Yesterday's blog (see below) told of Hines Ward's visit to Clairton High School. Together he and the students at CHS wrote a song about the city. The words follow. It can be accessed on Youtube. See the link in the previous post below.
Lyrics to the song "City of Prayer" written and performed about the City of Clairton by Clairton student Carlton Dennis with Heidi Rojas from the USA Network show "Characters Unite":
Welcome to my city Miller Ave is the spot
Come to Neil C. Brown where the Bears are always hot
As we form together, its one big team
See nothing can stop us, from reaching our dreams
A lot of people say that our city is bad
They say our city is dying and our community is sad
But we can change all that, use our thoughts for the better
To find some way to put our city back together
Come together as a helping hand, stand side-by-side all women and man
And people look at our city as a stereotype
But 'til you come here man you dont know what its like, sing it:
I know your pain, I've been there before
But you don't have to live that story
We can survive, take my hand in yours
United we are one in the City of Prayer
City of Prayer, City of Prayer
United we are one in the City of Prayer
Perfection and love is when we all come together
When the races are the same and the color doesn't matter
When people treat their neighbors with dignity and kindness
It brings light to our society's blindness
And give a hand to the needy, give hope to the poor
Spread love proudly and open up your door
There's so many ways we can all act more mature
If we all come together we will win I am sure
All these characters welcome the wrong characters
Showing the wrong character, claiming the wrong character
But see we just can't stand here and fight
We have to come together, all characters unite:
I know your pain, I've been there before
But you don't have to live that story
We can survive, take my hand in yours
United we are one in the City of Prayer
City of Prayer, City of Prayer
United we are one in the City of Prayer
City of Prayer, City of Prayer
United we are one in the City of Prayer
We gotta come together, all...all
We gotta come together, all characters unite
all...all...we gotta come together, all characters unite:
I know your pain, I've been there before
But you don't have to live that story
We can survive, take my hand in yours
United we are one in the City of Prayer
City of Prayer, City of Prayer
United we are one in the City of Prayer
We gotta come together
City of Prayer, City of Prayer
We gotta come together
United we are one in the City of Prayer
Sunday, February 12, 2012
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Clairton's Week in Review
More Catching Up Clairton
RINGS AND THINGS: So much has happened in Bear Country since we last met. But first let me remind you that the fundraiser for Championship Rings is still going on. We are asking all of the CHS Alumni, fans, friends, and family to help raise the money for the Championship Rings for the Clairton Bears as we did last year. Please send your donations to: Sue Wessel, 512 N. 6th Street, Clairton, Pa 15025. Please make your checks payable to the Clairton Athletic Champions Club.”
RUN TYLER, RUN: Tyler Boyd, a running back/receiver/defensive back for the Clairton Bears has received scholarship offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Arizona, Arizona State and others. Once we learn where other Bears will attend college we’ll share that information.
HINES FROM HEINZ (field): With permission from Pop City, I share the following with you: “Just before Hines Ward joined students at Clairton High School to mentor one of them as part of an NFL program (aired on USA Network), the students spoke their minds to Hear Me.
Hear Me, a project of Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab (Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment), has collected thousands of stories from area students about their neighborhoods and their futures. The Clairton kids spoke out about their "desire to raise their community up, become role models and to be seen and heard as positive people," according to Hear Me Project Director Ryan Hoffman.
They were participating in Hear Me 101, a year-long video advocacy program during which students focus on changes they want to create in their communities or schools, creating video projects on community service and profiles of local change-makers. The students finished a production workshop hosted by Pittsburgh Filmmakers on Feb. 4 and will begin shooting this week to complete their projects by April 23, according to Jessica Pachuta, project manager. Steel Valley, McKeesport and Woodland Hills are also in the program.
Listen to some of the Clairton students and their stories now. As 10th-grader Marcaysia says, “We want to show that we have more to offer than just football”:
Carlton, in 11th grade, who was mentored by Hines Ward, wants to see more programs for kids and discusses the need for older kids to be positive role models;
Markea, in 12th grade, talks about the lack of activities in Clairton and the power of media to inspire positive change in the community;
Chelsea, in 12th grade, discusses the value of kids speaking out about what matters to them;
Nicole, in 12th grade, addresses violence and her desire for a safer community; and
Marcaysia, in 10th grade, wants students to improve themselves and help each other, hoping to see more activities in the area and more help from adults.
Writer: Marty Levine
Source: Ryan Hoffman, Hear Me
Audio recorded and edited by The Consortium for Public Education”
MORE HINES FROM HEINZ: Rob Owen of the PG wrote: USA Network's public service campaign created to address social injustice and cultural divides, visited Clairton High School in November with Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward for its latest special, "NFL Characters Unite," which will aired on USA.
Steeler great Hines Ward met Carlton Dennis, a Clairton junior originally from Trinidad who faces discrimination similar to what Hines Ward experienced growing up. Ward and Carlton work with other students from the Hear Me Project, a nonprofit organization from Carnegie Mellon University's Create Lab, to write an anti-discrimination rap for a school pep rally.
"This film is a powerful and eye-opening journey into the most guarded corners of four football heroes' lives as they are brought back to their most difficult childhood memories by four incredible boys and girls who are currently living through those same challenges," said Charlie Ebersol, the film's executive producer, in a press release.
CARLTON ON THE TODAY SHOW: In addition to appearing on the USA Network special, CHS student Carlton Dennis and Steeler great Hines Ward appeared on the Today Show Friday. Here's video clip of that show:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46340834#46340834
THE VIDEO THEY’RE ALL TALKING ABOUT: The link below is to "The theme from USA Network's "NFL Characters Unite" by The Ontic, featuring Clairton students Carlton Dennis and Heidi Rojas." It was used as the theme song for the program broadcast on USA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pa9Bb1gOoQ
FROM THE OUTHOUSE TO THE PENTHOUSE: Every state is struggling to balance the budget. PA Governor Corbett decided to slash several items from the state budget including summer school funding for CHS students who needed additional help outside the regular school year. But representatives for the Heinz Endowments toured Clairton schools recently and reviewed the progress students had made during the years the program was in place. They decided it was significant enough to provide a $50,000 Equity in Education grant. The tutoring program had been in place for the past decade and helped Clairton schools make AYP for the past four years. The Heinz funding will be used to restart the after-school program as soon as tutors can be hired and to operate a summer program in June. From 2002-2003 until the current school year, the district -- like a number of poor districts across the state-- operated the program with state grant funding. During that time there was a marked improvement in students academic achievement in Clairton. Heinz Endowments will also provide $15,000 grant to the Clairton schools for teacher empowerment. The grant was submitted by Assistant Superintendent Elisabeth Erlich.
Ms. Ehrlich said the district got the idea for the program by working with student leaders and that all students in grades 7-12 have been placed into groups that are assigned an adult staff member as their mentor.
Two Wednesdays a month, each academic period is shortened by three minutes in order to create an extra period during which the mentors and students interact.
During those periods students will be encouraged to discuss their plans for the future and as part of the program, professionals and alumni will be brought in to talk about careers and their paths to success in adulthood.
A little blogging music Maestro… See the song above written and performed by CHS students.
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
RINGS AND THINGS: So much has happened in Bear Country since we last met. But first let me remind you that the fundraiser for Championship Rings is still going on. We are asking all of the CHS Alumni, fans, friends, and family to help raise the money for the Championship Rings for the Clairton Bears as we did last year. Please send your donations to: Sue Wessel, 512 N. 6th Street, Clairton, Pa 15025. Please make your checks payable to the Clairton Athletic Champions Club.”
RUN TYLER, RUN: Tyler Boyd, a running back/receiver/defensive back for the Clairton Bears has received scholarship offers from Pitt, West Virginia, Maryland, Virginia Tech, Boston College, Arizona, Arizona State and others. Once we learn where other Bears will attend college we’ll share that information.
HINES FROM HEINZ (field): With permission from Pop City, I share the following with you: “Just before Hines Ward joined students at Clairton High School to mentor one of them as part of an NFL program (aired on USA Network), the students spoke their minds to Hear Me.
Hear Me, a project of Carnegie Mellon University's CREATE Lab (Community Robotics, Education and Technology Empowerment), has collected thousands of stories from area students about their neighborhoods and their futures. The Clairton kids spoke out about their "desire to raise their community up, become role models and to be seen and heard as positive people," according to Hear Me Project Director Ryan Hoffman.
