Homage to Duquesne High School Sports!

Posted on March 28, 2011 by Jim

In 2007, a dramatic decision was made regarding Duquesne High School. After much debate and consideration it was decided that Duquesne’s Schools would no longer include high school level grades. The following article appeared in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette –

Duquesne High School Will Be Shut Down

DUQUESNE, Pa. — For the first time in Pennsylvania history, the state secretary of education is recommending that a high school be shut down — and a state-run control board has agreed.

Despite emotional pleas from parents and residents on Tuesday night, the board of control that governs the Duquesne City School District voted to close Duquesne High School at the end of the current school year.

The board said students would be better off in other school districts because Duquesne High has no advanced placement classes, no extracurricular activities, no music or band, poor test scores and mounting financial problems.

Now, the state Legislature must pass a bill to determine which neighboring school districts Duquesne High School students will attend.

Neighbors who spoke at the Tuesday night meeting wanted Duquesne High to stay open, saying more students would drop out if they don’t have their own high school to attend.

The school board said it will have a plan by the end of June to determine where the high school students will attend classes in the fall.

A devoted fan of the Duquesne High School sports teams, Ms. Rosemary Denne, has followed and cheered for Duquesne High School for over 70 years! A few months ago, Ms. Denne sent in some information about herself:

Rosemary Denne

Maiden Name = Curran, my dad was a Dentist here

Years in Duquesne = I have lived here since 1936 and still do

Comments = I am so excited about this [blog].  I am the city Treasurer and Tax Collector for the City of Duquesne and use my computer here at city hall.  I am very busy now, since the Real Estate taxes have just gone out, but I want to keep getting these pictures and comments.  I don’t know whether anybody still remembers me, as I am 83 years old.

Ms. Denne has graciously allowed me to post the article that she wrote that was published in the local newspapers:

FAREWELL TO DUQUESNE HIGH SPORTS

Farewell faithful followers of the red and white! From John Donelli to Pat Monroe, from Bill Lemmer to Montel Staples, from Alex Medich and the hundreds in between, to Elijah Fields, the Dunn brothers and all of the Washingtons, I have been here cheering you on and I have loved every minute of it.

Because you did your best for Duquesne High, I have stood a little bit taller all of my life as I have stood right there beside you.

My dad played football and baseball in 1916 and 1917. Among our most treasured family heirlooms are team photos of my father and his teammates on the front steps of our alma mater. The 1917 team finished their season without a coach since Vance Allshouse (a Duquesne dentist) was called away to World War I in midseason.

From 1936 to the present, I have been there. When I was a child, we didn’t have an automobile, but my father, my brothers and I walked to every home game. We took the streetcar and walked up Cardiac Hill in Oakland for playoff basketball games. Powerful, positive memories of those bygone days and those of the ’90s and 2005 don’t fade with the passage of the decades. I am grateful!’ Following Duquesne athletic teams was our main form of entertainment.

After I got married, I turned my husband into a Duquesne fan and he was one of the most faithful and loyal of them all. Our marriage was strengthened through our mutual devotion to “our Dukes.” Our oldest child played football under the firm direction of Mike Kopolovich, who was instrumental in securing a. fine football scholarship for him. One of our daughters played basketball and two others were cheerleaders. Our grandson scored the first three points in our beautiful new gym and another grandson received the John Phillip Sousa Award for his talents in the band. We worked in the refreshment stand, arranged fan buses and helped organize banquets.

During the past 20 years, if anything, our support for Duquesne athletes only became more important to us. The dedicated coaches, as well, as the cheerleaders and athletes, treated us like family When my husband’s health started to fail, Montel Staples made sure that we could ride on the cheerleader or team bus to playoff games. I am convinced that my husband lived longer because of his anticipation of the 2002 playoff run. On some of those days, when his heart was so weak that he slept for 16 hours a day, his first waking words were, invariably, “What about the Dukes? Call Montel.”

Since my husband died five years ago, Duquesne coaches and fans have made sure that my life’s best form of entertainment has continued. I am so grateful! My grandson holds the record for the most three-pointers scored in any game by a DHS player.

