is sponsored by the 
Student Government Association 
of Youngstown State University. 
This spring 2008 issue of




Hip-hop duo DaBoondox says Youngstown doesn?t have a future, but it got them their name. 
Influenced by a different 
generation of hip-hop, 30-year-
old members Jeff Killin and Troy 
Napier were fans of groups like 
A Tribe Called Quest, Public 
Enemy and Farside. 
?They were pioneers of hip-
hop,  said Napier, ?Not flashy 
and all about the chains and 
cars.
The duo, whose stage names 
are ?Mayhem Da Millennium 
Predator? and ?DJ Killin,  have 
completed their newest album 
set to be released at a CD 
release show early May. 
The album, the first the guys 
have actually created and 
produced, was put together over 
basically three years. 
Understandably, the guys 
are pumped and pretty stoked 
about the idea of their first 
masterpiece coming out and 
finally being completed. ?We 
are excited, but we will be 
promoting a lot for the album 
and the end of summer dance/
bash party,  said the guys.
The members of DaBoondox, 
together since 1989, are still 
coming up with new ideas.  
The guys are all about being 
Before the bling 
Making hip-hop raw again
in DA ARMPIT OF DA 
STATES
7
Ohio
positive and 
saving hip-hop. ?We?re old 
school with a positive message,  
said Killin. 
They work as a diversified 
team, and their music is about 
unifying cultures. Jeff brings 
in the beats, and Troy puts the 
words down with it, or vise 
versa. Troy might throw down 
one of his rhymes and Jeff will 
feel the flow in his head and 
come up with a beat to match it. 
Napier serves as vocalist 
and co-producer, while Killin, 
producer and vocalist, creates 
beats for the approximately 
40 songs on DaBoondox?s two 
albums, ?Armpit of Da States? 
and ?Wounded World.
The duo isn?t just bringing 
music to people; they bring a 
stage performance with their 
shows, incorporating art and 
theater into each performance. 
?It is hip-hop theater; our 
skits go with the message of 
the songs,  said Killin. ?It?s a fun 
atmosphere.
?We even bring props, 
dancers and a light show 
sometimes,  said Napier.
DaBoondox often makes its 
high-energy shows  even more 
outrageous. 
For Halloween, the guys had 
zombies. They did a show with 
Kelly Pavlik and made the stage 
look like a boxing ring. For their 
song ?Headcase? they used a 
skit with doctors. 
The guys? music has even 
reached Youngstown State 
University?s campus. 
The ?Game Time? song 
played at football games was 
actually done by them. The YSU 
basketball team has even used 
samples of it.
Fans of music from an older 
generation, there isn?t much 
good music out there now, the 
guys both agreed on. 
?It?s not about the image 
of rappers with their chains, 
glasses and the rocks they 
wear,  Napier said. It is about 
bringing back real hip-hop, 
saving it.
Only mentioning guys like 
Common and The Roots as 
influential now, Napier added 
that Soulja Boy is not hip-hop. 
?Don?t even get me started on 
him,  he said.
?People can hear our songs 
and say, ?Yeah, I?ve been there 
before, or ?Yeah, I?ve been in 
that situation before,  Killin said.
The guys agreed that their 
message could become 
mainstream. ?There is more to 
rap than guns and cars,  added 
Napier.
In the end, DaBoondox sees 
rap as making music, as doing 
what they love and bringing 
cultures together. 
It?s not a competition.*
?It?s not about 
the image of 
rappers with 
their chains, 
glasses and 
the rocks they 
wear. It is about 
bringing back 
real hip hop, 
saving it.
DaBoondox
By Brian Cetina
PHOTO COURTESY OF DABOONDOX
WORKING 
THEIR WAY 
TO A STAGE 
NEAR YOU
Y oungstown?s actors aren?t exactly starving  
but they definitely have to 
work for their living.
The dream has driven aspir-
ing actor Tony Genovese from 
Youngstown to New York City ? 
and back. Dressed in a leather 
jacket, stocking cap and a black 
shirt that reads, ?I heart soccer 
moms,  (??cause I figure, who 
doesn?t, right??) Genovese de-
scribes himself as a gypsy. 
?I got bit by the discontentment 
bug and never let go,  said the 
26-year-old.
Three semesters away from 
graduating with a theater degree, 
Genovese couldn?t bring himself to 
stay at Youngstown State University. 
He has lived in seven or eight dif-
ferent places, worked 26 different 
jobs and gone through countless 
relationships. It?  no surprise that 
the constant change of an acting 
career appeals to him. 
?It?  also very conducive to my 
personality,  said the goateed and 
mustached Genovese, his gestur-
ing hands casting a shadow on the 
dimly lit table.
During his one year in New York 
? true gypsy form ? he found 
that of all the sacrifices actors must 
make, audition prep is one that?
grueling but crucial. Rehearsing 
for an indie horror film audition, 
first there was the choosing of 
monologues. He settled on one 
from Dennis Leary?  role in ?Natu-
ral Born Killers? and another from 
Johnny Depp?  part in ?Libertines? 
and then spent two weeks studying 
the lines.
?I was basically saying them in 
my sleep,  he said. 
On audition day, Genovese ar-
rived at a dilapidated building in 
Brooklyn. The place was made of 
brick and rotting wood, and the 
windows were boarded up. Inside, 
the elevator?  sign forbade its pas-
sengers to exceed a weight limit of 
75 pounds. 
Genovese climbed a staircase 
that was about two feet wide, and 
came to a room plastered with 
movie posters. A half-bearded man 
with a lazy eye and the last two but-
tons of his shirt undone to expose 
a hairy gut looked like he?  rather 
butcher actors to pieces than call 
who was next to audition. 
After the imposing man called 
his name, Genovese walked into 
a mini-theater with a stage and 
camera. He read lines for a role, but 
Genovese never got a chance to 
perform his hard-practiced mono-
logue. His venture into the build-
ing left him with no role, proving 
that lots of times an actor?  work is 
thankless.
?They didn?t even care,? he 
said with a laugh. ?That was a real 
bummer.?
While any job has its highs and 
lows, actors like Genovese often 
need to steel themselves for uncer-
tainty and instability. Letdowns are 
common, and they come with the 
territory. In this fabled profession, 
one must get used to hearing no. 
Famous actors live the life of luxury, 
but the road to high living is a long 
one, and the gates are open to few. 
U.S. Department of Labor statistics 
show that those who do get work 
make an estimated $21.84 an hour. 
Stereotypes associate the aver-
age actor with the life of the starv-
ing artist, but that doesn?t stop 
hopeful performers from continu-
ally breaking into the profession 
with the desire to prove that thank-
less mold wrong.
Genovese got his acting experi-
ence early, starring as the little kid 
in his dad?  advertising agency?
commercials. 
In October 2006, Genovese was 
considering a return to YSU. Instead 
he found himself packing up his 
things and heading to New York 
along with a couple of fellow actors.
The friends found a two-and-a-
half bedroom apartment in Queens, 
a 40-minute subway ride away from 
Times Square. 
?You get to New York and you 
8
By Sarah Sole
LAST TIME ON 
STAGE AT YSU?  
YSU senior 
Randall Huffman 
contemplates the 
shows he?s done in 
Ford Theater and 
what shows lie in 
his future outside 
Youngstown.

STARVI NG 
FOR ART
ACTORS SACRIFICE FOR THE SPOTLIGHT BEYOND YOUNGSTOWN
It?  the same world wisdom that YSU senior the-
ater major Nicole Dionisio shows as she stirs an 
iced mocha and discusses her post-graduation 
career plans. 
First she?  going to try for regional work in 
Pittsburgh or Cleveland, so that she has credit 
before making the move to New York, she said, 
adjusting brown sunglasses that rest atop a 
short crop of brown hair.
New York is where the training places are 
within walking distance, which makes training 
while looking for work that much easier, says Di-
onisio, who plans to make it there within 10 years.
For Dionisio, college means more than the 
diploma she?ll get this month.
Like Genovese, she doesn?t dance around the 
fact that directors aren?t just in search of degrees. 
?If you?re standing in front of them audition-
ing, it?  what you can do then and there,  she said. 
Casting is not all about talent. Often, it?  a 
matter of matching the face to the role. 
?This career is not going to be fair, ever,  
she said. 
Landing parts has a lot to do with being in the 
right place at the right time. 
Though Dionisio admits she?  scared of the 
future, her nervousness hasn?t affected her abil-
ity to form a practical image of life in New York: 
early morning auditions, table waiting, sleep. 
Repeat. 
Besides work, Dionisio will need constant 
training to stay prepped for auditions. Dance 
class will be at least every day, and an acting 
coach and voice lessons are also must-haves. 
?Training never stops,  Dionisio said. ?It?
definitely not going to be luxurious.  
While Dionisio?  parents are OK with her 
career choice, other family members don?t un-
derstand. 
?I don?t think they?ll ever get it,  she confessed.
In answering those that doubt her, Dioni-
sio desires some credibility to show them that 
there?  substance behind her dream. 
It?  the preparation in getting that credibility 
that?  the hard part: It comes with a price tag. 
Dionisio paid $260 in Cleveland for a CD of 
headshots, which are a vital part of the audition-
ing process. It can cost her $200 just to copy 
70 pictures. In New York, headshots can easily 
range from $500 to $600. 
Dionisio hopes to keep this set of headshots for 
five years. Her last set forced her to keep her long, 
blond hair after high school graduation. Head-
shots, however, may be worth the investment, since 
Dionisio said they can make or break you. 
?No, No,  she said, pantomiming judges 
throwing out headshots at auditions. 
The performer in her is obvious. She drops 
out of character to say, matter-of-factly, ?This is 
what I have to do in order to entertain you,  con-
firming awareness in her role as an actor. 
