Retired West Frankfort miner named 2017 'Old King Coal'

Eighty-year-old Charles A. Bartoni Jr. of West Frankfort has been named the 2017 Old King Coal and will reign over the Old King Coal Festival May 11 to 14 in downtown West Frankfort.
Bartoni will be officially crowned Old King Coal during the Princess Flame pageant beginning at 7 p.m. Saturday, April 22 at Paschedag Auditorium at Frankfort Community High School.
Coal was the primary financial support for the Bartoni family beginning in 1940, when Bartoni's father began mining coal for Old Ben No. 8. After 10 years, the elder Bartoni took a position at Orient No. 2 in 1950, when his young son was 13. The following year, just before Christmas, Charles Bartoni Sr. was one of the 119 miners who lost their life in the Orient No. 2 mine explosion. Although the family was devastated by the loss, and his mother was against it, the junior Bartoni followed in his father's footsteps and became a coal miner 25 years later.
Bartoni began his mining career above ground working for Consol shop as a mechanic. Two years later, he found himself underground working for Freeman Coal Company, where he spent the next 10 years as repair boss. After 10 years with Freeman Coal, he began working for Kerr-McGee Galatia mine in 1987. In 1995, he received the General Manager Award in appreciation of his positive attitude, work ethic and his dedication to the safety and success of Galatia Mine. During his mining years he witnessed injuries of co-workers while underground and understood the dangers that were present daily. He volunteered to obtain his license as an emergency medical technician in order to be of assistance if needed. Bartoni had a total of 20 years in mining -- two years on top and 18 underground. In 2007, some 12 years post-retirement, still with mining in his thoughts, he wrote a poem entitled "The Deep Black Hole" about the experience of working in the coal mines.
In a nomination letter submitted by his children, Mike, David and Jodi Bartoni Croslin, they stated, "Coal is forever deeply rooted within our family and especially in our father's mind. Coal fed his family, paid his bills and gave him a sense of a job worth doing. We are so very proud of our dad and believe that Charles Bartoni Jr. would be an excellent representative of the Old King Coal Festival."
Bartoni and wife Dotti reside west of West Frankfort and attend First Christian Church, where Charles serves as a deacon.
For a complete schedule of events, go to oldkingcoalfestival.org or visit Old King Coal Festival on Facebook.