Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow

Still Clairton after all these years
The more things change: After last week’s blog I received an email that suggested Clairton had changed since the writer had graduated. Duuuuh. Imagine this: The CHS Class of 1961 is about to have their 50th high school reunion. When they were graduating the Class of 1911 was having their 50th if indeed there was a 50th for them. Clairton in 1911 was barely a decade old as a borough and was still a decade away from becoming incorporated as a third class city. Thousands of men, including many eastern European immigrants were moving in to work in the newly built steel mills. Central Park had been bulldozed to make way for the new blast furnaces, and the residents who had lived there for generations were certain the town was going to hell. World War I had not yet begun. George Santayana’s famous quote, “Those who do not read history are doomed to repeat it” is but one motivation to review the history of our community.

Clairton’s mayoral history: W. B. Farnsworth was Clairton’s first mayor elected in 1922. Robert W. Ostermayer served as mayor from 1934-37 and led the city through the beginning of the Great Depression. He was followed by John J. Mullen Mullen in 1938 who would serve at the helm through the end of the Depression and world War II as well as the early part of the Korean War, serving from 1938-1953. After Mayor Mullen came football great Ken Stilley (’54 – ’61, Robert F. Stokes, ’62 – ’65, Robert Baird, ’66 – ’69, and John J. Matz, ’70 – ’73.

Mayor Matz was followed by attorney Lloyd Fuge, ’74 – ’77 who had been blind since his youth but to this day, writes poetry, and the first woman mayor with my all-time favorite name, Rose Bush until 1983. It is interesting to note that there had been no mayors of Italian heritage up to that point but the five mayors who followed Mayor Bush were all Italian-American.

A little more history: At the corner of St. Clair Ave. and State Street where the gas station was located for years stood the Wylie farmhouse. The barn, half stone and half frame, stood diagonally across State Street. There was a spring house of stone that was supplied by an underground spring that ran downward from the bottom of Waddell Ave. to State Street on property owned by Frank Arch. My grandparents purchased a couple of acres of land from Mr. Arch in about 1915. The property abutted Park Avenue and was located on Arch Street, one block up from State Street. It was hilly and overgrown and they had to clear it and dig part of the hillside away in order to be able to build. Once the house was built the family would have to pull up the floors every year to divert the spring water. The water was piped across the railroad tracks and served as the main source of drinking water for the men who built the open hearth and later for the men who worked there. Such was the method of obtaining drinking water for years until a series of wells were drilled in the plant for drinking fountains.


Clairton and patriotism: The Clairton community has always been a patriotic one and its citizens have been represented in every war in which the U.S. has been involved. During the French and Indian hostilities Clairton stood as a bulwark between the settlements and the Indians. Area cemeteries house graves of soldiers who fought in the Revolutionary war and the war of 1812. The Clairton community was represented in the Mexican-American war, the Civil War, and the Spanish American War, World Wars I and II. For years a Roll of Honor stood proudly at the corner of Miller and St. Clair Avenues. Today a monument to heroes of more recent wars stands in front of the Municipal Building.


Early commerce: Although we think of Miller and St. Clair Avenues as the main streets in Clairton Park Avenue was the main street of business in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Businesses that stood proudly on Park Avenue included Wilson’s grocery store, Bennet’s pharmacy, Beehive Dry Goods, Glenn’s Furniture Store, two additional frames, one of which served as a school. School rooms were also located in the Clairton Carnegie Library and the basement of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. Bedell’s feed store was located on St. Clair and Third Street across from Brouker’s Bakery.

By 1905 a new red brick three story high school had been built on Fifth Street between Waddell and Large Avenues. This was the first modern school, but by 1913 it would soon be outgrown and Shaw Avenue School was built. As the community pushed forward to Vankirk Street, Miller Avenue School was built. When further growth necessitated an even larger school, the site of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church was selected which was across from the original brick schoolhouse. The original high school became Fifth Street Grade School and was eventually razed.


Clairton Churches: The congregation of the Cumberland Presbyterian church decided to build a new church and rename it First Presbyterian. A site was identified a few blocks awat on the corned of Mitchell Avenue and Fifth Street and the new church was erected. But the old church was grand and it would be a shame to tear it down. It was purchased by the large Serbian Orthodox population and the building was moved to its present location on Reed Street between Waddell and Large Avenues.


Central Park: As the nineteenth century drew to a close there was much high living and free spending in the Pittsburgh area. Locals needed an upscale venue to sing, dance, hold events, and just get away. That need was addressed with Central Park, a beautiful place larger than Kennywood that sat on the banks of the Monongahela River. Located just 12 miles upriver from downtown Pittsburgh the park was easily accessible by boat or railroad nad provided family entertainment for locals as well as well-heeled Pittsburghers. The park would flourish until it was purchased by the Carnegie Steel Company and eventually become the site of the U.S. Steel blast furnaces in Clairton.

A little blogging music Maestro… “Anytime at All,” by the Beatles.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

100 Years of Clairton

The March to State Continues
To Date: Bears 662. Opponents: 26. Ten of their 14 victories this season have been shutouts, including this week’s 52-0 playoff victory over District 5 champ North Star on a snowy Somerset football field. How complete was this victory? Total rushing yardage for North Star: MINUS 31.

Showing class: Last week Clairton went to Heinz Field to defeat Rochester for the WPIAL championship. On the way to the game the team stopped at a local restaurant for their pre-game meal. The Blue Flame, a family-owned local eatery for more than a half-century has served many student groups and they are familiar with the pranks and rowdiness that often accompanies rambunctious students. We have it on good authority that the Clairton Bears football team was one of the classiest, most well-behaved groups that have been served in the restaurant. Some members of the team even made sure that plates were arranged for easy pickup after the meal. This group of football players are winners on and off the field.

But wait! There’s more: After the game the Honeybears, Clairton’s outstanding majorettes stopped at the same restaurant. The restaurant owner, a former Honeybear herself, expected no less that the level of class exhibited by the football team. She was not disappointed. The group, although excited by the victory, showed an equal level of class as had their team. Too often we read that the level of civility in Clairton has diminished over the years. The young men and women who represent the school speak loudly to that issue by their actions.

History in the making: A look at history of local football teams shows the top five unbeaten streaks all time in the WPIAL are held by Braddock, Greensburg (44, 1913-17), Jefferson Township (42, 1940-45), North Braddock Scott (41, 1932-36) and Clairton (36, 1926-30). But all of those streaks included at least one tie. Clairton’s current win streak is 29.


Back in time: As mentioned in earlier posts, Jim Hartman of the Mifflin Township Historical Society has provided us with many valuable photos and artifacts of historic Clairton. As we look deeply into the past, 106 years ago this weekend, to see what was going on in our community long before most of us or our parents were born. From the files of the 1906 Clairton Crucible, a forerunner of the Clairton Progress come the following snippets.

