From Mt. Gay to D.C., Mel Cottone rubbed elbows with presidents

Article Courtesy of  Williamson Daily News

By Dwight Williamson

Published March 6, 2022

This is a two-part series involving the amazing life of a former Logan Countian, who, like so many other former Loganites over the years, managed not only to prosper and make a name for himself in American history, but also to make Logan County proud in doing so. His story, like many others still to be relayed, should serve as a beacon of hope for those young "stars" in southern West Virginia who hope to shine brightly someday.

PART I:

Mel Cottone recalls growing up in Logan

Growing up in the coal fields of Logan County nowadays is certainly much different from the days of yesteryear when most people didn't even lock their doors when they went to bed at night. Of course, a declining population and a lack of jobs, particularly coal mining employment, has been a major problem in the declining economics of the Appalachians for many years. Throw in the drug epidemic that has virtually destroyed many families, and it is little wonder why there is major concern for the future of southern West Virginia and our decaying and drug-ridden society.

Although the outlook may sometimes appear bleak for our younger generation, I think it is very important for them to realize just how successful one can be by them taking a historical look at some of the people who came from various parts of Logan County and went on to have very notable careers.

Out of this rural county, which has seen the world-renowned bloodshed of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud and the Battle of Blair Mountain, has risen many stars. From Hollywood male and female movie actors to pro football and baseball stars, to a nine-year world heavyweight boxing champion, Logan County has produced numerous people who have made their marks in American society.

Long before Landau Eugene Murphy stole the hearts of Logan Countians, there were other talented musicians and singers who came from the hills and hollows of Logan to present their talents on a national scale. Over the years, thousands of Logan Countians have fought in various wars and military conflicts, many returning home with honorary medals, while others came home in pine boxes.

From man's first landing on the moon to the Olympics games, there is a direct correlation to people who have ties to Logan County. The names of many of these people cannot be found in the annals of American history, but certainly should he highlighted on the local level as "special" people who will forever be known as Loganites.

There is no better example of an immensely successful Loganite than that of an immigrant son who started out shining shoes at what he called local "whorehouses," such as the two-story Sidebottom Hotel that stood in Deskins Addition, an area many older folks still refer to as Black Bottom.

 

At 85 years old, Carmelo "Mel" Cottone - who along with his only sibling, Katherine Adkins of Verdunville, was born in a two-room coal camp house without electricity or indoor plumbing at No. 20 Whitman Creek - should be recognized as Logan County's best well-kept secret. It's his amazing accomplishments since joining the presidential campaign of John F. Kennedy in 1960 when Kennedy visited Logan County that can only be described as "astounding." Indeed, it is Mel Cottone's life story which should prove as the motivation for any young person to realize that perseverance and hard work can produce near miracles, regardless of race, religion or economic background.

 

The son of a coal miner, Mel Cottone, known to some as simply Mel Cotton, grew up in what can be called the Italian part of Mt. Gay in a house that was located behind what is the still popular Park 'n Eat Drive-In. "My dad bought the house in 1941 for $4,000. I don't know where the hell he got the money," Mel says. "I think the Scaggs' owned the property at the time."

From Cherry Tree to Mt. Gay, there were several Italian families, many of whose names are locally recognizable even today - Chirico, Esposito, Dress, and Piccorillio, for example. Italians came to the Appalachians from different parts of Italy, according to Cottone, who said there was a great deal of competition between the different Italian families, and that they did not always get along well. He noted that at one time the Chirico family operated four stores in the local area. Cottone spoke of other Logan Italian families he became familiar with, such as the Varrassis, Murreddus, Nollettis, Triolos and Barbers, all of whom have played important roles in Logan history. He said that his father, John Cottone, loaned Bernard Codispoti (father of Magistrate Leonard Codispoti) a wine press when Mel was just a young boy. "I don't think he ever did get that press back," Mel said with a laugh. "I'm actually Joe Codispoti's godfather," he added. "We were all close because we had to be."

