Jack Morrow (l)-
the “head greeter” at
weekly meetings.
Dr. Gary Marcus (r) past
president of the SMC.
S
ewickley Valley YMCA’s Senior Men’s Club
has been a local resource throughout the
region for many years, a place where men can
find up-to-date information, good-humored
and audience-specific entertainment, and an
abundance of camaraderie on a weekly basis.
The club was established in 1989, when a group
of eight retirees got the idea to form a social club for
retired men that would offer educational, recreational
and community service opportunities for its members.
“When word got out about the brand-new club, its
ranks quickly ballooned to 320 members,” recalls Dave
Sandberg, who served as the group’s president through
2016.
The club’s first speaker was Jim Leyland, then-
manager of the Pittsburgh Pirates, who has been a
frequent speaker at the club since. It has welcomed
many other regulars including Dr. Cyril Wecht, Bob
Walk and Steve Blass, former Pirate pitchers and Fox
sports announcers; Frank Gamrat and Eric Montari,
public policy analysts for the Allegheny Institute think
tank; Dr. Norm Robertson, retired chief economist
for Mellon Bank; and Pitt Professor Phillip Atteberry,
musicologist and storyteller of past popular show
business entertainers. “And it’s always good to hear the
humor and ‘inside stories’ of Jim Roddey, Allegheny
County’s first county executive, another frequent
presenter at the club,” says Sandberg.
In addition to “the regulars,” the club has also offered
many special events that include unique speakers
such as Doreen Welsh, a US Airways flight attendant
who was one of the last “Miracle on the Hudson”
crew members to exit the Airbus 320 that landed in
the Hudson River in January 2009; retired military
pilot Cal Augustine, one
of tens of thousands of
US Air Force aviators,
who presented about his
experiences as an SR71
“Blackbird” pilot—an
airplane that less than
100 pilots have ever
flown; Christina Cassotis, the executive director for the
Allegheny County Airport Authority, who explained
the ambitious plans for the Greater Pittsburgh Airport
over the next few years; and Melia Tourangeau, the new
CEO and president of the Pittsburgh Symphony, who
spoke to the group in 2015 regarding future plans for
the celebrated symphony orchestra.
“Although its weekly programs are the mainstay of
the club, it would be wrong to say it’s the sole reason for
our existence,” says Sandberg. Additionally, the SMC
provides recreational activities, including once-a-week
golf (and some tennis), and assistance to local nonprofits
with annual programs and charitable activities. “More
important, our members volunteer thousands of hours
each year packing clothes for World Vision to distribute
to needy people across the globe,” he says.
The SMC holds its weekly meetings every Friday
morning at 10 a.m., with the exception of holidays.
“There’s no need to make a call or a reservation—all you
have to do to participate is show up at the Sewickley
Valley YMCA at 9:30 a.m. on any Friday,” notes
Sandberg. “And if you find the experience to be a good
one and worth repeating, the yearly membership fee is
only $35.”
He adds, “If you’re looking for an outlet for your
charitable endeavors, or for current information
and a cursory education on the multi-faceted events
of the day—often
peppered with humor
and lightheartedness in
a friendly and familiar
environment—the
Senior Men’s Club has an
established track record
and has been proven over
a 30-year period to be an effective organization that any
retiree would be interested in. Its weekly programs have
offered a broad variety and are of current interest, and
for just $2, members commiserate about their past work-
a-day accomplishments over a bottomless cup of coffee
and a donut—making lifelong friendships.” ■
The club’s first speaker was Jim
Leyland, then-manager of the
Pittsburgh Pirates, who has been a
frequent speaker at the club since.
SEWICKLEY
❘
SPRING 2019
41