Amalgamated railways: Coal was the engine that drove the Clairton economy in 1906 and railroads delivered the coal. So when a dispute arose between railroads over which one would carry the cola, all mines were shut down for weeks until an agreement was reached to transport the estimated 3,000,000 tons of high grade coal. The West Side Railroad was acquired by the Wabash Rail Company. Once the coal dust had cleared Clairton miners breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The Wabash Railroad plans to open a new route that will connect Clairton to other coal mining and steel centers along the Monongahela River including Elizabeth and Monongahela. The new rail line will be more direct and not follow the banks of the river.

Stop, thief: William Rink, the butcher at Coatsworth Bros. was no sooner promoted to run their Clairton store, than he absconded with $120.00. He was caught, arrested, and found guilty of larceny and sentenced to pay a fine of 6 and ¼ cents and undergo imprisonment at the workhouse for 18 months. Coatsworth Bros. got back about $40 of their money.

Strike on the hill: On Tuesday workers on the Clairton Electric Railroad went out on strike. They had been earning $1.40 per day and demanded a ten cent per day increase in salary. The work force had been made up primarily of Italians and Slavs. The strike was organized by the Italians during lunch, according to the boss, James Nixon. The Slavs were willing to go back to work but were afraid of the Italians and their knives, so they all stayed away. The gang walked down the hill to State Street where they persuaded another gang to join the strike. No work was completed Tuesday afternoon. Wednesday workers gathered but were intimidated by strikers and no work was completed. The head office in Pittsburg (sic) refused to concede the demand and instead hired two additional policemen to guard workers. Work then continued on the project.


A real train wreck: A northbound Conway train loaded with coal smashed into a coke train that was at the water tank. The caboose and two cars of the coke train were demolished and the locomotive was thrown from the track. The cars were set afire and the coke continues to burn. Nobody was hurt. The wreck was not cleared byt the following evening but traffic continued to move as there are multiple tracks at the location.

Halloween pranks: Quoting directly, “Two boys and some young men were out for fun last Halloween night. Some of the things done exceeded the limits of good fun and partook rather of the nature of malicious mischief. Particularly was this the case when the delivery wagon of the Clairton Supply Co. was run back over the hill in the vicinity of the brick works nad badly wrecked. Some barricades were built on the street, signs exchanged nad other things that character perpetuated.”

MENDELSSOHN AND WILSON; News of the busy twin towns on the other side of the creek: D.A. Laughlin, principal of the Franklin School in Mifflin Township received injuries that necessitated surgery at the West Penn Hospital. Both teams played a rough game and several other players received injuries that will keep them out of the game for the rest of the season. Laughlin successfully withstood the operation and at this writing hs condition is greatly improved.

Finally, a horse belonging to Milton Bedell of Duquesne, and attached to a buggy was standing in front of Minford’s store on State Street when a small dog bit it on the leg. The horse dashed up the street. Mr. Bedell jumped out but the man that was with him stayed in the buggy until it reached Blackburn’s feed warehouse where the horse made a quick turn and wrenched itself loose from the buggy that was wrecked. The occupant was thrown out and received some bad bruises. The horse was soon caught and Mr. Bedell was not injured.

And that’s the way it was in Clairton 106 years ago.

A little blogging music Maestro… “Dreams to Remember,” by Otis Redding.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
www.mifflintownship.org

Clairton Happenings

(To read more about Clairton, see “Lables” and scroll down.)

Welcome to Clairton, City of Prayer: The Clairton Silver Anniversary book published in 1947 lists, in no particular order, the following houses of worship in a city of some 10,000 souls: Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, St. Paulinus Roman Catholic Church, First Presbyterian Church, First Methodist Church, United Free Gospel Mission, First African Methodist Episcopal Church, Wilson Presbyterian Church, Clairton Christian Church, St. Joseph's Roman Catholic Church, Morning Star Baptist Church, Pine Run Methodist Church, The First Slavish Roman Catholic Greek Rite Church, St. Clare's Roman Catholic Church, Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, Christian Missionary Alliance, Mount Olive First Baptist Church, Church of God in Christ, Greek Church, Serbian Orthodox Church, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Many continue as houses of worship today including Mount Olive First Baptist Church which recently celebrated its Centennial Anniversary. The church began in the early 20th century as a prayer band that moved from house to house. In 1910 Rev. J. Dowling became the first pastor of the church, then located in the home of Mary Williams on Railroad Street. For the next 10 years the church made several moves including the Liberty Theater and the attic of Rev. Columbus McElroy, until the congregation built a permanent home in 1921. Rev. William C. Callaway has led the church since 1962. We wish the church and its congregants the best for at least another century.

Clairton and drugs: You’ve heard the stereotype. Clairton has fallen into disrepair (true); many longtime residents have died or moved on (true, though many have stayed and continue to live and contribute) and those who remain cause problems and use drugs. According to a recent article in the local paper, Clairton might be getting a bad rap.

The Tribune Review did a story that focused and gleaned information from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner regarding drug deaths from 2006-2008. During that period 650 people died from drug overdoses and another 70 from drug assisted suicides; a number that exceeded deaths from murders and car accidents combined. The killer drugs were most likely to have come not from illegal street sales but from medicine cabinets.

The Tribune-Review analysis shows: 2 of 3 deaths involved at least one prescription drug; 4 of 5 victims were white; 7 of 10 were men and 2 of 3 victims lived in the suburbs.

Drug overdose deaths are not unique to poor, urban inner city residents. According to Dr. Neil Capretto, medical director of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, which has 20 locations in Western Pennsylvania and Ohio, “Twenty-five years ago, it was rare for a National Honor Society student from an upper-middle-class family or a 45-year-old accountant with an MBA to fatally overdose. Now, it is commonplace."

Make no mistake, drugs are abused in Clairton but more common is the case of James Trasp, 49, a father of two, seemed unlikely to die of a drug overdose. He was white, middle-aged, an iron worker who lived in Jefferson Hills. Nearly 7 million Americans abuse prescription drugs -- "more than the number who are abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, ecstasy and inhalants combined," according to the federal Drug Enforcement Administration. In Bethel Park, for example, heroin was officially listed as a cause of death in about half of the South Hills municipality's 11 fatal overdoses from 2006 through 2008. We are killing ourselves and too often it is done with drugs that are prescribed.