In Logan County today, religious and ethnic bigotry is fairly non-existent compared to the 1960s when Sen. John F. Kennedy brought his Roman Catholic religious tag to the political heart of the Baptist belt seeking to gain the support of Protestants, some of whom bore very close associations to the local Ku Klux Klan, a widely accepted organization that was noted for its anti-Catholic sentiments.

It was a private meeting with Ted Kennedy in 1960 that would develop into a bond with the entire Kennedy family that led to an improbable 50-year career in Washington, D.C. Mel rose into prominence as a lawyer and aide to John and Robert Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson, Jimmy Carter, John Glenn, and several others. Over the years, Cottone has been a key participant in many national and state campaigns, including those of Bill Clinton and West Virginia's own Robert C. Byrd. In addition, he has been given several presidential appointments and has served as political strategist and advisor for many select politicians on the federal, state and local levels.

Now retired from his work in Washington, D.C., Mel and his wife, Maria, reside in Boca Raton, Florida, where Mel is still engaged in political strategy development and in advisory roles. He also has appeared in numerous speaking engagements where he has been described as a "dynamic speaker who has witnessed and participated in political history." He also has authored two books, "The Winning Ballot, A Candidate's Guide to Successful Campaigning" and "A Presidential First."

Despite all of his fascinating experiences with the elite, the still vigorous Loganite has never forgotten his humble beginnings in Logan County. On a recent visit to his sister's family, this writer became enchanted with Mel, after a family member invited me to meet with him. In separate talks with him since then, it has become abundantly clear that if there ever should be a Logan County Hall of Fame, Mel Cottone's name should be at the top of the list.

However, to truly appreciate the life of the distinguished Mr. Cottone, one must also consider his life on a more local level. For it is truly the story of a man who went from the "outhouse to the White House."

In the days of small community schools and when teachers were not burdened with all of the "technical" paperwork that is required today, it was a teacher (Mrs. Avis) who is given credit for instilling encouragement and confidence into the life of a young man who grew up across from a mining operation known as Mt. Gay Coal and Coke. It was this coal mine, owned by Harry Gay, that had produced the first ever load of coal hauled to nearby Logan to be transported by train in 1905.

Another mentor, who Mel has given much credit for his developing an early interest in politics, is another teacher and former mayor of Logan, Tom Orr. Orr much later would become superintendent of schools in Logan County. Orr encouraged him to pursue his interest in politics and in law. Cottone's first taste of political success came when he was elected to Logan Senior High School's Student Council.

As he recalls growing up near Logan, Mel has many many fond memories that bring smiles to Mel's face. However, he also remembers the hard times that had to be endured by so many families whose lives literally depended on coal mining.

"Camello Pansera's family lived right next to me and there was a gang of kids in that family," Mel recalled. "I remember the terrible news of him being killed in the mines. They said his body was split in half. My family cried, and I don't know how those kids' mother (Angelina) was able to raise them all, but she did."

Later on, when he was fortunate enough to visit Italy, Mel said he filmed his grandparents and other family members in southern Italy and kept the 8 millimeter film stored on a shelf in his parents' Mt. Gay home. Even though his father had raised the framed dwelling three times, it was one of the many floods that have wreaked havoc in Mt. Gay for scores of years that washed away his film. "I know my father just could not believe that the water would ever reach the shelves where the film was stored," said Cottone.

Although flooding has always been a problem because of the overflowing of streams that lead into the Guyandotte River such as the Mud Fork and Island Creek that converge at Mt. Gay, according to Cottone, the flooding in that area was caused by the filling in of the creeks.

"The road used to be about three or four feet from the creek when they started filling it in from the Holden Road to the Esposito store at Mt. Gay, and all the way through Black Bottom," he recalled. "They placed junked cars in the creeks and covered them with dirt and debris, narrowing the creeks, and that led to the flooding. I don't think we ever got flooded before people started filling in the creeks."