Dionisio has been working toward entertaining 
since age six, when her mom put her in a dance class. 
?She?  been my biggest fan since forever,  
Dionisio said. 
Though her dad told Dionisio he would be 
disappointed if she didn?t follow through with 
her acting dreams, he worried about her finan-
cial stability and the emotional impact the act-
ing business would have on his daughter. 
?You?re gonna hear one hundred nos before 
you?re gonna hear a yes,  Dionisio said, shak-
ing her head at what she calls an unpredictable 
business. 
Dionisio?  entrance into theater was rather 
atypical, as her high school career was theater 
free. But at 18, after hearing that ?Mame? need-
ed dancers, she went for an audition. Her first 
chorus part turned out to be the reason enter-
tainment became her business. 
Walking pigeon-toed with a Velcro tail, Dioni-
sio got a chance to do some character acting in 
a comedic lead role as the quirky Gertrude Mc-
Fuzz in YSU?  ?Seussical the Musical? in 2006.
?She kind of, like, squawked when she talk-
ed,  she said. 
Dionisio calls the experience the highlight of 
her YSU career. 
?For me being a stepsister is more fun than 
being Cinderella,  she said. 
Getting different acting parts and taking risks 
is one way Dionisio makes sure she?  versatile 
enough to get different acting jobs. 
Playing Annie Sullivan in YSU?  ?The Miracle 
Worker? gave her another opportunity to widen 
her horizons. 
?I felt like I really grew as an actress,  she 
said. 
While Dionisio has no idea where her future?
going, she knows that theater will continue to be 
a large part of it.
?I can?t picture myself doing anything else,  
she said. 
find a job,  he said, adding that 
waiting tables is ?guaranteed 
money.  
The tendency, unfortunately, 
is that upon getting to New York, 
many contending actors get the 
requisite day job and never pursue 
their acting careers. 
?That?  what I?ve seen time and 
time again,  he said. 
Genovese, however, wanted to 
break the mold. 
?I didn?t want to get sucked into 
doing some job that I didn?t want to 
do for the rest of my life,  he said. 
While working at Cosi Res-
taurant, Genovese kept his eyes 
peeled on Craig?  List online for 
auditions. 
?I would grab my subway map, 
hail a cab and go,  he said. 
A meeting with a director and 
writer from a college in North Man-
hattan led to an audition where the 
director told Genovese, ?I don?t 
think I have to hear anything else 
today,  only to deny him the job. 
Though Genovese managed to play 
a minor character, another director 
in the room got Genovese the lead 
role in the indie film ?Sid.
Despite scoring a role in the in-
die film ?Men of Color,  and work-
ing as an extra in ?Rescue Me? and 
?Law and Order,  work could be 
very discouraging. 
?There?  a lot of work to be had 
if you don?t mind being an extra the 
rest of your life,  he said. 
The money, however, comes 
with union membership, which isn?t 
easy to achieve. 
As an extra in a Verizon Wireless 
commercial, Genovese made $150. 
Union members made about $700. 
While actors can buy their way 
into the American Federation of 
Television and Radio Artists ? for 
$1,600 ? Genovese said most 
places don?t consider this union. 
Actors who want to join Screen Ac-
tors Guild, for example, must earn 
waivers, which are given out when 
a SAG actor doesn?t show. Since 
unions require so many of the au-
ditioning actors to be union mem-
bers, a place will give out a waiver 
to a non-union member to satisfy 
the union member quota. This has 
to happen three times for an actor 
to gain union membership, and he 
or she still has to pay $2,100. 
Genovese spent a little over a 
year in New York, and he didn?t see 
one person get a waiver.
Though he?  home, Geno-
vese doesn?t see himself finish-
ing school. The training helped 
him, but directors weren?t giving 
degree-carrying graduates any 
more attention than they were giv-
ing him. 
?They asked for your ID, but they 
never asked for your diploma,  he 
explained. 
?Do as much as you can,  he ad-
vises theater students, adding that 
those who don?t repeatedly audi-
tion will become stale. ?Nobody 
outside of YSU will know anything 
about you.
As for Genovese, he?  heading to 
St. Petersburg, Fla., still not able to 
stay in one place for long. 
?I don?t know when that will ever 
end,  he said. 
?I really believe you need to go 
where the work is,  he said. 
YSU SENIOR NICOLE DIONISIO: FIRST PITTSBURGH AND CLEVELAND, THEN THE WORLD
?This career is not going 
to be fair, ever.
10
Other 
graduating 
theater majors 
have similar 
mindsets, like  
YSU senior  
Randall  
Huffman. 
He knew by 16 or 17 that he wanted to 
live in New York and get cast in shows. 
Like Dionisio, Huffman is well aware 
of the challenges, expecting to have 
the requisite second job while theater 
jobs come and go. 
?It?  such a give and take,  the dark-
haired, brown-eyed actor said. 
Huffman, however, is well on his way 
to making his entrance in the job flux. 
Swinging his legs amicably while 
sitting on a cement rail outside 
YSU?  Bliss Hall on a sunny afternoon 
between theater classes, Huffman 
described his experience getting a 
callback for ?Spring Awakening,  a 
popular Broadway show. 
While at SCTC ? a sizable Tennes-
see conference Huffman reports as 
attracting theater majors from about a 
dozen states ? the soon-to-graduate 
theater major attended workshop 
classes and auditioned for countless 
companies. One of over 200 people 
who auditioned for ?Spring Awaken-
ing,  Huffman was a bit nervous, as his 
theater repertoire, heavily concentrat-
ed in musicals, did not include much of 
the show?  folk or pop rock styles. 
After calling his sister, who faxed 
over his song, ?True,  by Ryan Cabrera, 
Huffman got ready for his audition. 
He found that 7:30 in the morning 
was only early enough to land spot No. 
19 in the audition line. 
?I was really early,  he recalled, 
as the sound of student flute players 
wafted from the campus? performing 
arts building.
After singing in front of professionals, 
Huffman was given 20 minutes to re-
hearse a side,a piece or dialogue from 
the script.Asked to sing again,he got 
another callback for the next day.With 
a total of 21 callbacks at the conference, 
Huffman was on a performer?  high.
In fact, he found the auditioning  11
CAUGHT IN THE ACT ? Stavrou (top left) in Youngstown State University?s production of ?Comedy of Errors? in 2004, 
Kleemook (top right) performing and Dionisio (above) in the YSU?s production of ?Seussical: the Musical? in 2006.
experience surreal, since ?Spring 
Awakening? was the first Broadway 
show Huffman had seen in New York.
For three minutes of auditioning, 
he tried to hold it together. 
Yet another callback on a Monday 
had Huffman hurriedly cancelling 
his flight and booking a new one. 
Armed with his CD, which con-
tained a rehearsal sound clip with 
more dialogue, an intimidated Huff-
man worked with Kimberly Grigsby, 
the Tony Award-winning musical 
director for ?Spring Awakening.
After the audition, it was time to 
hurry up and ? wait for a response. 
Two weeks later in Ohio,  Huffman 
was getting ready for an Alpha Psi 
meeting with fellow theater stu-
dents when he missed a call on his 
cell phone. Seeing that the number 
was area code 212, he instantly knew 
that the call was from New York. 
?Your heart just sinks,  he said. 
Stomach in knots, Huffman called 
back to find that he was invited to 
New York for an April 6 audition at 
Ripley-Grier Studio.  Sunday was a 
workshop ? spent one on one with 
the show?  director, Michael Mayer 
? followed by a dance call. 
?I didn?t really expect such a 
positive vibe from everyone,  Huff-
man said. 
Monday was another surreal day, 
as a moderately star-struck Huff-
man walked into the room to find 
Tony Award-winning composer 
Duncan Sheik and others he recog-
nized sitting there. 
?It?  a waiting game now,  Huff-
man said matter-of-factly. 
Originally from what he describes 
as the small town of New Castle,Huff-
man is attracted to the hustle and 
bustle of New York and travels there 
at least once a year.While Huffman 
anticipates the city?  atmosphere to 
be a lot more competitive,he figures 
that there are more open calls in the 
Big Apple than there are back home. 
?Who doesn?t want to make it on 
Broadway?? he asked. 
Huffman, however, wasn?t always 
so positive. At some points, he 
questioned his area of study, since 
he said a majority those in theater 
are not employed. 
?Not everyone can move to New 
York and,  he said, snapping his 
fingers, ?make it.  
Physical evidence against the starving artist stereo-type, YSU alumna Kari Kleemook spends some 
to talk over the phone about her 
freshly acquired career in theater. 
The Spring 2007 musical theater 
graduate did about 30 to 40 audi-
tions before getting a full-time job 
at Saltworks Theatre, a traveling 
theater company that performs 
shows about life issues to kids and 
teens. 
Kleemook has a 10-month con-
tract with Saltworks, touring Penn-
sylvania and the surrounding five 
states with five other actors. 
This theater-degree holder 
doesn?t take her job for granted. 
?I am so incredibly fortunate,  
Kleemook said, giggling. 
Others weren?t so lucky. Some of 
Kleemook?s friends who graduated 
went on to pursue theater in New 
York. 
?They?re still waiting tables,  
she said. 
Upon graduating, Kleemook had 
one goal: to get a job in the field. 
Knowing the difficulties, she ex-
pected the worst. 
Instead, she does seven shows 
based on tough issues, playing 
three to four characters a show. In 
one act about drug and alcohol 
abuse, Kleemook portrays a girl 
who gets killed by her high older 
brother. 
?You really have to be good at 
improvisation,  she said. 
Often, life off the stage for a 
traveling actor demands improvi-
sation as well. 