March for the Next Generation: John Hodish is the Public Affairs Director of the Clairton Community Outreach Program. He is also a Clairton native son – born and raised. He has spent much of his adult life trying to educate people to the inequalities that exist in Clairton. Some days he is more successful than others. The other days are the ones that he feels like he is talking to a brick wall. It was one of the latter days that he decided to do something rash… take a walk. Not so rash, you say? Well this is a 270 mile walk that will go from Clairton to Washington, D.C. By doing the walk Hodish hopes to get attention and thus donations to expand the efforts of the CCOP. The program offers drug and alcohol education to residents of all ages through clubs, activities, and counseling groups. The program relies on donations and volunteers for its survival. The walkers plan to make it to D.C. by August 13 and with the help of PA politicians, plan to send the president a message – literally – in the form of a package that will include information about CCOP, the cite, and letters from children. See the web site at www.ccop4hw.com. John hodish, Clairton boy.

Working to keep Clairton healthy: Kathy Tachoir is the 29th president of the Clairton Chamber of Commerce. Clairton and commerce are in her blood. She and her husband Roger own Tachoir’s Body Shop in Clairton, a successful business for decades. But her DNA runs deeper. She is the daughter of a family that owned Grisnik’s Bakery for generations. The photo above was taken in 1918. Sitting on the hood of truck towards front is Frank Grisnik, Jr.; Mike Kalcevich beside him, Mr. Kalcevic in front of Frank, Jr. Standing at foot of running board is Frank Grisnik, Sr., beside him Mike Verbanic, and at the rear of truck is John Snyder.

As president of the Chamber of Commerce she represents the chamber on the board of the Clairton PartnerSHIP, the State Health Improvement Program which is dedicated to better health in Clairton. The chamber also is part of the Unity group in Clairton, which includes churches, schools, the city and the local economic development corporation. Kathy Tachoir, Clairton gal and business leader.
Special thanks to the following people who provided information for today’s blog: Ralph Posmoga, Maryann Achorn, and Jim Hartman.

A little blogging music Maestro... “My Hometown” by Brucew Springsteen.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
www.mifflintownship.org

Clairton's Rich Heritage

Clairton History

Today’s blog holds dual significance for me. It is the 400th post on this blog and the 66th post about Clairton. It is also significant because a dear, longtime friend and blog reader has agreed to share a bit of her family’s heritage.

We have written dozens of blogs about our hometown, Clairton, PA. Part of the richness of Clairton came from the amalgamation of individuals from varied backgrounds into one community. There were Catholics, Protestants, Baptists, Mormons, and all manner of religions, as well as Anglos, Middle and Eastern Europeans, African Americans, Arabs, Jews, and all manner of ethnicities. They worked side by side in the mills and operated businesses that served the community. Sometimes they married into one another’s culture. They established and built many of Clairton’s landmarks and when their adopted country went to war they served with honor.

Today’s blog is written by Donna Lancianese Lajcack whose family was so typical of so many World War II era Clairtonians. Read and enjoy.

When my Dad, Roman Lancianese, was nine years old, he immigrated from Abruzzo province in Italy with his mother, Inocenzza, and his brothers during the 1918 World Flu Epidemic. My grandfather, Pierino, had come to America and worked for two years to pay his family's passage. As they sailed into the New York City harbor, with his name pinned to his coat, my Dad stepped onto his new homeland at Ellis Island and began his new life of opportunity. In 1990, I had his name placed on a plaque. On a bus tour to Ellis Island that year, he found his name. ALL his friends and my Mother took a photo as they all pointed to his name. My Dad was so PROUD!

His family came to Clairton, PA; my dad loved his adopted country. Always curious and engaging, he worked as a "water boy" when the Glassport, PA bridge was being built in the Wilson area of Clairton. Like others, he helped to build the St. Paulinus Church, as he had lived nearby and worked in his dad's businesses. Eventually, he owned/worked in a bowling alley, bar/restaurant, flower shop, hair salon, barber, beautician and more. His smile was extraordinary and he had a passion for life and new adventures. He captured my Mother's attention (Rose Marie) when she happened to meet him at St. Paulinus Church when she was 17; he always called her, "his beautiful Rose." They married on Feb. 2, 1942 and had four children---Donna, Ramon, Gloria and Perry.

During World War II my Dad could not serve in our USA Armed Forces because of his eyesight. He stayed behind and helped others at home. One was his cousin who also emigrated from Italy. After becoming an American citizen his cousin was drafted into the US Army at age 37 and was shipped overseas to Italy, to fight in his former homeland! He became a POW within six months and remained there until the war had ended. During this period, my Dad had not only worked in his own business, but he also worked in his cousin's business. When his cousin returned, my Dad gave him ALL the money he had earned from his cousin's business during those war years....in order to help his cousin to begin his life anew. How many of us today would have made all those same sacrifices, even for a relative?!

My Dad was always aware of historical significance. He traveled to the "Chicago's World Fair," standing in front of Admiral Byrd's boat for a classic photo. He walked the ten miles from Clairton to the Allegheny County airport as a young man to see Lindbergh's stop on his way into history. Years later at that same airport, he carried my 18 month old brother, Ray, in his arms and held my hand when President Harry S. Truman came out and stood on the plane's top step and waved vigorously to the crowd. In my yellow dress and a large yellow ribbon in my long hair of curls, I remember looking up to my Dad as he told me to smile and wave to our President; I was almost three years old. I clearly remember how President Truman waved his hand back and forth over his hat to the small crowd. I then looked upwards to my Dad; his smile was always so extraordinary and captivating. It was "a moment in time" that was burned into my memory as a young child and never forgotten. My Dad always continued forever to show his respect and pride for HIS adopted and beloved country...the United States of America. He loved and lived life so large.

My Dad worked long business hours, but he continued to assist others in need throughout his life, by loaning them money in their need. He learned to play golf at 40, and he taught everyone he knew how to play golf, including his children and my husband, Denis. My brothers, Ray and Perry, became golf professionals. When my Dad celebrated his 90th birthday in 2000 on a Pittsburgh golf course with friends, he hit "his third life-time hole in one!" His golf-mates were celebrating ALL the way to the clubhouse! The Pittsburgh Press noted this special birthday event the next day in their newspaper. My Dad passed away in 2004

His vision in teaching others through kindness, a friend to all, a "hands up" to those in need, his wonderful sense of humor, a willingness to work hard to give his family the best that he could, his graciousness to everyone he met, and his extraordinary smile to bring loving joy to so many people, made my Italian immigrant Dad, Roman Lancianese, this wonderful, respectful and hard-working immigrant Citizen of his beloved...."America the Beautiful!"

Donna Lancianese Lajcak

A little blogging music Maestro… “That’s Amore,” by Dean Martin.

Happy Gnu Ear

State of the New Decade

Thank you Kingston Trio: The New Year always reminds me of a song that was popular four or five decades ago. See how little things have changed over the decades.

They're rioting in Africa, they're starving in Spain.
There's hurricanes in Florida, and Texas needs rain.
The whole world is festering with unhappy souls.
The French hate the Germans, the Germans hate the Poles.
Italians hate Yugoslavs, South Africans hate the Dutch.
And I don't like anybody very much!

