East Oak Grove

Gloria Ruth Mason begins her story May 2, 1980, when she and her four childhood friends sit in the West Virginia University Coliseum waiting to receive their diplomas. The five girls realize this day marks the first of many life-changing events. Isabella “Alma” Argenteri will be leaving in the fall to attend Harvard Law School. Rosemary “Romie” Greco will be eloping that day with a recent graduate of WVU Medical School. And Carmela “Bunny” Schumo, Melissa “Tilly” Lepera, and Gloria Ruth “Sue” Mason have no idea what adventures lie ahead. Dreams of a bright future turn dark eight days after graduation when Alma and her car end up in the bottom of Cheat Lake. Because everyone scattered after graduation, only Sue and Tilly attend Alma’s funeral. Sue decides to create a phone tree journal for everyone where contact numbers would be listed, along with blank pages where each girl could journal. None of them knew how important those journals would come to be in the years to come.