Bill O?Boyle: Remembering 'Pencil Pete' and St. Ann's Novena

Jul. 18--WILKES-BARRE -- Pete Chaivanik was a religious man.

He could be seen every year at the St. Ann's Novena in Scranton.

I thought about Pete again when I read that the Novena to St. Ann was beginning Saturday in Wilkes-Barre.

Pete Chaivanik was well-known in downtown Wilkes-Barre.

Most people referred to him affectionately as "Pencil Pete," the smiling man who had cerebral palsy and who sat in his wagon and sold pencils in front of The Boston Store (now Boscov's) in downtown Wilkes-Barre to make a living.

I think about Pete often -- his picture was displayed proudly on my desk for years.

I think about this determined man who never let his disability get him down. A man who made sure to go to work every day, smile at the world and earn enough to help put food on the table.

And Pete always did this -- every single day -- with an infectious smile and always with a thank you.

Because of where I come from, I gained a sincere appreciation for Pete and his approach to life. My mom and dad each had a disability, but neither was ever slowed by their issues. They, like Pete, set an example for me and for everybody.

The St. Ann Novena is a series of prayers devoted to St. Ann, whom Catholics honor as the mother of St. Mary and grandmother of Jesus.

I will pray during the Novena, as I do every day, and Pete will be included in my prayers, as he has always been.

Pete couldn't walk. His speech was difficult to understand. And whenever someone would drop some money in his cup, he would smile as he struggled to say "Thank you."

Pete was an inspiration to many people for many years. The image of Pete in his wagon the pencils in a bucket in the front, will always be etched in my mind.

When I wrote a feature story about him in 2012, Pete, who died in 1988 at age 66. I learned a lot more about Pete than I had ever known before -- that he grew up in Pittston, he was of Czechoslovakian heritage, he loved to watch professional wrestling (his favorite was Chief Jay Strongbow) -- and occasionally Pete would take a drink of whiskey or beer, sometimes adding a raw egg.

And even though he couldn't drive, Pete always bought his own cars. Pete liked to go to places like Rocky Glen Park, Harveys Lake and Niagara Falls to name a few destinations.

And he always went to the Bloomsburg Fair on the last night.

When Pete's parents died, the Dulney family took care of him. Their son, Joseph, told me he learned many lessons from Pete.

"He taught me to be respectful of one another," Dulney told me. "Never look down on anybody. If we all were that way, maybe the world would be a better place."

I know I'm a better person because I got to see Pete in his wagon selling those pencils. My mom, who wore a brace on her left leg, appreciated Pete for his hard work. We always stopped to say hello and to "make a purchase."

Te late Frank Henry of The Martz Group once told me that Pete was a part of the fabric of Wilkes-Barre.

"He was not a vagrant -- he was an institution and a positive one at that," Mr. Henry told me.

Mr. Henry and many others were right about Pete -- he never complained and he was an inspiration to all.

Joseph Dulney said he and many others learned a lot from Pete.

"There should be more people like him," he said.

When Chaivanik died in 1988 at age 66, Dulney said, many people came to the wake and funeral to pay their respects.

In 2012, I asked Dulney what lessons he learned from Pete.

"Be respectful of one another," he said. "Never look down on anybody. If we all were that way, maybe the world would be a better place."

A perfect message for these pandemic times.

Reach Bill O'Boyle at 570-991-6118 or on Twitter @TLBillOBoyle.

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