web1_TTL040617penn.allumnus.jpg

Young entrepreneur honored at Chamber Education Celebration

web1_115905770-17d0e6622606426dadb9e92da0c69889.jpg

YouTube TV debuts, has some nifty features — and some big drawbacks

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; As she toured the Rev. Jozef Murgas Room at King&#8217;s College earlier this week, 82-year-old Denise Wallace, of Wilkes-Barre, marveled over the preserved butterflies.</p><p>Ramonita Rolon liked the painting on the wall that depicted a young Jesus talking to the learned men in the temple. &#8220;It&#8217;s beautiful,&#8221; she said.</p><p>Meanwhile Joe Esposito, 75, of Plains, and Randolph Troutman, 77, of Wilkes-Barre, admired a hand-drawn illustration of a botanical garden and picnic ground connected to Sacred Heart Church&#8217;s parish cemetery.</p><p>Perhaps the most amazing aspect of the butterfly collection, religious art and botanical garden design &#8212; all on display on the first floor of the King&#8217;s on the Square building &#8212; is that the same person was responsible for all of them.</p><p>The Rev. Jozef Murgas, who became pastor of Sacred Heart Slovak Church on North Main Street more than 100 years ago, is most well-known for his 1905 transmission of wireless sound between Scranton and Wilkes-Barre. But he also was a talented artist, studied botany and held several patents, including one for a fishing reel.</p><p>As for the butterflies, his collection once numbered 9,000.</p><p>&#8220;Can you imagine? Nine thousand,&#8221; Magdalen Benish of the Slovak Heritage Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania said as she led a tour for a walking group from the Charles T. Adams Senior Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre. &#8220;Father Murgas used to pay children a penny a butterfly.&#8221;</p><p>Most of the butterflies were lost in the 1972 flood, Benish said. Much earlier, well before the priest&#8217;s death in 1929, he sold artwork he had painted in order to finance his scientific experiments.</p><p>The tour guide feels fortunate to have the one original painting and two reproductions to display, along with Murgas&#8217; big wooden desk, a set of priestly vestments and historical facts about the Murgas&#8217; early years in Slovakia and scientific work in the United States.</p><p>Benish believes Murgas, who is sometimes called &#8220;the radio priest,&#8221; shared information with Gugliemo Marconi who, in 1901, had transmitted a Morse code signal over the Atlantic Ocean but at the time believed wireless transmissions would not work over land.</p><p>&#8220;Father Murgas was a genius,&#8221; Benish said.</p><p>When King&#8217;s College was remodeling the former Ramada Hotel to turn it into classroom and student-living space, Benish raised $100,000 to establish the Rev. Jozef Murgas Room, where visitors can learn about his life and work. It&#8217;s open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and from noon to 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.</p><p>Rolon, who is assistant director of the Charles T. Adams Senior Center in Wilkes-Barre, said she was delighted to take the walking group to the Murgas Room. The group walks through the downtown area on Tuesdays and Thursdays, Rolon said, and she&#8217;s on the lookout for more interesting places to visit.</p><style>
.neFileBlock {
	margin-bottom: 20px;
}
.neFileBlock p {
	margin: 0px 0px 0px 0px;
}
.neFileBlock .neFile {
	border-bottom: 1px dotted #aaa;
	padding-bottom: 5px;
	padding-top: 10px;
}
.neFileBlock .neCaption {
	font-size: 85%;
}
</style>
<div class='neFileBlock'>
<div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617fathermurgas1-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Randolph Troutman, 77, and Denise Wallace, 82, both of Wilkes-Barre, admire the contents of the Rev. Jozef Murgas Room, which range from the radio pioneer&#8217;s wooden desk to paintings and a butterfly collection. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617fathermurgas1-1.jpg</photo0><caption0>Randolph Troutman, 77, and Denise Wallace, 82, both of Wilkes-Barre, admire the contents of the Rev. Jozef Murgas Room, which range from the radio pioneer&#8217;s wooden desk to paintings and a butterfly collection. </caption0><photoCredit0>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617fathermurgas2-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Joe Esposito, 75, of Plains Township, looks at reading material in the Rev. Jozef Murgas Room at King&#8217;s on the Square. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617fathermurgas2-1.jpg</photo1><caption1>Joe Esposito, 75, of Plains Township, looks at reading material in the Rev. Jozef Murgas Room at King&#8217;s on the Square. </caption1><photoCredit1>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617fathermurgas3-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Magdalen Benish, board member of the Slovak Heritage Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, shows visitors from the Charles T. Adams Senior Center a display of information about the life of the Rev. Jozef Murgas, who was born in Slovakia in 1864 and served as pastor of Sacred Heart Slovak Church in Wilkes-Barre, where he conducted experiments in the wireless transmission of sound. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617fathermurgas3-1.jpg</photo2><caption2>Magdalen Benish, board member of the Slovak Heritage Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, shows visitors from the Charles T. Adams Senior Center a display of information about the life of the Rev. Jozef Murgas, who was born in Slovakia in 1864 and served as pastor of Sacred Heart Slovak Church in Wilkes-Barre, where he conducted experiments in the wireless transmission of sound. </caption2><photoCredit2>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit2></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617fathermurgas4-1.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Magdalen Benish of the Slovak Heritage Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, center, leads a tour of the Rev. Jozef Murgas Room in the King&#8217;s on the Square Building for a walking group from the Charles T. Adams Senior Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre. From left are Ron Borland, Denise Wallace, Randolph Troutman, Benish, assistant director of the senior center Ramonita Rolon, and Joe Esposito. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo3>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/web1_TTL040617fathermurgas4-1.jpg</photo3><caption3>Magdalen Benish of the Slovak Heritage Society of Northeastern Pennsylvania, center, leads a tour of the Rev. Jozef Murgas Room in the King&#8217;s on the Square Building for a walking group from the Charles T. Adams Senior Center in downtown Wilkes-Barre. From left are Ron Borland, Denise Wallace, Randolph Troutman, Benish, assistant director of the senior center Ramonita Rolon, and Joe Esposito. </caption3><photoCredit3>Sean McKeag | Times Leader </photoCredit3></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p><strong>By Mary Therese Biebel</strong></p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mary Therese Biebel at 570-991-6109 or on Twitter @BiebelMT</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Senior citizens walking group visits Rev. Jozef Murgas Room in Wilkes-Barre