The lively Cottone is quick to revive some other childhood memories: "When I was 12 years old, I used to shine shoes at beer gardens and whore houses near town. I even remember shining some of those prostitutes shoes, too," he said with a laugh.

Besides the Sidebottom Hotel, two other locations he remembers well in Black Bottom were the Green Lantern Tavern and the Wagon Wheel. "The Sidebottom Hotel was a two-story white building," Mel explained. "I remember the night it burned down. There was a whole bunch of girls come running out of there in their night gowns."

The Green Lantern, which existed as far back as 1932 when a witness working there testified in the murder trial involving Mamie Thurman, was replaced by what became Anderson Wholesale in Deskins' Addition, possibly in the 1980s. During the 1960s and '70s, the Green Lantern was notoriously known for fights, which included stabbings and shootings.

While violence certainly was a part of growing up in Logan County during Mel Cottone's childhood, it was the violent death of a young "American Camelot" named John Kennedy - better known to Cottone simply as Jack - that would shock the world, and send the young Loganite's life spiraling as he then became even closer to the Kennedy families and the new president of the United States, Lyndon B. Johnson.

PART II:

Mel Cottone rubbed elbows with presidents

History, especially local history, has a way of just fading away with time. Unfortunately, people and places that were once revered in our youth too often leave us without a new generation ever knowing their former values, be them significant or just trivial.

For example, as I daily travel by the now closed Park ’n Eat restaurant located about a mile from Logan at Mt. Gay, I nearly always think of a sandwich that was produced there — and as far as I know — nowhere else. The popular eatery has been closed down since the advent of COVID-19 and it has been a while since I frequented the long standing cinderblock building that likely for decades has withstood more floods than even Sen. Joe Manchin-aired media commercials.

That sandwich, listed on the menu as the “Whatchamacallit” consisted of bologna, banana peppers, onion, hamburger, and some special condiments that made for a delightfully different taste in a sandwich. In fact, now that I think about it, that sandwich name would fit Manchin’s tastes quite well — neither Democratic nor Republican. Just a whatchamacallit.

But that’s not all I think about when I cruise by the former restaurant. You see, if you will look really close the next time you go by there, you will see a spot of vacant land just to the left and behind the drive-in restaurant. In so doing, you must visualize a small frame house that once was the home of one of Logan’s most successful people.

That fellow, who is now a resident of Boca Raton, Florida, and closing in on 90 years old, is a true local example of a guy who went from the “outhouse to the White House.” Although born at No. 20 Whitman Camp and living there in a house without electricity or indoor plumbing, Carmello “Mel” Cottone, who friends called Mel Cotton, said he was raised at Mt. Gay in a house his father (John) purchased in 1941. That small house is now a mere spot of dirt behind the restaurant.

Although time has completely changed the Mt. Gay area — with houses and former businesses now gone — the area once was filled with Italian names such as Esposito, Pansera, Dress, and Piccorrillo, to name just a few. In time, Cottone got to know even more Italians, whose families had come to Logan in hopes of bettering themselves. Names like Triolo, Codispoti, Nolletti, Barber, Varrassi, and Murredu are names that most Logan Countians can identify with even today.

So close were many of the Italian families, many of whom could speak little or no English, that they shared wine presses and some traditional foods together. Mel is even the godfather of one of his friends’ children, Joe Codispoti, Joe’s father being the late Bernard Codispoti.

Cottone’s 50-year political career in Washington D.C. all started in 1960 when a young Catholic named John Fitzgerald Kennedy was to begin campaigning for U.S. president in West Virginia, a state that was dominated by the Protestant faith.

The Kennedy campaign, realizing the importance of showing the rest of the country that a Catholic could be embraced by the Protestant electorate, poured every resource available into southern West Virginia, including a yet undetermined amount of money. Kennedy defeated Hubert H. Humphrey rather handily in Logan County and southern West Virginia, winning the West Virginia primary election, which helped elevate him to the highest office in the land.