But we can be tranquil, and thankful, and proud,
For mans' been endowed with a mushroom-shaped cloud.
And we know for certain that some lovely day
Someone will set the spark off, and we will all be blown away.

They're rioting in Africa, there's strife in Iran.
What nature doesn't do to us, will be done by our fellow man.

Famous happenings on this date: On this date in history in:
1496 Leonardo daVinci unsuccessfully tries flying machine.
1521- The Pope excommunicated Martin Luther.
1667 Russia and Poland sign peace treaty.
1750 Tax revolt in Netherlands.
1777 George Washington’s army defeated Cornwall in the Battle of Princeton.
1821 First engineering college in U.S. opens in Troy, NY.
1833 Britain seized the Falkland Islands.
1870 Construction began on the Brooklyn Bridge.
1871 Henry Bradley patented oleomargarine.
1888 Marvin Stone invented the drinking straw.
1920 The Yankees acquired Babe Ruth from Boston and the curse was on.
1938 The March of Dimes was established.
1947 First televising of Congressional hearings.
1958 Sir Edmund Hillary reached the South Pole.
1959 Alaska became the 49th state.
1962 Pope John XXIII excommunicated Fidel Castro.
1967 Jack Ruby (who shot Lee Harvey Oswald) died.
1969 30,000 copies of John Lennon’s album “Two Virgins” confiscated.
1972 Don McLean’s gold record “American Pie” lasted 8:32.

Happy Birthday to: On this date the following people were born:
• 106 BC – Cicero, Roman statesman and philosopher (d. 43 BC)
• 1196 – Emperor Tsuchimikado of Japan (d. 1231)
• 1698 – Pietro Metastasio, Italian poet (d. 1782)
• 1710 – Richard Gridley, American Revolutionary soldier (d. 1796)
• 1719 – Francisco José Freire, Portuguese historian (d. 1773)
• 1722 – Fredric Hasselquist, Swedish naturalist (d. 1752)
• 1733 – Sir Richard Arkwright, British industrialist and inventor (d. 1792)
• 1760 – John Storm, American Revolutionary soldier (d. 1835)
• 1778 – Antoni Melchior Fijałkowski, Polish bishop (d. 1861)
• 1793 – Lucretia Mott, American women's rights activist (d. 1880)
• 1802 – Charles Pelham Villiers, British House of Commons member (d. 1898)
• 1803 – Douglas William Jerrold, British playwright (d. 1857)
• 1806 – Henriette Sontag, German soprano (d. 1854)
• 1810 – Antoine Thomson d'Abbadie, French geographer (d. 1897)
• 1819 – Charles Piazzi Smyth, Astronomer Royal for Scotland (d. 1900)
• 1821 – Dragotin Dežman, Slovenian politician, archeologist and botanist (d. 1889)
• 1831 – Savitribai Phule, Female social activist, first female teacher in India, and first female poet in Marathi language (d. 1897)
• 1836 – Sakamoto Ryoma, Japanese revolutionary (d. 1867)
• 1840 – Father Damien, Flemish missionary (d. 1889)
• 1855 – Hubert Bland, British socialist (d. 1914)
• 1861 – William Renshaw, British champion tennis player (d. 1904)
• 1862 – Sir Matthew Nathan, British Governor of Queensland and other places (d. 1939)
• 1865 – Henry Lytton, British actor and opera singer (d. 1936)
• 1870 – Henry Handel Richardson, Australian author (d. 1946)
• 1873 – Ichizo Kobayashi, Japanese businessman (d. 1957)
• 1875 – Alexandros Diomidis, governor of the Bank of Greece and Prime Minister of Greece (d. 1950)
• 1876 – Wilhelm Pieck, first President of East Germany (d. 1960)
• 1879 – Grace Coolidge, First Lady of the United States (d. 1957)
• 1883 – Clement Attlee, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (d. 1967)
• 1884 – Raoul von Koczalski, Polish pianist and composer (d. 1948)
• 1885 – Harry Elkins Widener, book collector, businessman, victim of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, and person after whom Harvard University's largest library is named (d. 1912)
• 1886 – John Gould Fletcher, American poet and author (d. 1950)
• 1886 – Josephine Hull, American actress (d. 1957)
• 1887 – August Macke, German painter (d. 1914)
• 1887 – Helen Parkhurst, American educator (d. 1973)
• 1892 – J. R. R. Tolkien, British writer (d. 1973)
• 1894 – ZaSu Pitts, American actress (d. 1963)
• 1895 – Borys Lyatoshynsky, Ukrainian composer (d. 1968)
• 1897 – Marion Davies, American actress (d. 1961)
• 1898 – Carlos Keller, Chilean fascist politician (d. 1974)
• 1900 – Donald J. Russell, North American railroad executive (d. 1985)
• 1901 – Ngô Đình Diệm, President of South Vietnam (d. 1963)
• 1905 – Ray Milland, British actor (d. 1986)
• 1905 – Anna May Wong, American actress (d. 1961)
• 1909 – Victor Borge, Danish entertainer (d. 2000)
• 1910 – Frenchy Bordagaray, American baseball player (d. 2000)
• 1911 – John Sturges, American director (d. 1982)
• 1912 – Renaude Lapointe, Canadian journalist and senator (d. 2002)
• 1912 – Armand Lohikoski, Finnish director (d. 2005)
• 1915 – Mady Rahl, German stage and film actress (d. 2009)
• 1915 – Jack Levine, American social realist painter
• 1916 – Maxene Andrews, American singer (The Andrews Sisters) (d. 1995)
• 1916 – Betty Furness, American actress (d. 1994)
• 1916 – Bernard Greenhouse, American cellist
• 1917 – Roger W. Straus, Jr., American publisher (d. 2004)
• 1917 – General Vernon Walters, U.S. military officer, diplomat (d. 2002)
• 1920 – Renato Carosone, Italian musician (d. 2001)
• 1921 – John Russell, American actor (d. 1991)
• 1922 – Ronald Smith, British pianist (d. 2004)
• 1922 – Bill Travers, British actor and director (d. 1994)
• 1923 – Hank Stram, American football coach (d. 2005)
• 1923 – Charles Tingwell, Australian actor (d. 2009)
• 1924 – Doug Ellis, British entrepreneur
• 1924 – André Franquin, Belgian cartoonist (Gaston Lagaffe) (d. 1997)
• 1924 – Nell Rankin, American singer (d. 2005)
• 1926 – George Martin, British producer
• 1929 – Sergio Leone, Italian director (d. 1989)
• 1929 – Ernst Mahle, Brazilian composer
• 1930 – Marcel Dubé, Quebec playwright
• 1930 – Robert Loggia, American actor
• 1932 – Dabney Coleman, American actor
• 1932 – Coo Coo Marlin, American race car driver (d. 2005)
• 1932 – Tongolele, US-born dancer in Mexican movies
• 1935 – Raymond Garneau, French Canadian politician and businessman
• 1936 – David Vine, British sports commentator (d. 2009)
• 1937 – Seri Wangnaitham, Thai dancer and choreographer (d. 2007)
• 1939 – Nikos Alefantos, Greek football manager
• 1939 – Janice Crosio, Australian politician
• 1939 – Bobby Hull, Canadian hockey player
• 1939 – Ruben Reyes, Filipino Supreme Court jurist
• 1941 – Van Dyke Parks, American musician
• 1942 – John Marsden, Australian lawyer, gay activist (d. 2006)
• 1942 – John Thaw, British actor (d. 2002)
• 1943 – Jarl Alfredius, Swedish news anchor (d. 2009)
• 1944 – David Atherton, British conductor
• 1944 – Blanche d'Alpuget, Australian novelist, biographer
• 1945 – Stephen Stills, American musician
• 1946 – John Paul Jones, British musician (Led Zeppelin)
• 1946 – Cissy King, American entertainer
• 1949 – Sylvia Likens, American torture victim (d. 1965)
• 1950 – Victoria Principal, American actress
• 1951 – Gary Nairn, Australian politician
• 1952 – Jim Ross, American wrestling announcer
• 1954 – Dean Hart, Canadian wrestler (d. 1990)
• 1954 – Ned Lamont, American businessman and political figure
• 1954 – Ross the Boss, American guitarist
• 1955 – Palmolive, British musician (The Slits, The Raincoats)
• 1956 – Mel Gibson, Australian actor and director
• 1956 – Willy T. Ribbs, American race-car driver
• 1957 – Bojan Križај, Slovenian skier
• 1958 – Shim Hyung-rae, South Korean filmmaker
• 1958 – James J. Greco, American businessman
• 1960 – Sandeep Marwah Founder of Film City, Noida, India
• 1962 – Francesca Lia Block, American author
• 1963 – Vic Grimes, American professional wrestler
• 1963 – Alex Wheatle, British novelist
• 1963 – Jerome Young, American professional wrestler
• 1964 – Bruce LaBruce, Canadian filmmaker
• 1966 – Martin Galway, Northern Ireland composer
• 1969 – Michael Schumacher, German seven-time F1 World Champion
• 1969 – Gerda Weissensteiner, Italian bobsledder and luger
• 1970 – Christian Duguay, American comic actor
• 1970 – Mahaya Petrosian, Iranian actress
• 1970 – Matt Ross, American actor
• 1971 – Cory Cross, Canadian ice-hockey player
• 1972 – Yoon Chan, South Korean actor
• 1972 – Nichole Nordeman, American singer
• 1974 – Alessandro Petacchi, Italian cyclist
• 1975 – Thomas Bangalter, French DJ (Daft Punk)
• 1975 – Jason Marsden, American actor
• 1975 – Danica McKellar, American actress
• 1976 – Angelos Basinas, Greek footballer
• 1976 – Alisen Down, Canadian actress
• 1976 – Dinara Drukarova, Russian actress
• 1976 – Nicholas Gonzalez, American actor
• 1977 – Lee Bowyer, British footballer
• 1977 – A.J. Burnett, American baseball player
• 1977 – Mayumi Iizuka, Japanese voice actress (seiyū)
• 1978 – Liya Kebede, Ethiopian model
• 1978 – Kimberley Locke, American singer
• 1978 – Park Sol-mi, South Korean actress
• 1978 – Mike York, American ice hockey player
• 1980 – Bryan Clay, American decathlete
• 1980 – Angela Ruggiero, American ice hockey player
• 1980 – David Tyree, American football player
• 1981 – Eli Manning, American football player
• 1984 – Billy Mehmet, Irish footballer
• 1985 – John David Booty, American football player
• 1985 – Linas Kleiza, Lithuanian basketball player for the Denver Nuggets
• 1986 – Lloyd Polite, American R&B singer
• 1986 – Jacob Timpano, Australian footballer
• 1986 – Jessica O'Rourke, American footballer
• 1987 – Leonidas Panagopoulos, Greek footballer
• 1988 – Rodrigo de la Cadena, Mexican artist and performer
• 1989 – Alex D. Linz, American actor
• 1989 – Julia Nunes, American singer and ukulele player
• 1989 – Anya Rozova, Russian model and America's Next Top Model contestant
• 1989 – Mustapha Hussein, Saddam Hussein's grandson, Qusay Hussein's son (d. 2003)
A little blogging music Maestro… “Those Were the Days,” by Mary Hopkin.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