The troop travels in a huge van 
piled with costumes and equip-
ment. At inner city schools where 
Kleemook and the traveling com-
pany tour, there are no stages and 
no sound equipment. The cafeteria, 
gymnasium and auditorium were 
often one room. Some schools didn?t 
have tables, so Kleemook and her 
fellow players had to line up six or 
seven desks. Suburban schools, in 
contrast, had brand new equipment. 
Besides the improv, traveling 
demands flexibility on Kleemook?
part. Already she has been to New 
Jersey, multiple times, West Vir-
ginia, Virginia, Philadelphia, Penn-
sylvania and Maine. 
?You?re kind of thrown into any-
thing,  she said.
Though Kleemook envisioned 
herself being part of a traveling ac-
tors group, she never thought she 
would be performing for kids. Still, 
she likes being a positive influence. 
Being a role model pays off. 
Though she occasionally bartends 
on the side, Kleemook describes 
herself as financially comfortable. 
?We?re not talking a doctor?  sal-
ary here,  she said, laughing. 
Kleemook?  penchant for play-
acting dates back to grade school 
in Pennsylvania?  small Harmony 
Township.
 ?We have, like, one traffic light,  
Kleemook said with a laugh. 
Her love for performing only 
grew stronger in high school, 
where she was involved in musi-
cals, plays and the drama club, and 
the forthcoming degree was ex-
tremely important. 
While she acknowledges the 
rarity of coming out of college with 
a full-time theater gig, Kleemook 
argues that finding any job after 
college is rare. 
Rare or not, one YSU the-ater grad went overseas to find work. Trying everything except mu-
a black-haired, bilingual Greek 
whose hands start talking as soon as 
his mouth does, has so far lived sole-
ly off of theater. Sitting at Winslow?
Caf? on YSU?  campus in a neat black 
pea coat with a gray striped scarf, 
Stavrou has had an unexpected re-
turn home thanks to a foot injury in 
Russia while doing acrobatics. 
?Three days before we were 
done, my foot just snapped,  he said.
?You have to go where theater 
is,  Stavrou said, and he certainly 
has, traveling Europe, Egypt, Israel, 
Poland, Greece, Russia and Canada. 
To get ahead, actors need to go 
to the major theater spots, like Los 
Angeles, New York and London, he 
said. After graduating from YSU in 
2005 with a bachelor?  in theater, 
Stavrou took a year off to audition 
for national theater schools and 
went back to his hometown of Cy-
press, a small Greek island where 
he spent part of his childhood. 
Visiting a caf? every day for 
a month to talk to a director who 
frequented the spot, Stavrou even-
tually landed a stint as the main 
character on a sitcom. 
?I was like a star for a year in a 
tiny country,  he said. 
In ?The Coffee Shop,  Stavrou 
played the role of Fanos, a part he 
described as a stereotypical punk, 
and as comparable to a smarter ver-
sion of the ?Friends? character Joey.
?In Greek, we call it ?alites,? he 
said. ?Hey ?alite, you little punk!? 
he demonstrated, pointing his fin-
ger at an imaginary young rebel. 
?I was the face of youth for this 
show,  he said.
There was also a stint as a Greek 
pimp from the 1950s, where Stavrou 
played a realistically violent villain. 
?It wasn?t one of those Holly-
wood plays; it was real,  he said. 
After the role was over, Stavrou 
left on a flight to London and start-
ed school there. 
?It was like one right after an-
other,  he said, snapping his fin-
gers three times.
Stavrou enrolled in a London dra-
ma center,a dirty,grungy place where 
students often cried in the hallways. 
?I?ve seen people ? their souls 
? broken by the training,  he said. 
Stavrou got slapped in the face 
with reality. 
?I sold the fact that I was Greek 
a little more than I sold the fact that 
I was American,  he admits with a 
laugh. 
?I had never anticipated the 
level of difficulty,  Stavrou said, imi-
tating the responses he often got 
when auditioning. ?You look a little 
too dark; you?re a year too young.  
During a three-month stay in 
Russia, Stavrou got a chance for 
training from the locals, who he 
describes as ?the hardest people 
you?ll ever meet in your life.
?I saw people just fall off like 
flies,  he said of his classmates. 
Alice, a roommate in an apart-
ment in Moscow, lasted eight 
days, but spent three of them in 
the hospital. 
?It just broke her,  Stavrou said. 
Getting into character is some-
thing Stavrou takes to heart ? 
enough to drink for a week straight 
for a role as main character in the 
Anton Chekov play ?Platonov.  
In Cypress,Stavrou had 12-hour 
sessions with one water break that 
only lasted an hour and 45 minutes. 
To combat the thirst,Stavrou and oth-
er students would roll their tongues 
around the front of their mouths.In 
Russia,Stavrou was the only one out 
of the students who took the time to 
learn the language,and so he found 
himself absorbed in the culture. 
Stavrou spent five months attending 
the school in London,two months at 
Shakespeare?  Globe Theater,two 
months in Russia,and then it was 
back to school again to prepare for 
short scene work. 
?Art is hard as hell,  Stavrou said. 
No matter the sacrifice, the ac-
tor said the knowledge he?  gained 
training, traveling and perfecting 
his art helps him stay competitive. 
?The travel gives you that,  he 
said, extending his arms up and 
outward.*[            ]  
YSU GRADUATE AND CYPRESS TV STAR ALEXI STAVROU
?Art is hard as hell.
12
By Cristina Cala
So, first things first. 
You made it big ? 
REALLY BIG ? 
out of Youngstown. 
How did you do it?
13
Before she was a high-fashion designer with  international  success  and boutiques  in  New  York,  Las  Vegas, Chicago, Boston, London, Tokyo and her   
she lived and went to school in Youngstown. Born 
and raised in the Yo? and living the dream in New 
York City, Nanette Lepore gets exclusive with The 
Yo?  Magazine  about  her  career,  her  art  and  her 
hometown.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF NANETTE LEPORE
A lot of hard, hard work, 
and an incredibly encouraging family. 
ON YOUNGSTOWN
THE YO? MAGAZINE Despite coming from a supportive family 
full of art ? painter dad, fashionable mom and dancer siblings 
? how did coming from Youngstown inspire or discourage you?
NANETTE LEPORE Youngstown is inspirational. I know so many 
people from this area who have done wonderfully creative and 
exciting work. 
YM What about Youngstown sticks with you?
NL I think often about the summers: the green, the fireflies, 
the warm nights, a certain freedom that perhaps has to do with 
childhood but I associate it with Youngstown, that time of one?s 
life when one is wildly inventive and daring and blissful. I think I 
stored all that up and it directed me toward what I do now. 
YM Favorite place to eat or dance or drink in the Yo??
NL Boulevard Tavern Friday Fish Fry, drinking and 
dancing on Leffingwell Road.
 
ON NEW YORK
YM What inspiration do you draw from 
the city?
NL Every day there is something that 
turns my head: people, architecture, 
art, what someone?s wearing, what 
someone?s saying, what someone?s 
eating, even the ideas that bounce 
off one another. The city is kicking 
alive, and I couldn?t imagine living 
anywhere else and getting this 
kind of daily rush.
YM You designed your first 
couture look at age nine. Your 
daughter Violet is ten, and ever-
present at your fashion shows. 
Any signs that she?ll find a niche 
in fashion like her mother?
NL She definitely has her own 
sense of style and has no interest in 
me calling any of the shots. Do I see 
her as a fashion designer? I don?t 
know ? she has so many interests. 
She loves to make things with her 
hands, is a great reader, enjoys writing 
stories, can really belt out a song, like her 
father. So who knows? I?m just enjoying 
watching her grow and discover; there?s 
nothing better than that. This year she wore a 
pink feather boa to school for picture day.
YM So you hang out with film actor Steve Buscemi. 
Who?s the most interesting celebrity you?ve met? 
Anyone you?re dying to meet?
NL Steve is certainly one of the most interesting celebrities I?ve 
met. He?s great. The thing is that when you meet people who 
you?ve watched from afar, you saw them in films or listened to 
their music or read their books, they really are, when it comes 
down to it, folks. And you enjoy them as much or as little as you 
do anyone. That said, the glam factor is definitely fun, and seeing 
Mick Jagger over Easter was a trip because he is an icon ? it?s 
like seeing the pope or Marilyn Monroe. 
YM When you?re not crazy busy, what?s your perfect Sunday?
NL New York Times, great coffee, favorite nut rolls and fresh fruit, 
snuggling with my daughter, hearing all she has to say, having 
the time to sit with my husband because the week is so hectic 
and we have barely seen each other, and then going to our 
favorite little Italian restaurant for Sunday pasta and a bottle of 
really good red wine.
14
15
ON THE CRAFT 
YM How do you conceptualize a collection? Is it art, architecture, 
prints, fabrics, colors?
NL Yes.
YM You?ve stayed true to your youthful, girlish appeal. How do you 
keep your fashion fresh each season?
NL Read The New York Times daily, travel, go to museums, work 
hard, play hard. 
YM Any habits ? listening to music, nibbling on something yummy, 
sipping champagne ? while you?re rendering a design?
NL Yes.
YM Your sister Michele Lepore-Hagan, who directs the 
Performing Arts Series at Youngstown State University, 
calls you a super-detailed micromanager down to 
every last button in your designs. From scratch 
to finish, what?s the process of your art in one of 
your pieces?
NL Michele is a true inspiration to me and my 
entire family!
ON FASHION
YM What?s the absolute fashion item 
everyone should have? 
NL Sexy bra.
YM What trend, past or present, makes 
you cringe? What?s the most fabulous?
NL Big hair ? cringe.
New Year?s Eve vintage glamour dress. 
Fabulously sparkled! 
YM What?s your perfect outfit?
NL Fitted, sexy and feminine looks 
from my new spring line. 
