Hawk and Her Flock miss nests in Valley

Collectively, and affectionately, they have been called The Hawk and Her Flock.

The three former residents of the mid-Monongahela Valley are still flying high in Houston, Texas -- and firmly holding fond memories of what they say will always be home, even 30 years after they flew from the nest.

"I left at the age of 28, but those years in the Valley are my roots," said Wilson, the former Dolores Tegnelia of Monessen. "I have never made friends here in Houston like the ones I have back home and Marilyn and Donella, who came down here with me. The people in the Valley are real and are the best people in the world."

Wilson is "The Hawk," a moniker she received from her myriad friends in the area in the 1970s. She also was known as "Squeaky Bizarrechick," a character created for her "In This Corner" columns in The Valley Independent.

"It was a lot of fun," Wilson recalled of being the brunt of humor directed at her unique voice and nature. "Very few people knew I was The Hawk and/or Squeaky. I enjoyed the little secret."

Wilson, Lowe and Peto left the area on July 31,1978, to cast their lot in Houston.

Wilson had worked seven years as a secretary and bookkeeper at United Way of Mon Valley, her charm and witty ways adding to the efficient manner in which she worked. Lowe had greeted customers at Mellon Bank in Charleroi for a few years and before that at Magic City Travel in Charleroi. Peto was a customer's dream as a waitress at Sweeney's restaurant in Rostraver for nine years.

Today, Wilson is an accountant with Wyle Laboratories; Lowe owns her own travel agency, Connect Tours & Cruises; and Peto is a respiratory therapist at DeBakey Heart Center-Methodist Hospital.

"The first job I had (in Houston) was working as controller for Theater Under the Stars," Wilson said. "It was great fun meeting celebrities but (the job) didn't pay much, and I left after six months."

Wilson then worked eight years as an accountant for Gulf States Toyota Inc. and nine years as accounting manager at Coastal Conservation Association.

"(CCA) is a non-profit fishing organization committed to saving the redfish," Wilson said. "They build hatcheries and are making an enormous impact on the environment throughout the United States."

Wilson left the conservation group when her husband, John Wilson, went to work for Lockheed Martin. He is now an experimental machinist for Jacobs Engineering, a subcontractor for NASA, and works directly on-site at the Johnson Space Center in the Clear Lake area of Houston.

"(John) makes prototypes for space exploration," Wilson said.

Wilson, a 1967 graduate of Monessen High School and Douglas School of Business in Monessen, met her husband-to-be met not long after she, Lowe and Peto arrived in Houston.

"We all rented apartments in the same complex," she recalled. "We immediately became friends with the other residents in our courtyard since we were all about the same age. One of our friends worked with John and told him about these crazy girls from the Pittsburgh area. Not believing all those stories he heard, John came to check us out with his own eyes and ears. We immediately clicked and the rest, as they say, is history."

Like her husband, Wilson is involved with the U.S. space program in her job at Wyle Laboratories.

"We do the medical operations for NASA keeping the astronauts medically fit and ready for flight," she said. "I do the monthly closing of the books and have been (at Wyle) for nine years."

The Wilsons "really enjoy" living in Pearland, a suburb in the southeastern area of Houston.

"The population is close to 80,000 but it's like living in a small town," said Wilson, 58. "There is no state income tax here and the cost of living is much lower than living in the north. We live in a wooded area close to the bay, and we love taking our boat out for a day of fishing. The weather is wonderful in the winter, but the summers are really hot."

Lowe, a 1968 graduate of Belle Vernon Area High School who grew up in North Belle Vernon, followed a similar career path in Houston. She worked for Kelley Manufacturing Co. for 12 years and then moved on to several different jobs.

"But nothing gave me the thrill I was looking for," said Lowe, 57. "And then it happened ... I started my own company in June 1994. We arrange group travel for schools, choral groups, churches and specialized groups. The company is going strong and I love what I do. I am very blessed to have a great staff and wonderful clients. I get to travel the world ... so much to see and so many people to meet. I feel like the luckiest person."

Peto, also a Belle Vernon Area High School graduate, worked in the food service industry, most notably at Ruth's Chris Steak House for a number of years before making the transition to health care.

She studied at Houston Community College to become a respiratory therapist and has worked in the cardiovascular and coronary care units at Methodist Hospital for 18 years.

There is no shortage of reminders of the Mon Valley for the women, even when they are not in Houston.

"We had a group at Disney World several years ago when I saw the Belle Vernon Area High School band marching through the park," Lowe said. "It brought back a lot of memories that were enhanced when I met a couple of classmates and friends."

Lowe also recalled being on a memorable cruise a couple of years ago.

"One of the entertainers said he was from a very small town southwest of Pittsburgh, and felt sure no one had ever heard of it," she said, laughingly. "When he said Monongahela, and I told him I also was from the Mon Valley, he couldn't believe it. He is George Solomon, and his mother and aunt were employees of Cox's department store in Charleroi."

Nancy Gaisbacher, who worked for Mitch Nassar's coal company in Charleroi, also resides in Houston and she and Lowe see each other when their schedules permit.

"It's not unusual to meet people from the Mon Valley no matter where I travel," Lowe said. "We are a very special breed."

Wilson said she often runs into others who are from the Mon Valley as well as numerous people from the Pittsburgh area.

"My dental hygienist, Shawna Glad, is from Charleroi," Wilson said. "Can you believe that? You go to the dentist and meet someone from across the (Monongahela) river. There also are 10 people working at Wyle who are from the Pittsburgh area, and we keep each other informed of what's happening back home."

Peto, 57, who lives in Katy, Texas, has had similar experiences.

