Every now and then, I encounter stumbling blocks when it comes to subject matter for my blog. I suppose that I could refer to it as “writer’s block,” but then I would have to be an actual writer to be able to call it that. At any rate, whenever I am having difficulties such as this, I rely on finding interesting tidbits from the Duquesne Times.

Today,  I decided to dig into the Duquesne Times once again, and as if by Divine Providence, I decided to opened the Times from 60 years ago today, March 9, 1953. To my amazement, right on the front page was a photograph of my Uncle Mark and Cary Grant!! I remember being show copy of this photo when I was a young boy, but had long since misplaced it.

Uncle Mark was the youngest of 9 brother and sisters living at 307 Hamilton Avenue in Duquesne. As a young boy growing up in Duquesne, Uncle Mark was the family’s “wild child,” always up to mischief and constantly getting into “monkey business.” I believe it came as a relief to my grandfather when he enlisted since he believed it would “settle him down.” Little did he know, but Uncle Mark became a war hero and made the military a career, retiring after over 20 years of service. Unfortunately, he never returned to Duquesne to live after he enlisted, but it was always in his heart.

All of the following articles we published on March 12, 1953:

Uncle Mark as a young boy in Duquesne – taken at his home at 307 Hamilton Ave.

 How many names do you recognize from the SCHOOL NEWS, a weekly feature in The Duquesne Times…

I found another article that pays tribute to our men in service, and although one doesn’t typically think of the early 50’s as a time of war, the KOREAN WAR was actually taking place from June 1950 thru July 1953.

Thanks for understanding this poor hunky’s mental block. I hope that you enjoyed this little trip back in time 60 years ago ! – Jim