Annabelle Bucar, Part II

More on Annabelle Bucar
From Clairton Bear to Russian Bear

Annabelle stays in the spotlight: In the early '60s a radio program called "Moscow Mailbag" was broadcast throughout the United States on the “Voice of Russia,” the Soviet answer to Voice of America. The show was hosted by Joe Adamov (In Russian that was Иосиф Адамов) and featured a female newsreader spoke with a Western Pennsylvania accent. Adamov interviewed many Americans on his program including President Eisenhower, Eleanor Roosevelt, Walter Cronkite, and Larry King. The woman who read the news and sometimes the questions to this program was Annabelle Bucar, who came from Clairton, Pennsylvania. In 2000 Adamov described her as, “A fine woman if ever there was one. She was a person everyone loved. And I'm not saying this just because she passed away over a year ago. After the war, she worked at the U.S. Embassy, married a singer from the operetta theater and soon joined our staff. (Her family) in the States are pretty well off. She visited her home only a few years before she died. When she first came to us, she was always accompanied by a bodyguard. Many years later, she told me, ‘I don't know whether they were guarding me, or seeing to it that I did nothing wrong; in other words, keeping a 24-hour eye on me.’” That description was a glimpse into the adult life of Clairton-born Annabelle Bucar.

Her family in the Clairton had been a large one. One sister, Emily, moved to California. Another, Barbara, had moved to Florida. A third sister, Eleanor, stayed in the area, in Baldwin. Each of those sisters, like Annabelle, lived into their eighties. Other siblings are still alive, but I purposely have not named them.

Prior to her marriage Annabelle was an Assistant Information Officer of the magazine America while serving in the American Embassy in Moscow. During her stint in the Embassy she saw what she believed to be a culture of anti-Soviet paranoia among members of the Diplomatic corps, who by definition were supposed to have been unbiased. Her disdain for fellow Embassy employees who, in her eyes were at least “Ugly Americans” for not bothering to master the language of the people in whose country they served, or appreciate the culture. At worst, she alleges that many were spies instead of diplomats, and worse yet, that many enriched themselves illegally by purchasing items on the black market, shipping them back under diplomatic cover, then converting the items for many times their value. Several excerpts from her book follow:

Charles Bohlen, Embassy chief, “Did everything he could to undermine President Roosevelt’s policies toward the Soviet Union.”