There exists even today religious and ethnic bigotry in Logan County, but nothing compared to the 1960s when Sen. John Kennedy brought his Roman Catholic tag to the heart of the Baptist belt. LIFE magazine would proceed to exemplify the prejudice with a story claiming Logan Circuit Judge C.C. Chambers to be a Ku Klux Klan member, which Chambers — a strong supporter of Hubert Humphrey in the presidential election — never denied. The story also featured how votes were routinely “bought” on election days in Logan County.

Mt. Gay native Mel Cottone, right, and his grandson Rick Sargent, met former President Donald Trump last summer at the Trump National Golf Club at Bedminster, New Jersey.


   

It was a private meeting with Ted Kennedy in Logan that propelled Cottone to vigorously organize local engagements for Ted’s brother, John, during the 1960 primary election. The Kennedys never forgot West Virginia and many of their supporters, including Cottone, who followed John Kennedy to Washington D.C., where he became an aid to both President Kennedy and Robert Kennedy.

Following the tragic assaination of JFK, Cottone continued to work for newly sworn in President Lyndon B. Johnson. It was under the Johnson administration in 1964 that Cottone was able to first benefit his home county of Logan.

After the formation of the PRIDE agency in Logan County in 1957, which today is known as PRIDE Community Services and revels in an annual budget of over $8 million — the late Ervin Queen, volunteer executive director of the organization, traveled to the nation’s capital where Cottone proudly handed him the organization’s first grand check.

The $150,000 check was a byproduct of President Johnson’s “War on Poverty” program. Cottone was then serving as one of four federal economic opportunity directors in the nation. “I was delighted to present that check to Mr. Queen,” Cottone said. “I felt like I was giving something back to the place I loved so much.”

Cottone’s remarkable career included numerous titles — including being the “campaign advance man” for John and Robert Kennedy, as well as Lyndon Johnson. In addition, Cottone was at different times appointed deputy director of transportation, co-organizer of the National Urban Coalition, director of economic development for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, and several other important titles, as well as being a political strategist, campaign advisor and legal counsel to numerous elected officials.

From the Kennedys to Robert Byrd in 1976, Cottone had personally gotten involved in the campaigns of several well-known politicos, including the likes of senators Edward Muskie and George McGovern, and former Gov. Jimmy Carter, as well as presidential candidates Tom Harkin and Bill Clinton, both in 1992.

The former Mt. Gay native has also written two books, given several interviews to newspapers and has appeared on both ABC and CBS television discussing the JFK assassination and other recounts of his time spent in and around Washington, D.C., and with former office holders.

With a law degree from the University of Baltimore and a business management degree from Marshall University, the very talkative Mel Cottone since his retirement has enjoyed bringing history to life by sharing his fascinating personal experiences of working, especially with former Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

Although nearly all of his appointments involved the actions of Democratic officeholders, Cottone says he first met former President Donald Trump in 2004 when Trump was considered “just” a businessman.

And from most indications today, the former advisor to two of the best known Democrats to ever serve in the White House — John F. Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson — the feisty senior citizen seems now to be somewhat enamored with Trump, a Republican.

Last year, Cottone, along with his wife Maria and grandson, Rick Sargent, met the former President at one of his 14 golf courses, the Trump National Golf Club in Bedminster, New Jersey. “He was really gracious to us and told my grandson, he had a great grandfather,” laughed Cottone. “He autographed a photo that my wife had of her and Trump together.”

Who knows, perhaps the former Loganite is hoping for another successful run for the presidency by Donald Trump. And should that occur, well, I’ll not rule out the possibility of another government appointment for Mel Cottone.

Let me think. How about — senior advisor to a senior president?

Of course, It could be argued that we currently could use one of those type appointments.

Regardless, Logan County should already be proud of its “rags to riches” native son, Mel Cottone.


NEWS PAGE HOME

LEGISLATIVE SESSION