PARMA, Ohio -- President Warren G. Harding was inaugurated as the nation’s 29th president on March 4, 1921. Just a few days later, on March 10, Sue Peterchalk was born to Eastern European immigrant parents in Portage, Pa.
Peterchalk, now a Parma resident, is the city’s newest centenarian. She received a proclamation recently from Parma City Council President Sean Brennan. Ward 9 Councilman Roy Jech also signed the proclamation.
Peterchalk was one of eight children. Her father was a coal miner in central Pennsylvania and bought a farm in Portage when the Depression hit. She recalled sleeping in a hay bed with her five sisters as a child.
The sisters made their way to Cleveland after World War II. Peterchalk settled in Parma in 1976.
And in Independence, John Fabish celebrated his 101st birthday on April 27.
A World War II veteran, Fabish enlisted in the Army Air Corps in 1942. He was stationed in South Carolina and built B-25 bombers. Five of the planes he worked on were said to be part of the Tokyo air raids after the bombing of Pearl Harbor on Dec. 7, 1941.
Later, as a crew chief, Fabish served in North Africa, Sicily, Corsica, Rome, Germany, France, Belgium and Austria before coming home to Cleveland in 1947.
After the war, he met his wife, Margaret (Marge), at a dance at St. Stanislaus Church in Cleveland. The couple were married for 69 years and raised three sons, Ron, Don and Jerry.
Independence Mayor Greg Kurtz visited Fabish to bring birthday greetings from the city.
“When I asked him how old he felt on his 101st birthday, he said, ‘I feel good, like I’m 75,’” the mayor reported.
Happy birthday to both.
Pierogi run signups, scholarship deadline extended: Parma City Council President Sean Brennan sends word that the deadline for the Parma Pierogi Run scholarship has been extended to May 14.
The run, which will mark its 10th anniversary this year, is scheduled for July 3 at Cuyahoga Community College’s Western Campus, 11000 Pleasant Valley Road, Parma. It includes a kids fun run, a 1-mile walk and a 5K run (timed)/walk (not timed).
Online registration closes at 9 a.m. June 26. Mail-in entries are due by June 24. Send forms and checks payable to Hermes Sports & Events, 2425 W. 11th St., Suite 2, Cleveland, Ohio 44113.
Advance registration is $25 for the 5K and 1-mile walk; $15 for ages 11 and younger. Race-day fees are $30; $15 for ages 11 and younger -- cash or check only. The first 600 entrants are guaranteed a race T-shirt.
Donations of non-perishable food items will be accepted to benefit the Tri-C student food bank. Those making donations will receive tickets for raffle prizes.
The event also includes a pierogi costume contest with prizes. There will be race awards in various age groups.
The following charities will benefit from the race: Parma Charitable Fund, Parma Boy Scout Troop 221, Tri-C Scholarships and the Andrew Boyko City of Parma Memorial Scholarship Foundation.
For more information, contact Hermes Sport and Events at 216-623-9933, Brennan at 440-885-8091 or email pierogie5k@gmail.com.
Congrats, grad: Parma resident Debbie Holley sends word that her daughter, Alyssa, graduated with a master’s degree in vocal performance from the University of Northern Iowa. Alyssa plans to continue studies toward a doctoral degree at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University.
Brooklyn residents are invited to participate in a community cleanup project on May 15 in the Ridge Park Square, Ridge Road and Interstate 480 areas. (Carol Kovach/special to cleveland.com)
Community cleanup: Brooklyn residents are invited to participate in a Keep America Beautiful community cleanup event from 9 to 11 a.m. May 15 in the Ridge Park Square and Ridge Road areas.
Volunteers should meet at 9 a.m. that day at the medical office building behind Marc’s. Cleanup will cover the Ridge Road area north to Biddulph Road and south to Interstate 480 and possibly to Brookpark Road. It also will include Northcliff Avenue by Ridge Park Square. A small group will cover the I-480 exit and entrance ramps by Ridge Road.
Volunteers must be at least 18; children 12 and older accompanied by an adult also can participate.
For registration or more information, email Andy Celcherts by clicking here.
Huntington helps kids enjoy outdoors: Huntington National Bank has donated $10,000 to the nonprofit Footpath Foundation, enabling distribution of Footpath’s Outdoor Connection Kits to hundreds of Northeast Ohio children.
The kits allow youngsters with limited access to nature to connect with the outdoors.
Mary Macias, Footpath CEO and co-founder, expressed gratitude to Huntington for the donation and its continuing commitment to introducing youngsters to nature. Each kit contains a lesson and supplies to get them outdoors, including a variety of materials designed to be fun, educational and supportive of a child’s social-emotional well-being.
Kits may contain items like bird feeder materials, chalk, a jump rope, yard games and nature art supplies. So far, more than 250 youngsters have received kits.
The program also provides opportunities such as hiking, exploring, fishing and camping to help children improve their physical and mental health and develop life-enhancing skills. The five-year-old nonprofit offers outdoor adventures, school-based programming, a summer camp and equestrian therapy.
For more information, visit footpathfoundation.org.
Polaris open house: Polaris Career Center will host an open house to offer a preview of upcoming classes in its adult job and career training programs from 5 to 7 p.m. May 12 at the facility, 7285 Old Oak Blvd., Middleburg Heights.
Call 440-891-7697, email tliska@polaris.edu or visit polaris.edu/openhouse to schedule a visit.
Visitors can speak directly with instructors, see the learning spaces and learn about financial aid options.
Programs are available for high school seniors, recent graduates and adults who are exploring training and career opportunities. The event also features a registration information session that will guide prospective students through the enrollment and tuition payment process.
Featured programs include automotive service technician; cardiographic technician; cosmetology academy; dental assisting; early child care education/child development associate; heating, ventilating, air conditioning and refrigeration; medical assisting; medical billing and coding; phlebotomy certification; police academy; precision/CNC machine technology; welding; and two new programs that will be announced soon.
All attendees must park in the side parking lot and enter through the atrium.
Polaris high school programs serve 11th- and 12th-graders from Berea-Midpark, Brooklyn, Fairview Park, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls and Strongsville high schools. Polaris satellite programs include students in grades 7-12 in all six associate high schools, plus Brooklyn, Lewis F. Mayer, North Olmsted, Olmsted Falls and Strongsville middle schools. Polaris Adult Education students come from all over Greater Cleveland.
Special note: Happy Mother’s Day to all moms!
Information, please: Readers are invited to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, church events, etc. in Brooklyn, Independence, Parma, Parma Heights and Seven Hills for the Sun Postings column, which I write on a freelance basis. Awards, honors, milestone birthdays or anniversaries and other items are welcome. Submit information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to carolkovach@hotmail.com.
Read more from the Parma Sun Post.