Frederick Reinhardt: “He is one of the most obnoxious of this group of obnoxious people.”

John Davies: “He will do anything to further his career no matter how low he has to stoop… Davies, furthermore is greatly influenced by his wife who is no less clever than he and just as interested in his career… Davies has the mentality of a stooge.”

“Another officer, Wallace by name, was expelled from Moscow by Embassy Staff after getting into a drunken brawl and nearly fracturing his skull.”

“All the strategic positions in the Embassy… have been for many years in the hands of the State Department anti-Soviet clique, namely Kennan, Durbrow, Bohlen, Reinhardt, et.al.”

“(Durbrow) is an exhibitionist among his other talents. He once showed up at a cocktail party dressed as a circus strongman with close-fitting tights inscribed with lipstick… This “expert” in Russian Affairs who does not know enough Russian language to sufficiently explain to his cook what he wants for dinner, and knows almost nothing about the Soviet Union, finds a willing audience in Washington for “reporting.”

“A security guard at the Embassy regularly made rounds of the offices after hours. Twice he found Durbrow’s safe open and unguarded and reported it to the State Department. Shortly thereafter the guard went on vacation and was quickly and unexpectedly transferred to another post.”

“Freddy” Reinhardt is most at home at diplomatic receptions and cocktail parties which somebody else pays for. Reinhardt is a ladies’ man who works the art of charming the wives of men helpful to his diplomatic career. He received much of his schooling, even elementary, in Western Europe. He speaks French, German, Italian, and Russian fluently. He knows practically nothing about America and probably cares less. He is pro Hitler, pro-Germany, and anti Russian.”

Regarding former Major in the U.S. Intelligence Service, Louise Luke, Bucar tells of a supposedly pleasure trip Luke took on the Trans-Siberian Railway. “When she returned to Moscow Louise Luke wrote a detailed report of what she had seen and heard during her trip...Luke herself admitted to me that she had invented many of the facts because en route she had met a pleasant couple with whom she spent most of the time drinking and playing cards.”

Bucar also accuses former chief of the information bureau, Elizabeth Egan, of returning to the U.S. and writing a long story in Coronet magazine which highlighted her many love affairs with Russian men and the facts she was able to glean. All such facts, says Bucar, were sheer imagination.

Government waste: Annabelle might have been considered one of the first whistleblowers. Her assignment in the Embassy included the Russian language magazine Amerika. The purpose was to provide a glimpse of America to the Soviet people. The magazine was reported to be self sustaining in the Embassy budget. This was done, according to Bucar, by not including the cost of editors, writers, and other personnel whjo worked on the magazine. Further, she alleges, the 50,000 copies per printing rarely found their way into the hands of Russians, leaving the U.S. taxpayer to foot the bill.

Other allegations of corruption: In chapter 6 of her book Bucar takes to task those employees of the Embassy who are speculators and war profiteers. This is done by trading cigarettes and even American cash for valuable heirlooms that can be resold in America for huge profits. An investigation into speculation was done at the Embassy and headed by previously mentioned Counselor Durbrow. She alleges that he himself had traveled to Moscow through Warsaw where he bought Russian rubles at one-tenth their value, then brought them to Moscow under the protection of diplomatic immunity, and resold the rubels at obscene profits. The investigation named one dentist’s assistant and a couple of low level workers and sent them home. Every person of diplomatic rank was exonerated.

Summary: Annabelle Bucar, it appears, was a bright, principled person who saw first hand the seamy underbelly of politics by virtue of working at the U.S. Embassy in Moscow during an historic time. Her allegations of bumbling incompetency within the federal government would hardly bring a yawn today as such incompetence is offered daily by cable TV. Her allegations of corruption within the ranks and a few lower level employees taking the fall have been repeated in instances such as the Abu Ghraib prison torture allegations. That her book created such a stir in the late 1940s and early 1950s probably had more to do with three factors: first, she happened to make those allegations in the height of the Cold War and McCarthy communism hysteria, second she chose to forsake her country of birth and live in Russia, America’s antithesis at the time – an unforgivable sin in the eyes of many patriotic Americans, and third her book attacked only American foibles and corruption without comparing them to those within the Russian government. The fact remains, however, that she was one of Clairton’s most famous, if not infamous, citizens.

A little blogging music, Maestro: America (My Country ‘Tis of Thee) played by John Phillip Souza.

Dr. Forgot,

http://drforgot.com

Four Decades of History

More Snippets of Clairton History

Reflections of the past: Several posts ago we did a segment of snippets of happenings in Clairton’s history. It was not intended to be a complete history by any means but perhaps readers could pick out a memory or two from their youth or see what was happening in Clairton around their birth. We took you up to the 1960s and received several messages asking more. Beyond the 1960s things began to change dramatically, not only in Clairton but in the rest of the world. The 60s closed by putting a man on the moon but the 70s and onward had Viet Nam, hippies, Woodstock, the rise of foreign autos and the fall of the steel industry. Below are a few highlights:

September 1972: A Post Gazette article congratulated the Clairton Works on hammering out a consent decree on “charging” and “Pushing” operations at the coke works. “Charging” refers to loading materials into the coke ovens and “pushing” describes shoving out the finished product. Both phases are done with the doors open and noxious fumes escape. The Decree required an environmental plan to be in place within one year and the plan would clean up the air by 1977. Thirty-two years later they are still waiting.

April 8, 1973: Racial tensions at Clairton High School threaten to close the school down as white parents push for a boycott of the school. Several white and black students identified as “troublemakers” met and together appeared to work things out as the parents insisted on closing down the school. Hundreds of police planned to patrol the school when it opened the following day. By Wednesday the boycott appeared to be waning as 70% of students attended classes.

January 6, 1975: Pennsylvania Industrial Chemical Co. (PICCO) was fined $ 3,000 for violating federal water pollution standards. The plant was cited for failure to report to the U.S. Coast Guard two oil spills that occurred last February. PICCO had also been prosecuted for water standards violations in 1971.

September 9, 1975: Daniel Maurer, 20, of Clairton was charged in the severe beating of 17-year old Richard Heeter. The two carnival workers apparently had a dispute during an evening of drinking. Heeter had returned and was sleeping in his sleeping bag when Maurer apparently accosted him. The victim was hospitalized in critical condition.

April 2, 1979: The Deer Hunter movie put Clairton on the map. In anticipation of being deluged with visitors the downtown area was spruced up with a $500,000 commercial revitalization program initiated by the Allegheny County Planning Department. More than two dozen trees were planted on St. Clair Avenue and a like number on Miller Avenue. Since Clairton did not look decrepit enough for the image the movie makers wanted to portray, many scenes were shot in the Steubenville and Youngstown, Ohio areas.

