Metro Monthly Rayen Downloadable MAY 2007

RESTAURANTS

INDEXVolume 15, No. 5

© 2007, The Metro Monthly

Calendar 25 Mahoning Valley 8 Service Directory 39Classifi ed 38 Museums 28 Valley Update 7Education 8 Restaurants 14 Wine Guy 14

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MAHONINGVALLEYStudents recall impactof The Rayen School

PAGE 8-11

CALENDARYour monthly guide to events in the region

PAGE 25

MAY 2007

MAHONING VALLEY

PAGE 8 | MAY 2007

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THE ENDURING LEGACY OF THE RAYEN SCHOOL

LOOKING AHEAD • REMEMBERING RAYEN • PAGE 8-13• Former students recall the lasting impact of The Rayen School. | PAGES 8-12.

• Group seeks to preserve Rayen mural for future generations. | PAGES 11.

Thanks for the memories. I love the many friend-ship that I made

through my years at The Rayen.

My favorite sport was baseball and

I played all four years. The Rayen – I will miss you.RONALD BETTERS

Class of 1974

Growing up on the North Side

in the 1950s and 60s, I consider

my Rayen School days as one of the

great blessings of my life. It was

a truly diverse group of students with white, black, Asian, Hispanic,

Jewish, Protestant, wealthy, poor and

in-between. Like all schools, there

may have been tensions at times,

but, overall, we got along and

learned to appre-ciate differences.

The greatest lesson I learned

at Rayen was outside of the

classroom: judg-ing a person for their character, not their color

or background. That lesson has

helped me all my life long and I’ve passed it on

to my children as well as to the

congregations I’ve served.

REV. DAVID JOACHIM,

Westminster Presbyterian

Church, Boardman

RECALLING

RAYEN

BY JOHN PATRICK GATTAMETRO MONTHLY STAFF WRITER

After the end of the academic year, Rayen will cease to be a city high school, but its memory lingers with

many former students who recall how the North Side institution prepared them for life – in and outside of the classroom. For many, The Rayen School was revered for its aca-demic excellence and as an institution that prepared students for higher education.

“A high school of the caliber of Rayen, in the early twentieth century is equivalent to a college education today,” said Bill Lawson, director of the Mahoning Valley Historical

SEE RAYEN, PAGE 9

THE METRO MONTHLY | MAY 2007 | www.metromonthly.net MAHONING VALLEY 9

RAYEN, FROM PAGE 8

My name is Ruth Bloom Blankenship,

a Rayen alumna, class of 1949.

The Rayen School prepared me

academically and musically for a life-

time career as aprofessional musi-cian. I took avail-

able summer school classes for two

years so I could par-ticipate in all of the

music offered (band, orchestra, choirs,

girl’s octet). These experiences were

invaluable inenhancing my inter-

est in pursuing my study of music in

college andseminary. I am

a choral director, private instructor

of voice and piano, and professional

singer – still active in all of these

venues at age 75. The teacher that I admired most was our choral director,

Mr. Nischwitz. I still use some of his tech-

niques and music that he chose

for us to learn, espe-cially the Wilhousky “Battle Hymn.” I still

sing that in per-formances of “The

Lincoln Show” held at Slifer House

Museum in Lewis-burg, Pa. Thank you to the teachers, staff

and students forThe Rayen School

and what it has meant to me.“

RUTH BLOOM BLANKENSHIP

Lewisburg, Pa.Class of 1949

R E C A L L I N G

RAYEN

Society. “It was an academy of higher education, that the community was very proud of.”

“Rayen had a great tradition as the fi rst high school in town,” said Reid Schmutz, a 1960 Rayen graduate. Schmutz currently serves as a trustee for the Rayen Founda-tion and Youngstown Foundation. “You always had a lot to live up to,” he said. “There were a lot of great alumni in town, a lot of role models that you had to live up to. Being a Rayen graduate, it put a little pressure on you to excel and not blemish the name of the school and follow in the steps of those who came before you.”

Because of Rayen’s high academic stan-dards and success rate, which saw gradu-ates moving on into top colleges, the school also attracted students from other parts of the state. “The curriculum was widely recognized. People came from all over the Western Reserve Territory,” said current Rayen Principal Henrietta Williams. The Western Reserve area encompassed the Northeast area of Ohio including Cleve-land, Chardon, Hudson, Medina and sur-rounding communities.

A trust from the estate of Judge William Rayen created and funded the school and provides an endowment for scholarships. The Rayen School opened in 1866 and did not exclude due to race, creed, gender or color. Although many of its early students were from affl uent families, young men and women had to demonstrate academic suc-cess. “It was always a public high school but [academic] exclusivity made it like a prep school,” said Lawson.

