The Night at Dinardi’s Tavern
A story remembered in the Mount Union community tells of a man who was shot in the forehead with a .22-caliber revolver during a disturbance at a local tavern. The most dramatic version says investigators initially believed he was dead before he unexpectedly showed signs of life.
Contemporary newspaper coverage confirms the central event, although not every detail of the story as it has been retold. The Daily News reported that 27-year-old Jack M. Loner was seriously wounded during an altercation at Dinardi’s Tavern on Friday night, March 9, 1973. During the confrontation, Loner allegedly wounded bartender John Dinardi and tavern co-owner Sara L. Dinardi with a knife.
According to the newspaper’s follow-up report, Sara Dinardi fired a six-shot .22-caliber revolver after Loner pulled the knife, wounded John, and threatened and wounded her. The bullet lodged beneath the skin of Loner’s forehead but did not penetrate his skull. He underwent surgery at Altoona Hospital to have it removed and was listed in serious condition.
Authorities filed assault-and-battery charges arising from the injuries to John and Sara Dinardi. The district attorney was also consulted about Sara Dinardi’s actions; the newspaper reported that she maintained she had acted in self-defense. Available public records indicate that Jack Loner, John Dinardi, and Sara Dinardi have since died.
Shared from a community recollection and checked against The Daily News, March 10, 1973, p. 10, and The Daily News, March 14, 1973, p. 8. The claim that Loner was initially believed dead remains part of the oral account and has not yet been confirmed in the newspaper record.