Wednesday, December 6, 2006
The sportswriter is one of the highlights in Gene Janecko's seventh scrapbook.
By JOHN KOVACH
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
CAMPBELL -- Florence Galida never has received any monetary compensation for serving as a sportswriter for the Journal Publishing Co. for 33 years and writing articles about various Campbell Memorial High School sports events.
She covered all Red Devils sports for the Journal at one time or another from 1973 until the newspaper went out of business recently, just for the sheer enjoyment of writing and promoting her alma mater, from which she graduated in 1952.
She will continue to provide her philanthropic services as a sportswriter to the new Hometown Journal, which recently succeeded the defunct Journal under the new ownership of publisher-editor Nancy Johngrass, and will continue to serve primarily the Campbell, Struthers and Lowellville communities.
"I just do it for the joy of keeping Campbell Memorial in the news and enjoy praising our student athletes," said Galida, who also is a nurse, local historian, author, community leader and civic organizer, and the wife of Dr. John Galida, a Campbell dentist for 45 years.
Honored in scrapbook
To reward Galida for her many contributions to the Campbell Memorial sports program and community, she is being honored as a special contributor in Gene Janecko's seventh sports scrapbook -- Campbell Memorial Red Devils Football Book II.
This latest publication by Janecko, an author-sports historian from Austintown and a 1944 graduate of Campbell Memorial, covers the school's football program from 1966-2006.
The 580-page publication of football memories, filled with newspaper clippings, photographs, feature articles, sports tidbits and memorabilia, is Janecko's second scrapbook about Campbell football.
His first Campbell scrapbook covered the beginning of the Red Devils' football program from 1924 until 1963, and is called the "The Red Devil Scrapbook."
Janecko's other sports scrapbooks are "The Rivalry" (East vs. Campbell Memorial from 1927-1967), "This Is Wildcat Country" (Struthers, 1916-2003), "The West Side Saga" (Chaney, 1926-2002); "The Fighting Irish" (Ursuline, 1932-2004); and "Falcon Football Pride" (Austintown Fitch High, 1927-2005.
Did it for the players
Galida said she was motivated to begin her sports-writing career with the Journal when the Memorial football team was struggling in 1973.
"I started when we were having a losing streak and no one was writing about them and were ignoring the players. I started with football. I asked if I could start writing about the football team," said Galida, a graduate of the St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing who now serves as a nurse in her husband's office. "I didn't expect anything and I didn't want anything and I don't expect anything now."
Galida always has been interested in journalism and sports. While at Memorial, she was an editor of the school newspaper, the "Memo," and some of her high school articles appeared in the Campbell Journal.
She said the Campbell Journal originated in the 1930s as actually one of three newspapers being published out of the same office, along with the Struthers Journal and the Lowellvile Journal. Campbell also had two other newspapers -- the Campbell News and the Campellite Review.
Galida continued her writing career in nursing school by starting her own newspaper, "The Suture Line," that featured stories and announcements. She also has worked as a private duty nurse and a surgical nurse at St. Elizabeth.
Wrote history of Campbell
One of Galida's biggest journalist achievements was writing "The Fascinating History of the City of Campbell," a 268-page Bicentennial edition published in 1976.
She also is a former fast-pitch softball player and has been a golfer in various women's leagues, while also serving as a coach of the Campbell girls softball league for seven years. She and her husband have been sponsors in the Campbell Softball League since 1977.
The Galidas have three daughters -- Gale Ross, Lynn Lattimer and Joan Fuller, and six grandchildren.
Florence is the daughter of Michael J. Katula Sr., who was a member of the first Campbell high school football team at Penhale High School in 1924; and Ann (Solic) Katula.
Galida is happy that she and Memorial sports are getting second chances with the Hometown Journal.
"I'm glad someone bought it," she said. And, "I am grateful for the opportunity to continue with the new Hometown Journal."
Gene Janecko's latest scrapbook, the Campbell Memorial Red Devils Football Book II Scrapbook, along with his five other scrapbooks, are available for purchase by calling him at 330-792-0611.
kovach@vindycom