THE AUTHOR  – FRANK CHORBA  –  HOME TOWN BOY
Frank Chorba grew up in Follansbee and attended Mahan school and Follansbee High School. His grandparents immigrated from Hungary during the first decade of the 1900s.    They purchased the family home on State street.  Frank’s brother and sister still reside in the city. David is a master carpenter and retired mill worker.  His sister, Joan, is a former elementary school teacher.

Frank’s motivation for creating the Follansbee Timeline goes back to the memories of his youth in the lower-end. While attending Mahan school, which was across the street from his family home, he recalls peering out the school window seeing his Mother hanging up the family wash to dry. He remembers the old Garibaldi lodge celebrations, then located on State street next-door to the Chorba residence.   He recalls the immigrant neighbors chatting in their native languages on their way to work.  During his high school years, his favorite after-school stop was the Buffalo Confectionery, the popular hang-out for lower-end kids attending both Follansbee and Saint Anthony High Schools.

Frank commuted to college at West Liberty, where he received a B.A. in Speech.   He received his M.A. in Speech & Journalism from West Virginia University.   While at WVU, he joined the Alpha Phi Delta Fraternity with boyhood buddies from Follansbee:  Alfred Buccalo, Albert Broccolini, John Wallace and Patsy Cipriani.  He completed his education at Southern Illinois University, earning his Ph.D. in Communication & Philosophy.

Currently, Dr. Chorba is a professor emeritus of Mass Media Studies at Washburn University, Topeka, KS.    His scholarly contributions are recognized internationally.  In 1992, he founded the Journal of Radio Studies (now Journal of Radio & Audio Media).   The Journal is celebrated as the first scholarly publication in the world dedicated exclusively to radio broadcasting research.  He has published articles and presented over a hundred scholarly papers on media research topics at national and international conferences.