ON BEING YOUR 
OWN BOSS
YM Was adding shoes to your line 
in 2006 a big leap for you as an 
entrepreneur? How does designing 
shoes differ from designing clothes? 
NL Yes. [They?re] produced in Italy ? a 
whole new dimension. 
YM Describe the chaos and 
compensation of Fashion Week.
NL Three months of 10-hour days, seven 
days a week.
YM What?s the best part about being a 
successful designer? (The swag, maybe?) 
NL Creative freedom.
YM Do you ever give away your work as a gift? 
(What are the chances of a Yo? Magazine editor 
snagging something?)
NL Yes. ? Talk to Michele! *
1 Sketch 
Pantone Fall
Rendering for 
Look 20
2 Runway shot 
Fall 2008 
Look 20
3 Runway shot 
Fall 2008 
Look 23
1
2
3
Nanette 
Lepore 
Fall 2008 
Collection

while standing, like we?re waving 
the most elegant airplane imagin-
able in for a landing. 
I find myself standing at a 
waist-high railing, known to 
dancers as the barre, where one 
hand will rest while I bend at 
the knees in a pli? and slowly 
wave my other arm. The fact that 
I need to hang on to something 
for this warm-up exercise does 
not bode well. Until now, down-
town has meant drinks at the bar, 
not pli?s at the barre. 
I count mysterious French 
terms in my head as Jackie 
counts the beat. Tendu, change-
ment ? high school French did 
not prepare me for this, although 
I know faux pas means false step, 
and I?ve made a few of those 
already. Sensing my confusion, 
Jackie describes the movements 
in simple terms.
My arms should wrap around 
a beach ball in front of my chest 
and my eyes and chin should float 
above it. When my toe moves 
across the floor in a semicircle, it 
should follow the outline of a gi-
ant orange slice: curved outside, 
straight inside. Jackie tells me to 
imagine I?m writing with a crayon 
between my toes. I quickly ban-
ish a very un-ballet childhood 
image of my father showing off 
his ability to pick things up with 
his feet. Maybe I?m only capable 
of drawing with a crayon like a 
gorilla, instead of moving like a 
civilized male danseur.
Jackie says to make my up-
per body a rectangle, perfectly 
aligned. Forgetting to hold my 
shoulders back and my hips for-
ward, I look like a folded piece 
of paper. And that?s with two legs 
on the ground ? reaching one 
into the air is much harder.
A woman named Kimberly 
has just leapt off the professional 
stage into our class to make me 
look bad. She?s a femme fatale, but 
the only thing she?s killing is any 
confidence I? built up as a dancer 
in the first few minutes of practice. 
She?s in time for stretches be-
fore the next part of the lesson. 
Her dance training is obvious, 
and to rub it in, she fully ex-
tends one long, graceful leg so 
high that her pointed toe nearly 
grazes her ear. Her legs look 
like the hands of a clock at 10:30. 
Trying to pull my left leg above 
my shoulder, I feel like an over-
loaded plastic coat hanger about 
to snap. I might be about to kick 
myself, but it would likely only 
injure my self-image.
Jackie says I should feel very 
tall and graceful, held up by a 
string in perfect posture. She 
reaches over her head and pulls 
her invisible string with confi-
dent grace.
I?m held up by strings all 
right, bouncing around like a 
bad imitation of the marionettes 
from ?Team America.  I look 
like a poorly operated puppet 
compared to these real dancers. 
Where are those 10-year-old 
girls from the lobby now? Maybe 
I belong in their class.
Kimberly and Jackie?s strings 
seem to be working better than 
mine, and since they?re the only 
ones in class, there?s no hiding 
in the back row, making com-
parisons to the perfect ballerina 
next to me all the easier. I check 
out my posture in the mirror but 
look away in embarrassment, 
not because I?m doing ballet, 
but because I?m doing it so very 
badly. It?s like a funhouse mirror, 
but instead of shrinking my face 
or body, it makes my self-esteem 
smaller. I worry how much it?s 
distorting my self-view, or if it?s 
just revealing a lack of poise that 
was always there.
For now, I need keep to keep 
my chin up, literally. I keep look-
ing down, but in ballet, you must 
present your best face to the 
world. Jackie encourages me 
to imagine myself and feel the 
proper movement rather than 
looking to check it. Instead I jeal-
ously watch the other two in the 
mirror, or else check out my own 
legs, which move about as well as 
a statue? . Maybe if I glare at them 
long enough they?ll perform bet-
ter ? my legs, not the other danc-
ers. They don?t need any help.
My knees are starting to worry 
me. Perhaps they?ll pop off and 
shatter the wall-length mirror, 
which for me should read, ?Ob-
jects in mirror are clumsier than 
they appear.  
Physically it?s a 
challenge, but 
psychologically, 
it?s torture to 
try and fail 
at something  
for an hour. 
By Richard Louis Boccia
Photography by Cristina Cala
17
Choking down some embar-
rassment, I try to keep flexing 
and stretching to the music, but 
halfway through the lesson, this 
statue just wants to stand still. 
Physically it?s a challenge, but 
psychologically, it?s torture to 
try and fail at something for an 
hour. Still, every now and then I 
feel a flash of confidence when 
I do something right. I smile at a 
compliment from Jackie ? until I 
realize she?s talking to my class-
mate. Touch?, Kimberly.
We arabesque, backward, leaning 
toward the rear with one arm while 
bending at the waist until I think I 
might stop breathing, permanent-
ly. Now the torture is physical. 
I struggle with a move that puts all 
my weight on my buzzing knee.
Now we?re trying the frapp?, 
which means ?to strike.  More 
blows to the image that ballet 
is frivolous. Swinging one heel 
away from my standing leg, 
back and forth, faster and faster, 
I get pretty close to kicking my-
self in the ankle. In the mirror, 
my face puckers and wrinkles 
in anticipation of the blow. With 
confidence, Kimberly strikes 
with precision and speed, slic-
ing the air with her foot ? how 
can I make my body do this? 
I realize that if I?m going to make 
it in ballet, I need to stop feeling 
bad about looking like an ama-
teur. But as we?re doing sit ups at 
the end of class, it?s hard to stop 
feeling self-conscious as my 
basketball shorts bunch. Risqu?, 
but in all the wrong ways. So 
that?s why they wear tights.
Day Two: 
The Adult 
Class
For my second class,I?m even more 
nervous,and I?m surprised to find 
that two of my six classmates are 
men.Counting our instructor Rich-
ard,the room is split for gender ? 
and I expected all tutus.
Now it?  time for more running 
and leaping: the grande jet?, the 
worst part so far. We run across 
the floor and leap on every third 
step. I?m stopping and starting 
with the syncopated step, awk-
wardly kicking my way across 
the floor like a bad Russian Cos-
sack dancer. My elbows are al-
ready up ? all I need is to fold 
my arms in and yell, ?Hey! Hey! 
Hey!?
Some of the danc-
ers are twice my 
age, and during 
a break, they 
talk about 
dedication. 
A few of the 
women say 
they danced 
when they 
were younger 
and came back 
to it with their 
daughters. 
Ballet is in 
their blood.
Richard the 
instructor is 
showing me 
how to move. 
?You might want 
to be careful with 
this,  he tells me, 
and then suddenly 
his leg pops up onto 
the barre. He says I 
don?t want to stretch 
too far and ?break 
my muscles.  Slow-
ly, carefully, I follow 
the stretches.
Actually, they turn 
out to be the easi-
est and most enjoy-
able ballet exercise 
I?ve tried. Facing 
the brick wall also keeps me 
from the sight of my limbs flail-
ing in the mirror.
Later we?re in the center of the 
floor, doing turns in place on 
one foot. I force myself to watch 
my reflection as I try my first 
pirouette. We spin quarter turns, 
then halves, then all the way 
around. I?m supposed to find my 
face in the mirror, but when it 
comes to the big spin, I find my-
self closing my eyes.
Richard explains the next chore-
ography with a flurry of French 
instructions that would make 
a UN interpreter?s head spin. 
These translate into an even 
faster swirl of movement, and I 
decide to sit the last dance out. 
As the class practices for their 
spring performance, I see more 
of the work that goes into mak-
ing ballet look effortless. Frus-
tration peeks out from behind 
their poker faces when they 
make errors like my own. Sweat 
glistens on the skin that isn?t hid-
den by perfectly smooth pink 
and black dance clothes. Faces 
flush with effort, and fingers ball 
into fists. Eyes roll as students 
criticize themselves. 
This is the struggle of ballet, and 
beating myself up for my poor 
start, I only scratched the surface. 
I watch as the female dancers 
lace up their pointe shoes for a 
later lesson, with Richard correct-
ing their little mistakes and giving 
advice. Ballet seems to be about 
changing yourself in small ways 
until you?re perfect. I wonder how 
many lessons that would take.
 
Day Three:  
It Takes Two
My final lesson is pas de deux, 
or partnering. Before I can face 
a partner on the floor, I need to 
get over being distracted by my 
own shortcomings in the studio. 
The first two lessons brought 
some nasty insecurities to the 
surface: I looked through the 
mirror in horror at my sapling-
thin body, my chicken-bone 
legs, my grace-free movements 
and my crooked,bemused smile as 
I winced at it all. By now, I?m sure 
My dance 
partner, 
Courteny, 
trusts me not 
to drop her 
during the 
pas de deux.
Bad choice?
those little girls I saw on day one 
in the studio lobby could dance 
circles around me. Ballet is 
harder than it looks, and it looks 
pretty hard.
In the spirit of giving it one last 
shot, I wear a ballet-appropriate 
V-neck shirt and hope I have the 
chest hair to pull it off like a man. 
