I am of the opinion that my life belongs to the community, and as long as I live, it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can.
- George Bernard Shaw
Mission Statement
The Trumbull 100 is a local non-profit organization whose mission is to embrace and facilitate opportunities by providing resources and leadership to projects that enhance the quality of life for the citizens of Trumbull County.
Providing Leadership and Resources to these projects:
• Trumbull County Veterans’ Memorial
• Downtown Warren Flower baskets and Holiday wreaths
• Ohio Chautauqua (7 seasons)
• Packard Music Hall balcony hand railing project
• Burbank Park renovation
• Eastern Ohio Military Affairs Council
• Kay Fisher Neighborhood Revitalization Mini-Grant program
• Warren Women’s Park
• Historic Perkins Neighborhood Assoc. Rose Garden & Pagoda restoration
• Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport
• Trumbull County Community Star sponsor
• Medici Museum of Art and Soulages mural
• Maker Space collaboration with the Warren-Trumbull County Public Library
Current Project:
• Renovation of Gazebo in Courthouse Square
Founded in 1994, Trumbull 100 is celebrating 31 years of service to Trumbull County communities.
Trumbull 100 members or former members who have previously won a Community Star Award:
• Robert Berk
• Dr. Robert Brodell
• William Casey
• Paul Clouser
• Martin L. Cohen
• Elizabeth Cole-Clark
• James Economos
• Kay Fisher
• Atty. Ned C. Gold, Jr.
• Lance Grahn
• David Hamilton
• Bill Horton
• David Kostolansky
• Rocco Maiorca
• Franklin R. Manios
• John Payiavlas
• Diane Sauer
• Dr. Jim Snelson
• John Taylor
• Jordan Taylor
• Shelley Taylor
Honoring Trumbull County’s brightest
Inside this magazine you will find stories and pictures showcasing exactly why these 11 individuals have been selected as 2025 Community Stars.
It’s been 23 years since the Tribune Chronicle first began recognizing the best examples of volunteer service to our community and the people who perform those outstanding acts.
The Community Star program, co-sponsored again this year by Trumbull 100, celebrates Trumbull County residents who go above and beyond to make a significant impact in the lives of others without ever expecting anything in return.
These 2025 Stars join a long and ever growing list of past individuals, and this year’s class is equally impressive. Among them are a mother and daughter from Warren who work tirelessly to make their corner of the world — their neighborhood — a better place. Also on the list is a Warren man whose involvement with youth baseball goes beyond just coaching.
You also will read about a Girard woman who spends countless hours volunteering for the St. Vincent de Paul Society and a Warren woman who volunteers at Inspiring Minds and helps shape the lives of area youth. The list also
includes two business owners — one from Warren who gives out food and scholarships, and one from Howland whose hands support many charitable organizations.
There also is a Cortland man whose technology expertise helps a new museum tick and a Howland woman who uses her technology expertise to help her organization help others. You also will read about a Southington man whose passion for boxing is matched only by his passion for helping inner city youth. Rounding out the list is a Kinsman man whose love for his community is unparalleled.
These Stars were selected from nominations beginning in January. A selection committee had a tough task paring down the dozens of nominees from our community to these 11 honorees.
Several of the honorees were nominated by former Community Stars, demonstrating a “pay it forward” mentality.
To the 2025 Community Star recipients — whose goodwill and volunteerism are felt on so many levels and in so many places around Trumbull County and beyond — congratulations!
Tim Boyer
By ANDY GRAY Staff writer
CORTLAND — “I get more from them than they get from me,” Tim Boyer said.
The staff at the Trumbull County Historical Society would disagree strongly with that statement. Boyer, 69, is the kind of volunteer that all non-profits wish they had. He’s generous with his time, eager to take on any task, and he has a certain set of skills that enables him to do work
“It’s something new every day. I’ve never done the same things twice in a row and that’s what I love.”
— Tim Boyer
for the historical society that they otherwise might have to pay to have done.
Those are a few of the reasons Boyer was selected as a 2025 Community Star by the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100. This is the 23rd year for the program. .
The Warren native and 1973 Warren G. Harding High School graduate worked 35 years for Denman Tire in IT and as a plant engineer until the company filed for bankruptcy in 2010 and closed. He then got a job at the federal government’s Iron Mountain data
center in Boyers, Pa., until he retired in 2022.
He always was interested in history and he was familiar with the historical society’s activities through longtime supporters, the late Richard and Martha Ellers, and others, but work didn’t allow time for much else. He started volunteering in 2023 and hasn’t stopped. Boyer will work on the society’s website and repair its laptops; he also will replace a sump pump and snake a toilet.
“I’m a volunteer. Use me,” he said.
In his nominating letter, TCHS Director of Operations and Outreach Ryan MacLennan quoted Adam Keck, owner of Modern Methods Brewing
Company (another place where Boyer frequently helps out). Keck said, “If the world had 10 more Tim Boyers … the world would be a much better place.” MacLennan added, “While we at TCHS couldn’t agree more, having one Tim Boyer in our lives and in the world makes our community a much better place.”
Boyer’s passion for his work with the historical society has, if anything, intensified since efforts began to create a Museum of Science Fiction and Fantasy Arts.
