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Local bikers make special delivery to Geisinger SWB

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LCCC craft show draws big crowd, almost 150 vendors

<p>WILKES-BARRE &#8212; Whether they are old school, like me, or tech-savvy to meet the demands of a &#8220;deadline now&#8221; world, every journalist has a file of contacts &#8212; people they can rely on to get the story of the day.</p><p>I have such a resource &#8212; it&#8217;s a little black book, if you will, that began as an alphabetical listing of people I have met along my journalistic journey and is now a volume of names and numbers in no particular order.</p><p>For anyone other than me &#8212; and sometime for me as well &#8212; it can be challenging to find the number you are in need of, especially when time is of the essence.</p><p>But there are a few I can find at a moment&#8217;s notice. They may not be filed properly, or alphabetically, but I know exactly where they are. I know where these people are because I have relied on them so often that it&#8217;s almost automatic that I find them when I need them.</p><p>At the top of that list was Dr. Anthony &#8220;Tony&#8221; Mussari, who died Wednesday at age 75.</p><p>Tony was much more than a source &#8212; he was a friend, a mentor and a role model. He exemplified what being an educator/writer/journalist is all about. He not only brought knowledge to the table, he brought passion, wisdom, understanding and determination to every project, story, film, book and lecture he did.</p><p>Whenever I would call Tony, he never disappointed. He always had the exact quote I needed, or the perfect story to tell or the information most needed to inform the public.</p><p>Tony was an expert on just about everything and his passion was telling the story that needed to be told and in a manner that would not just educate the viewer/reader/listener, it would leave an indelible mark on their minds, their hearts and their consciences.</p><p>That was Tony Mussari.</p><p>When I was doing yet another story on the anniversary of the 1972 Agnes flood, Tony came through again. Off the top of his brilliant mind, Tony told me the flood was unprecedented in destruction and dislocation with property damage exceeding $3.4 billion, or double the dollar loss for any other atmospheric-caused catastrophe in American history at the time.</p><p>Tony wrote the definitive Agnes book, &#8220;Appointment With Disaster.&#8221; He went on to say although 10 states were affected, most of the destruction occurred in Pennsylvania, and 70 percent of the commonwealth&#8217;s damage occurred in the Wyoming Valley.</p><p>And then Tony gave this profound quote:</p><p>&#8220;The magnitude of the disaster came as a surprise to everyone. The tradition of volunteerism had deep roots in the Wyoming Valley, and that tradition caused people to come to the levees to sandbag and to volunteer at disaster shelters. The community effort to raise and buttress the dike was a beautiful time in our local history.&#8221;</p><p>Only Tony could see beauty at such a devastating time in our history, but he was on target &#8212; again. Tony told me the Agnes disaster is a story of loss and sorrow &#8212; and of community heroics.</p><p>And to be sure you realize where Tony&#8217;s heart always was, know that he was among those volunteers sandbagging and trying to contain the Susquehanna River 45 years ago.</p><p>&#8220;Of equal significance was the response of individuals who wanted to help themselves and others,&#8221; Tony said. &#8220;In my mind&#8217;s eye, the Agnes disaster is a story of genuine heroism at the ground level.&#8221;</p><p>That tells the story of Tony Mussari. His ability to provide such insight was priceless to people like me. I can recall many times he amazed me with his uncanny ability to make me see things my eyes and my mind never saw before. I will be eternally grateful to him for giving me that.</p><p>At a lecture Tony gave at Wilkes University on the late Judge Max Rosenn, Tony directed the discussion about honor, service and community leadership &#8212; the values deeply held by Judge Rosenn.</p><p>Tony said Rosenn was about 94 when an interview was filmed, about two years before his death. Judge Rosenn was sharp as ever, articulating as only he could about living a good life.</p><p>Tony took it a step further, saying he worries about the future for his grandchildren and he pointed to Judge Rosenn for guidance. Tony said there is a growing conflict between moral character and performance character. He said the values Judge Rosenn possessed must be instilled in all of us or the world will only get worse.</p><p>During an interview I did with Tony and his wife, Kitch, who was always at his side, we talked about the memorial they built on their property to the memory of the 40 passengers of Flight 93 &#8212; the plane that crashed in western Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001. &#8220;Angel Garden&#8221; contains markers and names of all the passengers and crew members, a Flight 93 flag and a rock for every life lost at all sites on 9/11.</p><p>As we sat and talked, Tony leaned back and tried to put himself on the hijacked plane.</p><p>&#8220;Think about it. You know this plane is destined to crash and you are traveling in the last part of this journey,&#8221; he said. &#8220;You&#8217;re going about 565 miles per hour and you&#8217;re at the level where cell towers pick up cell phone calls and you have the kind of courage and determination to try to take over control of the aircraft.&#8221;</p><p>I will forever cherish my times with Tony. I hope what I learned from him will be enough to keep my focus always where it should be &#8212; where he would want it to be.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Bill O&#8217;Boyle </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_Columnshot-6-1-3.jpg</photo0><caption0>Bill O&#8217;Boyle </caption0><photoCredit0></photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_gettysburg1_faa-2.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Dr. Tony Mussari </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/web1_gettysburg1_faa-2.jpg</photo1><caption1>Dr. Tony Mussari </caption1><photoCredit1></photoCredit1></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Bill O&#8217;Boyle</p><p>boboyle@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Bill O&#8217;Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle, or email at boboyle@www.timesleader.com.</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Beyond the Byline: Godspeed, Tony Mussari