This is the biggest class yet, and 
I?m smack in the middle. For 
each barre combination, we put 
our right hand on the barre, go 
through the exercise, then switch 
to the left to get equal practice 
on both sides of our body. May-
be that means only half the class 
can see me half the time, and 
given my form, I like those odds.
I?m following a few moves be-
hind, but that?s OK, because I 
need to see the dancer in front of 
me to copycat. The nearest two 
are guys, Gary and Charles, both 
of whom must have fewer bones 
than me given their stretching 
abilities. 
Richard is teaching again, and 
this time when my joints are 
screaming he gets my eternal 
gratitude for making frequent 
stops so that we can stretch out. 
I watch in jealous amazement 
as Charles does a vertical split 
in the studio door ? the best I 
could do with that doorway was 
avoid tripping through it. My jaw 
may have dropped when I saw 
Gary fold not only his legs but 
his chest down onto the floor into 
what I like to call a triple split. I?ll 
admit, I?ve tried it at home since, 
and I?ve never been so aware of 
my pelvis, which I?
not think about skeletally. 
I did get one leg to split in the 
lesson. Surprisingly, my man 
meat was still packaged when I 
retrieved my outstretched leg.
After 45 minutes at the barre, I?m 
not ready to let go for partner-
ing. I hang back and watch in 
awe as ballerinas jump into dan-
seurs? arms to sit nimbly on one 
male shoulder.
But Richard is there to introduce 
me to a few experienced balle-
rinas who I?ll partner with. Cour-
teny stands en pointe, all her 
weight on one tip-toe so that I 
can hold her waist and keep her 
from falling on her face. 
Keeping a firm hold on her waist, 
I anticipate her movement and 
push in the opposite direction 
to keep her floating on one toe. 
Turns out it?s more like assisting 
than partnering. 
I watch in admiration as she 
maintains perfect form with min-
imal interference from me. These 
ballerinas are the real deal ? it?s 
like dancing in a painting. 
It?s physically close but not per-
sonally awkward since these 
dancers are so professional. 
I?m along for the ride with 
them.
Finally I?m allowed to do what 
I?ve been doing all along ? 
watch the dancer closest to me 
for direction. Courteny laughs 
nervously when she feels her-
self leaning too far in one direc-
tion. A second later, I?ve caught 
on and pushed the other way to 
fight off gravity. 
I?m the barre and she?s the 
dancer, bending forward and 
back, pointing one leg forward 
and then behind in pass? de-
veloppe, sweeping arms slow-
ing through ballet positions as I 
hold her up, finally feeling solid.
I catch a glimpse of our reflec-
tion, but this time it?s less of a 
funhouse-mirror image. I actu-
ally look graceful with her. 
Now I?m doing vertical jumps 
with Elena. Standing behind 
her with my arms at her waist, it 
looks like I?m throwing her into 
the air, but actually, she?s just 
getting a boost from me as she 
jumps. We bounce on our knees 
in sync, a little higher each time 
until she leaps straight up and I 
push her a bit farther with every 
muscle in my body. Legs push 
core, core pushes arms and, 
somehow, arms manage to pass 
along a little help to Elena.  
To my horror, it?s time to try a 
running leap. Actual movement 
across the floor has been my 
weakest point in all of this, and 
now someone else is literally 
in my hands. Will I stumble and 
crash us through the window at 
the end of the studio? 
I don?t think my health insurance 
covers ballet-related injuries. 
Again, it?  the syncopation of the 
movement that flusters me. 
Step, step, quickstep, leap. 
Don?t think, just watch and fol-
low. Richard and Elena are wait-
ing, and I can?t put it off any 
longer. He counts down and we 
take a step, then another, faster 
? and then she leaps through 
the air and lands nimbly.
I look in the mirror and we 
both appear unharmed. The 
funhouse image is gone. Not 
a tour de force, but mission ac-
complished.
At the end of my lessons, I won-
der if the embarrassment, like 
the physical pain, was just part 
of ballet, where the demand for 
self-improvement is absolute. 
I stumbled and bumbled but I 
didn?t quit. 
Au contraire ? I became a 
ballerino for the few moments 
when I wasn?t scared to fall, 
and ballet earned my respect 
as a challenging and reward-
ing form of art.* 19
I?ve never been so 
aware of my pelvis, 
which I?d just 
as soon not 
think about 
skeletally.
Look at the fear in 
our eyes.
Ballet student 
Courteny is 
poised, instructor 
Richard is 
practiced and I?m 
possibly Punk?d 
by these pictures


Youngstown Born, Playboy Spread
Is what she does considered porn? Is 
it degrading to women? 
Not to Wolff. Posing nude for Playboy 
is all about achieving a dream and being 
proud about feminine identity. It?s an 
expression of how everyone should be 
comfortable in his or her own skin and 
body. Wolff?s expression details two 
lifelong passions that, at the surface, 
rival each other. Since childhood, 
she?s had aspirations for medicine and 
modeling. Medicine came in the form 
of a love of science that has brought 
her to Youngstown State University as 
a biology major; modeling has led her 
to the pages of Playboy. Wolff says both 
mediums allow her to portray the human 
body as a canvas.
?It?s the farthest thing from flaunting 
what I have. I?m not saying, ?Hey, look at 
my boobs or my body!? This is a form 
of self-expression that I?ve dreamed of 
since I was 8 years old,  she said.
Wolff said her pictures are tasteful, 
and the appeal she tries to convey from 
her audience is not that of a sexual 
fantasy or innuendo. During her photo 
shoots, she considers herself her own 
director because she?s not forced to 
pose to ?entice any readers.  Despite the 
fact that Playboy wants her to ?come out 
in these pictures,  she said she still feels 
in control of the photo shoot.
If Wolff is right when she says her art 
isn?t porn, is the appeal the opposite, a 
form of empowerment? There have been 
Playboy models who have argued that 
one person?s subjectivity is another?s 
empowerment. New to the game, Wolff 
isn?t quite there yet. Maybe she never 
will be. To Wolff, who says it?s not 
necessarily publicity that she craves 
? though she doesn?t mind it ? it?s the 
feeling of achievement she has from 
reaching one of her personal goals to be 
published in Playboy.
YOUNGSTOWN 
CELEBRITY
After Wolff made her debut April 21 
in Playboy Special Editions, a branch 
of Playboy Magazine, she?s been in the 
Lyndsy Wolff  stands  naked  in  front  of  a  crew  of  ten people, a camera and a director. She?s encouraged to pose herself, even though the crew will fix her hair and makeup in between photos and scene changes. She laughs and acts naturally as the camera flashes 
over the photography director?s voice. It?s not just another day 
in the business; it?s a golden opportunity to get there.
Lyndsy Wolff is not a porn star.
She?s a Playboy model.
Blond-haired, blue-eyed and delicately freckled, she is the 
poster child for the clich?, all-American, pretty girl next door. 
Her audience is a mixture of generations and demographics, 
each with a different reaction to one of her lifelong dreams. 
By Chelsea Pflugh
Photography by Kara Kochalko
22

industry, but if she can, she? e to 
go further in the business, doing more 
photo shoots and magazine features.
?Playboy is a magazine that?s world 
renowned, and it has brought a lot of 
positives in my life and to many other 
people. It?s something that can?t be 
replaced, whether people accept it for 
what it is or not,  she said.
Wolff is waiting for her next two 
publications to hit the shelves this 
year. She is one of the Playboy Coeds 
of the Week for May and will be in 
contention for Coed of the Month for 
May. She is asking that people vote for 
her to represent Youngstown and YSU.
?If I win the contest, I get another 
photo shoot, and my career goes 
further. If not, I?ll still be extremely 
proud of where I am.
STRIPPED BY 
CONTRADICTION
Regardless of public perception, 
art is always open to interpretation. 
Art takes talent, even if talent means 
having the looks, the personality or 
the determination to achieve a 13-year 
dream.
Wolff is both exposed and humbled 
by an industry that is full of oxymorons. 
While she says she doesn?t care about 
the public perception of her modeling 
career, it will be the public vote that 
decides what happens next. On photo 
shoots, she calls herself her own 
director, but it?s a role encouraged by 
another director. She refutes that her 
art is porn, while the majority of the 
public uses it as such. 
Maybe in a perfect world, nothing 
would ever be criticized.
But Wolff has no regrets. She says 
if she can convey the beauty of self-
expression, then she?s done something 
right.
?I?ve come to realize that we?re all 
born naked and we die naked. No one 
should feel embarrassed or awkward 
in their own skin.  *
?I?ve come to 
realize that we?re 
all born naked 
and we die naked. 
No one should 
feel embarrassed 
or awkward in 
their own skin.
 
24

26
1
2
4 5
7
6
3
27
1.Fluorescent lights dangling from 
wires threaten to crash to the floor 
below inside one of the buildings at the 
Republic Rubber brownfield.
2?4. In August 2006, a factory 
building on the site ignited from an 
unknown cause.  As if the fire damage 
weren?t enough, scruffy shoes, scores 
of tires, a busted television and moldy 
mattress dumped on the site pose 
additional cleanup problems. The 
abandoned site is used as a dumping 
ground for everything from old 
furniture to children?s toys.
5. A ramshackle building sits 
exposed to the elements.
6. Houses on Republic Avenue, 
named for the plant, overlook the 
dilapidated site. 
7. Built in 1901, the 15-acre facility 
produced 80 solid tires, 32,000 
pneumatic tires and 85,000 inner tubes 
daily. In 1963, the plant was purchased 
by Aeroquip, who operated it until 1978.
8. Litter and debris are scattered 
among the skeletal remains.
9. A sign posted near a bridge 
crossing Crab Creek warns of the 
polluted water below.
10. Tire tracks can be seen in the 
snow throughout the compound.