As of the last home basketball game, I was still selling 50/50 tickets and I really enjoyed it. I will miss all of the good friends I have made and love. I will miss the thrill of winning and the painful important lessons of losing. We won so many more times than we lost. Between 1941 and 2005, I attended seven state championship games with my Dukes.

During the last 40 years and particularly during the last 20 (since our steel mill closed), we reveled in the role of underdogs, consistently finding ways to demonstrate excellence while competing against bigger, stronger, and much larger (in population) opponents. We were survivors! We were champions! We consistently overcame the odds. With the deck stacked against us, we. never blinked. What a glorious ride!

I went from a little girl fan to a surrogate grandmother. I worked hard to support the athletes through the years. But they gave me so much more than I gave them. We are told to “Bloom where you are planted.” I was planted in Duquesne arid I thank God for the opportunities provided to me as a DHS fan over the past decades.

I will remain a high school sports fan, but the thrill will be gone forever. I’ll never again holler “Let’s go Dukes.” Thanks for the memories and may the Lord go with all of you.

Rosemary Denne is the current City
Treasurer of Duquesne and longtime
Duquesne High School fan.

Posted in Duquesne Public Schools, Duquesne's Special Citizens, Feedback From Our Friends, Sports | 12 Comments

Emptying the Ketchup Bottle

Posted on March 24, 2011 by Jim

My wife Judy makes the best chili I have ever tasted, bar none. My daughters, Megan and Abby, have asked her for the recipe several times. Unfortunately, she has never been able to be very specific with the instructions or the ingredients. You see, once she begins her ingredient list, things get a bit convoluted.

The problem lies in the fact that Judy makes chili using what I call, the ‘Hunky Technique.” The basic premise of this method is that she will start the recipe with the basic ingredients such as ground meat, onions, kidney beans, etc.; HOWEVER, she then proceeds to clean out all of those near empty bottles of compatible condiments that have been hanging out in the fridge. An assortment of nearly empty ketchup bottles, a bit of left over spaghetti sauce, and even the last couple dips of salsa that someone couldn’t quite finish end up in the chili. As a result of using these additional ingredients, the chili is always slightly different each time she makes it, BUT, it is ALWAYS very, very tasty.

Since I began writing this blog, I have kept a small composition book where I write down different ideas, memories, etc. that I intend to use for some future posting. However, just like my wife will create an occasional pot of chili to empty those nearly empty ketchup bottles and to use up odds and ends in our fridge, I feel compelled to occasionally write a post that will use up some of those literary odds and ends I have hanging around in my little notebook. Although the thoughts are not connected in any way, when mixed together, I hopefully will be able to offer you a tasty post for you to enjoy. So, here goes:

I SCREAM, YOU SCREAM – When I was teenager, the telephone was my lifeline. It was my modern day “social network” to connect to friends. Like most homes in Duquesne, we had only one phone in the house. It was located in our dining room atop my mother’s sewing machine. It was one of those heavy black desktop black phones. My dad never sprang for the long line from the wall to the phone, so my mobility was somewhat limited.  I WAS able to stretch the phone around the corner so that I could sit on the sofa or a chair and talk, but that was about it.

The reason why I bring all of this up, is because I remembered a rather obscure detail from my youth in Duquesne. Back in the 60’s, we had the predecessor of today’s Facebook and Match.com all rolled into one. Before the days of digital dialing with touch-tone phones, telephones operated on a much less complicated basis. As a result, the teenagers in the area were able to find a glitch in the phone system that we used to our advantage to randomly talk to each other. We discovered that if we would dial “111” from our phones and wait a few seconds, we would begin to hear this warning signal that sounded very much like the siren that used to go off at the fire station at the top of Mellon St. The signal on the phone would pause every few seconds however. In those very few seconds when the signal paused, you would be able to talk SCREAM to anyone else who had dialed in. You could hear people randomly YELLING out names, numbers, etc. You never had any idea who was “out there,” but it was thrilling, nonetheless, that you were part of this “secret” network. I’ve often wondered if anyone else remembered this crazy party line?