They were participating in Hear Me 101, a year-long video advocacy program during which students focus on changes they want to create in their communities or schools, creating video projects on community service and profiles of local change-makers. The students finished a production workshop hosted by Pittsburgh Filmmakers on Feb. 4 and will begin shooting this week to complete their projects by April 23, according to Jessica Pachuta, project manager. Steel Valley, McKeesport and Woodland Hills are also in the program.
Listen to some of the Clairton students and their stories now. As 10th-grader Marcaysia says, “We want to show that we have more to offer than just football”:
Carlton, in 11th grade, who was mentored by Hines Ward, wants to see more programs for kids and discusses the need for older kids to be positive role models;
Markea, in 12th grade, talks about the lack of activities in Clairton and the power of media to inspire positive change in the community;
Chelsea, in 12th grade, discusses the value of kids speaking out about what matters to them;
Nicole, in 12th grade, addresses violence and her desire for a safer community; and
Marcaysia, in 10th grade, wants students to improve themselves and help each other, hoping to see more activities in the area and more help from adults.
Writer: Marty Levine
Source: Ryan Hoffman, Hear Me
Audio recorded and edited by The Consortium for Public Education”
MORE HINES FROM HEINZ: Rob Owen of the PG wrote: USA Network's public service campaign created to address social injustice and cultural divides, visited Clairton High School in November with Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward for its latest special, "NFL Characters Unite," which will aired on USA.
Steeler great Hines Ward met Carlton Dennis, a Clairton junior originally from Trinidad who faces discrimination similar to what Hines Ward experienced growing up. Ward and Carlton work with other students from the Hear Me Project, a nonprofit organization from Carnegie Mellon University's Create Lab, to write an anti-discrimination rap for a school pep rally.
"This film is a powerful and eye-opening journey into the most guarded corners of four football heroes' lives as they are brought back to their most difficult childhood memories by four incredible boys and girls who are currently living through those same challenges," said Charlie Ebersol, the film's executive producer, in a press release.
CARLTON ON THE TODAY SHOW: In addition to appearing on the USA Network special, CHS student Carlton Dennis and Steeler great Hines Ward appeared on the Today Show Friday. Here's video clip of that show:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/46340834#46340834
THE VIDEO THEY’RE ALL TALKING ABOUT: The link below is to "The theme from USA Network's "NFL Characters Unite" by The Ontic, featuring Clairton students Carlton Dennis and Heidi Rojas." It was used as the theme song for the program broadcast on USA.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pa9Bb1gOoQ
FROM THE OUTHOUSE TO THE PENTHOUSE: Every state is struggling to balance the budget. PA Governor Corbett decided to slash several items from the state budget including summer school funding for CHS students who needed additional help outside the regular school year. But representatives for the Heinz Endowments toured Clairton schools recently and reviewed the progress students had made during the years the program was in place. They decided it was significant enough to provide a $50,000 Equity in Education grant. The tutoring program had been in place for the past decade and helped Clairton schools make AYP for the past four years. The Heinz funding will be used to restart the after-school program as soon as tutors can be hired and to operate a summer program in June. From 2002-2003 until the current school year, the district -- like a number of poor districts across the state-- operated the program with state grant funding. During that time there was a marked improvement in students academic achievement in Clairton. Heinz Endowments will also provide $15,000 grant to the Clairton schools for teacher empowerment. The grant was submitted by Assistant Superintendent Elisabeth Erlich.
Ms. Ehrlich said the district got the idea for the program by working with student leaders and that all students in grades 7-12 have been placed into groups that are assigned an adult staff member as their mentor.
Two Wednesdays a month, each academic period is shortened by three minutes in order to create an extra period during which the mentors and students interact.
During those periods students will be encouraged to discuss their plans for the future and as part of the program, professionals and alumni will be brought in to talk about careers and their paths to success in adulthood.
A little blogging music Maestro… See the song above written and performed by CHS students.
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Bears, etc.
Hines from Heinz: As mentioned in a previous blog, Hines Ward is featured on a TV program with CHS student Carlton Dennis. The show will air on USA Network at 4:00 west coast time (I've already set my timer to record) so I am assuming it will play at 7:00 pm this Friday on the east coast.The quote from a Daily News article reads in part, “Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and Clairton City School District junior Carlton Dennis will be featured as part of an upcoming documentary.” Divittorio goes on to explain that USA Network will do aa series beginning Feb. 10 entitled “NFL Characters Unite,” a series designed to help students deal with racism, bullying, and other forms of abuse. Featured will be Steeler great Hines Ward and CHS junior Carlton Dennis. Ward, the MVP of Super Bowl XL, spent time at CHS having lunch with the students, attending an assembly, and spending time with Carlton." Just one more snapshot of our community in the headlines for something good.
"Keep those cards and letters and checks coming in:" Sue Wessel tells me that the donations to help the three-time winners of the Pennsylvania State Championship Clairton Bears have begun to flow in. The kids need your help for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. Let's face it, as good as the Bears have been, most of the team will not earn scholarships for their football prowess, and for those who do it is unlikely that they'll ever win a championship. The experience of having been part of such a phenomenal run is something the young men will remember for a lifetime. Please send your donations to help cover the cost of the rings to:Sue Wessel, 512 N. 6th Street, Clairton, Pa 15025. Make checks payable to the "Clairton Athletic Champions Club.”
Just like the walls of Jericho: If you remember your Sunday School lessons, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Many of the locks on the Monongahela River look to suffer a similar fate. According to a recent investigative report by Tribune writer C. Togneri, "When three barges broke loose 10 days ago on the Monongahela River, bouncing off bridges, forcing road closures and slowing the morning commute, the accident resulted in yet-another unscheduled waterway closure in the Army Corps of Engineers' Pittsburgh District.
While most closures are not nearly as spectacular, they are common, according to local and national waterway officials. They promise to get worse.
Western Pennsylvania's 23 locks are old and, in some cases, crumbling, officials said. The Dashields lock and dam on the Ohio River has unstable chamber walls that move when vessels pass. At Lock and Dam No. 2 on the Allegheny, large chunks of concrete have fallen off chamber walls, risking vessels and crew. At the 76-year-old Montgomery Lock and Dam on the Ohio, the gates are so old and weak that two gave out in 2005 after loose barges crashed into them, although they are designed to sustain such a hit.
Combine that with continued cuts to federal funding for maintenance and operations, and the region's waterways are not only unreliable for industry, but approaching a "scary" status, officials said.
"We already have double the national average of unscheduled outages, and with cuts to federal funding, we're going to quadruple the national average this year," said Jim McCarville, executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. "When you think about it, it's really quite scary."
In a nation full of aging waterway infrastructure, Pittsburgh's is the oldest. Designed to last 50 years, about half of locks in the United States are 50 years or older, according to statistics from the Army Corps. In Western Pennsylvania, 66 percent are 50 years or older. The Emsworth locks on the Ohio River are 91 years old, and of the eight locks and dams on the Allegheny, the youngest, in Rimer, is 74 years old.
"They are aging and fatigued," said Jim Fisher, chief of operations for the corps' Pittsburgh District. "The only good news is that we know there are major problems."
Rimer and another Allegheny lock, at Templeton, have been shut down because there is no money for upkeep. Commercial vessels must call 24 hours in advance to pass.
Federal funding for maintenance and operations in the district is expected to drop for a second straight year, from $101 million in fiscal year 2010 and $83.3 million in 2011 to $71.4 million in 2012, according to the corps. The 2012 number is a projection; officials expect to get the final number in days, said Dan Jones, an Army Corps spokesman.
"We're doing no more major preventative maintenance," Fisher said.
The corps oversees nine locks on the Monongahela River, eight on the Allegheny River and six on the Ohio River. Its repair fleet -- which responds to vessel and lock emergencies and maintains the locks and dams -- has slashed hours of operation from 24 hours to 16 hours a day, Fisher said.
In the Jan. 19 accident, two coal barges headed for U.S. Steel's Clairton Works got loose near the Liberty Bridge. One floated to the Ohio and sank; the other struck a moored barge filled with sand at Frank Bryan Inc., a South Side construction materials supply business. It ripped that barge loose, then pinned it against a Smithfield Street Bridge pier. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause.
U.S. Steel depends on the Monongahela Ohio River system for transporting raw materials and finished steel to and from its Clairton, Irvin, and Edgar Thomson plants in the Mon Valley, said company spokeswoman Erin DiPietro.
"Without an efficient water transportation system, these plants would be significantly less competitive in today's steel market," she said.