“I get to play with the history stuff, and not only do I get to play with history stuff, I got to open (William) Shatner’s communicator (from ‘Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan’),” Boyer said. “When they asked me last October, do you have any interest in science fiction, you’re kidding, right? That’s why I say I get so much more from them than they get from me. They’re nice and interesting. It’s something new every day. I’ve never done the same things twice in a row and that’s what I love.”
Boyer’s devotion to the cause was exemplified in his efforts to help make “Sci-Fi + Hollywood: The Art of John Zabrucky” a success at Medici Museum of Art in Howland. Boyer spent about 40 hours figuring out how to get the video monitors to work on a large console that was featured in “Spider-Man 2” and other movies as well as creating a looping video that would be easy to operate for the run of the exhibition.
It’s a scenario that would make many folks scream, pull out their hair in frustration and give up.
Boyer described it as fun.
“Buy new hardware and play around with software all week? I like nothing better than playing around with computers. Always did.”
Sue Datish
By NANCILYNN GATTA Correspondent
HOWLAND — According to her nominator, Mary Bumstead, Sue (Prokop) Datish is a problem solver and a tech solver.
That is part of the reason she was named a 2025 Community Star by the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100. This is the 23rd year for the program. Bumstead is a friend and fellow member of Beta Chi Chapter of the National Honorary Society, Delta
“It is such an honor to be able to use your skills to help your community.”
— Sue (Prokop) Datish
Kappa Gamma.
“When she joined our chapter in 2013, she brought with her the technology skills we so desperately needed,” Bumstead said.
Datish became the webmaster of the society. She streamlined the publication of its yearbook and monthly newsletters.
Datish grew up in Howland, graduated from the local school district in 1973 as the class valedictorian and left Trumbull County to attend Ohio University with a major in interpersonal communications.
“I went to YSU for two years and then I transferred to OU because I competed on the forensics team and I wanted to compete at Ohio University. They were one of the top teams
in the country,” Datish said. “That is where I first saw a computer. Back then, they didn’t exist. There were little mainframes and that’s what you typed on. In interpersonal communications, you took some journalism classes. It was, ‘OMG! Look at this (computer)!’ It was so different. I used a typewriter to type my papers in college. Personal computers did not come out until the 1980s and I was in college in the 1970s.”
At her first teaching position, technology became a must-have skill.
“I was hired at Gordon James Career Center as an English teacher. I started
at a vocational school, so you definitely had technology. I became the special needs coordinator and I had grant money, so I started buying computers. I had to learn them to use them.”
With a curriculum that included various technology courses, she received a master’s degree as a media specialist at Kent State University in 1983.
From that point on, her teaching career revolved around computers. After working at Gordon James Career Center for 11 years, she became the computer coordinator at Lordstown schools. For six years, she created and coordi nated computer programs for grades 9 to 12. She then be came the computer instructor for Lakeview Local Schools in 1994.
“I was working as the technology supervi sor for the Trumbull County Educational Service Center (ESC) when I retired in 2012,” she said.
Because of her busy career and family life, she did not have time to volunteer until her working days ended .The computer skills she acquired over the past decades were in demand as a volunteer.
“My dad and my uncle were retired teachers. They were in the Trumbull Retired Teachers Association. I had just retired and they called me that fall. They needed someone to do a newsletter. That’s how I got into it. I started doing the newsletter,” she said.
She enjoys being involved with Beta Chi and TRTA because they are community-minded, awarding grants to public school teachers and scholarships to students who will major in education.
Datish also volunteers with Trumbull Town Hall and Holy Romanian Resurrection Orthodox Church.
“As I reflected, I realized in all the organizations, I play the same role. I do the newsletters. At church, I do the bulletin. I kind of organize and streamline the communications. It is ironic, my major was communications, but more with speech and here I am retired and using all those skills and my technology. It is such an honor to be able to use your skills to help your community,” Datish said.
Bumstead recalled Datish having the officers of Beta Chi come to her home with their laptops to learn how to use Google Docs, which would help them live edit their newsletter. She also instructed the group to call, email, text at any time if they had questions.
Her approach to teaching technology to students and adults is much appreciated by the local organizations with which she is involved.
“This is what I know. If you know a better way to do it, let me know. I am always willing to learn.”
Tom Elder
By JOHN PATRICK GATTA Correspondent
WARREN — With a connection to baseball that runs from father to son, Tom A. “TA” Elder’s interest in America’s Pastime runs through his blood. His lifelong passion for the game led to supporting future generations of players.
That’s why his fellow board member at Warren Athletic Club nominated him for the Community Star award, which
“I give my wife a lot of credit for this because she never, ever, ever, complains about me being gone. She’s always supportive of anything I do.”
— Tom A. “TA” Elder
is sponsored by the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100. This is the 23rd year for the program.
“TA has tirelessly given to the kids in this community,” said Amanda Colbert, vice president of the WAC, who has known him for a decade. “He has coached and mentored baseball at all levels.”
“It’s a great honor being recognized for giving back to the community,” Elder said. “That’s what I’ve been doing for multiple years. I don’t have kids myself, but they are all my kids. That’s the way I treat them.”
The current president of the WACBurbank Baseball and Softball League — which has nearly 250 players this
summer — Elder has been involved with the group for more than 25 years. The WAC was established in 2008 when the city’s three youth baseball leagues merged into one.
