Jul. 4—WYOMING — John Yudichak, the new president at Luzerne County Community College, chose to reflect on former U.S. Rep. Dan Flood, who spoke at the Wyoming Monument ceremony on July 4th, 1973.
“For Dan Flood, reflecting on the history of the Wyoming Valley was not a trite enterprise and the Wyoming Monument was not a relic of a forgotten era,” Yudichak said. “The Wyoming Monument will always stand proudly as an enduring testament to the revolutionary spirit that gave birth to a free, just and prosperous nation.”
But for Congressman Flood and those assembled on that July day in 1973, Yudichak said the Wyoming Monument also stood “as a vigilant witness to the steadfast resiliency of the people of the Wyoming Valley — a people who, ‘far thro’ all the years,’ have always found within themselves the unremitting will to overcome all threats to the peace and tranquility of our beautiful Valley— be it the oppression of a King, the despair of economic decline, or the savagery of Mother Nature.”
The Wyoming Commemorative Association, for the 146th time, held its observance at the Wyoming Monument, recognizing the 246th anniversary of the Battle and Massacre of Wyoming — Northeastern Pennsylvania’s most significant battle during the American Revolution.
Yudichak, a former state Senator and State Representative, discussed Congressman Flood and his fights for help for Northeastern Pennsylvania.
Yudichak said no congressional leader played a greater role in writing the history of Northeastern Pennsylvania and no political leader was more attuned with the hardships endured by the people of the Wyoming Valley than Dan Flood.
“From the grit and heroism of Zebulon Butler in the Battle of Wyoming to the swashbuckling legislative battles of Congressman Dan Flood, the unending ‘song heard into the future’ is the song of the people of the Wyoming Valley,” Yudichak said. “A song freshly written by the hand of each new generation of Valley settlers. A song that resonates forever through powerful symbolism of the Wyoming Monument and this glorious, time-honored celebration of Independence Day in the Wyoming Valley.”
Yudichak said Flood, on that emotional one-year anniversary of the Agnes Flood of 1972, was certainly thinking about all the hardships that had befallen the people of the Wyoming Valley.
Yudichak titled his speech — “A Legislative Warrior: Congressman Dan Flood and the Battle for the People of the Wyoming Valley.” Flood died in 1994 at age 90.
“On that hallowed occasion in 1973, the eloquent and powerful words of Congressman Flood reflected his deep reverence for the ‘story of success’ secured by the indefatigable spirit of the people of the Wyoming Valley throughout the annals of American history,” Yudichak said. “In 1778, the British swept through the Wyoming Valley turning the idyllic green fields into a burned and bloody graveyard. leaving Wyoming settler Ishmael Bennet to ponder ‘the loss and ruin seemed universal — the distress no tongue can tell.'”
Yudichak said that in 1972, Tropical Storm Agnes thundered through the Wyoming Valley, drowning downtown Wilkes-Barre in more than 9 feet of water, shuttering 70% of the city’s manufacturing firms, and flooding one-third of the city’s residential district.
“Although of different ages, and although one event was defined by the horrors of man and the other by the horrors of nature, there is a significant historical thread that connects the Battle of Wyoming to the Agnes Flood,” Yudichak said. “Both tragedies were historical pivot points that challenged the humanity of our nation and thrust the people of the Wyoming Valley onto the national stage — testing their character, their courage, and their perseverance in ways few communities are ever tested.”
Yudichak said Flood did not use the Wyoming Monument ceremony as an opportunity to boast about his many legislative accomplishments that had accumulated like folk lore. He said Flood looked away from his congressional work to focus squarely on the history of the people of Wyoming Valley.
“Instead, Congressman Flood used his speech at the Wyoming Monument to shine every beam of the spotlight of that day on the strength and resilience of the people of the Wyoming Valley,” Yudichak said. “Flood summed it up in this way, ‘We have endured so much, we Valley folk,’ including the decline of our major industry and the devastation of a dreadful flood. But we have learned so much too — the troubles that hurt us have also brought us together.'”
Yudichak said although recognition of Dan Flood, as the unrivaled legislative warrior for Northeastern Pennsylvania, may have become a faint shadow in the winds of time since his passing — the inspiring legislative accomplishments he secured for the people of the Wyoming Valley remain national fixtures of what most Americans have come to fully expect from a just and responsible federal government.
“The long and legendary congressional career of Daniel J. Flood, its crescendo and its decrescendo, are seared forevermore in the sheet music of history and in the memorable chorus he added to the ‘song heard into the future’ — a song that perfectly captures the inexhaustible resilience and strength of the people of the Wyoming Valley,” Yudichak said.
Yudichak served as a Member of the Senate of Pennsylvania for 12 years and as a Member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives for 12 years.
After leaving the state senate, he had been a senior advisor with GSL Public Strategies Group and he began service as the President of the Luzerne County Community College on July 1.
Yudichak is a graduate of The Pennsylvania State University and received a master’s degree in American studies from Penn State. He is a board member of the Earth Conservancy and served on the boards of the Luzerne Foundation, the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, and the Pennsylvania State Higher Education Authority.
About the Wyoming Monument
On July 3, 1778, the fields around what is now the monument ran red with the blood of patriots who were massacred by a combined force of British troops and their Iroquois allies during the Revolutionary War.
Construction on the monument — which marks the gravesite for bones of victims — began in July 1833 but was suspended due to a lack of funds when the monument reached 20 feet.
Construction resumed in 1841 when the Ladies Luzerne Monumental Association, which became the Wyoming Monument Association in 1860, raised money to complete the memorial at a cost of $8,000.
The gathering is a tradition that goes back to 1878 — the centennial of the Battle of Wyoming.
On the 100th anniversary of the battle on July 3, 1878, a commemoration service drew more than 50,000 to hear the main speaker for the event, U.S. President Rutherford B. Hayes.
Locals tend to associate the ceremony with the 4th of July, which is when it is often held. But, the association notes, it has always been the customary practice to hold the observance on the 3rd of July when the 4th falls on a Sunday.
In July, 2010, Dr. Joseph Mattioli and his wife, Dr. Rose — both now deceased — donated $100,000 to the Wyoming Monument Association to pay for the restoration of the lightning-damaged historical landmark.
The Mattiolis were guests of honor at the annual commemoration ceremony at the site of the 1778 Battle of Wyoming.
Chairman for the event was Marian Czarnowski, treasurer of the Wyoming Monument Association and board member of the Wyoming Commemorative Association.
Clergy for the event was Pastor Richard Bradshaw of the Forty Fort United Methodist Church.
The Wyoming Valley Band performed patriotic songs.
Reach Bill O’Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.
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