Coal shipped to Clairton is used to make coke, she said. The coke is shipped to U.S. Steel blast furnaces in Braddock; Gary, Ind.; Detroit; Fairfield, Ala.; and Granite City, Ill.
Last year, there were 475 unscheduled closures of locks on Western Pennsylvania rivers, mostly from equipment failures, but also the result of rarer issues, such as loose barges and flooding, officials said. Unscheduled closings blocked river traffic for almost 9,500 hours combined, federal statistics show.
"We no longer have a reliable system. It's as simple as that," Fisher said.
The Coast Guard closed the Monongahela for two days while crews salvaged the loose barges. Traffic on the Ohio and Allegheny was not affected."
Clairton boy passes away: Under the "What ever happened to" category, Larry Clipper left home for a brilliant career in higher education. His recent obituary reads as follows: "LAWRENCE JON CLIPPER December 13, 1930 - January 22, 2012 Naval Veteran and Scholar Lawrence Jon Clipper, U.S. Navy Ret. and Emeritus Professor of English Literature, Indiana University at South Bend, died Sunday, January 22, 2012 in Good Samaritan Hospital, West Palm Beach, after a long illness. He was born December 13, 1930 in Clairton, PA to Rose T. and Eli Clipper. After graduating from Clairton High School, Class of 1948, Lawrence went on to Brown University on an NROTC Scholarship and graduated in the Class of 1953. He then served as a line officer in the U.S. Navy principally on three ships, the USS Newport News, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Intrepid, during the Korean conflict. After his naval career, Lawrence went to The George Washington University, receiving his Master's Degree in 1958. He moved to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he earned his Ph.D. Lawrence taught at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA; Ball State University, Muncie, IN; and Indiana University at South Bend (IUSB), South Bend, IN. He taught at IUSB for 28 years, retiring to Florida in 1994. He performed scholarly work on the Victorians, in particular the writings of Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens. He published several scholarly works on G.K. Chesterton. Professor Clipper is survived by his wife, Patricia Clipper of West Palm Beach and their two daughters, Melanie C. Zatti of West Palm Beach and Stephanie Clipper of Washington, D.C."
Keep the home fires burning: Roger and Kathy Tachoir are Clairtonians to the core. In addition to having their business in Clairton they both take active roles in the community. Roger sits on the School Board and Kathy is president of the Clairton Chamber of Commerce and serves on the City Council. Kathy's family were the proprietors of Grisnik's Bakery across from the post office. Kathy recently sent us an email announcing two upcoming activities.
Saturday, May 26, 2012, 3rd Annual Clairton Chamber of Commerce 5kRace/ 2 mile Race.
Saturday, September 15th, 2012 from 12-5pm 7th Annual Clairton CommUNITY Day. If you live in the area, please plan to participate in both events. They could also use volunteers to help with the events so if you are able please email me and I'll pass your contact information on.
Can it be true? Finally, we heard from a questionable source about a local doctor. His business had been pretty slow. In fact one day he had only three patients. The first came in with a headache so he prescribed aspirin. The second came in with a stomach ache so he prescribed Maalox. The third was a local woman who came into his office and said, "Doc, I've been up in the mountains of West Virginia for six weeks and haven't seen a man. What can you do for me?" So he gave her eye drops.
A little blogging music Maestro… “My Little Town" by Simon and Garfunkel
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
notify me now if I can count on you to volunteer or have any new ideas for us.
"Keep those cards and letters and checks coming in:" Sue Wessel tells me that the donations to help the three-time winners of the Pennsylvania State Championship Clairton Bears have begun to flow in. The kids need your help for the once-in-a-lifetime experience. Let's face it, as good as the Bears have been, most of the team will not earn scholarships for their football prowess, and for those who do it is unlikely that they'll ever win a championship. The experience of having been part of such a phenomenal run is something the young men will remember for a lifetime. Please send your donations to help cover the cost of the rings to:Sue Wessel, 512 N. 6th Street, Clairton, Pa 15025. Make checks payable to the "Clairton Athletic Champions Club.”
Just like the walls of Jericho: If you remember your Sunday School lessons, the walls of Jericho came tumbling down. Many of the locks on the Monongahela River look to suffer a similar fate. According to a recent investigative report by Tribune writer C. Togneri, "When three barges broke loose 10 days ago on the Monongahela River, bouncing off bridges, forcing road closures and slowing the morning commute, the accident resulted in yet-another unscheduled waterway closure in the Army Corps of Engineers' Pittsburgh District.
While most closures are not nearly as spectacular, they are common, according to local and national waterway officials. They promise to get worse.
Western Pennsylvania's 23 locks are old and, in some cases, crumbling, officials said. The Dashields lock and dam on the Ohio River has unstable chamber walls that move when vessels pass. At Lock and Dam No. 2 on the Allegheny, large chunks of concrete have fallen off chamber walls, risking vessels and crew. At the 76-year-old Montgomery Lock and Dam on the Ohio, the gates are so old and weak that two gave out in 2005 after loose barges crashed into them, although they are designed to sustain such a hit.
Combine that with continued cuts to federal funding for maintenance and operations, and the region's waterways are not only unreliable for industry, but approaching a "scary" status, officials said.
"We already have double the national average of unscheduled outages, and with cuts to federal funding, we're going to quadruple the national average this year," said Jim McCarville, executive director of the Port of Pittsburgh Commission. "When you think about it, it's really quite scary."
In a nation full of aging waterway infrastructure, Pittsburgh's is the oldest. Designed to last 50 years, about half of locks in the United States are 50 years or older, according to statistics from the Army Corps. In Western Pennsylvania, 66 percent are 50 years or older. The Emsworth locks on the Ohio River are 91 years old, and of the eight locks and dams on the Allegheny, the youngest, in Rimer, is 74 years old.
"They are aging and fatigued," said Jim Fisher, chief of operations for the corps' Pittsburgh District. "The only good news is that we know there are major problems."
Rimer and another Allegheny lock, at Templeton, have been shut down because there is no money for upkeep. Commercial vessels must call 24 hours in advance to pass.
Federal funding for maintenance and operations in the district is expected to drop for a second straight year, from $101 million in fiscal year 2010 and $83.3 million in 2011 to $71.4 million in 2012, according to the corps. The 2012 number is a projection; officials expect to get the final number in days, said Dan Jones, an Army Corps spokesman.
"We're doing no more major preventative maintenance," Fisher said.
The corps oversees nine locks on the Monongahela River, eight on the Allegheny River and six on the Ohio River. Its repair fleet -- which responds to vessel and lock emergencies and maintains the locks and dams -- has slashed hours of operation from 24 hours to 16 hours a day, Fisher said.
In the Jan. 19 accident, two coal barges headed for U.S. Steel's Clairton Works got loose near the Liberty Bridge. One floated to the Ohio and sank; the other struck a moored barge filled with sand at Frank Bryan Inc., a South Side construction materials supply business. It ripped that barge loose, then pinned it against a Smithfield Street Bridge pier. The Coast Guard is investigating the cause.
U.S. Steel depends on the Monongahela Ohio River system for transporting raw materials and finished steel to and from its Clairton, Irvin, and Edgar Thomson plants in the Mon Valley, said company spokeswoman Erin DiPietro.
"Without an efficient water transportation system, these plants would be significantly less competitive in today's steel market," she said.
Coal shipped to Clairton is used to make coke, she said. The coke is shipped to U.S. Steel blast furnaces in Braddock; Gary, Ind.; Detroit; Fairfield, Ala.; and Granite City, Ill.
Last year, there were 475 unscheduled closures of locks on Western Pennsylvania rivers, mostly from equipment failures, but also the result of rarer issues, such as loose barges and flooding, officials said. Unscheduled closings blocked river traffic for almost 9,500 hours combined, federal statistics show.
"We no longer have a reliable system. It's as simple as that," Fisher said.
The Coast Guard closed the Monongahela for two days while crews salvaged the loose barges. Traffic on the Ohio and Allegheny was not affected."