In 2016, Elder, along with Scott Masters and Greg Rossi, were recognized for collecting community donations and grants of more than $100,000 over the past 10 years to pay for renovating fencing, fields and dugouts at Burbank Park.
Colbert pointed out that Elder runs the league and coached for many years. She recalled a specific moment when
he went beyond his usual contributions.
“The year after COVID we did not have a league to play in. The Hot Stove disbanded, and it was too late to get into the (Route) 304 League. That year, he and I spent hours on the phone making it possible for the kids to play. The following year, we were admitted into the 304 and we have worked very hard to grow this league, making (Burbank) a premiere park for others to come to.”
Elder explained that his long-time association with Burbank Park began as a 7-year-old player. “My father was the coach. He was in the Pittsburgh Pirates minor league system. In the summer, we were in the backyard playing ball. Anything to do with baseball. That’s where my love comes from.”
He continues to cheer for the Pirates, recording and watching all the team’s games as a fan as well as
gaining new insights.
Elder coached at Warren G. Harding and John F. Kennedy high schools and took the WAC 11- to 12-yearold team to the Cal Ripken state championship multiple times as well as winning it three times in a row (2015-17). Besides his work in Warren, he also coached a travel team out of Cleveland.
During his time at Harding, Elder recognized that in order to field a competitive team, players needed to prepare and train much earlier.
“I saw the talent level that was com ing up. In order to make a program at a high school level, you have to get involved with the younger kids. You have to get them when they’re young. So, in doing that, I went to Burbank. I got on the board, and I started teaching kids,” he said.
appreciates that his wife encourages his volunteerism.
“I give my wife a lot of credit for this because she never, ever, ever, complains about me being gone. She’s always supportive of anything I do,” Elder said.
“Overall, TA is just a great guy with a good heart,” Colbert said.
Elder mentioned how his assistance continues even after a player moves on from a WAC team. He helped film a former Burbank player’s workout in order for the tape to be sent to a prospective college.
“Anybody that needs help, I’ll work with them. I work with kids from 7 to 8, all the way up to 11, 12, even 13, 14. They call, they need help, I’m there. But, I try not to step on the coach’s toes,” he said.
Married 35 years, he
Susan Franko
By MAURITA HOFFMAN Correspondent
GIRARD — When Susan Franko walked into the St. Vincent de Paul (SVDP) dining hall 14 years ago to help serve meals, she could not have imagined that she would become the president of the St. Vincent de Paul Northeast Ohio District Council.
She said she began volunteering at the dining hall when “a gentleman in church suggested I do that.” She gathered a group of women from St. Rose Church in Girard and thus began their once-a-month dining hall service.
“And we still do it today, 14 years later,” Franko said.
“Listening to their stories, I have come to see the person individually, not just a name on a voucher.”
— Susan Franko
She noted that since the pandemic, the dining service is a drive-through experience, “but we still are able to socialize with the workers in the kitchen.”
Denny Rossi and Lou Lepro of the St. Vincent de Paul Society chose to nominate Franko for a Community Star award because, as Lepro said, “she is an outstanding volunteer and example of helping others.”
The Community Star program, in its 23rd year, is sponsored by the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100.
Rossi pointed out that “not only is she involved in the soup kitchen, but she is also the conference president of the SVDP of St. Rose Church and recently began serving a term as council president of the Conference which includes Ashtabula, Portage and Trumbull counties.”
Lepro, who recently finished his term as president of the council, said when he was leaving the position, “Susan more and more showed her ability to make decisions and to help out where needed. She’s a wonderful person that I have enjoyed working with; she is kind, thoughtful and very energetic.”
“There is something about it (volunteering). I get to see people and talk with them and most importantly, get to know them,” Franko said about working with the organization.
“Talking with the people, seeing how we can help and being able to see the results,” she said.
In addition to her volunteer duties with the dining hall and the council, Franko is very involved at the SVDP Thrift Store.
“There are price levels for everyone
— those who can afford a few dollars for some clothes and those who can afford more, but like a deal,” Franko said. “The thrift store is blessed to have donations of so many kinds of clothes, some upscale brands and designer donations.”
She added she enjoys helping customers shop for children.
“People often just need to talk to someone and tell their stories, so this is another way to connect with them,” she said.
Franko said the client interaction is a large part of what she enjoys about working with the SVDP programs.
She also has been involved in going on home visits.
“The neighbors we visit are so gracious in welcoming us into their homes. Listening to their stories, I have come to see the person individually, not just a name on a voucher,” Franko said.
Franko is an active member of St. Rose Church in Girard, where she serves as a lector, and she is on the board of the Emmanuel Care Center in Girard. She shared her admiration for the people with whom she volunteers, “all of them nice, helpful and willing to refer people for further help.”
“I am surprised and pleased and so appreciative that people felt I deserved this nomination,” Franko said. “There are so many wonderful people in our or ganization. I learn more from them than they learn from me.”
CONGRATULATIONS
SUSAN FRANKO SUSAN
St. Rose Church Girard, Ohio
Nick Frankos
By KARLA DINES Correspondent
WARREN — City native Nick Frankos graduated from Warren G. Harding in 1982. After graduating from the University of Cincinnati, he returned to his hometown and his family business, Buena Vista Cafe, which his parents founded in 1956.