“No one was there to fool around. If you were disruptive, you were out. That gave Rayen a high quality of student body and of academic achievement. For wealthy kids, it was part of their fi nishing before they went off to college,” he said.

Lawson pointed out that most young people at that time only went as far as eighth grade. Then, they moved on to life working in steel mills or other occupations. “After World War I, and more so after the Great Depression, we see that there was a call for mandatory high school.”

Williams credited Judge Rayen for his vi-sion. “He was beyond his years,” she said. “It was for all children. It was not meant to be elitist. That was Rayen’s desire. It just so happened that when the teachers sat down, they patterned it after Harvard and top schools in the country.”

“So, it was impressive when you came out of Rayen. Those schools would recognize and accept you,” Williams added.

Lawson said The Rayen School reached its pinnacle in the early twentieth century, due to its faculty and academic standards. “You must remember that Youngstown was

THE ENDURING LEGACY OF RAYEN: ACADEMIC EXCELLENCE

ELECTRONIC IMAGE COURTESY OF THE MAHONING VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

Rayen School faculty, 1902-1903. Principal Wells L. Griswold is seated in the front row, third from the left.


The Rayen School debating team in 1906. (Left to right): Dietrich Bode, Claire Johnson, Russell McKay, Alvin Williams. From the May 3, 1906 debate vs. Oberlin High School at Oberlin, Ohio.


The original Rayen School on Wick Avenue, circa 1915. Note St. Columba Cathedral in the background and the residential character of Wood Street and Lincoln Avenue.

COURTESY OF MAHONING VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

An interior stairway at the original Rayen School. Artwork depicts classical works.


The editorial staff of the Rayen Record in 1903.

SEE RAYEN, PAGE 10

Because of The Rayen School’s high academic standards, the high school also attracted students from other parts of the state.

RAYEN, FROM PAGE 9

a very dynamic and affl uent city during that period.” He compared turn-of-the-century Youngstown to the Silicon Valley of today, due to its robust industries and technological innovations. “Rayen fol-lowed the fortunes of the city, which have not been so good in the last 30 to 40 years,” Lawson added.

Suburban population shifts affected enrollment and the money to support the schools. Lawson mentions that such fi nancial issues have created a degree of diffi culty for Rayen’s students to compete with the school’s lauded past.

“There’s still a strong tradition in Rayen. It comes to the surface with alumni, stu-dents and faculty. Tradition is still there, pride is still there, there are still academic achievements. Still, it graduates kids who go on to top universities, who excel aca-demically and athletically.”

Schmutz recalled the dedication of Rayen faculty. “During my senior year, every teacher one or both of my parents had too. They were a dedicated and expe-rienced faculty.”

Schmutz said he most remembers the diversity of the student population: “. . . a great melting pot – children of steel workers, fi rst generation immigrants, a mix of where people lived – the North Side of Youngstown – which went all the way down to the projects to those in Liberty who paid tuition. It was a good of mix of kids. “The [Rayen] trustees represent that at this point.”

Phyllis Wilkoff, a 1943 Rayen gradu-ate, also remains involved with the school as a Rayen Trustee. Born and raised in Youngstown, she still sees its continued infl uence in the community. “It’s still a good school. Some very bright kids in that school,” she said. “We have an honor roll dinner every year just before gradua-tion. They tell us what scholarships these kids have earned. There are kids getting $80,000 in scholarships! A lot of these kids are from one-parent families, and they are just such wonderful kids. I just sit there with my mouth open when they say what scholarships they’ve gotten.”

“Judge Rayen left money for The Rayen School under the jurisdiction of Probate Court. The school comes to us for money, according to what the Probate [Court] rules. With the school being torn down, the court will tell us what to do. We do give scholarships to Rayen and other high schools, and I believe we’ll continue to do that,” Wilkoff said.

10 MAHONING VALLEY www.metromonthly.net | THE METRO MONTHLY MAY 2007

THE ENDURING LEGACY OF THE RAYEN SCHOOL: SPORTS


Rayen Baseball team 1901-1902


Rayen baseball team, 1901. Billy Evans, center fi elder, is in the second row. The team was photographed after winning the City League.

COURTESY OF THE MAHONING VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

South and Rayen were football rivals for generations. This program dates from 1942.

COURTESY OF THE MAHONING VALLEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY

The 1897 Rayen football team.

Charles Owsley, fourth row,

was the team’s manager.

“There’s still a strong tradition in Rayen. It comes to the sur-face with alumni, students and faculty. Tradition is still there, pride is still there, there are still academic achievements.” – B i l l L a w s o n , d i r e c t o r , Mahoning Valley Historical Society.


