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Dad attends commencement due to unlikely change in plans
Gallery
STRUTHERS
Class of 2010
Number of graduates: 150
Mascot: Wildcats
Class colors: Red and black
Alma mater: “Through the halls of Struthers High School, loud our praises ring, for to this our alma mater, always we will sing. Here’s to Struthers hail to thee, now we pledge our loyalty and we trust we’ll ne’er forget you, true to thee we’ll be.”
By SEAN BARRON
STRUTHERS
For a while, it looked as if John Martinelli would have to respond to his daughter Samantha L. Martinelli’s high school graduation with a congratulatory message from halfway around the world.
Often, though, things don’t go according to plan, and in this case, that made Samantha Martinelli very happy.
“I don’t know what I would have done if he wasn’t here,” Martinelli said, referring to her father’s being able to watch as she accepted her diploma during Sunday’s Struthers High School Class of 2010 commencement ceremony.
John Martinelli, an Air Force reservist, has had to miss many holidays and family gatherings because of several overseas deployments. Nevertheless, an unlikely change of plans made it possible for him to attend the 90-minute ceremony at the Struthers Memorial Fieldhouse, 111 Euclid Ave.
Martinelli’s longtime military career, which includes serving in Italy during Operation Desert Storm, began when he joined the Navy shortly after high school. In May 2008, he transferred to the Air Force reserves after having been a Naval reservist with the Seabees.
Martinelli learned that his name was on a list of reserve unit members who were to be part of a six-month deployment to Iraq starting last February. He was held back, however, because the paperwork didn’t transfer, so in November 2009, Martinelli was instead assigned for five months to Sheppard Air Force Base in Wichita Falls, Texas, paving the way for his return home in April, he explained.
“It’s meant the world to me to be [at the commencement]. I’m absolutely glad about the way it turned out,” said Martinelli, who’s with the 910th Civil Engineer Unit at the Youngstown Air Reserve Base in Vienna.
Martinelli’s presence also has meant a lot to his daughter, who recalled a difficult start to her freshman year because her father had been deployed to Kuwait.
“It was scary,” she said. “I looked to him for everything. He [is] my best friend.”
With a diploma and another joyous occasion under her belt, Samantha plans to spend part of the summer with friends and looking at career choices, she said. From there, it’s on to Youngstown State University to study criminal justice, she continued, adding that she’s eyeing a career, including as a paralegal secretary, in the court system.
One of the first to speak during the ceremony was Dana Mathews, class president, who praised the students for their accomplishments “on the court, classroom and field.” They should never forget their parents’ unconditional love and friends’ support, she said.
Afterward, the class’ salutatorian and eight valedictorians gave brief speeches on their ambitions, as well as on the importance of continued work and planning ahead.
Also giving remarks were Superintendent Robert A. Rostan and Principal Mary Ann Meadows.
The Struthers High band performed.