11. In 2005, a handful of scenes for an 
independent movie, ?The Horrors of 
War? were filmed on the site. 
12. A furnace stands alone in the rubble.
11
8 9
10
12
The EPA estimates that 
there are more than 450,000 
brownfield sites nationwide. Of 
those, there are an estimated 
5,000 brownfield sites between 
Lowellville and Newton Falls. 
Brownfields range from 
sprawling ghost factories to 
shuttered dry cleaners and 
corner gas stations that closed 
up shop, but the properties 
that are possibly contaminated 
by industry pose the greatest 
problem to redevelopment.
The Mahoning River 
Corridor of Opportunity is an 
initiative combining the efforts 
of Youngstown, Campbell, 
Struthers and Lowellville to 
cleanup Valley brownfields.
MRCO chairman Daniel 
Mamula said he learned about 
brownfield redevelopment 
during his 16-year stint as the 
mayor of Struthers.
Mamula said Boardman was 
the premier place to live in 
Mahoning County in the early 
?90s, but 15 years later, the 
township faces problems like 
traffic congestion as a result of 
urban sprawl.
?Boardman has all kinds of 
complicated problems because 
of sprawl. It?s congested and the 
quality of life is deteriorating; 
people are moving out of 
Boardman to escape some of 
those things,  Mamula said.
?Now, they?re going toward 
Columbiana; who?s going to 
maintain Boardman? You see 
they?re running into problems,  
Mamula said.
Mamula said programs 
like MRCO that redevelop 
brownfield land along with land-
use policy reformation could 
help curb some problems.
Scott Martin, a Civil/
Environmental and Chemical 
Engineering professor at 
Youngstown State University, 
cited sprawl and land-use 
regulations as an obstacle to 
brownfield redevelopment.
?The only thing that?  really 
going to make a big difference, 
in my opinion, to repopulate the 
brownfields and make it happen 
quickly, is to introduce laws that 
discourage suburban sprawl,  he 
said.
Martin said legislatures should 
tax companies who want to build 
on pristine sites or greenfields, 
but because of political pressure, 
such laws are tough sell.
Speaking of brownfields, 
Martin described how asbestos 
insulation found its way into the 
soil after building demolitions. 
This and other chemicals in the 
land can cause lung cancer, 
reproductive problems and 
immune system difficulties.
Not all sites are in 
such dire condition 
that they cannot be 
reclaimed, Martin 
said, and remediation 
of brown?eld sites 
was sluggish because 
standards set by the 
EPA were too high.
 ?The tendency was 
to treat all sites as if 
small school children 
were going to have a 
playground there and 
be eating the soil,? 
Martin said.
With new environmental 
benchmarks that match the 
use of the property and the 
contamination levels from 
previous use, sites are more 
appealing to businesses and 
developers.
 ?If you?re going to build 
a parking lot over a lightly 
contaminated soil, and nobody?s 
going to be exposed to it, then 
why do you need to clean it 
up?  Just remove a couple of the 
worst spots,  Martin said.*
follow our reporter inside  
the yo?s porn theater
you won?t believe what she saw*
I?ve driven past southern Youngstown?s porn palace, the Foster Theater, a hundred times ? sometimes going w 
visitors its glaring marquee ? but I 
never imagined what I?d find when I 
became a Foster customer myself.
I?ve scoffed at patrons entering and exiting the 
building. I?ve made shallow jokes, surmising the 
d?cor and decorum ? or lack thereof. Given the 
intriguing nature and comedic value of the Foster, 
a historic Glenwood Avenue theater that has shown 
adult entertainment since the mid-1960s, I finally 
decided to get a closer look.
Before venturing to the area?s only triple-X 
film theater, I checked out men-seeking-men 
XXX
By Britta Snowberger
Photography by Brian Cetina
[A Yo* Diary]
28
*X
29
message boards on Web sites 
like Craig?s List to gain a better 
understanding of the theater?s 
available ?action.
I was enthralled to learn that 
a self-described ?sissy boy? in 
his mid-20s planned to make 
an appearance as well. He was 
looking to get his ?ass stuffed? 
and ?be gangbanged.  The 
most I hoped for was a great 
story, and I decided to take my 
boyfriend along to make sure 
that was all I? et.
Another post, this time from 
an ?out-of-town masculine male, 
well built, discreet,  described 
his plans to attend the theater 
to ?service a few hung men to 
?cum?pletion.  
Internet reviews of the Foster 
tell similar stories.
?I was there last Friday 
and it was pretty wild,  wrote 
one customer on http://www.
flirtingpassion.com. ?Probably 
12 to 15 guys, and then an older 
couple comes in, and in a flash, 
she is naked and lining guys up 
for b--- j--s.  
Considering this level of 
action, I realized I needed to 
know more about the unspoken 
communication between Foster 
customers to avoid accidentally 
signaling that I wanted sex.
No stranger to such 
proceedings, Robin Bougie, 
pornography blogger and 
author of ?Cinema Sewer? and 
?True Porn,  laid out the ground 
rules as followed by adult movie 
theater patrons.  
?If you?re there to actually watch 
a movie (and not for the casual 
sex), you don?t talk to anyone, 
and you don?t make eye contact,  
he said. ?The ?no speaking? rule 
also appears to pertain to the 
gay men who have oral sex ? 
once your d--- is sucked, you get 
up and leave.  
Not only do implicit rules 
exist in porn theaters, an 
unspoken language governs 
the patrons? actions as well, 
explained Bougie. As I found 
out, where you sit makes all the 
difference between viewing a 
movie and inviting an encounter.
Showtime: 
Learning 
Triple-X 
Etiquette
My boyfriend and I arrived at 
the Foster around 5 p.m. Dressed 
in outfits we wouldn?t mind 
burning at the end of the night, 
we walked swiftly, heads down, 
to the theater?s locked entrance. 
Ringing the buzzer, we stepped 
into the front lobby, a small 
room reminiscent of an adult 
bookstore. 
Rather than the 
buttered popcorn, 
fountain drinks and 
boxed candy offerings 
of mainstream movie 
theaters, Foster cus-
tomers may purchase 
adult films, sex toys 
and other novelty items 
before proceeding to 
the big screen.
Paying our admission fee 
? $12 for college males, free 
for females ? we grabbed 
our two free condoms upon 
entrance and made our way to 
the rear left of the theater, our 
steps muffled by the techno 
soundtrack to an ?80s porn flick.
Having been used as a 
tube sock for nearly half 
its existence, the 70-year-
old cinema was in decent 
physical condition, besides the 
overwhelming smell of mildew.
As we took our seats, the 
other attendees ? six middle-
aged men ? repositioned 
themselves against the back 
wall in the left corner of the 
theater. Taking advantage of 
their peeping-Tom status, the 
men perched themselves like 
a group of voyeuristic vultures 
over us, a representation of 
hopeful indecency. 
Bougie had informed me that 
sitting in the very back or front 
is ?an invitation to get it on,  so 
we sat motionless, eyes glued 
to the screen, for nearly a half-
hour before the men resumed 
their original places. As 
uneasy as I was, I expected far 
more than ogling out of these 
theatergoers. I decided to give 
the theater one more hour of my 
time to test the accuracy of the 
online accounts I? ead. 
As the unnamed ?80s porn 
ended, the evening?s turning 
point, ?Fresh Teen P---y No. 14,  
erupted onscreen. Its acting was 
pathetic, its dialogue laughable. 
(Take, for instance, this Oscar-
worthy line: ?When you ripped 
that tag off the mattress, you 
kind of turned me on.
Throughout the evening, 
visitors came (no pun intended) 
and left as they pleased, 
sometimes meandering slowly 
from row to row, trying to 
spark interest in other patrons. 
Rotating like hockey players, 
these men glided to unoccupied 
rows to sit for several minutes 
before leaving just as hurriedly 
as they had arrived. 
Suspicion alone could not 
convince me that these men had 
kneaded their knobs in public. 
I needed something concrete.
Suspicion alone could 
not convince me that 
these men had kneaded 
their knobs in public
xxx
[        ]it?s almost  unspeakable
[      ]
30
Finally, a young man took a seat 
directly behind my boyfriend and 
me in the mostly deserted theater. 
A few minutes later, I heard the 
noise I?  been waiting for ? the 
unzipping of pants. 
Hoping to catch other 
attendees? reactions, I glanced 
casually over my right shoulder, 
noting another hose handler?s 
apparent enthusiasm for his own 
equipment, or his best Pee Wee 
Herman impression.
I watched as a clean-cut 
couple in their mid-20s quietly 
entered and sat halfway back. 
Seemingly interested in the film, 
they stared at the screen for a 
moment before the woman?s 
head disappeared below the 
seat backs. As she ?serviced? 
her companion, two men viewed 
her progress from the next row. 
Then it happened.
The couple everyone 
had been watching 
rose to their feet and 
sauntered toward us. 
In a room filled with empty 
seats, they chose the two directly 
to the right of my boyfriend. 
Bougie had explained that 
sitting a few seats away from 
someone is another signal, a 
way to feel out if they are into 
getting down. ?If they move 
a seat closer to you,  he said, 
?then it?s the same as saying, 
?Wanna f---???
As the young,curly-
haired woman lowered 
herself into the seat,she 
made eye contact with 
us both through her 
dark-rimmed glasses.
?Are you guys 
new?? she asked as 
we nodded hesitantly. 
?Don?t worry. Just relax 
and do whatever you?
like. Pretty soon you?ll 
have a sex slave in your 
basement,? she noted, 
smiling in my direction.
She asked if we were 
swingers, and although 
we said no, she wrote 
down her name, phone 
number and address 
on a torn piece of 
paper and invited us 
to a swingers party the 
two were hosting that 
weekend.