CHAINS OF LOVE – There was a fad that sprang up in the early 60’s that I always scratched my head over. It seemed that every girl in grade school and high school had begun creating and nurturing a gum wrapper chain. I remember my cousin Paula religiously lengthened her chain with a steady supply of used chewing gum wrappers. Although I don’t know all the details and reasons behind the chain, I remember that Paula used to tell me that if it would be broken, that bad things would happen to her and her love life. Now, she probably was only 14 or 15 when she began her chain, so a “damaged love life” probably wouldn’t have been an issue, but, she never took a chance. I recall her carefully carrying her chain around with her from room to room, not unlike Jacob Marley and his chains when visiting Scrooge.

As dedicated as Paula was to her creation, I ran across a guy on the internet that started his on March 11, 1965. He has continually maintained and added to his wrapper chain since that 1965 date. As a point of reference, two major events happed during the same week that he began his chain in 1965; Alabama state troopers & 600 black protestors clashed in Selma, Alabama, and the first US combat forces arrived in Vietnam (3,500 Marines.) He has a website dedicated to his gum wrapper chain which as of March 11, 2011, is 66,835 feet in length and contains 1,581,150 Gum Wrappers! Some other interesting facts about the chain are:

Began on March 11, 1965
$110,680 Worth of Gum
Weight – 930 lbs
Volume – 78 Cubic Feet
Contains WRIGLEY Wrappers Only
Record Holder for 16 Years
Over 25,000 Hours of Work

The current length is equal to the following:
12.66 Miles
222 Football Fields
334 Hockey Rinks
202 Soccer Fields
46 Empire State Buildings
12.7 Minutes by Car at 60 mph
5 Hours to Walk the Length

Eat Chew your heart out Paula!

CONSIDER YOURSELF LUCKY – Here’s a memory jolt. I remember back in the days before the focus on controlling littering, just about anything would be thrown out of passing car windows.  Long before the Surgeon General published his findings about the dangers of smoking; it seemed that the streets were always littered with empty cigarette packages. As we would walk along the streets, we were always on the lookout for empty packs of Lucky Strike cigarettes. If you were the first to come across a pack on the ground, you would quickly place your foot on the pack and then punch what ever friend was walking next to you as hard as you could on the arm. As you did this, you had to announce “Lucky Strike, no strike back!” Your friend, of course, was not permitted to hit you back unless they also discovered another pack. I have NO idea where that practice started, but it seemed everyone knew it and practiced it!

A SUMMERTIME RESPICE – One of my favorite places to go to near my home was the playground that was located behind the Hungarian Reform Church on Kennedy Ave and down the hill. It was accessible from Hudson Ave, the road that ran adjacent to the mobile home area on the Duquesne side of Mifflin Street. I think there were two sets of swings, one for babies and a larger one for the older kids. There was a sliding board, a merry-go-round (aka – vomit comet) and a few picnic tables. The best part of the playground was the summer programs they would run. I remember creating countless potholders, plastic woven key chains and painted chalkware plaques for my mom. I remember having to pay for the supplies, but it never was above 25¢ for any of the items. We would spend hours painting, weaving or creating while sitting at one of the tables. It was usually the table located under a large shade tree, so it never seemed too hot.

I believe the playground was staffed by teenagers that the City of Duquesne hired as part of their parks and recreation department. They were there each day during the summer and they kept us in line. Sort of like “nuns in training.” Of course, we were pretty obedient kids and never really pushed our luck too much.

I only recall a few city playgrounds throughout Duquesne, but I am sure there are more. I hope you fill us in on any others you remember. I think there was one at Polish Hill, another at a school on N 3rd St., one by City Hall (?) and one other by the high school football field in Duquesne Place, Oh, those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer!

POUR A COLD ONE – OK, here’s one for the records. Who remembers the beer bottle billboard at the end of the Duquesne-McKeesport Bridge?  Currently, as you near the end of the bridge as you are driving from the Duquesne side of the bridge, you can either turn right and head toward McKeesport, continue straight ahead and ultimately head toward White Oak or take an off ramp and head up toward East McKeesport past the old Vienna Baking Company and Great Valley Beer Distributors on your way to where Eastland Mall once stood (Yeah, its gone!)