Clairton boy passes away: Under the "What ever happened to" category, Larry Clipper left home for a brilliant career in higher education. His recent obituary reads as follows: "LAWRENCE JON CLIPPER December 13, 1930 - January 22, 2012 Naval Veteran and Scholar Lawrence Jon Clipper, U.S. Navy Ret. and Emeritus Professor of English Literature, Indiana University at South Bend, died Sunday, January 22, 2012 in Good Samaritan Hospital, West Palm Beach, after a long illness. He was born December 13, 1930 in Clairton, PA to Rose T. and Eli Clipper. After graduating from Clairton High School, Class of 1948, Lawrence went on to Brown University on an NROTC Scholarship and graduated in the Class of 1953. He then served as a line officer in the U.S. Navy principally on three ships, the USS Newport News, the USS Wisconsin, and the USS Intrepid, during the Korean conflict. After his naval career, Lawrence went to The George Washington University, receiving his Master's Degree in 1958. He moved to the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, where he earned his Ph.D. Lawrence taught at Dickinson College in Carlisle, PA; Ball State University, Muncie, IN; and Indiana University at South Bend (IUSB), South Bend, IN. He taught at IUSB for 28 years, retiring to Florida in 1994. He performed scholarly work on the Victorians, in particular the writings of Thomas Hardy and Charles Dickens. He published several scholarly works on G.K. Chesterton. Professor Clipper is survived by his wife, Patricia Clipper of West Palm Beach and their two daughters, Melanie C. Zatti of West Palm Beach and Stephanie Clipper of Washington, D.C."
Keep the home fires burning: Roger and Kathy Tachoir are Clairtonians to the core. In addition to having their business in Clairton they both take active roles in the community. Roger sits on the School Board and Kathy is president of the Clairton Chamber of Commerce and serves on the City Council. Kathy's family were the proprietors of Grisnik's Bakery across from the post office. Kathy recently sent us an email announcing two upcoming activities.
Saturday, May 26, 2012, 3rd Annual Clairton Chamber of Commerce 5kRace/ 2 mile Race.
Saturday, September 15th, 2012 from 12-5pm 7th Annual Clairton CommUNITY Day. If you live in the area, please plan to participate in both events. They could also use volunteers to help with the events so if you are able please email me and I'll pass your contact information on.
Can it be true? Finally, we heard from a questionable source about a local doctor. His business had been pretty slow. In fact one day he had only three patients. The first came in with a headache so he prescribed aspirin. The second came in with a stomach ache so he prescribed Maalox. The third was a local woman who came into his office and said, "Doc, I've been up in the mountains of West Virginia for six weeks and haven't seen a man. What can you do for me?" So he gave her eye drops.
A little blogging music Maestro… “My Little Town" by Simon and Garfunkel
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
notify me now if I can count on you to volunteer or have any new ideas for us.
Saturday, January 28, 2012
Catching Up Clairton
HAIL TO THE HEROES: In case you have been living in a cave, (or just because I like hearing the sound of it)Our Clairton High School Bears football team recently won an unprecedented three-peat. That is, they won their third state championship as well as having set enough records to require a new record book. Bravo.
Last year we placed a call to CHS alumni as well as other boosters and those who just admire the accomplishments of the little high school that could. The results were fantastic, as the goal was exceeded which allowed for the purchase of new game jerseys. Super Bear fan and CHS alum Bev Alcorn recent sent me an email reminder that read in part: “We are asking all of the CHS Alumni, fans, friends, and family to help raise the money for the Championship Rings for the Clairton Bears as we did last year. Please send your donations to: Sue Wessel, 512 N. 6th Street, Clairton, Pa 15025. Please make your checks payable to the Clairton Athletic Champions Club.”
The Clairton Athletic Champions Club is also selling Clairton Bears Sweatshirts for $25.00 s-xl, & $30.00 1x-3x. If you are interested, please drop me an email at drforgot@cox.net and I’ll forward it to Sue.
BEARS STILL SHINE: In case you missed it, Steeler media did a summary of the Championship Game. Click on the link to enjoy: http://www.steelers.com/video-and-audio/videos/Youth-Football-in-Steelers-Country-Clairton-Bears/86b2e4ac-6f86-4569-8e7e-ff95f3745dea
Eagle-eye CHS alum Ed Sowa caught an item of another example of CHS recognition by the Steelers. In a Daily News article by Michael DiVittorio, “Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and Clairton City School District junior Carlton Dennis will be featured as part of an upcoming documentary.” Divittorio goes on to explain that USA Network will do aa series beginning Feb. 10 entitled “NFL Characters Unite,” a series designed to help students deal with racism, bullying, and other forms of abuse. Featured will be Steeler great Hines Ward and CHS junior Carlton Dennis. Ward, the MVP of Super Bowl XL, spent time at CHS having lunch with the students, attending an assembly, and spending time with Carlton. The future of Clairton belongs to the next generation. They are working hard to capture it.
A video has been circulating on the internet regarding a tremendous accident in Pittsburgh. Carl Blackburn and Putzie Martin, both of whom sent me the item ask, “Why didn’t we learn about this in school?” Simple. They were absent that day. Enjoy this bit of history: http://bcove.me/2sig61jh
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY AT CHS: The best thing about CHS alumni is they do not forget where they came from and strive to make things better for current students. Dr. Pauline Long and a host of other graduates have been meeting regularly to mentor CHS undergrads. Yours truly was honored to take part in the December meeting in which several successful alumni shared their secrets of success. Dr. Long shared the following synopsis of the most recent meeting:
Reaching the Reachable Mentoring program
“We had another successful and I call it fun day with primarily 11 & 12th grade students at CHS in the Library. The THEME of "Dare to Dream" was exemplified by two entrepreneurs with businesses in Clairton. Peggy Price of Peggy Price Dance Studios and Karen George of KAG Signworks both gave talks about how they started their business. Peggy has been in business for 33 years and Karen for 21. Janella Hamlin director of Youth Places and an Educator concluded the program with a talk about "Living your Dream". She mentioned several deceased coaches and classmates that did not make it to realize their dreams, but encouraged those in the audience that we as alumni mentors were here to help them realize theirs. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Erhlich explained how the Reaching the Reachable Mentoring program fit in with the larger Educational program that CHS is having in a schematic that included MAPS. She announced that there would be several other programs in February where the Alumni where encouraged to participate and speak to the students about their careers.. Feb. 14, Feb. 17 and Feb. 29, 2012.
Toni Schley, Terrence Fort, Ebony Howard, Sean Thomas and Dr. Long were also present. A special thank you to Jaleah Webb for her dance demonstration...with Peggy Price... we're looking forward to another presentation of Feb. 17, 2012.”
CLAIRTON MUSIC: Many alumni remember the sweet strains of Benny Benack and his coronet. The CHS music teacher became an icon not only in our community but in Pittsburgh where he played for Steeler and Pirate games, including the year the Bucs won the World Series. Benny Benack, Jr. inherited his father’s passion for music and education and although he did as many gigs as he wanted, Jr. got a degree from Duquesne and is today a bank vice-president. But he passed the passion and discipline on to his son, Benny Benack III, is now age 21 and currently playing various concerts around Pittsburgh. He’s a pretty darn good trumpet player and singer from what I hear.
A little blogging music Maestro… “When the Saints Come Marching Home.” By the Bennys Benack
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
HAIL TO THE HEROES: In case you have been living in a cave, (or just because I like hearing the sound of it)Our Clairton High School Bears football team recently won an unprecedented three-peat. That is, they won their third state championship as well as having set enough records to require a new record book. Bravo.
Last year we placed a call to CHS alumni as well as other boosters and those who just admire the accomplishments of the little high school that could. The results were fantastic, as the goal was exceeded which allowed for the purchase of new game jerseys. Super Bear fan and CHS alum Bev Alcorn recent sent me an email reminder that read in part: “We are asking all of the CHS Alumni, fans, friends, and family to help raise the money for the Championship Rings for the Clairton Bears as we did last year. Please send your donations to: Sue Wessel, 512 N. 6th Street, Clairton, Pa 15025. Please make your checks payable to the Clairton Athletic Champions Club.”
The Clairton Athletic Champions Club is also selling Clairton Bears Sweatshirts for $25.00 s-xl, & $30.00 1x-3x. If you are interested, please drop me an email at drforgot@cox.net and I’ll forward it to Sue.
BEARS STILL SHINE: In case you missed it, Steeler media did a summary of the Championship Game. Click on the link to enjoy: http://www.steelers.com/video-and-audio/videos/Youth-Football-in-Steelers-Country-Clairton-Bears/86b2e4ac-6f86-4569-8e7e-ff95f3745dea
Eagle-eye CHS alum Ed Sowa caught an item of another example of CHS recognition by the Steelers. In a Daily News article by Michael DiVittorio, “Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward and Clairton City School District junior Carlton Dennis will be featured as part of an upcoming documentary.” Divittorio goes on to explain that USA Network will do aa series beginning Feb. 10 entitled “NFL Characters Unite,” a series designed to help students deal with racism, bullying, and other forms of abuse. Featured will be Steeler great Hines Ward and CHS junior Carlton Dennis. Ward, the MVP of Super Bowl XL, spent time at CHS having lunch with the students, attending an assembly, and spending time with Carlton. The future of Clairton belongs to the next generation. They are working hard to capture it.
