Many pay respects to former Sen. Harry Meshel

By GRAIG GRAZIOSI

ggraziosi@vindy.com

AUSTINTOWN

People arrived in waves Friday night to pay their respects to former state Sen. Harry Meshel during calling hours at Vaschak-Kirila Funeral Home.

Meshel, 93, died Monday after an illness.

By the midway point of calling hours, several notable Valley figures had stopped by, including boxing legend Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Canfield Mayor Bernie Kosar Sr., former Mahoning County Republican Party chairman and Youngstown State University professor William Binning, 4th Ward city Councilman Mike Ray, state Rep. John Boccieri of Poland, D-59th, state Rep. Michael O’Brien of Warren, D-64th, and U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Howland, D-13th.

“He made himself very accessible to people,” O’Brien said. “He was a representative for everyone.”

O’Brien’s point was noted at the calling hours: While many attendees were politicians of some stripe or other regional VIPs, just as many were regular citizens with stories of Meshel’s larger-than-life personality.

John J. Gianni Jr. was one of more than a dozen Veterans of Foreign Wars members present and recalled his first experience with Meshel in 1950.

“I was a freshman at Youngstown College, and we were having freshman orientation at the Pioneer Pavilion in Mill Creek Park. Harry was the chairman of his class and he arranged for a jazz band to come out to play at the orientation,” Gianni said. “He was a terrific dancer, a real jitterbug.”

During his life, Meshel served in World War II as a Navy SeaBee, worked in Youngstown city government, served as an Ohio state senator for 22 years, served for nine years on the YSU Board of Trustees and was a constant driver of political and cultural development in the region.

Ray grew up on the street Meshel moved to on Youngstown’s West Side and later went on to become Meshel’s city council representative.

“He was always a great sounding board. You always knew his opinion,” Ray said. “His passion helped the city navigate through some of the most difficult times in its history. It’s a great loss to the area.”

Ray wasn’t the only one to note Meshel’s willingness to help lead the region’s leaders.

Ryan said Meshel helped many of the current generation of Valley politicians get their start – himself included.

“I was at a fundraiser early in my career and he jumped up on stage and told everyone how much he believed in me and said, in front of everyone, how much he’d like to see me run for elected office. He liked to boss me around like that,” Ryan joked. “But, really, he gave me the boost I needed to actually get into a race. He was the best politician to come out of our area.”

FUNERAL SERVICES

Where: St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church, 220 N. Walnut St., Youngstown

When: 10:30 a.m. today. Friends may call one hour

before services in the church.