MAHONING VALLEY ICONS: THE RAYEN SCHOOL MURAL

R E C A L L I N G

RAYEN

ELECTRONIC IMAGE COURTESY OF HARRY MAYS

A detail from the Rayen mural, which measures 65-feet long. It was recently removed for installation in the new Rayen Middle School.

Group works to preserve historic Rayen mural for future generationsBY CHRISTINE DAVIDSONMETRO MONTHLY STAFF WRITER

◆ Visit www.metromonthly.net for more Rayen articles, images.

When we heard that Rayen was going to be torn down, the very thought of the wrecking ball go-

ing through that wall and taking down that painting, it was too much. [I thought] this can’t happen,” said Betsy Johnquest, a teacher at Rayen High School on Youngstown’s North Side.

Johnquest was referring to what is known as the Rayen Mural. The work is about 65-feet long and 6-feet tall. It depicts school, city and United States history from 1802 to 1958. Through the efforts of Johnquest and others, the mural was recently removed and will be reinstalled in the new Rayen Middle School planned for the site.

Johnquest, who began teaching at Rayen in 1989, said the mural captured her attention some time ago. “It [the mural] starts from when Youngstown started and it progresses with local Youngstown history at the bottom, Rayen history coming through in the middle, and national history at the top. So as you walk along and look at the mural you can see what is happening on the national scene, at Rayen and as well as what’s going on in Youngstown.” Thousands of people appear in the mural, including World War I doughboys, Rayen choir members, athletes, scholars, teachers and students.

The mural begins with a focus on Judge William Rayen. “Rayen came to this area in 1802 when he was about 21 years old,” said Harry Mays, a 1958 Rayen graduate also involved in the current mural preservation project. While serving as Rayen class president, Mays was in charge of raising the original funds for the mural, which was a class gift to the school.

“He [Rayen] started a mercantile store . . . and that store became kind of a central point in the village and on the mural there is a picture of the store with a military man standing in front of a line of recruits. Those recruits were

�

� � � �

SEE MURAL, PAGE 34

I have many memo-ries of The Rayen

School. The day President Kennedy was shot, we were

in English class. Mr. McKinney came from

the study hall next door to inform our

class. We were in an uproar to hear that

the President had been killed.

I will alwaysremember the ramps,

the mural, the trophy case and the

people. Long live the spirit of THE RAYEN

SCHOOL.– BERNADETTE HALL

Class of 1965

My uncle, the late Rev. William S. Kop-iczenski (also spelled

Kopicenski) was a 1926 graduate of

Rayen High School.While at Rayen, he

played guard on the basketball teams of 1925 and 1926. The

1926 team was one of Ohio’s top teams.He was offered a

scholarship to the Uni-versity of Michigan,

but declined. Instead, he entered St. Mary’s Seminary (Our Lady

of the Lake) in Cleve-land to study for the priesthood. He was

ordained in 1934.Although short in stat-

ure (5-foot, 9-inches tall) he was the spark

plug of the team, which was a legend-ary team at the time.

He always was a modest, humble

man and priest. He was served in the

Cleveland Diocese for 66 years, dying

in June 1990. He was the fi rst American of Polish descent from

Youngstown to be or-dained a priest for the Diocese of Cleveland.

Each year a schol-arship is given to students of Polish

ancestry at the Butler Institute of Ameri-

can Art in the early part of the year. This

is done in memory of Rev. William S.

Kopiczenski through the Youngstown Polish

Arts Club.

– JOSEPH B. KOPE

12 MAHONING VALLEY www.metromonthly.net | THE METRO MONTHLY MAY 2007

FIRST UNITARIAN CHURCHCongratulations to the Class of 2007!

1105 Elm Street - Youngstown, Ohio 44505

330-746-3067Congratulations 2007 Rayen Graduates!

524 Wick Avenue - Youngstown, Ohio 44502

330-743-1107

KATHY EARNHARTBUTLER INSTITUTE OF ART

JOE McCRAECongratulations to The Rayen School!

Youngstown, Ohio

ST. VINCENT de PAUL SOCIETYBest wishes to the Rayen School!

235 Wick Avenue - Youngstown, Ohio

330-744-1404

VICKI DOE FITNESS, LLCCongratulations to The Rayen School!

2 South Main St. - Suite 403 - Niles, Ohio 44446

1-888-544-8822

Our years at The Rayen School were truly memorable. We had the best

teachers and great classmates!

PAUL DONNELLYNAPLES, FLORIDA ~ CLASS OF 1954

As a 1969 gradu-ate of The Rayen School, I am very

proud. I learned so much attend-

ing school on the North Side.

As a member of the 1969 class, I

obtained life-long friends from diverse

backgrounds. As a student at The Rayen, my education was

one that would, by today’s stan-dards, be equal

to a fi rst year college education.

