
Look Back: 'Old Jasper' retired in 1928 after 53 years of railroad service
Mar. 23—Jasper C. Gritman, known as "Old Jasper," had an exciting commute to work from his home at 312 E. Market St., Wilkes-Barre — a short walk to the rail yards along today's Wilkes-Barre Boulevard where he hopped onto a street car that took him to Hudson in Plains Township.
At 75, Gritman retired after 53 years of service to the Delaware & Hudson Railroad Co. on March 31, 1928.
"More than a half century, 53 years to be exact, in the service of one company and 40 of those years as an engineer, is the proud record compiled by Jasper C. Gritman who today will be fittingly honored by his colleagues and superiors," reported the Wilkes-Barre Record on March 31, 1928.
Born in Benton Township, Lackawanna County, then a part of Luzerne County on March 9, 1853, Gritman worked on his family's farm until 14, when he worked on the Delaware and Hudson Canal between Honesdale and Roudout, N.Y.
The Delaware and Hudson Canal Company ventured into the Delaware and Hudson Railroad Company.
Gritman assisted in driving mules to pull barges filled with coal to the Hudson River for two years until he returned to help his father on the family's farm. After his father's death, Gritman grew tired of farmlife and went to Scranton in 1888 and began working for D & H railroad spending the first eight years on the Saratoga Express that traveled between Scranton and Oneonta, N.Y.
"For eight years he was a 'brakie' during the regime when air brakes and cabooses were things unknown. His record entitled him to promotion and he was made an engineer 40 years ago," the Record reported.
Gritman's promotion in 1888 resulted in relocating to the Heights section of Wilkes-Barre, living on South Welles and South Grant streets before moving to a modest home on East Market Street, which overlooked the rail yards.
Having the benefit of working for the railroad, Gritman and his wife rode for free often taking vacations in Erie, Pa., or Niagara Falls, N.Y.
Gritman's job as an engineer was handling the throttle of a pusher engine between Hudson, Plains Township, to Moosic. He got to Hudson by street car he hopped onto near the Central New Jersey Passenger Station, today's Luzerne County Visitors Center.
On his last day of work, the pusher engine was decorated with flags and banners.
"He will drive the engine to Moosic and there a special car will be attached and brought to Hudson. At 4 p.m., a formal homage will be paid to Old Jasper at the throttle," reported the Record.
After ceremonies and kind words were said, Jasper was honored at a banquet attended by 300 people at the Hotel Sterling.
Jasper died inside his East Market Street home on Jan. 30, 1936, and was buried next to his wife, who died in 1933, in St. Mary's Cemetery in Hanover Township. The couple had five boys.
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USA Today
6 days ago
- USA Today
2026 NFL draft: 10 prospects who could be poised to rise this season
2026 NFL draft: 10 prospects who could be poised to rise this season Show Caption Hide Caption Ashton Jeanty talks all things Las Vegas Raiders and his hopes in the NFL Ashton Jeanty spoke with USA TODAY Sports about his upcoming rookie season with the Raiders and his partnership with Sharpie. Sports Seriously Editor's note: This story is a part of a series by USA TODAY Sports called Project: June. We will publish at least one NFL-themed story every day throughout the month because fans know the league truly never sleeps. The top of every NFL draft typically features at least a handful of players who have been well-known figures for some time. But plenty can change over the course of a year – and several prospects typically ensure there's somewhat of a shake-up. With teams often placing a premium on upside in their picks, a breakout season can go a long way toward shifting consensus about a player's draft stock. 