Donora families connect with Slovakian roots

Editor’s note, this column is an extension of a series about Don Pavelko’s 2025 trip to Pilsen in the Czech Republic for the 80th Anniversary Liberation Festival and honoring the three men from Donora who took part in the liberation in 1945.

By DON PAVELKO
For the MVI

This past May wasn’t all that spring like. More April showers than May flowers, but there were a few beautiful days. It turned out to be a pretty exciting month for me, my family and some close friends.

Actually, it started off on April 30 when my wife DeAnne and I picked up our cousin Robert Marusak at the airport who arrived from Prague.

DON PAVELKO

Robert has run marathons all over the world and we tried to talk him into running the Pittsburgh marathon. Last May, Robert and his wife, Ludmila, took DeAnne, our daughter Emily, and granddaughter Mia, all over Chechia and Slovakia.

Last October, Robert ran the Chicago marathon, and he and Ludmila came to Pittsburgh for the first time. In the five days they were here, we had a family reunion at the Donora Public Library with relatives from all over the Mon Valley. We also took them on a tour of about one-third of Pennsylvania, which included stops in Gettysburg, State College, Ohiopyle and Pittsburgh.

The view of Point State Park and the city skyline at night from a restaurant on Mount Washington must have won him over. It was only a month or so later that he informed us that he registered for the Pittsburgh marathon.

Mary Anne Bandalo and her daughter Pam Toto are shown with Jozef Byra, who took them to visit a church in Porúbka where Bandolo’s father and grandfather were baptized.

On May 1, we took him to the David L. Lawrence Convention Center to check in. The following day, Donora had its 125th Anniversary 5K race and Robert used that as his warm up for the Pittsburgh marathon. After the Donora 5K, he took part in the awards at the Donora Borough building for the race and essay contest. This was followed by a virtual meeting with Martin Dolinic, mayor of Vyšné Remety, and Marek Kondzura, mayor of Remetské Hámre, Slovakia.

Donora’s Sister Cities

The purpose of this meeting was to consummate the agreement between Donora and the two Slovakian villages to become Sister Cities. This agreement opens the door for an international partnership for the three communities. When I met the two mayors last May with Robert as the translator, we agreed we had a lot in common.

Travel is a big part of the agreement. I know as mayor of Donora, I would like to see tourists looking to learn about their ancestors who emigrated here to come and spend some time in Donora and the Valley. Same goes for the two Slovak mayors, they would like to see folks come over there to look for their roots.

There is still much to plan, but I look at it as an opportunity to exchange ideas, experience another culture, music, art and sports. Speaking of sports, my first goal is to raise enough money to send the Ringgold soccer team or a Valley team over to play a tournament in Eastern Slovakia, on or before 2029. Of course, I want to be a chaperone.

Now, back to Robert’s trip to Donora.

After a stay at the Priory Hotel in Pittsburgh, on May 3 Robert successfully finished the marathon. I never told him about the steep section of the marathon on Oakland’s “Cardiac Hill.” His time wasn’t quite where he wanted it to be, but he was satisfied. I never had the marathon on my bucket list, but now I don’t have to put it on either. I must say it was pretty exciting seeing my relative from Prague and seeing one of my favorite Donora girls, Mina Thompson run by.

On May 4, we took Robert to get his medal engraved and it was off to the airport to say our goodbyes.

This was the bright spot of May for us!

Family friend ventures to Prague

Another chapter of this story also happened in May. A close family friend, Mary Anne Vargo Bandalo, director of the Mon Valley Youth and Teen Association, was planning a trip to Prague. She and her daughter, Pam Toto, were going to Prague because Mary Anne’s granddaughter, Piper Toto, was working on her master’s degree at the United States Embassy in Prague.

Piper prepared their travel itinerary, and after taking them around Prague, they toured Bratislava, Vienna and Budapest.

Growing up on “Hunky Hill” in Donora back in the early 1960s, Slovak was widely spoken. Mary Anne’s grandmother and my Buba, both immigrants, were very close. Because of their relationship, Mary Anne and her sister Carole Sue were like my big sisters. During his two trips to Donora, Robert met Mary Anne. Both are very personable and they quickly bonded. Mary Anne’s father immigrated from Porúbka — and as it turned out — Porúbka is as close to the sister cities as McKeesport is to Donora.

In the weeks leading up to the trip, Mary Anne and Pam were trying to figure out how they were going to get to Porúbka and Robert came to the rescue. From Budapest, Piper traveled back to Prague, Mary Anne and Pam took a train to Kosie and Robert arranged for his nephew, Jozef Byra, to take the pair to Porúbka by car.

Porúbka is the village where Mary Anne’s father, Michael Vargo, came from. The village dates back to 1411. The pair did not meet any relatives, but visited the church where their father and grandfather were baptized. As an added destination to their tour, Jozef took them to Remetské Hámre to meet Mayor Marek Kondzura.

Within a week, the Sister City agreement played a part in Mary Anne and Pam’s trip.

May certainly turned out to be pretty exciting!

#Get up, get out and get along!

Don Pavelko is mayor of Donora. He wrote the column “Piglet’s Pen” (19972002) for the former Valley Independent and other publications. His tag line was always, “get up, get off, get out and enjoy our great outdoors.” Today his new tag line is, #get up, get out and get along.”