Carmello “Mel” Cottone went from Mt. Gay to the White House

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By Dwight Williamson

Photo of Dwight Williamson, authorWhen I was a sixth-grade student at Verdunville Grade School, my homeroom teacher was a silver-haired lady named Hattie Hale. Mrs. Hale’s son, Harold, either was at the time or had been Logan County state road supervisor. Back then, that most certainly meant her son likely was a key factor in local politics. That’s just the way it was then and to somewhat of a lesser degree still is.

The Democratic Party certainly dominated in Logan County back then, especially after the election of John F. Kennedy as president of these United States in 1960 and his consequent assaination that followed in 1963.

I remember Mrs. Hale as a good teacher who loved talking politics directly to me, likely because I argued with her sometimes. What I also fondly recall is a school bus field trip our class took to Charleston, where we met the governor at the Capitol.

Hulett Smith was the governor at the time, and he was, of course, an elected Democrat. The only thing I distinctly remember about the trip is Mrs. Hale pointing out to Gov. Smith that I professed to be a Republican. Her telling him that actually scared me, not knowing the possible repercussions with such a powerful figure.

The governor, who hailed from Beckley and who took office in 1965, smiled and said, “It’s good that you take an interest in politics, young fellow.” I can still see Mrs. Hale smiling.

During Smith’s administration, a $32.5 million dollar, three-year school improvement program was passed, and he spearheaded “Project Head Start” for preschoolers. During his term, teachers’ pay was increased, the death penalty was abolished, and he expanded unemployment and compensation benefits.

Upon our return to the classroom from our Charleston trip, I remember days later Mrs. Hale’s words to me one afternoon when we were discussing what a political executive committee was. (I honestly believe that she and I were the only two people in class that even cared about it.)

Out of the blue, Mrs. Hale said, “Dwight, one of these days, you just might be president.”

Well, I’m sorry I didn’t come through for you, Mrs. Hale, but sometimes, though, I really believe I could do a better job than some others have.

Seriously, folks, the reason I write today is because we actually do have a former Logan Countian — born and bred in these hills — who wasn’t ever president of the U.S., but he most certainly was closer to American presidents than any other person ever from Logan County.

Although I have written about him before, it is during election years that I think of him the most. He’s really an amazing person to speak with and someone Logan Countians should be proud of.

Another reason for this article is because of the recent re-opening of the Park ’n Eat restaurant at Mt. Gay. The popular drive-in eatery is located directly in front of a small piece of property that once served as the home of the family of Carmello “Mel” Cottone, the subject of this writing. A glance to the left and behind the restaurant will reveal one of several lots that were the homesites of numerous families of Italian heritage — Chirico, Piccorrillo, Dress, Pansera and Esposito — to name just a few names of Italian distinction. The Cottone property is still owned by Mel’s only sister, Katherine Adkins of Verdunville. The property was purchased by their father (John) in 1941.

Mel’s life story is certainly one of major interest, and to listen to him is to hear not only priceless bits of history but also words of blunt wisdom.

A resident of Boca Raton, Florida, Mel was born in a two-room coal camp house at Whitman with no indoor plumbing or electricity prior to his family moving to Mt. Gay. From that background to becoming the only person other than a United States president to ever be flown on Air Force One totally by himself and a pilot is impressive enough, but the list of achievements also include not only becoming the full-time “advance man” for both presidents John Kennedy and Lyndon Johnson, as well as presidential candidate Sen. Robert Kennedy, but also national deputy director of transportation.

Numerous other titles were bestowed upon him by Kennedy and Johnson. One such title was director of economic development for the U.S. Conference of Mayors. As part of President Johnson’s “War on Poverty,” Cottone was able to present a check for $150,000 to the newly formed PRIDE organization of Logan County’s president, the late Ervin Queen.

Cottone, who still keeps abreast of local and statewide politics in West Virginia, said following the check presentation to Mr. Queen that “I felt like I was giving something back to the place I loved so much.”

Although he has written two books pertaining mostly to politics, “A Presidential First” and “The Winning Ballot: A Candidate’s Guide to Successful Campaigning,” Cottone also has given many guest appearances, including television interviews on ABC and CBS networks concerning his time with the Kennedy’s and President Johnson in Washington, D.C.

Mel’s life in Logan growing up is also fascinating. The following is some info he wrote to me a few years ago.

“As a kid” wrote Cottone, “I was told that ‘In America anyone can become president.’”

“I did not become president, but I never imagined that a kid like me who was born in an Island Creek Coal Company owned house in West Virginia with no running water or toilet and a father who was an English illiterate Italian disabled coal miner, would someday be closely involved with presidents and presidential candidates.

“For me and my family it became a challenge when my father was injured in the mines and could not find a job. The only thing he could find was a job at a bakery at night at no pay but could bring home the crushed bread which did not go through the slicing machine. In the daytime he got a job plucking chickens for no pay but got a chicken to bring home.”

The former Loganite, who was known by some friends as Mel Cotton, explained that when his family lived in a three-bedroom home with one bathroom, his parents took in four boarders. “Four of us slept in one bedroom and I did not have a bedroom of my own until I was 15-years-old, and having one bathroom was always a problem.”

Cottone said his mother would “pack their lunches, wash their clothes, and cook their dinners, which we would eat together each night.” The boarders, he said, spoke little or no English and were always moving in and out of the house.

At nine years old, Mel said, he was selling hair gel and vegetable seeds door to door, and at 11 years old he was selling daily Logan Banners on the streets of Logan. “My best customers were prisoners in the Logan County jail,” Cottone wrote, “especially the women who offered to take off their clothes for a free newspaper.

“Imagine an 11-year-old getting this offer, which I never accepted,” Cottone said.

At age 12, he got one of the boarders to build him a shoebox and then started shining shoes at the coal company payroll offices during Saturday mornings when the miners were in line to get their paychecks, while at night he would visit the various “beer gardens” where Mel said miners were “living it up” and allowed him to shine their shoes.

“It got pretty wild at the beer gardens,” he said, noting that he had seen multiple shootings. “But the biggest event of the evening usually was when I got home and gave my mother the money I made shining shoes.”

Speaking of another shooting he witnessed from his front porch, he said he heard gun shots from across the road and ran over to the scene where a man named Pat Layton was lying on the ground pleading to his wife not to shoot him again.

Standing there with the pistol in her hand, Mel said she yelled, “If you say another word, I will blow your brains out.” The woman was arrested but before the trial began, her husband chose not to press charges and she went free to live with him again.

“It was a short time later that she set the building ablaze, and he perished in the fire,” noted Cottone. “She disappeared, never to be heard about again. “

At age 14 he was an usher in a local theater, and by age 16 former theater owner Alex DeFobio hired him as a projectionist in the three theaters in Logan he managed. Working every day after school from 4 until 10 p.m. while in high school, he walked home from work, which he also did during weekends when he worked from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m. or from 3 until 10 p.m. at the theaters.

As readers should easily ascertain, Mel Cottone’s life in Logan is well worth telling, not to mention his various duties and escapades in Washington D.C. Unfortunately, those stories will have to wait until a later date.

Rest assured; they are well worth waiting for.

Dwight Williamson is a former writer for the Logan Banner and a retired magistrate for Logan County.

*Published with the author’s permission.

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