Wayne Stewart's passion for baseball goes back to his days playing the game in Donora with boyhood pals, including Ken Griffey Sr.
Donora is known for producing many great athletes, including legendary baseball players Griffey Sr. and Stan Musial, and Stewart credits his hometown for sparking his sports writing career.
Stewart, 53, now lives in Lorain, Ohio. A well-known author, he has published nearly 20 books about baseball.
Stewart, the son of the late O.J. and Margaret Stewart, graduated in 1969 from Donora High School, the school's last class before becoming part of the Ringgold School District.
Stewart also graduated from what then was known as California State College and become a teacher.
He met his wife, Nancy Panich Stewart, a Monessen native, through mutual friends while he was in college.
Stewart says he got the urge to start writing in 1978 and sent his first article to "Baseball Digest," a magazine he grew up reading.
"It was my first submission as a freelance writer, called 'Big Name Pitchers with Losing Records,'" Stewart said. "I was thrilled when they accepted it."
During his career as a secondary English teacher in the Lorain Public Schools, Stewart worked as a freelancer, selling stories about baseball to publications such as "Boy's Life," Major League Baseball team programs, and the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
He published his first book in 1998: "Baseball Oddities," a compilation of quirky, humorous things that happen to major leaguers.
Over the years, Stewart has conducted hundreds of in-person and telephone interviews with baseball players.
He has visited more than 20 baseball stadiums. This summer he traveled the Giants' new home in San Francisco.
"PNC Park is one of the most beautiful parks in the country," Stewart said of the Pirates' home on Pittsburgh's north shore.
He often arranges interviews during vacations.
Stewart says some of his most memorable interviews have been with such baseball greats as Tony Gwynn, Jim Thome and Willie Stargell.
His favorite book is "Fathers, Sons and Baseball." In the introduction, Stewart recalls his days growing up in Donora playing baseball with his dad.
He interviewed Griffey Sr. about his years playing ball with his son, Cincinnati Reds outfielder Ken Griffey Jr.
"It was great interviewing him on a professional level, but also as a couple of old friends reminiscing about the old days," Stewart said.
Stewart finished the book by recounting the days when he coached and played baseball with his sons, Sean, now 28, and Scott, 24.
Stewart recently retired after 30 years of teaching, as did his wife, a legal secretary.
He is hoping to travel more now that they are both retired, and still write about one book a year.
When he's not writing, Stewart takes on public speaking engagements for Gray & Company Publishers of Cleveland. Among other things, he discusses memorable moments of the Cleveland Indians and Cleveland's favorite players.
While he has forged a career in Lorain, Stewart and his wife often visit the Mon Valley. His mother-in-law, Pearl Panich, still lives in Monessen. An uncle, Robert Jones, lives in Donora.
Last week, he participated in the Greater Monessen Historical Society Book Fair.
"I enjoy coming back to the Valley to visit," Stewart said. "I will always credit Donora for my love of sports."