A video has been circulating on the internet regarding a tremendous accident in Pittsburgh. Carl Blackburn and Putzie Martin, both of whom sent me the item ask, “Why didn’t we learn about this in school?” Simple. They were absent that day. Enjoy this bit of history: http://bcove.me/2sig61jh
WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY AT CHS: The best thing about CHS alumni is they do not forget where they came from and strive to make things better for current students. Dr. Pauline Long and a host of other graduates have been meeting regularly to mentor CHS undergrads. Yours truly was honored to take part in the December meeting in which several successful alumni shared their secrets of success. Dr. Long shared the following synopsis of the most recent meeting:
Reaching the Reachable Mentoring program
“We had another successful and I call it fun day with primarily 11 & 12th grade students at CHS in the Library. The THEME of "Dare to Dream" was exemplified by two entrepreneurs with businesses in Clairton. Peggy Price of Peggy Price Dance Studios and Karen George of KAG Signworks both gave talks about how they started their business. Peggy has been in business for 33 years and Karen for 21. Janella Hamlin director of Youth Places and an Educator concluded the program with a talk about "Living your Dream". She mentioned several deceased coaches and classmates that did not make it to realize their dreams, but encouraged those in the audience that we as alumni mentors were here to help them realize theirs. Assistant Superintendent Dr. Erhlich explained how the Reaching the Reachable Mentoring program fit in with the larger Educational program that CHS is having in a schematic that included MAPS. She announced that there would be several other programs in February where the Alumni where encouraged to participate and speak to the students about their careers.. Feb. 14, Feb. 17 and Feb. 29, 2012.
Toni Schley, Terrence Fort, Ebony Howard, Sean Thomas and Dr. Long were also present. A special thank you to Jaleah Webb for her dance demonstration...with Peggy Price... we're looking forward to another presentation of Feb. 17, 2012.”
CLAIRTON MUSIC: Many alumni remember the sweet strains of Benny Benack and his coronet. The CHS music teacher became an icon not only in our community but in Pittsburgh where he played for Steeler and Pirate games, including the year the Bucs won the World Series. Benny Benack, Jr. inherited his father’s passion for music and education and although he did as many gigs as he wanted, Jr. got a degree from Duquesne and is today a bank vice-president. But he passed the passion and discipline on to his son, Benny Benack III, is now age 21 and currently playing various concerts around Pittsburgh. He’s a pretty darn good trumpet player and singer from what I hear.
A little blogging music Maestro… “When the Saints Come Marching Home.” By the Bennys Benack
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
Thursday, January 19, 2012
Black phone, dial phone, pay phone, cell phone
Is this the party to whom I am speaking?: After I received a telephone call I began thinking today.... that alone can be dangerous, But I began to think about the telephone anad how much it has changed since I was a wee wee tot when my mother put me on a wee wee pot to see if I'd wee wee or not.
One ring or two: My earliest recollections of a phone in the house was a black model with no dial or buttons. If you wanted to make a call you'd pick up the phone and a pleasant female voice would say, "Number, please." And you would tell her the two or three digit number of the place you were calling and she'd ring it. You could tell if the call ws meant for you by the number of rings.
Sometimes you'd pick up the telephone and somebody would already be carrying on a conversation. The proper thing to do would be to hang up but if the conversation seemed juicy or interesting you'd listen silently so they did not know you were on the line. Such a thing was possible because a private phone line (nobody else was on your line) was more expensive than a party line that could have several people on the same line but of course only one at a time could use it. If there was an emergency or if you had to make an urgent phone call you'd politely ask those using the party line to hang up so you could use it. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't.
Remember, during this era, post WW-!! most homeowners had lived through the Great Depression and were very frugal. The phone was an expense that was new to their budget so people often took the least expensive option - the party line.
Progress: Soon the antiquated black phones were replaced by phones with dials on the front. More people opted for private lines and you could pick up a phone, listen for the tone and dial the three digit number of the party whom you were calling. You could play tricks with the phone too. For example, instead of dialing the number two, you could hit the hang up button twice quickly. Ditto the number one, three, etc. But soon that trick became impractical as more private lines cam on board and an exchange was added. In my town of Clairton the exchange was CL3. Later the phone company found that multiple cities on the same exchange caused confusion so the city names were replaced with other exchange names. Clairton's CL3 became Belmont or BE3, and eventually simply 233 and the letters on the dial phone were ignored.
The pay phone: Many businesses provided pay phones for their customers. A nickel was inserted into the phone to get a dial tone. Later the rate went up to a dime then 20 cents and finally a quarter. When the pay phones cost a quarter for a call a famous gaffe occurred by a president when he asked one of his staff for a nickel to use the phone in a business he was touring. The media made a big thing about how out of touch he was.
The standard became three minute intervals and if you exceeded the time limit the operator would come on and say, "Your three minutes are up, please signal when through." That meant after the call was completed the operator would calculate how much additional money was required. It worked on the honor system, which usually became, "You've got the honor.... we've got the system." After the call was completed the caller would simply skip out leaving the phone ringing in a futile effort to reach the caller to let them know the additional charges. The phone company, aka Ma Bell, soon figured out that rather than trusting that they'd get paid when the call was completed, they could interrupt the call each three minutes and require additional payment in advance.
If you did not have a coin to put into the pay phone you could dial "O" for free and an operator would come on the line. You would tell her the number you wanted to call and the call would be "collect" or "reverse the charges" which meant the recipient of the call would pay for it on their next bill. You could also call for whoever answered (station to station) or ask for a specific individual (person to person), the latter was a more expensive call but if the person was unavailable there was no charge. Many a serviceman and college kid figured out that by going to a pay phone and calling home person to person and asking for himself, he could let his parents know he'd arrived safely and the call would be free.
No respect: Pay phones became the target of all sorts of shenanigans in an effort to make free calls or relieve the phone of some of its booty that previous callers had left. Sometimes a pay phone would malfunction and at the end of the call coins would drop into the coin return. Other times a person could trick the phone into thinking money had been deposited. This would work by opening a paper clip and inserting one end into the speaker holes until it touched the metal disc inside. The other end of the paper clip would touch a metal part of the phone and voila! A free local call. Others would tape record coins falling into the phone then when making a call, play the tape into the phone and the phone would "think" it had been paid. Then there was the "blue box," a contraption made famous by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It simulated sounds that allowed a person to make long instance calls for free. But the coup de gras for any young person was to stop as he passed each pay phone and check the coin return for one that might have been forgotten by a previous user. Kids today will never be able to enjoy that thrill.
Phone booths were a part of Americana whether for trying to cheat them, using them for their intended purposes, finding a coin in the return, or having a place for Superman to change clothes. But there are rarely found today.
Button, button whose got the button? In 1965 I moved to Pocatello, Idaho. All phones were dial phones then. When I went to arrange for a phone to be put in my house I was asked if I wanted to take part in a pilot study. A handful of small communities around America had been chosen by Ma Bell to try out a revolutionary new phone - one with no dial but buttons instead. I agreed and whenever I called friends or family across the country and told them my phone was a push button, they thought I was kidding.
Today Ma Bell is long gone, phone booths are extinct and pay phones are rare. Many homes have given up their land lines. We have come so far with telephone technology. But have we really? From the party line to the dial phone to the pay phone to the push button I can never once remember having a dropped call!
A little blogging music Maestro, "If the Phone Doesn't Ring, That'd be Me."
Dr. Forgot
drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
One ring or two: My earliest recollections of a phone in the house was a black model with no dial or buttons. If you wanted to make a call you'd pick up the phone and a pleasant female voice would say, "Number, please." And you would tell her the two or three digit number of the place you were calling and she'd ring it. You could tell if the call ws meant for you by the number of rings.
Sometimes you'd pick up the telephone and somebody would already be carrying on a conversation. The proper thing to do would be to hang up but if the conversation seemed juicy or interesting you'd listen silently so they did not know you were on the line. Such a thing was possible because a private phone line (nobody else was on your line) was more expensive than a party line that could have several people on the same line but of course only one at a time could use it. If there was an emergency or if you had to make an urgent phone call you'd politely ask those using the party line to hang up so you could use it. Sometimes they did, sometimes they didn't.
