The LuLac Edition #3620, October 21st, 2017

ANTHONY MUSSARI

Dr. Anthony Mussari (Photo: Citizen's Voice)

Mussari for Mayor palm card (LuLac archives)

If you grew up in the Wilkes Barre/Luzerne County area in the 60s and 70s, you knew the name Tony Mussari. Or more accurately Dr. Anthony Mussari. Mussari was a very popular and opinionated Professor that many students gravitated toward at King’s College. He was young, articulate and passionate.
He took that skill set to Education when he was elected to the Wilkes Barre Area School. The board back then, long an enclave of political factions divided up by the school jointure, was made up of political titans in their own little areas. It was a curious mix when two Doctors of educational status, Mussari and the late Tom O’Donnell joined the Board. Mussari distinguished himself by trying to balance the needs of the taxpayers as well as the progress of Education in a district that went through the growing pains mandated by State Law. Then of course, there was The Flood of ’72 which gave additional challenges to the fledgling district.
Regarding that fateful disaster, Mussari wrote a book about the Agnes Flood called “Appointment With Disaster’. The book became for a time the definitive explanation of the way the community dealt with such a challenge before, during and afrer. Additionally, Mussari involved his students in the research.
During this time and into the late 70s, Mussari did Editorials on WNEP TV. This was back in the day when your local TV station had on air opinions at the end of their newscasts. The big three were Mussari on WNEP, Tom Bigler on WBRE TV and Tom Powell on WDAU, now WYOU. His editorials were on point, logical and forward thinking.
Mussari made two runs for Wilkes Barre Mayor. Prior to 1975, Wilkes Barre had a Council/Manager form of Government. That era only lasted a decade. The 1975 Mayor’s Democratic primary featured Controller Walter Lisman, Wilkes Barre Community Development Director Joe Williams, and School Director Mussari. The issue was how Wilkes Barre would be rebuilt especially in terms of Redevelopment. Lisman, as City Controller had an advantage because he was in on many of the grant applications that started the rebuilding process. Lisman won in the primary. He later was elected as the first “strong” Mayor of Wilkes Barre since Frank Slattery. .
In 1979 when Lisman chose not to run, Mussari was bested by City Councilman Tom McLaughlin in a bitter primary contest. During both campaigns Mussari took a lot of heat mainly for his academic credentials. It was amazing to me that local Democratic pols were intimidated by Mussari’s intellect and ability to think on his feet. In his campaigns Mussari offered himself as a progressive alternative. Both times the Democratic establishment won the battle. But it was not lost on many that Mussari, in those two campaigns, brought a discourse that paved the way for others, most notably Kevin Blaum, who beat a multi term incumbent for State Rep the year after.
Mussari continued his passion for education but transferred it into film. His series “Windsor Park Stories” produced alongside with his wife Kitch, was a mainstay for many years on WVIA TV.
While I did not have him as a Professor at King’s, we interacted a great deal when he and his wife attended the monthly meetings of the Professional News Media Association of Northeastern Pennsylvania. (I had the honor of being the group’s Secretary.) He always sat in the back row, taking in the information and commented succinctly his opinion. When he spoke, people listened. Now keep in mind, this group was very active during the post Agnes era, the end of the Dan Flood political era, the George Banks trial, the Bud Dwyer suicide and how Reaganomics affected local social service agencies.
He passed away at the age of 75 from a rare brain disease, Progressive Supranuclear Palsy. Mussari was laid to rest Saturday.
In lieu of flowers or memorials, please direct any communication to the The Nancy Beck Loftus Memorial Scholarship Fund, c/o Misericordia University.