Frankos has never been a behindthe-scenes kind of guy. He started working at the family business at age 9, where he can still be seen daily, mingling with and welcoming customers.
“I love it here and love the people here, so I came back.”
— Nick Frankos
His parents supported the community and Frankos continues to give back through his involvement with various organizations and sports-related events in Warren. Frankos’ father managed the restaurant and his mother was a stay-at-home mom.
“My father was pro-children across the board. He was feeding the football players at a time when Paul Warfield played at Harding. My father was also on the school board for 14 years,” Frankos said.
He played football for Harding for three years, where he was an All-Ohio football player. He was inducted into the Trumbull County Sports Hall of Fame and Warren Harding Sports Hall of Fame.
He played football all four years he attended the University of Cincinnati, where he majored in criminal justice. Before graduation, Frankos already had a job interview in Dallas for a position as a police officer.
His father visited him in Cincinnati for a weekend during his last quarter. While the two were out for dinner, his father told Frankos he had a buyer for the restaurant. He wanted Frankos to take over the business if he chose to do that. His father told him to take his time making the decision.
Frankos explained that it was a time when there were 15,000 manufacturing jobs in the area — GE, Packard, American Welding and Grinnell. Plus, another 15,000 on North River Road and Larchmont for a total of 30,000 manufacturing jobs within a half mile of their restaurant.
“I had been working here since I was 9 years old, cashing checks, and it was a time when we had 15 to 16 deliveries every Friday morning. I love it here and love the people here, so I came back,” Frankos said.
Frankos and his wife, Bonnie, run the business. They have five children: a son, Kyle; twin girls, Natalie and Selena, and a second set of twins, Sophia and Nicole.
Frankos was nominated for a Community Star award by a friend, Thomas Eschman, who said in his nomination letter, “Nick’s involvement in the community expands far and wide.”
The Community Star awards program, in its 23rd year, is sponsored by
the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100.
Eschman refers to Frankos’ football camps, golf outings, support for needy children throughout the city and support for local animal shelters.
Frankos and his friend Tim Manoa, a former Browns player, hosted a football camp this past year after a few years hiatus. Dominic “Mims” Massary, the former owner of Echo Lanes, was also one of the founders of the camp. Mims suggested to Manoa and Frankos one day that the three of them start a camp.
In 2024, the Nick Frankos MimsManoa Football Camp hosted more than 300 boys from junior high through high school. The players received free shirts, food and team pictures.
“We plan to have the camp again this year, a full-fledged three-day camp. I think it is important and the new head coach at Harding, Coach Richardson, thinks it is important as well,” Frankos said.
Frankos also started a golf outing 18 years ago after his father died in 2007.
‘We decided we would have a golf
outing in his name, a foundation in his name. It is called the Nick Frankos Memorial Scholarship Fund.”
The foundation provides between $10,000 and $20,000 in scholarships yearly to students attending Warren G. Harding and Kennedy. The foundation also provides 400 turkeys yearly to needy families in Warren City Schools during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.
Eschman described him as “someone with a big heart and a love for his community.”
Congratulations
John Guarnieri
By TIM GLEASON Correspondent
HOWLAND — John Guarnieri always thought of himself as a lucky guy.
Born into a fourth-generation wholesale distribution company, Guarnieri, 66, owned and managed the Albert Guarnieri and Company for 33 years until he retired in 2020.
Started by his great grandfather in 1888, the Warren-based company distributed consumer goods, such as groceries, food service, paper products, candy and cigarettes to local retailers, gas stations and supermarkets.
It was in 1997 that Guarnieri’s
“I had good fortune in my life being in a family-owned business. I thought it was time to help other people.”
— John Guarnieri
next-door neighbor, Gary Soukenik, retired CEO of 717 Credit Union, suggested that Guarnieri become involved in the United Way of Trumbull County. He jumped at the opportunity.
“I wanted to give back to the community,” Guarnieri said.”I had good fortune in my life being in a family-owned business. I thought it was time to help other people.I also wanted to set an example for my children.”
Guarnieri quickly turned his volunteer efforts into a leadership role when he joined the United Way of Trumbull County’s Board of Directors in 1999. He became chair of the Board in 2012, a position he held until 2014.
“The United Way
really appealed to me,” Guarnieri said. “I used to watch professional football on television all those years when the NFL promoted United Way. I wanted to be a part of it.”
According to Guarnieri, the United Way of Trumbull County benefits about a third of the community, either directly or indirectly, from the services it provides.
After 17 years of service to the United Way, Guarnieri stepped down in 2014, but his passion for volunteering still burned. In 2015, he joined the Board of Directors of Trumbull Memorial Hospital, a position he maintained until late 2024. He was also chair of the board from 2018 until he stepped down. It was while Guarnieri was chair
of the hospital that the board realized ownership was in trouble.
“A community of our size cannot exist with just one hospital,” Guarnieri said. “We had to do something to save it.”
Never one to rest, Guarnieri also joined the Board of Directors of the Trumbull Metropolitan Housing Authority (TMHA) in 2016, where he is board chairman.
“I just can’t sit still,” Guarnieri said. “While I’ve enjoyed my service on major community efforts and projects, my first passion is actually helping kids.”
To that end, Guarnieri is the boys golf coach at Howland High School, a position he has held since 2022.