Remember, during this era, post WW-!! most homeowners had lived through the Great Depression and were very frugal. The phone was an expense that was new to their budget so people often took the least expensive option - the party line.
Progress: Soon the antiquated black phones were replaced by phones with dials on the front. More people opted for private lines and you could pick up a phone, listen for the tone and dial the three digit number of the party whom you were calling. You could play tricks with the phone too. For example, instead of dialing the number two, you could hit the hang up button twice quickly. Ditto the number one, three, etc. But soon that trick became impractical as more private lines cam on board and an exchange was added. In my town of Clairton the exchange was CL3. Later the phone company found that multiple cities on the same exchange caused confusion so the city names were replaced with other exchange names. Clairton's CL3 became Belmont or BE3, and eventually simply 233 and the letters on the dial phone were ignored.
The pay phone: Many businesses provided pay phones for their customers. A nickel was inserted into the phone to get a dial tone. Later the rate went up to a dime then 20 cents and finally a quarter. When the pay phones cost a quarter for a call a famous gaffe occurred by a president when he asked one of his staff for a nickel to use the phone in a business he was touring. The media made a big thing about how out of touch he was.
The standard became three minute intervals and if you exceeded the time limit the operator would come on and say, "Your three minutes are up, please signal when through." That meant after the call was completed the operator would calculate how much additional money was required. It worked on the honor system, which usually became, "You've got the honor.... we've got the system." After the call was completed the caller would simply skip out leaving the phone ringing in a futile effort to reach the caller to let them know the additional charges. The phone company, aka Ma Bell, soon figured out that rather than trusting that they'd get paid when the call was completed, they could interrupt the call each three minutes and require additional payment in advance.
If you did not have a coin to put into the pay phone you could dial "O" for free and an operator would come on the line. You would tell her the number you wanted to call and the call would be "collect" or "reverse the charges" which meant the recipient of the call would pay for it on their next bill. You could also call for whoever answered (station to station) or ask for a specific individual (person to person), the latter was a more expensive call but if the person was unavailable there was no charge. Many a serviceman and college kid figured out that by going to a pay phone and calling home person to person and asking for himself, he could let his parents know he'd arrived safely and the call would be free.
No respect: Pay phones became the target of all sorts of shenanigans in an effort to make free calls or relieve the phone of some of its booty that previous callers had left. Sometimes a pay phone would malfunction and at the end of the call coins would drop into the coin return. Other times a person could trick the phone into thinking money had been deposited. This would work by opening a paper clip and inserting one end into the speaker holes until it touched the metal disc inside. The other end of the paper clip would touch a metal part of the phone and voila! A free local call. Others would tape record coins falling into the phone then when making a call, play the tape into the phone and the phone would "think" it had been paid. Then there was the "blue box," a contraption made famous by Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak. It simulated sounds that allowed a person to make long instance calls for free. But the coup de gras for any young person was to stop as he passed each pay phone and check the coin return for one that might have been forgotten by a previous user. Kids today will never be able to enjoy that thrill.
Phone booths were a part of Americana whether for trying to cheat them, using them for their intended purposes, finding a coin in the return, or having a place for Superman to change clothes. But there are rarely found today.
Button, button whose got the button? In 1965 I moved to Pocatello, Idaho. All phones were dial phones then. When I went to arrange for a phone to be put in my house I was asked if I wanted to take part in a pilot study. A handful of small communities around America had been chosen by Ma Bell to try out a revolutionary new phone - one with no dial but buttons instead. I agreed and whenever I called friends or family across the country and told them my phone was a push button, they thought I was kidding.
Today Ma Bell is long gone, phone booths are extinct and pay phones are rare. Many homes have given up their land lines. We have come so far with telephone technology. But have we really? From the party line to the dial phone to the pay phone to the push button I can never once remember having a dropped call!
A little blogging music Maestro, "If the Phone Doesn't Ring, That'd be Me."
Dr. Forgot
drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Clairton Heroes
Our Own Dandy Don
Don Taylor was a medium height skinny kid who lived at the upper end of Farnsworth Avenue near Malmady Village, the temporary housing built for returning WW-II GIs. He had a great personality and a penchant for music so he took part in the famous Clairton High School Marching Band during the 1940s. He reflects on his days in the marching band and how what goes around comes around.
Says Taylor, "In 1946, the band was all set to parade up Miller Avenue but the person to carry the American flag was sick. Since I was undoubtedly the worst trombone player to ever play in the band, I volunteered to carry the flag. Sixty years later, CHS celebrated its 100th anniversary with a gigantic parade over a mile long walk from the school to the stadium. Among the participants were people from the past. Leading the parade and carrying the flag was the oldest participant -- yours truly and wearing the shako, plume and pants from 1946! Who would have thought when I was 16 that 60 years later I would have that same honor!"
Whatever Don did was done with flair – not the braggadocio kind, but the kind of flair that set him apart from the rest of the pack. And he was very loyal to his high school even after graduation. In fact, when he finished college, Don returned to Clairton to teach at his alma mater.
Don Taylor the band member became Mr. Taylor the teacher but he did not lose his flair. He became part of the history that he taught and soon was one of the most popular teachers at Clairton High School. It was a two-way street. Just as his students were inspired by and devoted to him, Mr. Taylor put every ounce of his knowledge and personality into his teaching. To this day, mention the name of a student and chances are he will be able to tell you that student’s strengths, what s/he did after graduation and where s/he sat in his classroom. Don Taylor continued to be an asset to CHS until his retirement and beyond. He’s been a tremendous supporter of academics and athletics at the school. But teaching at CHS was just his day job.
After the sun set Don would head out across Ravensburg Bridge and up 885 to the Community College of Allegheny County where he again became one of the favorite faculty members on the campus. Together (high school and college) he taught for nearly six decades, 44 of which were at Community College of Allegheny County. All together he reached some 10,000 students. He would reach them with his interesting lectures but also by getting into the characters about which he taught – literally. While serving as Chair of the department he assumed his teaching duties in uniform – he would sometimes dress as the characters of whom he taught and never failed to spice up his lectures with little-known factoids about figures and events. For example, when he lectured on the Old West and General George Armstrong Custer, “Two-gun Taylor” would don a Wyatt Earp vest, a Dodge City badge, cowboy hat and boots, and strap a replica Colt .45 Peacemaker to his hip.
Don felt ownership to CCAC as he and 16 others started the local campus using West Mifflin Middle School as their first venue. The following year the venue was changed to a condemned elementary school building in McKeesport and in 1973 moved to the current location in West Mifflin. Besides teaching and serving as an administrator, the professor wrote curriculum and prepared his own “Taylor Made” exams for his courses. Professor Mr. Taylor might have had 80 birthdays but his energy level and commitment to Clairton and education has never aged. Don Taylor, Clairton boy.
BEARS STILL SHINE: Bill Bennett played football at CHS and Rutgers and although he’s spend most of his adult life in California and Arizona, he remains close to CHS and the athletic program, particularly the academic side of the program. Bill arranged for a couple dozen CHS 1960 alumni to have a tailgate in the Hershey football field parking lot before the game. He was also a crucial component of getting the Bears to Dallas for their 7 on 7 victories. He recently sent me an email that included a 15-minute summary of the championship game done by Steeler media. Click on the link to enjoy: http://www.steelers.com/video-and-audio/videos/Youth-Football-in-Steelers-Country-Clairton-Bears/86b2e4ac-6f86-4569-8e7e-ff95f3745dea
GENEROSITY: Clairton High School has fundraisers each year. The monies generated go to help the school in every phase from academics, to extra curricular activities. Many blog readers and CHS Alumni have contributed in the past to assist their alma mater. This year Nanette Gordon (Lhromer) and Barry Lhromer presented the School District with a very generous donation to kick off 2012. Their gift will go toward sorely needed items. On behalf of the Clairton School District we thank the Lhromer family.
In case the name does not ring a bell, Archie Lohrmer ran the Busy Beaver business on State Street at the bottom of St. Clair Avenue that provided building materials. He was a business icon for many decades and a pillar of the community. It is great to see his family carry on the tradition. The Boosters and alumni have also helped in the past and continue with their generosity.