We had teach-ers who cared about us, who

demanded excel-lence. Teachers

like Mr. Wilson, who taught 12th

grade English, who demanded

you know the parts of speech, sentence struc-

ture, communica-tion skills, and how to talk in

public. The sixties were fi lled with racism and the

Vietnam War, but at The Rayen we felt secure, loved, and respected by

our peers. That has resulted in lifelong friend-

ships that have transcended

color, gender and religious barriers. Currently, I work

for the Depart-ment of Labor. I have a master’s degree and am

currently pursu-ing my PhD. I am adjunct professor

in the school of business at In-

diana Wesleyan College.

BRENDA L. SPENCER

Class of 1969Admissions

Counselor/Career Transition Special-

ist Del-Jen Inc., Ohio Job Corps.

DR. LOWELL J. SATRE

For a stellar history fromthe Satre family.

Y O U N G S T O W N , O H I O

Honoring Rayen’s Distinguished History

100 East Federal Street - Youngstown, Ohio330-779-3800

MAHONING RIVER CONSORTIUM

Honoring The Rayen School’s Distinguished History

THE CLASS OF 1965 40th REUNION

COMMITTEE

We celebrate the history of this outstanding North Side school. Let its legacy of greatness continue.

COMMON WEALTH, INC.1221 Elm Street - Youngstown, Ohio 44505

330-744-2667

Congratulations to The Rayen School!

YOUNGSTOWN STATE UN IVERS I TYYOUNGSTOWN, OH IO 44555

DR. JAMES DALE ETHICS CENTER

THE ENDURING LEGACY OF THE RAYEN SCHOOL

THE RAYEN SCHOOL: THE BENITA AVENUE ERA


The Rayen School after it had relocated to Benita Avenue on Youngstown’s upper North Side.


A group photo in front of the Rayen School auditorium.


Majorettes from the class of 1947

R E C A L L I N G

RAYEN


LIEN FORWARD OHIOHonoring Rayen’s distiguished history!

20 Federal St. - Suite M5-A • Youngstown, Ohio

330-259-1040

MVR-CARMINE I. CASSESESaluting Rayen’s great history!

410 N. Walnut Street - Youngstown, Ohio

330-746-7067

Honoring the Distinguished Historyof The Rayen School

P.O. Box 233 - Youngstown, Ohio 44501-0233

NORTH SIDE CITIZENS’ COALITION FOR

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

OPERA WESTERN RESERVEThanks for your contributions to the arts!

1000 Fifth Ave. - Youngstown, Ohio 44505

330-480-0693

SZABO & SONS FUNERAL HOMESaluting Rayen’s Great History!

1360 Fifth Ave. - Youngstown, Ohio 44505

330-744-1548

WILLIAM S. PEYKO

In Memory of Emmanuel CatsoulesRayen Principal and

Superintendent of Schools

Vienna, Ohio 44473

Our years at The Rayen School were truly memorable. We had the best

teachers and great classmates!

J0AN DONNELLY WELSHSTRONGSVILLE, OHIO ~ CLASS OF 1950

Best wishes to The Rayen School from Ursuline High School

URSULINE HIGH SCHOOL750 Wick Avenue - Youngstown, Ohio 44505

330-744-4563

THE ENDURING LEGACY OF RAYEN: THE SIXTIES

In our June issue, we will pay tribute to Woodrow Wilson High School. Woodrow Wilson has been a fixture on the Youngstown’s South Side

since the 1920s. Like Rayen, it will be demolished and rebuilt asa junior high school. If you would like to shareyour memories of Wilson, please send them to:

Metro Monthly, 26 Market Street Suite 912,Youngstown, Ohio 44503

or email to: [email protected] include your year of graduation.

G E T YO U R S I N BY F R I DAY, M AY 1 8 t h

message:name:address:phone:payment (circle one): cash check chargecredit card type/number:3-digit CVV#:_________ expiration:signature:

THE METRO MONTHLYProud of all Wilson graduates!

26 MARKET STREET #912 - YOUNGSTOWN, OHIO 44503

330-259-0435

We will also be offering

affordable ads so you or your

business can show support

for Wilson...just $19.95!

Honoring Rayen’s Distinguished History

110 Funston Street - Youngstown, Ohio330-746-2848

ANTIOCH BAPTIST CHURCH

Congratulations to The Rayen High School!

221 COURT STREET - YOUNGSTOWN, OHIOCCS TRANS, INC.

330-747-1331

Congratulations to all Rayen graduates, past and present!


Senior class offi cers in 1967 (left to right): Eddie Bramlett, treasurer; Patty Browne, secretary; Barbara Fine, vice president; and David Jones, president.


Football players pose for a yearbook photo (top), and teachers walk the picket line in 1967.

Metro Monthly Rayen Downloadable MAY 2007

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