In addition, he is a substitute teacher in the Mathews school system. Guarnieri’s wife of 41 years, Jodi, is the district school nurse at Mathews.
“As long as I can keep working with kids and helping them to succeed,” Guarnieri said, “it will make me feel like a young man.”
The Guarnieri’s have three children, Kristen, Brian and Kelli. Kristen nominated her father for being the role model he always wanted to be.
“He instilled in our household the value of a strong work ethic,” Kristen wrote in her nomination letter. “Even while working long hours, he always made it a priority to teach my siblings and me the importance of giving back. His selflessdedication have deeply inspired me to get involved in nonprofit boards and continue his legacy of paying it forward.”
CongratulationsJohn!
Beverly and Farrah Jones
By RAYMOND L. SMITH Staff writer
WARREN — Beverly and Farrah Jones have placed service to their neighborhoods and community at the forefront of their lives for the past 13 years.
Beverly, 70, and her daughter, Farrah, 49, have worked to bring improved city service to southeast neighborhood streets by lobbying city leaders to repair sewer lines that from 2002
“I’ve personally lost a brother, an uncle and a best friend. It (Narcan) needs to be out there. This is very personal to me.”
— Farrah Jones
through 2019 pushed raw sewage into basements along Briar Street.
The duo, working through Southeast Side Community Association Inc, also known as SESCA, is working to turn a long abandoned property into a community park where residents can enjoy time away from the pressures of their normal lives.
That is part of the reason the mother-daugh- ter duo were named 2025 Community Stars by the
Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100. This is the 23rd year for the program.
The future Remembrance / Memorial Garden Park, is located near the corner of Niles Road and Briar Street. It once was a site where three dilapidated homes were torn down and then the corner was primarily unkept and ignored for years.
This summer, the pocket park will have a gazebo under which adults may sit, tables, playground equipment and games for children and an
array of perennials, trees and shrubbery. “It’s being called the Remembrance Garden Park because what we all know is grief,” Farrah said. “It will be a place of healing and a place where people come together.”
It is being funded with money from the city’s American Rescue Plan funds, a resident engagement grant from the Wean Foundation, as well as contributions from other local businesses, such as Pit Stop Gas Station and DTLZ Landscapers.
SESCA also has been shepherding for the past three years Willard Garden Park on Willard Avenue, which has eight to 10 raised garden beds for community residents. Two of the gardens are raised several feet up, so older gardeners who cannot bend low can participate.
SESCA has been shepherding the Willard Garden Park for three years.
“It had been abandoned,” Farrah said. “It was overgrown and needed to be cleaned out.”
“The original person who was maintaining the park moved out of the area,” Beverly said.
SESCA now has a free annual community cookout and festival at the park every July.
Working with the Pit Stop Gas Station and the Warren City Health Department, SESCA volunteers in each of the past two years have passed out Narcan kits and fentanyl test strips.
“We decided to do this because of what has been happening in our communities,” Farrah said. “I’ve personally lost a brother, an uncle and a best friend. It (Narcan) needs to be out there. This is very personal to me.”
Farrah, who has been the executive director of SESCA since 2021, described stepping forward to join and, shortly afterward, lead the non-profit community organization.
“I became involved because there were things I believed needed to be addressed, including beautification and revitalization throughout the southeast side,” she said.
It is not surprising that Farrah became an activist with SESCA because Beverly has worked with the non-profit for many years.
The mother and daughter live within a block of one another. They’re both physically and emotionally close,
supporting one another in accomplishing goals.
Beverly worked at the former General Motors plant in Lordstown for about 30 years. As a union member, she was involved in providing assistance to other union members and their families. They raised money for local charities.
“It is what we did,” she said.
Former councilman Ken MacPherson, who nominated the women for the Community Star award, described them as superheroines.
“These are just common folk,” he described. “Hard working, quiet people who do a little more, then a little more, to help.”
Cheryl Saffold, who formerly represented the city’s 6th Ward while on city council, said the women, through SESCA, spearheaded an annual Resident Engagement Day at which they collected household items, clothing and toys to distribute to families in need.
“This was highlighted in 2023 when a woman was murdered leaving young children without their mother,” Saffold said. “Farrah and Beverly organized a citywide effort to assist. They even fed the children before relatives could arrive to assess the situation.”
Jena Swesey
By BRANDON CANTWELL Staff writer
WARREN — When it comes to getting help at events, those at Inspiring Minds know they don’t have to look far, as Jena Swesey brings an armada of support.
“The thing about Jena is, she doesn’t come by herself when she supports (us),” Tammye Hardin, a program coordinator at Inspiring Minds said.. “She brings her husband, her family, she brings her own crew and then they get to know us and they end up supporting us as well.”
“I feel like I should be nominating them for letting me help.”
— Jena Swesey, about Inspiring Minds
“She’s just a very welcoming person, she’s very genuine; you don’t have to worry about a lot of things when you know you have her on your team,” Hardin added.
That is part of the reason Swesey was named a 2025 Community Star by the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100. This is the 23rd year for the program.
Swesey, a Mathews High School graduate who works as a business relationship manager at JPMorgan Chase Bank, climbed her way up the ranks from a teller and has accumulated 15 years of experience in the industry. She admitted it feels nice to be nominated, but it also was unexpected.