November 3, 1982: Clairton is broke. Mayor Rose Bush and Councilman Daniel Pastore voted to lay off one Clairton policeman. The action was approved by solicitor Robert Baird. The City will be able to meet Friday’s $60,000 payroll but without a loan of $628,000, Clairton’s 83 employees will not be paid for the rest of the year. Last March the City furloughed 19 employees including 10 police and 4 firefighters.

November 20, 1984: A Lutheran Synod stepped in to take control of the strife-ridden Trinity Lutheran Church in Clairton. Rev. Douglas Roth, a pastor who encourages activism and confrontational tactics against corporate leaders to dramatize the plight of the unemployed, was given a 90-day jail sentence for defying an order to leave the church. The congregation of mostly retirees was sharply divided between support of Roth and opposing him.

September 10, 1985: Clairton laid off all police, firefighters and clerical workers because the City is broke. Mayor Daniel Pastore said the City is $750,000 in debt and bankrupt after teetering on the edge of bankruptcy for 3 years. Police Chief Ken Ujevich and police officer Armand Martin said they would voluntarily stay on if they could be paid retroactively out of next years budget but the offer was rejected. Instead State Police will patrol the community.

May 18, 1994: Clairton School District which is officially depressed, with a deficit of $2.3 million, has been recognized for their special education inclusion program. The state administrator who oversaw the inclusion program implementation remarked that “Clairton School District is rich in human resources.“ Administrator John Ogurchak, a Clairton High School product and former principal was particularly cited as having done an outstanding job.

November 18, 1999: More than half the students in the Clairton Education Center did not report to school after it was learned that school secretary Betty King had been hospitalized with bacterial meningitis. School Board member Andrew Ferraro urged parents to send their children to school, ant that according to County health officials there is no imminent danger to them. An official at the Health Department’s infectious disease unit said the disease is rarely communicable and no other cases have been reported.

January 16, 2002: City Manager Ralph Imbrogno noted that McDonald’s Corporation has announced plans for a McDonald’s restaurant to open in Clairton along Route 837. The proposed restaurant should include a convenience store and gas pumps.

March 6, 2002: Contrary to the declining numbers of ethnic clubs, St. George Lodge 248 of The Croatian Fraternal Union of America in Clairton has doubled its membership in the past 20 years. Part of the attraction are the many youth programs sponsored by the club.

March 27, 2009: Former football star player and favorite coach, the beloved DeMonje Rosser was fatally shot outside his home. No motive was cited and no suspects were identified.

August 6, 2009: Kevin Weatherspoon, Clairton’s outstanding wide receiver who helped the Bears to the WPIAL championship last year, made a verbal commitment to play football at the University of Pittsburgh after high school. The prize recruit was pursued by dozens of other schools but chose to stay near home.

There you have a few more snippets of Clairton happenings, activities, and people from the 1970s through 2009. Not all are pretty, but it gives one a sense of where Clairton has been and the hopes of its return to better days. Our hopes are with the residents of Clairton,

A little blogging music Maestro… “My Hometown” by the Boss, Bruce Springsteen.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com

Clairton's First Twenty-Five Years

Laughter is a smile with the volume turned up

Why I write about Clairton: The head of my crack research team recently reminded me that author John Updike was a Pennsylvanian. In fact, she sent me one of his quotes which describes the attachment to my hometown of Clairton although I have not lived there for nearly a half century. The quote reads, "...I have never really left Pennsylvania.... that is where the self I value is stored, however infrequently I check on its condition...."

Test your Clairton memory: I recently did a post about the number of car dealerships in Clairton during the 1940s and 50s. Since then I have taken the time to read the 1947 Fiftieth Anniversary Memories booklet. It was a beautifully done booklet with a silver cover created to commemorate the Silver (25th) anniversary of the founding of Clairton as a city. Although the periodical in my possession is tattered, I will share some of the ads for sponsorship placed in that booklet: Mauro Auto Sales featuring Desoto, 527 St. Clair Ave., Carroll Pontiac, 537 St. Clair Ave, B&B Oldsmobile, 205 State Street, North Clairton (Marraccini) Buick, Airport Kaiser-Frazer, 506 St. Clair Ave. Worthington (Nikolich) Hudson, 1115 Worthington Ave., Clairton Auto Dodge, 419 St. Clair Ave., Gumbel Chevrolet, 623 St. Clair Ave., Ed Collins Ford, 416 State Street, Ping Young Nash, 701 Miller Ave., St. Clair Packard, 108 St. Clair Ave., and Gregg Chrysler, 5th St. and Park. Ave. Of note, three of the dealerships; Gregg, Mauro, and Clairton Auto also sold Plymouths. Thus, in 1947, in a six block stretch of St. Clair Ave. there stood at least six car dealerships. Not in the booklet was a seventh dealership on St. Clair, Winters Motors sold Studebakers as well as Royak Gulf Station which also sold Willys Jeep vehicles.

St. Clair Avenue rocked in the 40s and 50s: In addition to the eight car dealerships on St. Clair Avenue, other businesses that advertised in the Silver Anniversary booklet, all on St. Clair Avenue, included: First National Bank, Smith Café, Clairton Grill, Pilgrim Press, Columbia Hotel, Friend and Rebhun Insurance and Real Estate, Penn Clair Hotel, State Pool Parlor, ABC Auto Parts, Pete’s Pocket Billiard and Restaurant, Royak Service Station, Graubard’s, Andrew Kvasnak Insurance and Mortgage, St. Clair Restaurant and Soda Grill, City Plumbing and Heating, St. Clair Billiards, Garden Electric Shop, Tomich Atlantic Service Station, Penn Cleaners, Harris Style Shop, The Clairton Progress, Mike’s Tavern, Vitelli’s Service Station, Bernardo’s Hotel, Grisnik’s Bakery, and The American Leigion. Twenty-six businesses in six blocks of one street, including three pool halls – and those are just the ones that advertised.

On State Street, that great street: State Street had the advantage of being several miles longer than the six blocks of St. Clair Avenue, but it boasted Jaskol’s Apparel, D&D Body Shop, J&J Restaurant, Martin’s Department Store, Peyton’s Tavern, Betty’s Quick Lunch, Spanovich Groceries, Joe’s Texaco, Walter Water’s Funeral Home, Korchak Furniture, Batinich Fancy Groceries, Lomicka’s Grocery, Patsty’s Grill, Recht Furniture, Milas Brother’s Beer Distributing, Central Grocery, Mark’s Café, Clairton Baking Company, McFarland’s Hotel, Garcia Restaurant, Nick’s Market, Haines Super Market, Clairton Works Benefit Club, Helmsteader’s Dry Goods, R. M. Sharp Jewelry, Roberts’ Brothers Service, Clairton News, Frederick Florist, Leonard Drug, Burd’s Service Station, Sam’s Pure Food Market, Martell Distributing, Marraccini’s Grocery, Wiesenthal Groceries, M&L 5 and 10 Cent Store, Simpson’s Barber Shop, Farrell’s Furniture, Four Roses Bar, and Pavlack Distributing. Thirty-eight places of business including 15 grocery stores and eating establishments and more than a dozen bars. It must be noted that State Street runs parallel with the steel mills.

