The Glendale Boys Club Knew How To Build More Than Sports Teams

It usually takes a lot for a story to get some play more than once and in different sections of a newspaper, particularly when one of those sections is the sports pages.

We think that we have a worthy example.

In last week's (June 18) issue of the Times Newsweekly/Ridgewood Times, the "Our Neighborhood the Way It Was" column included a reader's letter with mention of the recent passing of former Glendale resident Jim Donnellan.

Jim, who died on May 15, was credited as a founder of the annual Halloween Parade on Myrtle Avenue.

But he also was an original member of the now-defunct Glendale Boys Club, which sponsored youth teams in the neighborhood—and. that's where sports comes into play.

Ten years ago, Jim submitted an account of how the Glendale Boys Club got started. Like most good stories, it's about something that fits a particular category but has more to say than that.

Going off to war figures in the story. While it isn't mentioned in his remembrance of the Glendale Boys Club, Jim was a carpenter by trade and during World War II, he served with the Seabees (for "Construction Battalion"). The official motto of the Seabees was Construimus, Batuimus—"We Build, We Fight."

The 1950 youth football team that was sponsored by the Glendale Boys Club. The players are shown, flanked by coaches Jim Murtha (at left) and Jim Donnellan (at right). Anyone who can identify one or more of the players is encouraged to forward the information. In honor of Jim Donnellan and all the men who were involved in the club and served their country, the story follows below:

"The Glendale Boys Club members were all kids who grew up in Glendale before World War II and who played football with the Glendale Boys Club.

"We were not sponsored by anyone, but formed a team by ourselves. Ray Byrnes, Andy Kane, Jimmy Murtha and Harold Murtha were the kids who had the most to do with starting the team.

"The Long Island Daily Press had formed a league and we entered a team, with Pete Mitessor as our coach. We sold chance books and made enough money to buy green and gold jerseys. The jerseys cost $5 each—a lot of money for a kid in those days.

"We had our meetings in Mitessor's cellar, and practiced at night under the lights by the Interboro Parkway by Stony Hill Road.

"At the end of the season, we were the champs of our division— undefeated, untied and unscored upon. St. Camilus of Rockaway were champs of their division and were also undefeated, untied and unscored upon.

"We played St. Camilus for the championship twice, but both games were scoreless ties, so we were declared co-champs and then we all went off to war.

"Coach Mitessor was the reason we were so good. He believed that practice made perfect. He prepared us for what we would face in the future: discipline!

"We all wound up in the service: the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Merchant Marine, and were scattered all over the world for the next three years. The war years turned the Glendale kids into men.

"Like 12 million other men, we fought for our country because we loved and believed in it. We were all 17 or 18 when we went into the service, so we did not come home as soon as the war ended. It took awhile for the young guys to be discharged because age counted in the discharge point system.

"From 1946 on, for the next two years, it seemed like there was a welcome home party every week. Our football team played for the next two years in the Queens Alliance-Senior Division.

"We started to settle down a bit and we organized a social and athletic club. We also decided to sponsor some football, baseball, basketball and hockey teams in the neighborhood.

"We needed money to finance these teams, so we decided to run a dance at the Triangle Ballroom in Richmond Hill. We wanted to make it something special, so we all decided to wear tuxedos. We sold chance books and printed a journal that was very well supported by local merchants.

"The first year we were able to sponsor a football team in the Queens Alliance. We were also able to sponsor a baseball team for teenagers in the Press League. Little League did not exist in those days.

"For seven years we ran our annual dance and continued to sponsor football, basketball, baseball and hockey.

"Art Cwyergal of the Dexter Bombers started up a Pop Warner League for Brooklyn and Queens and the Glendale Boys Club entered a team in the pee wee division. This was the start of Pop Warner Football in our area.

"One of our basketball teams won the championship of the senior division of the Press League. The entire team then enlisted in the U.S. Navy. This was during the Korean War.

"Their picture was on the front page of the Daily News. Georgie Dumbach, Phil Elberfield and Bob Staab were some of the boys on that team.

"The Glendale Boys Club also played in the fast pitch softball league. It was called the Bar League because all of the teams were sponsored by different bars.

"Richie Surhoff, Mickey O'Connor and Red Westenberg were the best pitchers in those days. Whoever hired one of them was sure to win the game that night.

"Most of the boys took advantage of the G.I. Bill and went to college and worked at a part-time job to help support themselves.

"The members of the Glendale Boys Club knew how to enjoy themselves and over the next few years, we had many bus rides, dances, parties and weddings, and in general, a good time was had by all.

