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One last toast

BELLAIRE — They saved it for more than half a century, but this Thanksgiving a special bottle of Remy Martin cognac was opened and poured for many raised glasses and a final toast.

The occasion could be considered a sad one for Dom Davolio Jr., since the last of his seven high school buddies had died. Still, he called it a “happy time.”

Leo Ragni was the one who came up with the idea of buying a bottle of the cognac and saving it for the last survivor of the group of Bellaire High School football teammates and friends. Some died over the years, while others moved from the area, whittling the bunch down to eight.

But around 1970 – no one could remember exactly when the idea was born – Ragni, Paul DePaulis, Bill Kennedy, Dom Tuccio, S.L. Herzberg, Bill Wasko and Anello Liberati all pitched in $5 for the purchase. And then the bottle sat and aged.

Sadly, Liberati was the seventh member of the group to pass away three years ago, leaving Davolio with the prized bottle. But he couldn’t decide how or when exactly to finally set the pact in motion. Then it came down to family and the logistics of making it happen.

“If you miss anybody then you’re in trouble,” Davolio said from his comfortable home.

The COVID-19 pandemic interfered with plans to enjoy the cognac and kept the family from meeting over the past year.

Davolio’s son-in-law, Charles Busby, described the occasion as it unfolded this year. He saw mixed results from participants, as some sipped and others, at least one, downed his portion whole.

“I looked over and he was still standing,” he said of his brother-in-law Paul Mader.

A cognac like Remy Martin isn’t for everyone, and Busby was probably among others who felt it was harsh. Davolio said it was just like drinking moonshine.

“It was pretty rough,” he described it, adding the word “wicked.”

But Davolio could only remember the group fondly and mentioned some of the crazy times they had together, especially when they began meeting in a field just across from where he lives now, just off Ohio 149.

Pig roasts turned into cooking deer and lamb and probably whatever else tasted good while sitting around the fire. Those gatherings began to take place in the late 1950s and continued for decades. Kegs were bought, followed by wrestling matches and frolicking times with Liberati falling down an embankment yelling back, “Watch my mandarin, watch my mandarin,” Davolio recalled while laughing.

“And you know what? They all told lies,” he said, referring to their football days and how they would rib each other – even during the games when they played against each other.

“We’re all friends now, even then,” Davolio said, referring to years later.

“They were just a bunch of good guys, good friends,” Busby added.

By 1970 there were only eight of the buddies left, and one reason the cognac survived was because Ragni, who put their names in gold on the box, wouldn’t let anyone even see it because he feared they might drink it, according to Davolio. But he finally did surrender it to his buddy after a visit in a nursing home.

Davolio described himself as a workaholic and said he is still constantly on the move at the age of 90. He still drives his 1931 Model-A Ford that he bought several months ago to breakfast. When it comes to his football, Davolio was good, Busby said. Scholarship offers came in and he accepted one from the University of Cincinnati, but it wouldn’t last – not because he didn’t make the team, but it was a lifestyle he couldn’t adapt to.

“I just didn’t fit into that crowd,” he said thinking back on those days.

He served in the military in Korea and saw action, but emotion got the best of him during an interview and couldn’t bring himself to talk about the experience. He returned to the United States, married his wife Elda who died in 2005, and had five kids who are still in the area. And he made sure Elda was included in that toast since, as Davolio said, she was “there through it all.”

“There were so many things happening then …” he said, his voice trailing off but with a smile.

“He made us all realize that the most important thing in life is the love we share for each other,” Busby said.

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