BROAD AGENDA: The Clairton Athletic Champions Club and the Athletic Booster Club met last week and discussed a variety of topics including championship rings for the football team. The team has really brought the community together and made all of us proud to see such positive focus on Clairton. To refresh your memory, the team has broken multiple records including having the longest winning streak (47) of any team in the country at any level – high school, college, or professional. A tip of the helmet to our guys and the guys, gals, and adults who support them. The Athletic Boosters and football parents do a tremendous job of supporting the Board and the players.
The Awards Banquet will take place this spring. A speaker is being contacted and I don’t want to spill the beans but my sources tell me it is somebody who is highly recognizable and it will be a coup to have this person address our Bears. Last year’s speaker, Bill Shay, an educator and the winningest coach in Western PA, delivered a moving speech that had many of the players on the edge of their seats.
GET YOUR CHS SWEATSHIRTS WHILE THEY LAST: Champion Sweatshirts are now available for $25 each (2X and 3X sizes are $30 each). A check or money order, made payable to the Clairton Athletic Champions Club or CACC, can be sent to Clairton Education Center, 501 Waddell Avenue, Clairton PA 15025, Attn: CACC. Any other questions about the sweatshirts can be addressed to Paulette Bradford; email at bradfordp@clairton.k12.pa.us. Visit the Clairton Bears Football Facebook page.
The trophies in the case will eventually tarnish, the sweatshirts will eventually fade but the memories that our players have created will live on for a lifetime.
A little blogging music Maestro… “Green Green Grass of Home,” by Tom Jones.
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
Don Taylor was a medium height skinny kid who lived at the upper end of Farnsworth Avenue near Malmady Village, the temporary housing built for returning WW-II GIs. He had a great personality and a penchant for music so he took part in the famous Clairton High School Marching Band during the 1940s. He reflects on his days in the marching band and how what goes around comes around.
Says Taylor, "In 1946, the band was all set to parade up Miller Avenue but the person to carry the American flag was sick. Since I was undoubtedly the worst trombone player to ever play in the band, I volunteered to carry the flag. Sixty years later, CHS celebrated its 100th anniversary with a gigantic parade over a mile long walk from the school to the stadium. Among the participants were people from the past. Leading the parade and carrying the flag was the oldest participant -- yours truly and wearing the shako, plume and pants from 1946! Who would have thought when I was 16 that 60 years later I would have that same honor!"
Whatever Don did was done with flair – not the braggadocio kind, but the kind of flair that set him apart from the rest of the pack. And he was very loyal to his high school even after graduation. In fact, when he finished college, Don returned to Clairton to teach at his alma mater.
Don Taylor the band member became Mr. Taylor the teacher but he did not lose his flair. He became part of the history that he taught and soon was one of the most popular teachers at Clairton High School. It was a two-way street. Just as his students were inspired by and devoted to him, Mr. Taylor put every ounce of his knowledge and personality into his teaching. To this day, mention the name of a student and chances are he will be able to tell you that student’s strengths, what s/he did after graduation and where s/he sat in his classroom. Don Taylor continued to be an asset to CHS until his retirement and beyond. He’s been a tremendous supporter of academics and athletics at the school. But teaching at CHS was just his day job.
After the sun set Don would head out across Ravensburg Bridge and up 885 to the Community College of Allegheny County where he again became one of the favorite faculty members on the campus. Together (high school and college) he taught for nearly six decades, 44 of which were at Community College of Allegheny County. All together he reached some 10,000 students. He would reach them with his interesting lectures but also by getting into the characters about which he taught – literally. While serving as Chair of the department he assumed his teaching duties in uniform – he would sometimes dress as the characters of whom he taught and never failed to spice up his lectures with little-known factoids about figures and events. For example, when he lectured on the Old West and General George Armstrong Custer, “Two-gun Taylor” would don a Wyatt Earp vest, a Dodge City badge, cowboy hat and boots, and strap a replica Colt .45 Peacemaker to his hip.
Don felt ownership to CCAC as he and 16 others started the local campus using West Mifflin Middle School as their first venue. The following year the venue was changed to a condemned elementary school building in McKeesport and in 1973 moved to the current location in West Mifflin. Besides teaching and serving as an administrator, the professor wrote curriculum and prepared his own “Taylor Made” exams for his courses. Professor Mr. Taylor might have had 80 birthdays but his energy level and commitment to Clairton and education has never aged. Don Taylor, Clairton boy.
BEARS STILL SHINE: Bill Bennett played football at CHS and Rutgers and although he’s spend most of his adult life in California and Arizona, he remains close to CHS and the athletic program, particularly the academic side of the program. Bill arranged for a couple dozen CHS 1960 alumni to have a tailgate in the Hershey football field parking lot before the game. He was also a crucial component of getting the Bears to Dallas for their 7 on 7 victories. He recently sent me an email that included a 15-minute summary of the championship game done by Steeler media. Click on the link to enjoy: http://www.steelers.com/video-and-audio/videos/Youth-Football-in-Steelers-Country-Clairton-Bears/86b2e4ac-6f86-4569-8e7e-ff95f3745dea
GENEROSITY: Clairton High School has fundraisers each year. The monies generated go to help the school in every phase from academics, to extra curricular activities. Many blog readers and CHS Alumni have contributed in the past to assist their alma mater. This year Nanette Gordon (Lhromer) and Barry Lhromer presented the School District with a very generous donation to kick off 2012. Their gift will go toward sorely needed items. On behalf of the Clairton School District we thank the Lhromer family.
In case the name does not ring a bell, Archie Lohrmer ran the Busy Beaver business on State Street at the bottom of St. Clair Avenue that provided building materials. He was a business icon for many decades and a pillar of the community. It is great to see his family carry on the tradition. The Boosters and alumni have also helped in the past and continue with their generosity.
BROAD AGENDA: The Clairton Athletic Champions Club and the Athletic Booster Club met last week and discussed a variety of topics including championship rings for the football team. The team has really brought the community together and made all of us proud to see such positive focus on Clairton. To refresh your memory, the team has broken multiple records including having the longest winning streak (47) of any team in the country at any level – high school, college, or professional. A tip of the helmet to our guys and the guys, gals, and adults who support them. The Athletic Boosters and football parents do a tremendous job of supporting the Board and the players.
The Awards Banquet will take place this spring. A speaker is being contacted and I don’t want to spill the beans but my sources tell me it is somebody who is highly recognizable and it will be a coup to have this person address our Bears. Last year’s speaker, Bill Shay, an educator and the winningest coach in Western PA, delivered a moving speech that had many of the players on the edge of their seats.
GET YOUR CHS SWEATSHIRTS WHILE THEY LAST: Champion Sweatshirts are now available for $25 each (2X and 3X sizes are $30 each). A check or money order, made payable to the Clairton Athletic Champions Club or CACC, can be sent to Clairton Education Center, 501 Waddell Avenue, Clairton PA 15025, Attn: CACC. Any other questions about the sweatshirts can be addressed to Paulette Bradford; email at bradfordp@clairton.k12.pa.us. Visit the Clairton Bears Football Facebook page.
The trophies in the case will eventually tarnish, the sweatshirts will eventually fade but the memories that our players have created will live on for a lifetime.
A little blogging music Maestro… “Green Green Grass of Home,” by Tom Jones.
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Nothing Endures But Change - Hercules
HES TO ASHES, DUST TO DUST…
MON-VALLEY STEEL MILLS HAVE ALL TURNED TO RUST
An agricultural project in Clairton is coming to fruition courtesy of an Allegheny County grant. Allegheny Grows is an initiative that creates community and workforce development opportunities through urban farming and gardening. Clairton was one of two municipalities to be selected to participate in Allegheny Grows starting next year. The Unity Group, part of Clairton Chamber of Commerce, will manage the grant. They and the City and the city will work to provide fresh vegetables to community members, particularly seniors, as well as teach youth to become entrepreneurs. Allegheny Grows will offer Clairton and Natrona Heights two years of technical support and supplies. The first year includes intensive start-up services, such as site planning and community organizing, in addition to providing building and growing materials and technical assistance. The second year will include continuing support services, such as garden sustainability and maintenance training.
This got me to thinking. It was a little over 100 years ago that Clairton became a city. Prior to that Clairton, Coal Valley, Large, and the area was mostly farmland. There was very little industry… a glass plant, a baling wire company, and a few other small businesses. But Clairton was a happening place before the steel mills sprung up along the Monongahela River. There was a beautiful park on the riverbank where the last holdout, Clairton Works, continues to spew poison into the air making Clairton and Glassport’s air the fourth most polluted in the country, behind only Los Angeles and St. Louis.