Clairton’s choking lifeblood: The United States Steel Corporation also placed an ad in the Silver Anniversary booklet. In 1947 the mills were at full throttle as they switched from providing steel for the war effort, to sending it to Detroit for the auto industry. In the ad the steel mill boasts that it turned out more than 70 million tons in the six years of the War. The ad further discusses other products produced by the coke ovens which include, “Perfumes and fertilizers, medicines and poisons, laughing gas and embalming fluid are just a few of the infinite number of products we get from the modern method of transforming coal into coke.... Gas for fuel, tar and the long list of coal tar products – improved gasoline for your car and greater mileage for your tires, creosote to preserve railroad ties, nylon hose, billiard balls, spectacle (eyeglasses) rims, all contain byproducts of the coke oven...” The ad neglects to mention the soot and particulates that fill the air and turn the shingles on new homes black in a matter of weeks. Nor does it mention the odor of the quencher that permeates the air during the process, brings tears to the eyes and coats car windshields making them difficult to see through. Ah, but that was the lifeblood of the community. It paid taxes that built schools and maintained municipal services and beautiful parks.

A few notes: The Finney and Bekavac Funeral Home phone number was Clairton 57. That’s it. No area code and no seven digit number. In fact there was no need for a dial on the phone. You just picked up the receiver, listened to see if anybody else was talking on your party line and told the operator, whom you usually knew by her first name, the person or phone number you wished to call. No ringers to the tunes of rappers, no cell phones, no “Can you hear me now?” ads. Just pick up the phone and ask my Aunt Mary the operator, “Mary, can you get me Clairton 57?” Or simply, “Can you ring for Tony Bekavac?” We will offer more of the gems from the Silver Anniversary Memories in future posts.

A little blogging music Maestro... “The Air that I Breathe” by The Hollies.

Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
www.mifflintownship.org

United We Stand

Can Good History Repeat Itself?

Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it: Spanish born American philosopher George Santayana who was born in the 19th century and lived halfway through the twentieth said it. Perhaps if immigration laws had been in effect in the nineteenth century we would not have had the benefit of his speculative philosophy and literary criticism. But that’s another story. The quote is oft repeated but it came to mind for me as the result of an email from friend, college professor and football coach in California. He asked what my solution would be to solve the energy crisis. I posed the question to a higher authority, Mrs. Dr. Forgot, and her answer was simple and eloquent. Spouses often have that uppity way of citing history to make a point (“You didn’t empty the trash and now we have ants everywhere.”) What follows is the upshot of that conversation.

A Reflection of America in the 1930s: After the excesses of the “Roaring Twenties” in America, the stock market crashed, having been bolstered by speculators. Food became scarce due to the dust bowl, banks repossessed homes and farms as the real estate market crashed when people were unable to pay their mortgages (starting to sound familiar yet?) and the United States joined the rest of the world and became one more country plunged into a worldwide depression. Many lost hope. Some took their own lives. As the decade came to a close war erupted in Europe. Hitler invaded Spain and began his campaign of terrorism in Europe. America vowed it would not be dragged into another World War as it had been a few decades earlier in the “War to End All Wars” later to become known as World War I.

Pearl Harbor Bombed, December 7, 1941: The lazy atmosphere of Hawaii was shocked and awed early one Sunday morning when Japanese bombers attacked the U.S. Naval base at Pearl Harbor. President Roosevelt’s speech described it as “A day that will live in infamy.” Still the U.S. was ill-prepared to go to war. Weapons were outdated, most of the Navy’s ships had been damaged or destroyed, the Army Air Corps (pre-runner to the Air Force) had few pilots and fewer planes, and Army troops still used WW-I era weaponry. The country was in crisis and the American people, many of whom were immigrants or first or second generation Americans, set aside their own needs for the good of the country. Factories began to produce military vehicles instead of passenger cars, steel mills produced steel for everything from tanks to guns to ammunition. Americans came together. Children saved tinfoil and string and their parents accepted rationing of gas and food because it was in the best interest of the country. A few years of American sacrifice resulted in America becoming a major world power.

Opportunities Gained, Opportunities Lost: The growing up of America as the result of her sacrifices for the good of the country proved the ingenuity and power American’s possess. Seventeen years after the end of World War II the Soviet Union sent an unmanned satellite named Sputnik into orbit. Four years after that event America faced another crisis when Soviet cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin became the first human in space. Again, America showed its mettle. At the urging of a young charismatic President John Kennedy, in less than a decade U.S. astronaut John Glenn walked on the surface of the moon.

America again faces crisis: On September 11, 2001 a group of terrorists bombed the World Trade Center in New York. Another young charismatic president had the trust of the people to deal with the crisis but as it turned out his administration mismanaged the issue badly. Seven years after the bombing its perpetrator roams free, a country that posed no threat to the U.S. was invaded and remains occupied by our troops, more than 4,000 brave young American men and women have perished as well as hundreds of thousands of the invaded country's locals. The occupation has lasted longer than nearly any other war in our country’s history, and an oil crisis threatens to bring us to our knees economically as we teeter on the brink of bankruptcy. Instead of coming together after the 9/11 tragedy (as we did initially) the country has become more divided than any time in our history since the Viet Nam war. The United States faces another dire emergency. Now we must learn from history.

Take a page from America The Capable: America needs to examine her successes. Instead of demeaning presidential candidates with slime and filth, we must unite as we did to prepare for WW-II, put a man on the moon, and many other examples of things our country has done that no other was able to accomplish. We must suspend our sniping over differences of political parties, racism, sexism, gay marriages, global warming, where to drill for more oil, and all the other phantom political issues, and instead act as one. We must put all available resources into developing renewable energy sources. If we could put a man on the moon in less than a decade, Americans are capable of developing vehicles that operate on sun power or hydrogen and that do not pollute, or some other form of affordable renewable energy. If we were able to develop a hydrogen bomb in fewer than 18 months Americans can develop cheap and efficient methods of providing power to our homes and businesses. When and where can this dream of unity happen? The time is now and the place is America. It is this writer’s hope that the energy crisis is a severe enough crisis to motivate Americans to put aside individual and political differences and work toward a common goal. We’ve done it before and I believe we can do it again.

A little blogging music Maestro... “America the Beautiful.”

Dr. Forgot
See me also at http://vegasbuzznews.com/