It was the closest the world ever came to nuclear war. Following the 1961 failed Bay of Pigs invasion Cuba's Fidel Castro was looking for ways to defend his island nation from what he perceived to be a U.S. attack. Consequently Castro approved Nikita Khrushchev's plan to place Soviet missiles on the Cuban island.

On October 22, 1962 when aerial reconnaissance photographs revealed Soviet missiles in Cuba, President Kennedy imposed a naval quarantine around Cuba and demanded that the Soviets remove their offensive weapons from Cuba. Pedas was caught up in the 13-day crisis between the world's two super powers.

The President raised military readiness to DEFCON 2 thus preventing Pedas's discharge from the Air Force. Pedas surrenderd his discharge papers and was reassigned to an anticipated Cuban invasion. Fortunately President John F. Kennedy and Soviet Union Premier Nikita Khrushchev negotiated a truce and George returned to Farrell to pursue his college education at Youngstown State University.

Epilogue: In 1997 George Pedas, sailed the Mediterranean aboard the Stella Solaris with Sergie Khrushchev (the son of Nikita Khrushchev). They reflected on the events of those days that brought the world to the brink of nuclear catastrophe. (By the way, Sergei endorses the film “Thirteen Days” released in February 2001 as an accurate portrayal of the drama played out between the two superpowers - the Soviet Union headed by his father Nikita Kkrushchev and President John F. Kennedy.)

 

George Pedas - Education/Military Service

• 1978 graduate of Youngstown (OH) State University, B.S. in Earth & Space Science

• 1963 honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Light Ground Radio Communications Equipment Repairman

• 1959 graduate of Farrell High School, Farrell, PA

Educator - FARRELL (PA) AREA SCHOOL DISTRICT

• Consultant and FASD school program specialist

• Technical operations and material production center for the Ted Pedas Planetarium

• Teacher and Technical Education Director for Farrell Area School District.

My father, Efstathios Tsimpidis (Steve Pedas), a shepherd from southern Greece immigrated to the United States to earn money for his sisters' dowries. He settled in western Pennsylvania instead of Illinois because he "wanted to be closer to Greece"

He worked for a short time at the Colonial Market and at the Sharon Steel plant. He borrowed money to open up The Broadway Cash Market at 745 Broadway Street, Farrell, Pennsylvania.

My mother, Angeliki Havas (Angeline Pedas), was born in New Kensington, Pennsylvania in 1917 where her father Georgios, a Greek immigrant from the island of Limnos, worked in the steel mill. At age three her Mother, Mercicna Cacalis Havas, died - a victim of the devastating influenza epidemic of 1918. (there was no vaccine). Unable to find anyone to care for his young daughters my grandfather returned to Greece where he remarried. My Mom grew up on the Aegean Island of Limnos. She returned to the United States in 1938 and was married off to my father, Steve Pedas.

My siblings and I, all teachers, have taught in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.
• For 30 years I, as a teacher and Technical Education Director, I provided all the technological needs for FASD. As the FASD Planetarium consultant I renovated, rewired and automated the Ted Pedas Planetarium system.

  I am a 1959 graduate of Farrell High School. In 1963 I was honorably discharged from the U.S. Air Force, Light Ground Radio Communications Equipment Repairman Division. In 1978 I graduated Youngstown (OH) State University with a B.S. in Earth and Space Science.

• Ted Pedas - FHS '56
  The launching of Sputnik by the U.S.S.R. was a pivotal event for my older brother Ted who was taking an elective astronomy course at Youngstown State University. His twice-retired professor, Doc Dusty, told the class he “Didn't know what was happening,” but he knew that “Everything was about to change.” Ted switched his major to astronomy.
• Marcy Pedas Sigler - FHS '58
  My sister Marcy, a former teacher with the Boston Massachusetts and New Jersey Public School system continues her involment in education in New York City where she lives.
• Tom Pedas - FHS '67
  My youngest brother Tom was elected New Jersey's Music Teacher of the Year. He is dedicated to enriching lives through music. Tom credits his teachers who inspired him to embrace teaching as a career and his Farrell high school choral and band instructors for their profound influence on his life. His music career was launched in third grade at Farrell's Washington School when his classroom teacher, Miss Catherine Jankovich, taught her students to play the ‘Flutetophone’. Our older brother Ted arranged for trumpet and piano lessons for him and escorted him to local musical productions particularly at the famed Kenley Players in Warren Ohio.

Pargny School

Farrell Junior High School

Farrell Senior High School