Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons hear from Bucky Dent

The Greater Wilkes-Barre Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick gathered at the Ramada Hotel in downtown Wilkes-Barre to hear from Yankee legend Bucky Dent and to honor John D. McCarthy as the Man of the Year on Wednesday evening.  Dent spoke to a packed ballroom at the 65th annual dinner.

Dent earned two World Series rings as the starting shortstop for the New York Yankees in 1977 and 1978, and was voted the World Series Most Valuable Player in 1978. Dent is most famous for his home run in a tie-breaker game against the Boston Red Sox at the end of the 1978 season.

"My first Major League game I ever played in was in 1973 when I got called up.  It was the first Major League Game I ever saw..  It got there in the third inning, because we had to drive from Chicago to Milwaukee.  Just walking out there, knowing that I had made it was a big thrill,"  Dent said when asked what his second greatest moment was in his baseball career.

Dent was born Russell Earl O'Dey in 1951 and played twelve years in his Major League Baseball career.  Dent's name was changed when he was a child, because he was "raised by his aunt and uncle," and it made it "easier" for him in school.

"I'm doing wonderful.  I'm here to celebrate our patron as a member of the Ancient Order of Hibernians.  It's always a privilege to join with our fellow Irish, particularly the Friendly Sons of Saint Patrick," said Luzerne County Common Pleas Judge William Amesbury.

McCarthy was honored as Man of the Year" for his years of service to the community.  McCarthy is Chairman of McCarthy Tire Service Company.  He resides with his wife Cecilia in Kingston.

Democratic candidate for Governor Dan Onorato was also in attendance.  His interview with the Examiner will be posted in the near future.

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