“It feels unexpected because you don’t really go into anything volunteer-wise or community-wise and
just think you’re gonna be recognized in any certain way, because that’s not why you’re really doing it,” Swesey said. “I’m just doing it because what they (Inspiring Minds) do is great. I help out, and I have an older daughter so I have a lot of time on my hands. I feel like I should be nominating them for letting me help.”
Swesey attributed her ability to communicate with people to her full-time job because she speaks to many business owners. She said when she volunteers, she meets people who ask if she can bring others — which results in her bringing friends, family and her Chase co-workers.
“My family, they’re always like, ‘you’re so busy at work, you’re doing this, doing that,’ and they’re just like,
‘oh, you’re so busy,’ so I said, ‘okay, cool, come with me,’” Swesey said. “So I started bringing my grandfather to different things and now they’re just obsessed with going with me.”
And her influence doesn’t just reach Inspiring Minds. Sweney said the Boys and Girls Club needed volunteers for Shop With a Cop, and she helped out there, too.
“I kind of just gravitated toward people and they’re always there for me,” she said.
Deryck Toles, founder and CEO of Inspiring Minds, nominated Swesey for the award.
In his letter, Toles noted that Swesey had been an active volunteer and advocate for the organization for the past several years in both Warren and Youngstown, sitting on committees, assisting with fundraising events and connecting them with individuals and businesses in the community with like-minded goals.
When she’s not working or volunteering, she enjoys spending time with her husband, Mike, and daughter, Ava. She also hikes and boxes.
“Jena embodies the heart of a volunteer, and is always willing to help in any way she can. She
loves the work the Inspiring Minds does and being a part of it,” Toles wrote. “If she had something like IM growing up, she (said she) thinks she may have had the opportunity to take different paths in her own life.”
Richard Thompson
By BOB COUPLAND Staff writer
KINSMAN — For many Kinsman residents, Richard Thompson is an active leader who has helped the community move forward.
That is part of the reason he was named a 2025 Community Star by the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100. This is the 23rd year for the program. Thompson was nominated for the award by Katie Dodd and Kinsman
“His work has been driven solely by his deep love for Kinsman. Without this vision and dedication, Kinsman would undoubtedly look very different today.”
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Township Trustee Greg Leonhard. Dodd and Leonhard said Kinsman was faced with failing septic systems and Thompson joined forces with others to explore the possibility of bringing sanitary sewers to Kinsman. In the early 2000s, Thompson purchased the old Kraft Cheese Plant and donated it to Trumbull County, ensuring its use as a treatment facility. In 2015, after years of hard work, the Kinsman sewer project was completed, marking the beginning of the revitalization of Kinsman.
Leonhard said since then, Thompson has continued to invest in Kinsman, purchasing and renovating numerous properties to benefit the community.
“Whether improving the town’s aesthetics or enhancing infrastructure, his contributions have made a lasting impact,’’ Leonhard said, noting Thompson bought a property on State Street and donated an adjacent lot to the township, enabling the construction of sidewalks linking Main Street to South Street through the newly developed greenspace.
Leonhard said Thompson
Greg Leonhard, Kinsman trustee, who nominated Thompson
made a donation to the township, making the purchase of the administration building possible.
Dodd said Thompson’s commitment extends beyond property investments, noting he has revitalized several key structures, including the Kinsman Senior Center, the old Kinsman town hall building and “the Peter Allen Inn, which is one of Kinsman’s most cherished landmarks.”
She said Thompson has invested in Kinsman’s history, including funding and building the one-room schoolhouse at the Antique Engine Grounds in Wayne Township. He also purchased and demolished an old gas station on state Route 7, donated the land to the township and funded a community information sign at the site.
In 2019, during the Kinsman flood, Thompson helped residents clean up severe water damage in their homes and used his equipment at his own expense to clear debris from roads.
Thompson has served on various boards, including the Kinsman Library Trustee Board, Kinsman Methodist Church and Kinsman Park Board,
“His work has been driven solely by his deep love for Kinsman. Without this vision and dedication, Kinsman would undoubtedly look very different today,’’ Leonhard said.
“Many businesses live and die without leaving a lasting mark, but Richard Thompson is not one of them. His legacy of service, generosity and devotion to his community makes him a true Community Star,’’ Dodd wrote in her nom ination letter.
Thompson said he raised his family in Kinsman and feels proud to be part of the community, “It is a great community. I want to help wherever I can,” he said.
P.C. Torres III
By CHRIS McBRIDE Staff writer
SOUTHINGTON — P.C. Torres III is a man whose life has been defined by discipline, second chances and an unwavering commitment to lifting up his community. He was inducted into the Trumbull
“He defeated his biggest foe, addiction, but fights it every day. That’s courage.”
— Terry Nicopolis, Torres’ nominator
County Sports Hall of Fame in 2024. Torres, 62, launched the nonprofit gym, Warren Boxing Association, in 1999 after a personal turning point — the death of his mother. What began as a modest space on Mahoning Avenue grew into a regional staple offering tutoring, transportation and low-cost training while enforcing strict rules of homework before gloves and a zero-tolerance drug policy.
That is part of the reason Torres was named a 2025 Community Star by the Tribune Chronicle and Trumbull 100. This is the 23rd year for the program.