?So, do you guys want 
to go upstairs?? she 
asked, propositioning 
us for an evening of 
foursome adventures 
in the theater?s second-
floor lounge and 
restrooms. 
We respectfully declined, and 
she disappeared with one of the 
middle-aged vultures, leaving 
the guy she arrived with to 
return to the middle of the room 
alone. 
Waiting long enough to 
avoid calling attention to 
ourselves, my boyfriend and I 
paced calmly out of the theater, 
stepping lightly across the 
stained floor, holding back our 
emotions only until we reached 
the car. 
 On my trip to the Foster 
Theater, I had expected to 
sacrifice some of my remaining 
innocence, and I did just that ? 
diving headfirst into the world of 
anonymous group sex to witness 
semipublic indecency. 
While the theater?s customers 
may have broken a minor law or 
two, and their actions may have 
been taboo, they did welcome 
? with open arms (and legs) 
? two strangers into their 
underground culture that day. 
For that reason, I feel guilty 
for having horribly misjudged 
these people so early. 
*X[        ]
More than Porn
Apathetic about the possibility 
of a hookup, Bougie offers 
other selling points for porn 
theatergoers ? selling points 
that appeal to him as an adult 
film enthusiast. 
?I really love the atmosphere 
more than the movies,  he 
said. ?I love the sleaze, the 
excitement and the danger, even 
though I?ve never seen anyone 
hurt or in danger in these 
theaters.  
Bougie appreciates 
how triple-X theaters 
show classic porn in 
its intended medium 
and what they signify 
to an underground 
culture shunned by the 
mainstream.
?[Porn theaters] 
make me feel alive 
in a society that 
seems to be all about 
sanitization and 
the active and all-
encompassing pursuit 
of clean, safe and all-
ages values,? he said. 
?It?s suburbia. It?s white 
picket fences. We need 
places to escape that.? 
Although they provide patrons 
with tiny vacations from reality, 
places like the Foster are slowly 
becoming extinct, said Bougie, 
who described triple-X theaters 
as dinosaurs, ?like drive-ins, 
roller-rinks and bowling alleys.
The Foster?s historical value 
may, in part, have a hand in 
keeping Youngstown?s only 
movie theater alive. Bougie said 
porn theaters aren?t the objects 
of the same nostalgia. While he 
appreciates them as a tie to the 
past, he says the general public 
shuns them.
Additionally, Bougie said, 
porn film enthusiasts alone 
cannot keep adult film theaters 
in business. 
?We only have gay men who 
go cruising to get their worm 
bumped to thank for these few 
palaces of sin still being open,  he 
said. ?There sure aren?t enough 
of us Linda Lovelace and John 
Holmes fans left to support them.
Furthermore, with the 
increasing availability of 
pornography at home ? via the 
Internet, DVDs and pay-per-view 
services ? Bougie believes 
that adult film theaters may not 
withstand the test of time. 
With the Foster?s resilience 
in question, the future of a 
subculture may hang in the 
balance. 
The unspoken rules and 
language, the unbiased 
atmosphere and social venue, 
the haven for somewhat taboo 
self-expression, the few hours 
a day one can escape the 
loneliness and responsibilities 
of everyday life ? could all 
vanish if the theater caves in the 
wake of technological advances.
And with this subculture, 
the era of movie theaters in 
Youngstown would (then, truly) 
come to a close.
Regardless of the 
awkwardness of my experience, 
I learned that the Foster 
provides patrons of all ages, 
races and sexual orientations 
an accepting haven for sexual 
desires. And for those lonely 
few, the Foster is an escape from 
the isolation of daily life, and a 
moment of belonging.  
Far exceeding my expectations, 
the Foster provided me with an 
experience I won?t soon forget and 
sights I may never erase from my 
memory. No one in this city can 
say we don?t have a movie theater 
? The Yo? has one; it just shows 
porn, with college ID discounts 
every day of the week. *
[                    ]For some, the Foster is an escape from daily life, and a moment of belonging
xxx
31
[The History] 
?Foster?ing 
Historical 
SignificanceF
or 82-year-old 
Betty Harrison 
of Boardman, the 
Foster Theater 
was an integral 
part of childhood. The prim, 
petite, white-haired woman 
remembers living a block 
away from the mainstream, 
family-values cinema in its 
heyday, complete with clean, 
comfortable rows ushered by 
neighborhood kids.
?A local family ran a little ice 
cream store in the parking lot, 
and we always ended up there 
after the films,  Harrison said. 
?When we weren?t at the Foster, 
we were at the Uptown Theater 
or Idora Park. They were all 
within walking distance, and we 
were never afraid to walk to a 
show in the evening.
According to Vindicator 
archives, the Foster 
construction came with a 
$100,000 price tag during the 
Great Depression and was 
heralded as ?Youngstown?s 
newest and most modernistic 
showhouse.  Boasting wide 
rows, free parking, four picture 
changes per week and a lobby 
fountain with ?cooled well 
water,  the theater drew major 
Hollywood film executives and 
actors to its grand opening on 
Dec. 26, 1938.
Featuring ?Hold that Co-ed? 
(a satirical college comedy, 
not a spring break porn) as its 
initial picture, the Foster Theater 
specialized in foreign, opera and 
classic films and was operated 
by Joseph Shagrin for nearly 
three decades. 
During the final years of his 
direction, Shagrin, a former 
Warner Bros. employee, ?made 
[the Foster Theater] one of the 
leading art theaters in the country 
for a city the size of Youngstown,  
according to The Vindicator. 
But in 1965 after Shagrin 
retired, a new owner shifted the 
Foster to pornography when 
art films and family content 
stopped earning money, 
Vindicator archives report.
Pastor Morris W. Lee, 72, 
of Glenwood Avenue?s Third 
Baptist Church vividly recalls 
the first year of the theater?s 
transformation.
?One hot summer, I decided 
I? e my wife up to the 
Foster Theater so we could sit 
in the AC and enjoy a good 
movie,  he said. ?Much to my 
embarrassment, the theater had 
changed to triple-X films, and 
I hadn?t noticed until we?
and the movie had started.
An African-American pastor 
on the South Side for 47 years, 
Lee witnessed little community 
backlash to the big change in 
Foster content. He attributes 
it to the theater?s low profile: 
It flies far enough under the 
radar to attract minimal censure 
while continuing to draw an 
adventurous few in addition to a 
steady stream of regulars.
?They?re very quiet ? 
there are no shootings, 
no fights,nothing,  he 
said.?They go in,sit 
down,go home,and 
they?re happy.Let them 
have their little old peep 
show place.  
G-rated to 
Triple-X:  
Sign of Bigger 
Changes
Still, around the time the Foster 
transformed into an adult 
theater, Lee and Harrison felt 
the neighborhood begin to 
change for the worse.
?At that time, the 
neighborhood was inundated 
by a lot of black folk who ? 
could not afford the houses they 
were moved into, and things 
started to deteriorate,  said Lee.
?When the first owner left, 
things started to go downhill 
for the theater,  Harrison 
added. ?The neighborhood was 
changing ? buildings were 
sitting empty for a longer time, 
and some of the businesses 
were leaving.
?We?ve lost half of our 
population since I?ve been 
here,  said Lee.
Like Youngstown, the 
Fosterville neighborhood 
surrounding the theater 
continues to suffer from 
migration away from 
Youngstown, Lee said.
Harrison?s observations 
are supported by population 
records from the Eastgate 
Regional Council of 
Governments, a regional 
planning agency.
During the theater?s most 
successful years, the population 
in Youngstown was on the rise, 
growing 0.4 percent from 1940 
to 1950. But in the 
?60s and 
?70s when Mahoning County?s 
population was steadily 
growing, Youngstown?s 
population was dropping and 
the Foster began peddling 
pornography.
Migration to the suburbs 
became more than mere 
speculation with 20,000 people 
leaving the city, according to a 
county development study.
What?s Next for 
the Foster 
With the restoration plans 
of Youngstown 2010 and 
the assistance of proactive 
community members, 
Fosterville may see brighter 
days.
According to ?A Citizen?s 
Guide to Youngstown,  the 
2010 plan calls for a number of 
Fosterville-area green spaces 
and two commercial sections 
along Glenwood Avenue.
In addition to these 
restoration efforts, Fosterville 
community members? 
hard work may help turn 
this historically significant 
neighborhood around, Lee said.
?The city has come through 
here with several plans for 
improvement, and a few of our 
neighborhood leaders have 
helped rehabilitate some of 
the houses,  he said. ?That?s 
just what Youngstown needs 
? some added life to the 
community.
32
xxx
BLAST! THEY?VE BEEN  
SPOTTED BY HATERS!
Although  the  term ?hater?  is  relatively new, the concept has been  alive  for  cen-
far beyond gossip and way past 
naysaying.
The definition of hating is 
similar across the board: a hater 
has something bad to say about 
something good.
Youngstown State University 
senior Connie Cholensky said to 
determine why people hate, one 
must look at the person?s inner 
problems and what he or she 
will gain by hating.
People do it for various rea-
sons, ?whether it?s power, confi-
dence or gratification for mak-
ing them feel better if they are 
rejected,  Cholensky said.
YSU senior Tyrone Lockett II 
has a different standard for hat-
ing. He said he doesn?t hate on 
people but instead ?encourages 
people to strive for excellence.
?I can?t say I ever hated on 
anyone. If I was ever impressed 
by someone?s drive in life, I 
used it as a motivator to keep 
me to focus to reach my goals,  
Lockett said. 
Lockett said that as long as 
people find success, they?ll also 
find people who make it their 
business to hate on success.
?That?s just how the cookie 
crumbles and there isn?t no 
changing,  Lockett said. 
Lockett said haters manipu-
late others because they are too 
lazy to get involved in this thing 
called life and make a living for 
themselves.