"Recently, I read the book The Greatest Generation, written by Tom Brokaw. I think that book sums up what I am trying to say about all the guys in the Glendale Boys Club. We had 40 members in our club.

"I think that our group of young men was probably as fine a group of guys produced in any generation and I consider myself lucky to have been associated with them.

"Today, the boys and their wives and families are scattered all over America. They are retired, having finished their life's work in many varied professions, trades and businesses.

"I know that wherever they went and whatever they did, they have left a good record. I would like to close with a few lines written by Oliver Wendell Holmes:"

In concluding his letter, Jim used an excerpt from The Boys—its final two stanzas—written by Oliver Wendall Holmes (1809-94).

Yes, we're the boys—always playing with tongue or with pen,

And I sometimes have asked— Shall we ever be men?

Shall we always be youthful and laughing and gay,

Till the last dear companion drops smiling away?

Then here's to our boyhood, its gold and its gray!

The stars of its winter, the dews of its May!

And when we have done with our life-lasting toys,

Dear Father, take care of thy children, THE BOYS!

We received an e-mail from Mick Ennis, the former Glendale resident who now resides in Arizona with wife Marilyn.

"Jim Donnellan was a good, longtime friend through St. Pancras and sports. His son, Brian, was an altar boy at our wedding and Kathy D. used to play softball with Marilyn in the BVD League," Mick recalls in his message.

Jim and his late wife Catherine (Kitty) had five children: the late Jim and surviving children Brian, Maureen, Kathleen and Patricia. They also are survived by nine grandchildren, as well as many nieces and nephews.

We have a photo of the 1950 football team sponsored by the Glendale Boys Club. As shown, the players are flanked by coaches Jim Donnellan (at right) and Jim Murtha.

Anyone who can identify one or more of the players in this photo can consider this an invitation to do so.

If we receive some names, we'll be glad to run the the picture again, with those players identified.

Similarly, anyone who recalls the Glendale Boys Club or any of the teams that they sponsored is encouraged to check in with their story.

We don't know how many other carpenters besides Jim Donnellan were part of the Glendale Boys Club. But it's safe to say that as a group, they did a fine job of building within the neighborhood.

To share a local sports-related recollection, send letters to Memory Games, c/o Times Newsweekly, P.O. Box 860299, Ridgewood, N.Y. 11386-0299, or via e-mail at b.mitchell@timesnewsweekly.com.

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Ten years ago this week ... the St. Margaret's Rookie Dragons clinched the Western Division title with victories over Our Lady of Mount Carmel and St. Francis in the opening round of the CYO baseball playoffs.

In the first game against Our Lady of Mount Carmel, the Dragons pounded out 15 hits in the 17-5 victory.

Chris Fuchs pitched a gem, striking out 15 while scattering nine hits. Chris helped himself at the plate with a single, double and triple, driving in four runs.

The red-hot bat of Dave Lewandowski knocked in six runs with a double and two singles. Dennis Munch added to the hitting barrage with a home run and single as the Dragons cruised to victory.

On Sunday, they faced St. Francis with the Western Division title on the line. Joey Schiano was on the hill for the Dragons and after allowing three hits and two runs in the first inning, he settled down and gave up only three hits in five innings of work. He struck out three and got eight ground-ball outs.

Trailing 2-0 in the first, the Dragons took the lead with four runs. Lead-off hitter Russell Zay doubled and scored on a single by Willie Armstrong.

Fuchs followed with a double, scoring Armstrong. Lewandowski hit a long two-run homer to give the Dragons the lead.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Dragons added two insurance runs. Lewandowski singled and scored on a triple by Munch. Danny Rubino singled, scoring Munch, to give the Dragons a 6-3 lead.

Justin Dross came on in relief of Schiano to start the sixth inning. Dross struck out five of the eight batters he faced, including the last three.

The victory put them in the semifinal round for the Diocesan Championship.

The Dragons, 12-3 during the season (14-3 overall), were made up of veteran players Chris Fuchs, Joey Schiano, Ryan Piteo, Willie Armstrong, Justin Dross and Sean Maher.

The all-out play and hustle of second-year players Dave Lewandowski, Russell Zay and Matt Masi, combined with the contributions and enthusiasm of firstyear players Danny Rubino, Dennis Munch, Andrew Sawicki and Danny Dougherty, made the Dragons a well-balanced team— making the season one to remember.

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Ten years ago in the NBA ... the good news was that the New York Knicks were in the NBA finals on June 25; the bad news was that they were eliminated on that date by the San Antonio Spurs, who clinched the championship, four games to one.