photos courtesy of Dick McCoy
Newspaper photo from "The Vestal News" July 1, 1965
The Angelos
by Carren Corpron
The picture of Angelo Field...Named for Pa Angelo who lived at the end of my street Oak Street. But, here is the rest of the story...My
mother was the first case of polio in Broome county. One day as I was coming home from school, kindergarten, I saw ambulances in front of my house and police cars. My mother was going to the hospital...
Once people found out she had polio it was so scary. Everyone was afraid of us( me, my brother Jim and my dad.) My dad worked for IBM and had good insurance but needed to work to keep it and still needed to take care of his 2 kids.
He was beside himself when Ma Angelo came and knocked on our door! ( I know that sounds weird but that is how we all knew them. ) Ma stayed home and had 9 kids, all living at home. Pa worked at EJ shoe factory. They were both from Italy and were just incredible people. My father warned her she probably shouldn't come in. She came in, packed me and my brother up, and took us home to stay with her and her family. She got us off to school, was there for us after school and fed us and did homework and laundry ...I guess some people might say if you're doing laundry for 9 kids and two adults what's 2 more... BUT she didn't have an electric washing machine or dryer.
It was a ringer machine and she hung everything out on a long clothes line that wound all around her back yard.
She told my father that we needed her help until my mother got better and if God wanted her or her family to get polio that was what would happen and it wouldn't happen any quicker if she opened her home to us. I tell you with tears in my eyes, they were the most incredible months of my life. Incredible loving meals, caring bedtimes and loving memories of my life. Pa Angelo always had one or two boys in some sport or other. There was Jake, Louie, Paul, Louise, Mary, Vera, Joey, Tony, and Anabelle. Kids were their PASSION, helping anyone in need, their SPECIAL
TALENT. I haven't thought of them in a long time. SHAME ON ME.
But the picture of Angelo field was a great catalyst. I had heard that they were going to do that. AGAIN thanks
for the memories.
The Angelo Family
by Dick McCoy
I first met Ma Angelo when I played Lil League for Lou-Max (first base), & she worked the concession stand. Pa Angelo was the "informal" groundskeeper (there was no formal one back then). He would very often get up at 5 AM and go down to the field to water it, rake, mow, and generally maintain it. He was there almost every day until he died; in fact, he died on the field one morning while taking care of it - heart attack ... he died doing what he loved. I know all this because Debbie (my ex) is his granddaughter.
Carren: Loved your story about Ma Angelo, she truly was a very giving person. After I married Debbie (LaZenka), her granddaughter, we would spend every Thanksgiving at the house on Oak Street with all the Angelo family, up until the day she died. She had a tremendous sense of humor, and a great memory (she even remembered me from Lil League days!) Her grandson (Harold's son, Jim Angelo) bought the
house when she died, and now lives in it.
I know time has faded our memories somewhat (heck, I sat here for three minutes while writing this trying to remember my old Lil League Team's name!), so here's the low-down on the names of Ma & Pa's kids and where they are today: The oldest was George, he was killed in WWII, the next was Rosaline (or Rosie, as she was called, who was Debbie's mom, who died of cancer about 12 years ago), next was Louie, who lives in Chenango Bridge, NY, and is retired from construction, then came Jake, who lives in Apalachin, NY and is retired from IBM, then came Louise, who lives in Endicott, next is Harold, who lives on Old Vestal Road and is retired from being a plumber, and then along came Mary, who lives in Albany, NY, and last was Vera, who lives in Baltimore, MD. Vera is only a few years older than all of us '65 grads.
A little side note: Jake's first wife died of cancer many years ago, and when he remarried, guess who she is? Nancy Stratton, the older sister of Sue Stratton, who graduated with us in '65! Sue now lives in Syracuse, NY. I'm forwarding your story to Debbie and our two kids (two of Ma & Pa Angelo's many great-grandchildren), I'm sure they'll enjoy it very much!
Thanks again for the memory of Ma Angelo, I'm glad the pic I took had a hand in it. Take care,