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The former track champion – he ran a 10.33-second 100-meter dash as a sophomore – earned USA TODAY Sports' first-team All-American slot as a returner after taking back 24 kicks for 442 yards and a touchdown along with 16 punts for 332 yards and one touchdown. As a sophomore, however, he hit an apparent wall playing for a Trojans squad in transition. Although he tied for second on the team with 47 receptions last season, he scored just one touchdown and averaged 10.4 yards per reception while also seeing his special teams contributions be severely limited. After transferring to Georgia along with older brother Zion, the 5-10, 180-pounder will be called on to provide some easy wins in the passing game for expected new starting quarterback Gunner Stockton as part of a remade receiving corps. 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Malachi Fields, WR, Notre Dame At 6-4 and 220 pounds, Fields sizes up as the kind of possession receiver who can make life a good deal easier for his signal-caller. But it might be the savvy that stems from his days as a high school quarterback that puts him over the top as a safety valve. His knack for coming down with contested catches and finding soft spots in zones helped him record more than 800 receiving yards in each of the last two seasons, which was no easy feat given the extremely poor quarterback play he was saddled with at Virginia. After transferring to Notre Dame, he'll be afforded not only a greater stage but also much better overall support from a team that should once again be in the hunt for one of the College Football Playoff's top seeds. Luke Hasz, TE, Mississippi A change of scenery can go a long way in determining any player's NFL draft trajectory. 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At 6-3 and 245 pounds, he's a more formidable run blocker than his size might suggest. His true value, however, lies in his ability to create mismatches as a supersized receiver with impressive long speed. Sadiq will have to show he can handle being a featured part of the Ducks' offense and develop into something more than a seam threat, but he's one of the most intriguing draft-eligible tight ends to keep an eye on. Damon Wilson II, DE/OLB, Missouri When he committed to Georgia in December 2022, Wilson looked in line to be the next standout pass rusher for a program that produced Travon Walker, Jalen Carter and a bevy of other hyperathletic defensive linemen. But the Bulldogs' rigid rotation up front can box in even the most talented players and leave them with limited opportunities to shine as individuals. 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Though he might never post prolific sack numbers, he can create havoc by pushing the pocket and slipping past blockers who underestimate his quickness. Jackson's conditioning and consistency will be heavily scrutinized, but after the similarly built Kenneth Grant went No. 13 overall to the Miami Dolphins this year, it's apparent that massive defensive tackles with abundant athleticism don't tend to hang around long in the draft. Keon Sabb, S, Alabama After helping Michigan win a national championship in 2023, Sabb took on a new challenge last year by going to Tuscaloosa to help the Crimson Tide navigate the post-Nick Saban era. He made a strong early impression, recording two interceptions in his first game for Alabama and notching 39 total tackles before being lost for the season to a lower-extremity injury. The 6-1, 205-pounder blends puts together impressive size and coverage skills to allow him to clamp down on tight ends and patrol underneath in zone coverage. With his strong tackling allowing him to also be a force in the box, he should be coveted for his ability to handle a few key tasks, even if he doesn't fit the mold of a typical single-high safety. If he's able to stay healthy, expect his buzz to build. All the NFL news on and off the field. Sign up for USA TODAY's 4th and Monday newsletter. Check out the latest edition: Best fits for remaining free agents.


