Sally Stephenson is probably the last person you'd expect to strip down to her skivvies in broad daylight and smile seductively for the camera. After all, the longtime Monongahela resident, who taught instrument flying to male pilots in the Navy during World War II, is a professor emeritus in sociology at California University of Pennsylvania. Oh, and did we mention she's 84?

The same could be said of Peggy Savadeck, 82, a gold medalist in the high jump and 100-, 200-, and 400-meter runs at the 2006 Pennsylvania Senior Games. And of 80-year-old Lois Phillips, a chalk and acrylics artist who once worked in a Christian bookstore in Wayne Township, Greene County.

	Bebe Barantovich, at the baby grand, is Miss June in the 2008 Ladies of the Mon calendar. Click photo for larger image.

These are upstanding older women, respected pillars of the tight-knit Mon community. The kind of ladies who, if they're associated in any way with the word 'cheesecake,' it's clearly the kind you eat. So what were they thinking in agreeing to pose in the (almost) altogether for the "2008 Ladies of the Mon" calendar, a tongue-in-cheek twist on all those "fire hunks" and other beefcake calendars some communities do to raise money?

Actually, not much.

"I only said yes because I thought it would never go," said Mrs. Stephenson, who as the salty "Miss July" is pictured saluting the troops, bare-shouldered and grinning above a blue-and-white checkered cloth, along the banks of the Monongahela River. As she shakes her head in mock despair, whoops of laughter erupt from the four other women gathered in front of Big Harry's Consignment shop on Main Street in New Eagle, all of whom are co-conspirators in this naughty-but-oh-so-nice fund-raiser. Clearly, there's no shame or regret in taking it off for the good of the community.

"One of the advantages of being old is that you can do anything you want, and get away with it," notes Mrs. Phillips, whose comely "Miss September" almost bares it all from the backseat of a '68 Mercury convertible.

Indeed, when word got out that Lorys Crisafulli was putting the calendar together, some noses were quickly put out of joint -- and not because anyone thought it would cast a shadow over this small, historic community 17 miles southeast of Pittsburgh.

"They were hurt because we didn't ask them," said Mrs. Crisafulli, 80, who taught fifth grade in the Ringgold School District but as "Miss January" grabs everyone's attention in a completely different way. Swathed in pearls, she lounges inside a black convertible, a glass of champagne in one hand and a pair of strappy white sandals dangling from the other.

	Esther Cox, shielded by a strategically positioned pink umbrella, is Miss April. Click photo for larger image.

Lots of great ideas are born in the least likely of places, and that was the case with the Ladies of the Mon. Mrs. Crisafulli was vacationing at Deep Creek Lake in Maryland in August when the TV's cable suddenly went on the blink. But because the VCR still worked, she was able to watch "Calendar Girls," a 2003 movie starring Helen Mirren. In the film, a group of British women produce a nude calendar to raise money for leukemia research.

A community-oriented type who's always looking for her next project, Mrs. Crisafulli quickly connected the dots. Her hometown was full of older ladies willing to do go the extra mile for a charity, and many of them were pretty outgoing. "So I thought, why don't we do that in Monongahela?" she recalls. "We need something to put us on the map, to get us going."

Yet, while she had no problem lining up those first few models, it wasn't so easy finding a sponsor. When she pitched the calendar a few groups in town this January, officials politely demurred, saying it would never work.

Or would it? Confident she was on to something, Mrs. Crisafulli -- who ran Yesterday's Best consignment shop in New Eagle for 25 years -- continued on to C.J.'s Furniture on Main Street in Monongahela. There, she found a believer in owner Claudia Williams. Almost immediately, she recalled, before even half of the "girls" had signed on, the pair sold a dozen $200 ads, or enough to pay for an initial printing of 500 calendars. They also sweet-talked portrait photographer Chris Grilli of Grilli's Studio in New Eagle into taking the risque photos for free.

"It seems that no one ever doubted that it would fly," recalled Mrs. Crisafulli.

That included members of the Monongahela Area Historical Society, who were surprised to hear the society would be the beneficiary of the project, but were delighted nevertheless.

Staffed solely by volunteers, the society is pretty much just bobbing above water to stay alive, said president Susan Bowers. "So the fact these lovely ladies did this, it's very touching and very much appreciated."

In choosing the calendar's dozen personalities, Mrs. Crisafulli had limited criteria: each woman had to be accomplished enough that everyone in town would know who she was. That is to say, they had to be "doers." But they also had to have a good sense of humor, coupled with a certain amount of spunk. While it's not as racy as real boudoir photography, the photos -- with the women posed with strategically placed props in such landmark local locations as Monongahela Memorial Cemetery -- do show some serious skin.

"Miss April," for instance, photographed in a pasture wearing nothing but a smile and a giant pink umbrella, is 75-year-old Esther Cox, who ran Cox's IGA Market on Route 481 for 40 years. Former snack bar and club owner Bebe Barantovich, 85, a lifelong performer who claims to have sung "God Bless America" more times than Kate Smith, is the bare-shouldered "Miss June" peeking through the frame of Faye Irey's grand piano. As "Miss December," longtime teacher Sondra Odelli Bordini strikes a provocative pose behind a poinsettia centerpiece, studded with two large red Christmas balls that are positioned exactly where her ... well, you get the picture.

	Models from the Monongahela Historical Society calendar share funny stories with photographer Chris Grilli, rear, as they gather to look at photo proofs May 31. They are, from left: Sally Stephenson, Lorys Crisafulli, Babe Brantovich, Peggy Savadeck, and Lois Phillips. The youngest model in the calendar is 63; the oldest is 85. Click photo for larger image.

"It's boob-oir photography," Mrs. Crisafulli said, laughing. "With heavy underwire!"

The project wasn't without its challenges, foremost the issue of getting 12 busy women scheduled for the two-hour photo shoots. (It took Mr. Grilli nearly a month to complete the project.) Everyone involved was also concerned with what their children, and in some cases, grandchildren, would think about the saucy photos. But those fears appear to be unfounded. Not only are people anxious to buy the calendars, which won't be published until next month, but some are already asking about next year.

"Our families are just thrilled to death," said Mrs. Savadeck, grinning.

Posing before the camera didn't come naturally for all the models. Local legend Fran Fusco, 84, who waitressed at Eat 'n Park for 37 years before retiring in 1994, might look perfectly at ease as "Miss February," what with a bright-red string of beads dressing up her slender shoulders and her decolletage obscured by a silver tea set. Yet considering her photo session took place in the window of C.J.'s Furniture, which is just a few blocks from St. Anthony Church, she was anything but.

"Her biggest concern was, what if Father Joe comes by," recalled Mr. Grilli, laughing, referring to the parish priest. "She wanted to go straight to confession."

Ditto with a surprisingly modest Mrs. Crisafulli, who despite all her cheerleading of the other models, kept her raincoat on until the very last second.

Though the women all knew of one another before the shoot, not all were personally acquainted. So the project, which wrapped last week, had an unexpected outcome: In addition to raising funds for a respected community organization, they've all made some good, new friends.

"Now we all have a common bond," deadpanned Mrs. Stephenson. "Nudity!"

All profits from the sale of the calendars, which will be published in mid-July and cost $10, will go to the Monongahela Area Historical Society. They will be available in local stores, as well as on the city of Monongahela's Web site, cityofmonongahela.com.

For more information, contact Lorys Crisafulli at 724-258-5556 or the Historical Society at 724-258-2377.