“Boxing humbles you. Kids come in thinking they’re tough, but the ring teaches
respect,” said Torres, a Navy veteran and former amateur boxer. His own journey began in Warren, where he was raised by a MexicanAmerican father who emphasized discipline and a mother who “taught love.”
“But as a kid, I had more anger than sense.”
That energy found an outlet when he joined the U.S. Navy in 1980. During boot camp, his commander steered him toward boxing — a decision that changed his life. Torres joined the Navy’s East Coast boxing team, channeling his aggression into the sport. After his discharge, he returned to Warren, where he met Terry Nicopolis, a former professional boxer and city sanitation department head who became his lifelong mentor.
“Boxing isn’t a game, you don’t play boxing,” Nicopolis said.
“P.C. was a natural. He listened, trained hard, and had heart.”
Under Nicopolis’ guidance, Torres compiled a strong amateur record, losing just one fight. But when family responsibilities called, Nicopolis urged him to step away from the ring.
“It’s a selfish life. You can’t raise kids and chase glory,” Nicopolis said.
In 1999, after the death of his mother, Torres channeled his grief into opening the Warren Boxing Association. With support
from Nicopolis, local attorney Mike Hodak and community leaders, the gym became a haven for youth. Its rules were simple: no training until homework was done and respect was non-negotiable.
The WBA to him was about accountability, offering tutoring, transportation and a drug-free environment, all for $5 a month. Veterans and military members trained free. Over 14 years, the gym has served more than 1,000 trainees, many from low-income households.
David Nelson, a former student with “high aggression issues,” credited the WBA with turning his life around. He later joined the Marines.
“Meeting P.C. was a positive turning point,” Nelson said.
Torres’ journey wasn’t without struggle. A recovering addict with 33 years of sobriety, he raised his son as a single father after his exwife battled addiction.
“Drugs don’t discriminate. You need a support system,” said Torres, who now advocates for expanded recovery programs.
Nicopolis, who helped launch a city employee assistance program, praised Torres’ resilience. “He defeated his biggest foe, addiction, but fights it every day. That’s courage.”
Torres’ impact extends beyond boxing, having organized memorial events for city workers, funded by community boxing shows, and ensured every student left the gym with a trophy.
“Kids need to feel they accomplished something,” he said.
Torres plans to focus on addiction recovery advocacy while maintaining his mantra: “Pass it on.” Reflecting on his legacy, he said, “I just want to be remembered as someone who loved people.”
Previous winners
2024
Kathlene Anerino, Bazetta
Ronald Currey, Champion
Barbara Drake, Newton Falls
Jenny Falvey, Warren
Sandy Mahaffey, Girard
Andrew and Melissa Mullins, Warren
Chelsea Munroe, Cortland
James Rapone, Champion
Jordan Taylor, Warren
Jack Thornton Jr., Warren
2023
Sherry Bercheni, Warren
Kenneth David, Girard
Madelyn Fonagy, Brookfield
Jeff Ford and Christine Novicky, Vienna
Justin Meade, Hubbard
Melinda Mock, Howland
Linda Morton Cowin, Leavittsburg
Charles Potashnik, Howland
Dennis Rossi, Warren
James Sweet, Warren
2022
Toussaint Blake, Warren
Allen Briggs, Leavittsburg
William H. Dennis, Jr., Warren
Jacob & John Fowler, Warren
Kathy Lepro, Warren
Jessica Licata, Vienna
2020
Cindy Angelo, Warren
Beverly Gartland, Warren
Basil and Mary Lou Jarrett, Cortland
Pastor George Johnson, Warren
Virginia Logan, Kinsman
Terry Mascioli, Cortland
Ellie Monchak and Jean Potashnik, both, Warren
John Payiavlas, Warren
John Streitferdt, Warren
Carole Wiley, Cortland
2019
Linda Aggarwal, Warren
Robert Berk, Howland
Mike Bollas, Howland
Donna Fowler, Warren
Lance Grahn, Cortland
Miles “Jay” Johnson, Warren
Dave Luther, Howland
Lisa Ramsey, Warren
Janet Schweitzer, Howland
Barbara Vingle, Warren
Chuck & Donna Mackey, Howland
Cindee & Mark Mines, Champion
Meghan Reed, Warren
Dan Roscoe, Vienna
2017
D’Andre Bowers, Warren
William E. Casey, Hubbard
Amanda Colbert, Warren
Shirley Frazier, Southington
William H. Gore, Cortland
Elliott Heckman, Warren
Lou Lepro, Warren
James McFarland, Warren
Dr. Farid Naffah, Cortland
James Shuttic, Warren
2016
Betty Jean Bahmer, Howland and
