66, to nothing but confusion and heartache in 1967-68.
The Way Back Machine's next stop was 1971. Things were going pretty good, but my journey, while definitely not smooth, was kinda fun in a juvenile, immature way. Reality was fast approaching, but I really didn't seem to care much about it. I had not even begun to map out a future.
Then came 1972 and a gal named Agnes. We all suffered at the wrath of the devastating flood. But to be honest, the dirty, smelly waters of the Susquehanna River actually brought me to the starting point of positivity.
Mayor Ed Burns saw something in me and gave me a job coordinating the clean-up crews for my hometown. With the help of several others in the old Town Hall, we got it done. Plymouth cleaned up faster than any other flood-affected town.
This led me to a real job at the Redevelopment Authority of Luzerne County and a path to somewhere.
My next stop was in 1986. Things seemed blissful where I was, but I was wrong. I did get to travel to California to visit family I hadn't seen in years. But this was to be the beginning of the end of a marriage and life as I had known it for many years.
In 1987, my marriage ended and I somehow found myself in the then-Leadership Wilkes-Barre class of 1987-88. It still seems a bit bizarre, but this is just what I needed. And Junior Leadership Wilkes-Barre was the project I worked on and it's still flourishing today.
And believe it or not, in 1995, I was selected to be a part of Leadership USA and I say with some pride that I was the least significant member of that 36-member class. But my peers did choose me as chairman of our graduation ceremony.
Wait. What?
But 1995 was also the year my dad passed. A strange feeling for sure when you realize both your parents are gone. I found myself staring at the ceiling wondering what the hell was I going to do now?
I worked at the John Heinz Institute for 12 years and I loved it, but getting back to newspapering actually saved me. I can't tell you how much I look forward to doing this job every day. It's fun, it's rewarding, it's challenging, it's meaningful and it's important. And when I think of all the people I've met and where I've traveled, its very humbling.
That's why 2007 is one of my top years — it's when I returned to the job I love here at the Times Leader. But all told, I have worked in this business much longer — from my days at the Wyoming Valley Observer, the Sunday Independent, another Wilkes-Barre daily, and here at the TL — about 35 years or so.
And I must mention all the organizations I've been involved with: Teeners' League Baseball; Wyoming Valley American Legion Baseball; Make-A-Wish of NEPA; Challenger Little League; Victory Sports; Luzerne County Arts & Entertainment Hall of Fame; ASA Softball; Litewska Street Children's Hospital in Warsaw, Poland; a playground for patients at the John Heinz Institute for pediatric patients; the Ethics Institute of Northeastern Pennsylvania; the Book Kids Program at Wyoming Valley West School District; the annual Riverside Rumble wheelchair-only race; Bowl for Kids Sake for Big Brothers/Big Sisters; and the Wyoming Valley West Community Advisory Group.
So cherish your days with your moms and dads and families and friends. Make every day counts. Savor these times. Serve your community.
And take lots of pictures. Write everything in a journal. Value all the days you have.
Life really is a journey to be enjoyed.
Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