The community has changed and evolved over the years. The well-to-do Blair family once owned property that overlooked the river. That property was eventually used to build low rent housing called Blair Heights. It was so mismanaged and such a magnet for crime that the entire project was eventually razed.
My grandparents got a glimpse of the city shortly after it had become incorporated. The park was gone, the mills were belching smoke, quencher, and the like, and the snow turned grey shortly after hitting the ground. Regardless of the color of new roof shingles, they were all black after the first year.
Fifty or so years after Clairton became an incorporated city I had the good fortune to see it during its growth years. I lived on St. Clair Avenue, which ended at State Street near the river. The other end was paved to Seventh Street (Rite Aid, nee Gumble’s Chevrolet). Beyond Seventh St. Clair was an ash road for three blocks then ended at Tenth Street. My parents used to tell me of the trolley that ran the length of St. Clair Avenue. A ride cost a nickel and on weekends, one nickel could be used to ride for an entire afternoon.
The last house on the street belonged to Bobo Benedetto who had two girls, Carol, my classmate, and Sassy whose real name was Frances, and one boy, Louie, who was my best friend. At the end of the street there was no bridge, only the woods and Old Man Jacobs Farm. The City Buildings were across from the football field. It was an idyllic setting. Most fathers were WW-II veterans who worked in the mill and most grandparents spoke a language other than English.
I learned about death one cold winter morning when my best friend was suddenly taken. Louie had come home from school with a headache and before the night was over he was gone. Brain tumor, I was told. Nobody’s fault. I was numb. I had never lost a family member; not a sibling or a parent or even a grandparent. Yet here I was barely a teen and my life had been changed dramatically. I could not have imagined how the community would change over the next half century.
By the time I graduated from Clairton High School the world was starting (or continuing) to change. Hippies, Vietnam, Haight-Ashbury, Flower Power, LSD, Marijuana, Woodstock… What had begun as a feel good era morphed into a scourge of drugs. Our community was not spared, although it would be a couple of decades until the combination of hopelessness, joblessness, and the death of the American steel industry merged to change the once prosperous community that many of us remember fondly.
A little over a year ago some 200 members of law enforcement culminated an ongoing investigation with the arrest of some 42 major drug dealers. It was a federal bust so those arrested did not go to county jail for a slap on the wrists but ended up doing hard time in federal prisons. One Clairton drug dealer who was busted got his drugs from a man in Duquesne who was supplied by a man in Penn Hills whose suppliers were from Texas and Georgia. It was a long and twisted web. The city is trying to heal but it is not an easy process.
The short-term answer is to save the children. The Bears football team focused plenty of positive attention on the city. Much of that focus has turned to positive consequences. Terrence Fort and begun to assemble a cadre of mentors to help CHS students, both athletes and non-athletes establish a sense of pride and self confidence that will help them pursue post-secondary education and break the cycle of poverty. The young people are the hope of the future.
Perhaps the answer will be to stretch back more than 100 years, when Clairton was mostly farmland and the city was a drawing card for Pittsburgh elite to come to the area and enjoy dancing, picnics, and amusement. The Allegheny Grows grant could be the start of something big. Perhaps it is time to either fix the emissions from the Coke Works (s USS Steel has promised, then started, then stopped, then started, then stopped…) or raze it in favor of a budding hospitality industry. Regardless of the direction the community takes, the new leaders – including those who have instilled long-lost pride in the community by their performance on the athletic field – are positioned to initiate the positive change that happens about every 100 years or so in Clairton.
A little blogging music Maestro… “Feels Like Home to Me,” with lyrics by Deryl Dodd
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
MON-VALLEY STEEL MILLS HAVE ALL TURNED TO RUST
An agricultural project in Clairton is coming to fruition courtesy of an Allegheny County grant. Allegheny Grows is an initiative that creates community and workforce development opportunities through urban farming and gardening. Clairton was one of two municipalities to be selected to participate in Allegheny Grows starting next year. The Unity Group, part of Clairton Chamber of Commerce, will manage the grant. They and the City and the city will work to provide fresh vegetables to community members, particularly seniors, as well as teach youth to become entrepreneurs. Allegheny Grows will offer Clairton and Natrona Heights two years of technical support and supplies. The first year includes intensive start-up services, such as site planning and community organizing, in addition to providing building and growing materials and technical assistance. The second year will include continuing support services, such as garden sustainability and maintenance training.
This got me to thinking. It was a little over 100 years ago that Clairton became a city. Prior to that Clairton, Coal Valley, Large, and the area was mostly farmland. There was very little industry… a glass plant, a baling wire company, and a few other small businesses. But Clairton was a happening place before the steel mills sprung up along the Monongahela River. There was a beautiful park on the riverbank where the last holdout, Clairton Works, continues to spew poison into the air making Clairton and Glassport’s air the fourth most polluted in the country, behind only Los Angeles and St. Louis.
The community has changed and evolved over the years. The well-to-do Blair family once owned property that overlooked the river. That property was eventually used to build low rent housing called Blair Heights. It was so mismanaged and such a magnet for crime that the entire project was eventually razed.
My grandparents got a glimpse of the city shortly after it had become incorporated. The park was gone, the mills were belching smoke, quencher, and the like, and the snow turned grey shortly after hitting the ground. Regardless of the color of new roof shingles, they were all black after the first year.
Fifty or so years after Clairton became an incorporated city I had the good fortune to see it during its growth years. I lived on St. Clair Avenue, which ended at State Street near the river. The other end was paved to Seventh Street (Rite Aid, nee Gumble’s Chevrolet). Beyond Seventh St. Clair was an ash road for three blocks then ended at Tenth Street. My parents used to tell me of the trolley that ran the length of St. Clair Avenue. A ride cost a nickel and on weekends, one nickel could be used to ride for an entire afternoon.
The last house on the street belonged to Bobo Benedetto who had two girls, Carol, my classmate, and Sassy whose real name was Frances, and one boy, Louie, who was my best friend. At the end of the street there was no bridge, only the woods and Old Man Jacobs Farm. The City Buildings were across from the football field. It was an idyllic setting. Most fathers were WW-II veterans who worked in the mill and most grandparents spoke a language other than English.
I learned about death one cold winter morning when my best friend was suddenly taken. Louie had come home from school with a headache and before the night was over he was gone. Brain tumor, I was told. Nobody’s fault. I was numb. I had never lost a family member; not a sibling or a parent or even a grandparent. Yet here I was barely a teen and my life had been changed dramatically. I could not have imagined how the community would change over the next half century.
By the time I graduated from Clairton High School the world was starting (or continuing) to change. Hippies, Vietnam, Haight-Ashbury, Flower Power, LSD, Marijuana, Woodstock… What had begun as a feel good era morphed into a scourge of drugs. Our community was not spared, although it would be a couple of decades until the combination of hopelessness, joblessness, and the death of the American steel industry merged to change the once prosperous community that many of us remember fondly.
A little over a year ago some 200 members of law enforcement culminated an ongoing investigation with the arrest of some 42 major drug dealers. It was a federal bust so those arrested did not go to county jail for a slap on the wrists but ended up doing hard time in federal prisons. One Clairton drug dealer who was busted got his drugs from a man in Duquesne who was supplied by a man in Penn Hills whose suppliers were from Texas and Georgia. It was a long and twisted web. The city is trying to heal but it is not an easy process.
The short-term answer is to save the children. The Bears football team focused plenty of positive attention on the city. Much of that focus has turned to positive consequences. Terrence Fort and begun to assemble a cadre of mentors to help CHS students, both athletes and non-athletes establish a sense of pride and self confidence that will help them pursue post-secondary education and break the cycle of poverty. The young people are the hope of the future.
Perhaps the answer will be to stretch back more than 100 years, when Clairton was mostly farmland and the city was a drawing card for Pittsburgh elite to come to the area and enjoy dancing, picnics, and amusement. The Allegheny Grows grant could be the start of something big. Perhaps it is time to either fix the emissions from the Coke Works (s USS Steel has promised, then started, then stopped, then started, then stopped…) or raze it in favor of a budding hospitality industry. Regardless of the direction the community takes, the new leaders – including those who have instilled long-lost pride in the community by their performance on the athletic field – are positioned to initiate the positive change that happens about every 100 years or so in Clairton.
A little blogging music Maestro… “Feels Like Home to Me,” with lyrics by Deryl Dodd
Dr. Forgot
http://drforgot.com
email: drforgot@cox.net
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