Anna Mae Cuchna, Niles
Paul Clouser, Warren
Shirley Cross, Warren
George Davis Jr., Niles
David Denovchek, Niles
Will and Kiisha Sanders, Warren
Diane Sauer, Howland
Anne Schweinfurth, Howland
Lori Ann Tichenor, Warren
Leigh Ann Zigler, Brookfield
2018
Andrew Bednar, Warren
Sam Covelli, Warren
Debbie Hayes, Warren
Katylu Herriman, Warren
Joyce Jones, Kinsman
Bonnie Loomis, Warren
Mary Lou and Sal Mormando, Warren
Joyce Polenick and Jennifer Economos
Sudzina, Warren
Teresa Webb, Bristol
Jay Wonders, Warren
2015
Kenneth Conklin, Warren
Martha Ellers, Warren
Anna Marie Holt, Champion
Todd Johnson, Warren
Robert Orr, Hubbard
Mary Jeanine Pipino, Warren
Beth Ann Vanek, Southington
Julia Wike, Warren
Jim Whetstone, Howland
Barbara Wright, Howland
2014
Selena Rockenfelder, Howland
E. Carol Maxwell, Warren
Lisa Booze, Leavittsburg
Barney Macali, Niles
Pierson “Butch” Butcher,Warren
Mary Ann Franklin, Warren
Kay Fisher, Warren
Frank Glenn, Cortland
Gary L. Gutelius, Warren
Heather Wells, Howland
2013
Carolyn Andrews, Warren
Rhonda Bennett, Warren
Cathy Carney, Niles
Caryn Covelli, Warren
Roberta Cykon, Fowler
Doug Herlinger, Newton Falls
Florence Hutton, Cortland
Robert Sauer, Warren
Steve Zerefos, Warren
2012
Martin L. Cohen, Warren
Michele Jones, Howland
Helen Ruth McKenzie, Vienna
James J. Mariano, Warren
David Moore, Bazetta
Geneva Reid, Warren
Ricky Pasco, Hubbard
Mackenzie Pasco, Hubbard
Carol Olson, Howland
Nancy Olds, Bazetta
Ali Bashir, Warren
2011
Elizabeth Cole-Clark, Warren
Marjorie Dangaran, Warren
Hannah Emerson, Lordstown
Ruth Jean Hawkins, West Farmington
Harry & Debbie King, Cortland
Frank Manios, Warren
Gretchen Reed, Liberty
Aruthenia Simmons, Warren
Betty Strawderman, Howland
James Young, Cortland
2010
Barb & Mary Busko, Warren
Terrill Harvey, Warren
David Kostolansky, Howland
James Noyes, Hubbard
Earl Parthemer, Bazetta
Ben Rhoads, Howland
Don Strock, Champion
Jim & Anne Townley, Niles
Julie Vugrinovich, Howland
Katie Watson, Cortland
2009
James Barbe, Bristol
Lucille Bickel, Champion
Bill & Cordie Davis, Southington
Jim Economos, Warren
Vickie Harkelrode, West Farmington
Melanie Jones, Warren
Roderick Lewis Jr., Warren
Loretta J. Pernice, Warren
John & Marian Scott, Cortland
Marjorie Sudimack, Warren
2008
Nancy & Gary Grusha, Mineral Ridge
Charles L. Jaros, Leavittsburg
Brian Kovach, Cortland
Debbie Meeker, Southington
Cindy Michael, Warren
Fred Palmer & Dennis
Nickle, Warren
Gussie Reed, Warren
Carmen Santone, Warren
Deryck Toles, Warren
John Taylor, Warren
2007
Ashley Angelotti, Howland
Nick Bellas, Warren
Jean Bolinger, Cortland
Bob Brothers, Niles
David Hamilton, Warren
The Rev. David Herron Sr., Warren
Lillie F. Johnson, Warren
David Lewis, Warren
Barbara Rosenblum, Kinsman
Eric Thompson, Newton Falls
2006
Edward Bellin, Cortland
Kathleen Bowen, Mineral Ridge
Paul Dieter, Howland
Dorothy French, Mesopotamia
Crystal Gunter, Niles
Sam Lanza, Warren
Wendell Lauth, Bristol
Rocco & Renee Maiorca, Cortland
James Potjunas, Vienna
Dr. James Snelson, Howland
2005
Dr. Robert Brodell, Warren
Robert Brown, Warren
Shawn Bryant, Howland
Ronald Froats, Howland
Roger Gardner, Warren
William Marteney, Newton Falls
Thomas Namola, Warren
Vincent Peterson, Howland
Dawn Rhodes, Southington
Shelley Taylor, Warren
2004
Veronica Caruso, Niles
Jessie Dann & Vinny
Gutierrez, Liberty
Ned Gold, Howland
Wil Harris Jr., Warren
LaRue Harshman, Southington
Don Hazel, Cortland
John Makosky, Champion
Pete Perich, Warren
Jeannette Sanders, Warren
George Sparacino, Warren
2003
Larry Beardsley, Leavittsburg
Theresa Bungard, Warren
Marli Conner, Cortland
William C. Horton, Southington
Freda Jackson, Warren
Dorothy Klein, Cortland
Thomas Klingeman, Warren
Kathy Lazor, Vienna
Dr. Franklin Rizer, Warren
Brittany Tennant, Southington
2002
Earnest Brown, Warren
Katy Chaney, Cortland
Leah Hubbard, Bristolville
Judy Kellogg, Niles
Louann Kenyon, Warren
Beverly MacPherson, Warren
Michael K. Overton, Warren
Ray & Betty Powers, Leavittsburg
John Stewart, Warren
Joan White, Southington
Tim Boyer
Sue Datish
Community Stars Thank You
Tom Elder
Susan Franko
Nick Frankos
John Guarnieri
Beverly Jones
Farrah Jones
Jena Swesey
Richard Thompson
P.C. Torres III
to all of the Community Stars who have made a significant impact in Trumbull County. From the Inaugural Class of 2002 to the 2025 honorees, our community is a better place because of you.