"A few years ago a new employee, Christy Zampatti, started working with me," Peto said. "I mentioned my dad was a retired steelworker from Pittsburgh, never dreaming anyone had ever heard of the Mon Valley. What a small world. Christy, a huge Steelers fan, grew up in the Valley and her mother, Peggy Haller-Piper, who also works at Methodist, was graduated from BVA two years after me. They both have homes not far from me in Katy and tell me there is a new sports bar in our neighborhood that has a large contingent of Steeler fans that meets weekly."

Another co-worker at Methodist with Valley ties is Sharon Bailey, Peto said. Bailey's mother if formerly of Belle Vernon and her grandmother lives in Monessen. The former head nurse in the intensive care unit at Methodist is a Washington, Pa., native.

Peto, sings the praises of Katy, a colorful community of 80,000 29 miles due west of Houston.

"It still has a small-town feel that reminds me of the Mon Valley," she said. "And every Friday night high school football is king. Katy is close to downtown Houston, something similar to the Mon Valley and Pittsburgh, so we can attend concerts, sporting events and the cultural diversity. The weather is basically nice, except for hurricane season, and the leaves on the trees don't change color until after Christmas."

Peto is one of nine children born to the late Frank and Irene of Rostraver. Her sister, LuAnn Peto-Pickering, and brother, Anthony Peto, also live in Katy. Their siblings, Ronetta Elliott, Marla Sillings and Ronnie, Terry and Tom Peto, still reside in the Mon Valley area and another brother, Frank Peto, makes his home in Ridgely, W.Va.

Wilson's parents, Lindsay and Ladisca Tegnelia, are deceased. Her sister and brother-in-law, Marianne and Larry Miller, and their three children and her brother and sister-in-law, Ralph and Dolores Tegnelia, all live in Belle Vernon.

Lowe's parents, Wes and Hilda Lowe, moved to Houston in 1979 and are now retired and living in Willis, Texas, about an hour north of Houston.

"Both are in good health," Lowe said. "My dad works part time as a security guard at a gated community and loves it.

"My brother, Rick, is enjoying retirement in Cincinnati, Ohio, with his wife, Bonnie," she continued. "They have two sons and enjoy playing with their grandson in the 'Steeler' room in their basement. My sister and her husband, Ruthi and Curt Miller, reside in Dallas, Texas. They have one son and one daughter."

Wilson, Lowe and Peto have similar, yet distinct, memories of living and growing up in the Mon Valley. They mentioned such popular nightspots as the Blue Fox in Monongahela, the Sons of Italy and the Red Bull in Charleroi, Seven Springs and the Buddy Club in Speers; Redd's Beach; Christmas Eve celebrations at The Maples when it was owned by the late Joe and Sam Butera, and favorite foods.

"To me, there was nothing like ravioli from the Italian Hall in Monessen or a steak sandwich from Bill's Golfland in Rostraver Township," Peto said. "I go there (Bill's) any time I'm back home."

Lowe longs for ravioli at Rego's restaurant in Charleroi.

"On my last visit home I begged (owner) Nino (Giorgi) for the recipe, but to no avail," Lowe said. "There's nothing like it in the world."

Wilson offers similar sentiments.

"Our home was on Donner Avenue in Monessen," she said. "My father worked at the Page Plant (American Chain and Cable Co.), and my mother was a housekeeper at St. Leonard's Catholic Church. We didn't have a lot of money, but our home was filled with love. My family and friends meant the world to me. I will never forget going to Keystone Bakery when they were on Schoonmaker Avenue and smelling the fresh baked bread every morning."

The sights, sounds and general aura of Kaly's restaurant and lounge in Charleroi also lingers with The Hawk and Her Flock.

"Our days and nights at Kaly's will never leave me," Wilson said of the popular Fallowfield Avenue establishment owned and operated by Pete and Mary Ann Kalamaras. "The memories of singing to the music on the jukebox and being served by bartender Bubbly Bob (Carroll) are priceless. It was a great place always filled with great people."

"There will never be another Kaly's," Lowe said. "Pete and Mary Ann spoiled us all. What gracious people they are. And (sketch artist) Jimmy DiSanti officially made it our place when our sketches were hanging on the walls."

The women, all diehard fans of the Pittsburgh Steelers and Pirates, keep in touch with close friends in the Valley.

For Lowe, there are Donna (Guseman) Senko and Susan (Conti) Sevcik. Wilson recalls Jeannie Organ Bindi, Pam Ross Galiotto, Adele Warzinski Dzadyk, Rose Ann Bittlestone and Yvonne Tomasko.

"When we left the Valley, we stopped in Fort Myers, Fla., to pick up another fixture from Kaly's, Diane Strang-Madsen," Peto said. "Diane had worked at Montgomery Ward in Charleroi. Several years ago, she decided to return to Pennsylvania. She lives in East McKeesport and works at UPMC. We keep in touch."

Peto's strong memories of the Mon Valley also include the Rostraver Township Fair and bus trips to Cleveland for Steelers games or Community Day at Kennywood Park. She also recalls sitting in the bleachers at BVA's James Weir Stadium and "admiring the view of the rolling farmlands of Rostraver Township."

"I've been back for family events, funerals, weddings and picnics," she said. "If I could offer anyone there advice, I'd say, love your family and appreciate the heritage of small town Pennsylvania. No matter where you go, it can't be beat."

She emphasized that point with a final poignant thought.

"How I'd love to sit at my Mom's kitchen table with a cup of coffee and listen to the water rolling by in the creek near her home," Peto said. "I think it's dried up now."

Maybe so. But the memories of home remain fresh. They transcend time and distance for three women who spread their wings but remain close to the nest in their hearts and souls.

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