Forbes
03-06-2025
- Forbes
Delaware, Missouri State Add To Conference USA's Growing Inventory Of New FBS Teams
Delaware and Missouri State officially join Conference USA on July 1 and will increase league membership to 12 and FBS membership to 136. The Blue Hens and Bears will make it five schools in three seasons to have elevated from the FCS to the FBS and join CUSA. Jacksonville State and Sam Houston State made the move in 2023 and Kennesaw State in 2024. The five former FCS schools came from as many different conferences and are the most recent to elevate to the higher subdivision. UD was in the Coastal Athletic Association (formerly Colonial Athletic Association), MSU came from the Missouri Valley Conference, Kennesaw State was in the Big South, Jacksonville State had two years in the Atlantic Sun following an 18-year stint in the Ohio Valley Conference, and Sam Houston State had two seasons in the WAC after a 33-year run in the Southland Conference. Delaware and Missouri State will also make it seven schools to join CUSA in the aforementioned timeframe as previously independent Liberty and New Mexico State came on board in 2023, and at a time when independents have virtually disappeared. (Only Notre Dame and UConn will be on their own in 2025, though in entirely different spheres.) The Flames left the Big South to join the FBS in 2018 and were independent for five seasons before joining CUSA. The Aggies have had a nomadic time of it this century having been a member of four conferences, including two stints in the Sun Belt, and have twice been independent. Taking on five schools from the FCS and two from the independent ranks was necessary for Conference USA given the wheels that were set in motion in autumn 2021 when Charlotte, FAU, North Texas, Rice, UAB and UTSA announced they were departing for the American Athletic Conference effective 2023. That was the year Marshall, Old Dominion and Southern Miss decided to leave for the Sun Belt. Hence, CUSA had to quickly re-make itself, which it did by filling the gaps around holdovers FIU, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee, UTEP and Western Kentucky. In the not-so-distant past, teams that moved up from the FCS usually took their lumps while finding their footing in college football's highest level. Because of how Conference USA has restructured and with Western Kentucky the only holdover having achieved notable success (10 bowl appearances in 11 years, one top 25 finish) as a league member, opportunities have been abundant for the FBS newbies and the former independents to achieve immediate success. Below are examples. The Gamecocks won the conference championship last season as a second-year FBS and CUSA member. Their lone conference loss was at Western Kentucky in the regular-season finale before blasting (52-12) the Hilltoppers a week later for the title. Rich Rodriguez led the program's transition to the FBS and went 27-10 in three seasons (13-3 in two years of CUSA play) before returning to West Virginia. Charles Kelly, an assistant at JSU in the 1990s, takes over. If not for a mid-season loss to Western Kentucky, the Bearkats would have played JSU for the conference title. As it turned out, Sam Houston State was the only CUSA team to win double-digit games (10-3) last season. Coach K.C. Keeler, who succeeded College Football Hall of Famer Tubby Raymond at Delaware – Keeler was a Blue Hens linebacker under Raymond -- in 2002 and ran the program for 11 years before taking over at Sam Houston State, returned to the I-95 corridor in December to coach Temple. Phil Longo returned to Huntsville to run the program. He was the Bearkats' OC for three seasons (2014-16) under Keeler before serving in the same role with Ole Miss, North Carolina and Wisconsin. The Aggies' inaugural CUSA campaign of 2023 resulted in a championship game appearance, a slugfest (49-35) of a defeat to Liberty, which was in its first season with the conference. Jerry Kill's team went 10-2 in the regular season – their loss to the Flames was followed by bowl loss to Fresno State – for the program's first double-digit win season since 1960 when the school was a member of the Border Intercollegiate Athletic Association with, among others, Arizona and Arizona State. Tony Sanchez took over Kill and enters his second season as coach. The 2023 conference championship win over New Mexico State noted above sealed a New Year's Six Bowl for the Flames, who improved to 13-0 and ascended to No. 18 in the AP poll. Jamey Chadwell's first year at the helm in Lynchburg concluded with a Fiesta Bowl blowout loss (45-6) to Oregon, and a No. 25 ranking. True, Kennesaw State went 2-10 last year in its inaugural FBS season. Both wins, however, were in conference play, including against Liberty, and a pair of losses were in overtime. Not too bad for a school that did not field a football program until 2015 and was led by Brian Bohannon from day one before his awkward departure late last season. Former North Carolina Central head coach and NFL assistant, Jerry Mack, takes over. In the larger picture as far as Conference USA is concerned, Delaware and Missouri State coming on board should only aid the long-term health of the league, if indeed there is such a thing as 'long-term' in college football. CUSA, though, has done a nice job of continuing to build itself in a rather unique manner and with 11 states represented in what will be a 12-team league for the fast-arriving 2025 college football season.


Fox News
02-06-2025
- Fox News
Ashley Biden slams reporting about her dad's mental acuity as 'disrespectful and untrue'
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