YSU sophomore Chauncey 
Harris also fell victim to the 
hater. He agreed with Lockett 
and said he doesn?t get upset 
when people are trying to better 
themselves, even though Harris?
hater went beyond naysaying to 
outright accusations.
?I won a singing competi-
tion, and the people were mad 
and said I couldn?t sing and that 
I won because I cheated and 
bribed the judge,  he said.
This is just one of many times 
Harris said he has been hated on, 
but it doesn?t bother him. Deep 
down, he said he knows it means 
he is doing something right, and 
haters can only stand around and 
watch him achieve his goals.
Harris pointed out that not 
everyone is lucky enough to be 
doing so well that they have hat-
ers.
YSU junior Shealla Myers said 
the intensity level is completely 
different between girls and guys.
?Girls hate for the wrong 
reasons, like somebody wants 
[her] man or the other female 
wants to look like her and so 
forth,  she said. ?But for guys, it?s 
all about whose car looks bet-
ter, whose crib looks better and 
whose shoes look better.
Just like Harris and Lockett, 
Myers said she couldn?t hate on 
people for trying to better them-
selves and recalled a moment 
when she was hated on. 
?When I was with my son?s 
father, black dudes and girls 
would look at me funny because 
he was white, and they would 
make smart remarks behind it,  
she said.
But Myers ignored the haters 
since they have it backward. 
?Hating is not going to pay your 
bills, get you a nice car or get you 
a nice house. People should worry 
about how they can better them-
selves versus worrying about the 
next person,  she said. 
WHY YOU HATIN??
People hate for different reasons, 
whether to feel better for mak-
ing someone else feel worse, or 
because hating is a reflection of 
a deeper problem that lies within 
the hater.
Women may hate on other 
Story by Ashley Tate
Photography by Brian Cetina
A DAZZLING COUPLE 
STEPS INTO A ROOM ... 
... MEANWHILE:
THE LOVEBIRDS
COLLEGE LIFE BRINGS ON THE HATERS
WHY YOU 
HATIN??
33
29 29
SOME TIME LATER ...
?DID 
YOU SEE 
HOW SHE 
LOOKED AT 
US??
?DOUBLE 
DAMN!?
?THAT 
BITCH.?
?DAMN.?
women for having name-brand 
clothes, a new ? o, a hot boyfriend, 
a fit body, or even for the motiva-
tion to get an education.
Men may hate on other 
men for having more money, 
more women, nicer cars, more 
?bling? or simply for not being 
caught up in the negative as-
pects of the street life.
Beverly Gartland, a sociology 
and anthropology professor at 
YSU, said it?  tough to say whether 
women are more jealous than men.
People who are haters, Gart-
land said, usually have low 
self-esteem and feelings of in-
adequacy. They sometimes want 
what other people have that they 
don?t have, including cars or 
money.
?People see these reality 
shows that show people living 
these glamorous lifestyles,  Gart-
land said, citing TV as an unreal 
standard to judge life.
Online social network Face-
book is a breeding ground for 
informal venting, and site mem-
bers write wall posts and notes 
about haters.
Shakeia Taylor, Loyola Uni-
versity Chicago graduate, wrote 
about hating directed at black 
women in her note, ?Sistas: Stop 
Hatin?.  
Taylor paints a picture of the 
petty action that women take 
against each other on a daily 
basis, sometimes without even 
being aware that they are doing 
it. She describes a commom ex-
ample of hating:
?So I walk in and you see me. 
You see that my hair is done, my 
outfit is fierce and I carry myself 
like a lady. I smile at you but 
you roll your eyes at me, then, 
turn your head and whisper 
something to your girl. Why you 
hatin???
She then declares hating 
pointless.
?As women, we battle daily. 
We battle keeping our fami-
lies together, keeping our men 
happy and maintaining our 
presence in the workforce. With 
all that battling going on, why 
in the world should we have to 
battle each other??
Taylor gives an underlying 
definition as to why women hate 
on each other.
?Inferiority complex. It makes 
us feel that in order to be some-
one special, we have to put 
everyone else beneath us. Are 
we so insecure in ourselves that 
we can?t feel good until we pull 
someone else down??
As Green pointed out in her 
note, if everyone in the world has 
a hater, then who are the haters? 
In his article,?The Story of 
the Player and the Hater,  Justin 
Hartfield, deputy editor of The 
Prometheus Institute, a Web site 
that debates liberal and conser-
vative topics, gives his opinion 
on what a hater does.
?Haters hate because they 
can?t do. A hater watches on the 
sidelines of life, too timid to try 
but too egotistical to watch oth-
ers succeed. They are more apt to 
criticize than to try and fail. ? 
Another of Hartfield?  articles, 
?How to Cope With Negative Per-
sonalities,  gives a list of tips to 
combat the pessimistic statements 
that stab them in the back.
When dealing with a hater, just 
remember:
1. Haters believe they are 
always right.
2. Haters will attempt to 
poison someone who has 
achieved [his or her] goals 
with words, so reply with 
appreciation.
3. Haters will try to subtly 
demean you by refusing to 
grant you their respect.
4. Life is something to be 
respected and cherished, 
except in the hands of the 
hater.
Tara Green, a student at Lin-
coln University in Pa. and another 
Facebook poster on hating, de-
scribes the circular pattern of hat-
ing that occurs when people are 
goaded into saying bad things 
about those that hate on them.
?Is there anyone that remem-
bers the term, ?kill them with 
kindness?? If so, why can?t we 
love our haters??*
[   ]*THE LOVEBIRDS ESCAPE UNHARMED?WHEN I WAS WITH MY SON?S FATHER, BLACK DUDES AND GIRLS WOULD LOOK AT ME FUNNY BECAUSE HE WAS WHITE, AND THEY WOULD MAKE SMART REMARKS BEHIND IT.?
YSU JUNIOR SHEALLA MYERS
34
If you?re old enough to get into a bar, you?ve seen  him,  heard  of  him  or  talked  about him. You can?t have a fun night in this city without bumping into twenty people who have met him.
Youngstown knows him as the bar-
crawler clad in black spandex pants, black 
spandex shirts and enough outrageously, 
impressively uninhibited dance moves to 
keep you laughing the entire night. On first 
impression he was a crazy fifty-something 
who seemed high on life, or something. Girls 
who didn?t know what to make of him could 
at least appreciate when he pulled them from 
wallflower status to the center of the dance 
floor. You always left the bar with more stories 
and pictures than when you went in, and he 
was the center of all of them.
This was our Penelope, the nightlife icon of 
Youngstown. Those who knew him in the club 
might not have known that for seven years he 
battled the cancer that took his life on April 19. 
He died in his home.
Fifty-two-year-old William ?Penelope? 
Schraider was a legend among us. While 
many know him because of his Facebook 
celebrity status, few know the man behind 
the moves.
His Vindicator obituary said that 
Penelope graduated from Cardinal Mooney 
High School in 1973, then continued his 
education at Youngstown State University. 
After graduating from Perkins School of 
Piano in Cleveland he pursued a career 
in tuning, rebuilding and selling pianos. 
He worked for amusement parks for 
several years in Florida and tuned pianos 
at Ponderosa Park in Salem for major 
acts. In the late ?80s Penelope worked 
in maintenance for Fireline Inc. in 
Youngstown. An active community 
member, he was a member of St. Patrick 
and St. Matthias churches and ushered 
at Powers Auditorium for the Youngstown 
Symphony for many years.
Penelope had a great passion for music 
and dancing, which is how Youngstown 
ended up meeting him, alone in his little 
circle on the dance floor.
A Facebook group called ?Penelope: The 
Man, The Myth, The Legend? testified to his 
fame. At the time of his death, the group had 
drawn over 1,000 members, and YSU students 
have mourned and shown support on the 
group?  discussion board. They?ve posted 
memories, stories and famous Penelope quotes 
while trying to imagine what their nightlife will 
be without their star dancing partner.
YSU student Ryan McAllister started the 
Facebook group with no intentions of it 
growing as large as it has. 
?At first I invited my friends that joined me 
at the bars and a few other people who I knew 
were regulars at Shenanigans,  McAllister said, 
referencing Penelope?s regular hangout in 
Youngstown. 
McAllister?s Facebook group was at about 50 
to 60 people when he asked the Shenanigans 
group moderator to invite all members to join 
?Penelope: The Man, the Myth, the Legend.  
?He said only on one condition: that any 
post that was negative toward Penelope had 
to be deleted. I agreed, saying that I?  do that 
even if he hadn?t asked. To this day, I have 
not had to delete a single post off the group?
board,  McAllister said. In the summer of 2007, 
Penelope learned about the group. On a night 
just like any other at Shenanigans, 
Penelope went up to McAllister and 
said, ?I know about the group you 
made about me. I?m a star! You?re a 
star! We?re superstars!?
It was his great one-liners, pick-me-
ups and that constant positive outlook 
on life, despite his health problems, 
that inspired his bar-going friends. The 
Facebook group?s wall is plastered with 
posts like ?RIP Penelope, (insert any 
Youngstown bar here) will never be the 
same without you!? and ?I?ll miss you!? 
Maybe Youngstown could learn a lesson 
or two from the man who never let his 
friends see him in his saddest hours.
Our dear friend Penelope danced like 
no one was watching, but knew that we all 
were. He smiled and laughed through his 
toughest times, even when he knew that his 
health conditions were grim. It didn?t matter 
what song was playing; he danced through it 
all and with anyone he could spin around the 
floor. He taught us to take life one dance step 
at a time.
Cheers, Penelope. This one is for you.* 
By Chelsea Pflugh
35
PHOTOS COURTESY OF RYAN MCALLISTER
Calling all writers, editors, 
designers and photographers