Golf

Golf 2019

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UNICO banquet honors former Wilkes-Barre coaches Fick, Joseph, Meck and Namey

<p>&#8220;I was honored to the point where I cried,&#8221; said World War II veteran Henry Rishkofski, 95, of Mountain Top, who accepted a red, white and blue Quilt of Valor last weekend from members of the newly formed Hazleton Area Quilts of Valor group.</p><p>&#8220;They must have put so many hours into making it, my heart goes out to them,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I told them, all of them live in my heart.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;It might get pretty crowded in there,&#8221; he added with a chuckle. &#8220;But there&#8217;s always room for more.&#8221;</p><p>&#8220;He is such a sweetheart,&#8221; said Marie Shulenski, who presented the quilt to Rishkofski at his church, St. Mary&#8217;s in Dorrance, on Saturday. &#8220;He reminds me of my father-in-law, as all World War II veterans do.&#8221;</p><p>Rishkofski joined the military when he was 19 years old and served in the U.S. Army 462nd AAA Anti-Aircraft Special Forces unit attached to the 2nd Infantry Division from May 1943 to October 1945. His job was to man a 40 mm anti-aircraft gun.</p><p>The Hazleton Area Quilts of Valor group, whose members also belong to the Cranberry Quilters Guild, crafted the quilt as a joint effort, with Judy Lutz piecing the quilt top, Eileen Blazic doing the quilting and Mary Grace DiGennari binding the quilt.</p><p>They presented it to Rishkofski in honor of his service, and he in turn said he accepted it in memory of his two good friends who never returned from war.</p><p>&#8220;The war was almost over; a shell hit as soon as they got near the door of the building,&#8221; he said in a telephone interview, recalling his most vivid memory of World War II. &#8220;When I got my Quilt of Valor I did it in memory of them.&#8221;</p><p>Rishkofski, a retiree and widower who has a son and daughter, six grandchildren and several great-grandchildren, said he might wrap himself up in the quilt when he listens to music. But don&#8217;t make the mistake of thinking that&#8217;s how he spends all his time.</p><p>&#8220;I still drive. I still go bowling. I still love my fishing. I still dance,&#8221; he said, remembering how he and his late wife, Pauline, &#8220;were king and queen of the jitterbug.&#8221;</p><p>Nowadays he&#8217;s more likely to dance to rock &#8216;n roll, especially with the church bazaar coming up in June.</p><p>&#8220;When we have our church bazaar, I always ask how I can help and (one of the organizers) says I should get things started,&#8221; he said. &#8220;When the band starts playing, I get out on the dance floor (to dance) and try to encourage other people.&#8221;</p><p>Since its inception in 2003, the Quilts of Valor Foundation has awarded Quilts of Valor, which are designed to offer &#8220;comforting and healing,&#8221; to more than 219,000 veterans. Anyone interested in nominating a veteran to receive one, should see qovf.org.</p><p>&#8220;It was my son, Henry Jr., who threw my hat in the ring,&#8221; Rishkofski said.</p><p>Rishkofski said he will treasure his Quilt of Valor, just as he treasures a $5 bill a small girl once gave him. He&#8217;d been wearing his veterans cap at a restaurant and the child approached him, thanked him for his service and gave him the little present.</p><p>&#8220;I was going to put it in a frame and say &#8216;what do you think it&#8217;s worth?&#8217; &#8221; Rishkofski said. &#8220;Monetarily, it&#8217;s worth only $5, but to me, it&#8217;s priceless.&#8221;</p><p>Shulenski said anyone who is interested in the Cranberry Quilters is welcome to attend a meeting, 6:30 to 8:30 on the fourth Monday of each month at Faith United Church of Christ, 21 Faith Drive, off Airport Road behind the Toyota dealership. Information is also available on the quilters&#8217; Facebook page.</p><style>
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<div class="neCaption">Marie Shulenski, a member of the Hazleton Area Quilts of Valor group and the Cranberry Quilters Guild, presents a Quilt of Valor to World War II veteran Henry Rishkofski, of Mountain Top, during a service at his church, St. Mary&#8217;s of Dorrance. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo0>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_IMG_4334.jpg</photo0><caption0>Marie Shulenski, a member of the Hazleton Area Quilts of Valor group and the Cranberry Quilters Guild, presents a Quilt of Valor to World War II veteran Henry Rishkofski, of Mountain Top, during a service at his church, St. Mary&#8217;s of Dorrance. </caption0><photoCredit0>Submitted photo </photoCredit0></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_IMG_4348.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Grateful to the quilters who crafted his Quilt of Valor, Henry Rishkofski said, &#8216;They must have put so many hours into making it, my heart goes out to them. I told them, all of them live in my heart.&#8217; </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo1>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_IMG_4348.jpg</photo1><caption1>Grateful to the quilters who crafted his Quilt of Valor, Henry Rishkofski said, &#8216;They must have put so many hours into making it, my heart goes out to them. I told them, all of them live in my heart.&#8217; </caption1><photoCredit1>Submitted photo </photoCredit1></div><div class="neFile"><img class="neImage" src="https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_IMG_4369.jpg">
<div class="neCaption">Henry Rishkofski, recipient of a Quilt of Valor, poses with quilt pierce Judy Lutz and quilter Eileen Blazic. </div></div><div class="metaInfo"><photo2>https://www.timesleader.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/web1_IMG_4369.jpg</photo2><caption2>Henry Rishkofski, recipient of a Quilt of Valor, poses with quilt pierce Judy Lutz and quilter Eileen Blazic. </caption2><photoCredit2>Submitted photo </photoCredit2></div></div>
<div class="metaInfo"><subheadMeta>Quilts of Valor group honors World War II veteran Henry Rishkofski</subheadMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mary Therese Biebel</p><p>mbiebel@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div>

‘All of them live in my heart’