In our youth, before the road was opened up, you were only able to turn right or left. Straight ahead was a very large bank of billboards. Centermost, and directly at the end of the bridge, was a billboard which featured a very large bottle which had a strip of canvas, the color of beer, that would continuously twist to create the illusion of beer being poured into a glass. Who would have thought that the residents of Duquesne and McKeesport would have such a technological wonder! Does anyone remember who beer it was?

And so my friends, it appears that I have managed to use up all of the ketchup and empty the bottle. Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to purge! Until later, be well!

Posted in Food and Restaurants, Life in General, Miscellaneous, Playing and Games | 14 Comments

Springtime in Duquesne

Posted on March 18, 2011 by Jim

My very first actual paying job was with Kopriver’s Florist, just across Texas Ave (aka Kennedy Ave) from my Thomas Street home. I define Kopriver’s as my first “paying job” due to the fact that I actually received money and, that I had “sorta” worked at BonBon Bakery in the Kroger’s Shopping Center when I was just a kid. My job at BonBon was putting together the white bakery boxes as I would gaze upon the love of my life, Joyce, who worked there. In spite of the fact that she was 15 years older than me, I knew that she would be the girl I would marry, just as soon as I was done with Elementary School, High School and maybe college. I was convinced. The pay for my box making efforts never made it to a W2 since there was no provision on the forms for being paid in baked goods.

By the time I turned 15, I was over my little boy crush and moved forward on building my resume by accepting a position with Kopriver’s. I began working there in the early Spring, just about this time of year, only 45 years ago! Since I wasn’t given an official job title, I created one for myself in order to be able to explain to my family and friends my new career. I decided my title was Kopriver’s official “FBS” – which stands for “Funeral Basket Stuffer.”

As the store’s FBS, my chief responsibility was to assure that the staff that created the funeral basket arrangements always had a supply of prepared containers used to produce the floral masterpieces.  My “office” was actually the basement under the florist shop. It was accessible via a rickety set of steps in the far corner of the shop. Since the stairway was so narrow, all of the supplies that I needed were delivered through the former coal delivery access that faced Faulk Alley. Faulk Alley was the first alley that ran parallel to Kennedy Ave as you headed up toward Kopriver’s. My supplies included the white mache baskets, chicken wire, Oasis blocks (basically Styrofoam blocks made to hold water like a sponge) and of course, greenery. The supplies would be tossed into the opening and I would catch them on the way down. Nine times out of ten, the bales of greenery would knock me off balance and I’d teeter a bit and continue to stack what seemed to be a never ending supply of greens.

Although most of my day at work was spent in “the hole” piecing together the arrangement baskets, I had a few other duties. During the day, I would get to climb out of my subterranean world and deal with my greenhouse chores. There were two long greenhouses off of the florist shop. The greenhouse that was on the extreme left as you entered held an array of plants and supplies. This greenhouse’s contents were used primarily for florist shop functions. There was a huge trellis full of a small trumpet-like white wedding flower called “stephanotis.” It arched over the doorway as you entered into the greenhouse, so you were immediately hit with the beautiful fragrance upon entering. The florists that were designing wedding bouquets would pick bunches of these flowers and lovingly incorporate them into the bride’s elaborate bouquets. (I only remember one of the florists that were working there in the 60’s. I believe his name was Harry, a great guy who treated me kindly.) The remainder of that first greenhouse contained assorted supplies, the rows funeral basket containers that I had prepared in my underworld, any overflow of retail plants from the main greenhouse, and a few tropical plants that had grown far to large to sell and had been retired into this pseudo tropical forest to live and grow in the tropical environment.

The most enjoyable part of my work day occurred in the main greenhouse. Just a few weeks after Christmas, the  building was transitioned from “Poinsettia Central,” to a sea of Spring and Summer seedlings and cuttings. Through the very watchful eye of the Kopriver’s and their staff, I had responsibility to help nurture these delicate babies through their metamorphosis into beautiful Spring and Summer blooms. Once transformed, Hunky gardens throughout the area became home to those little beauties.

Flower and vegetable gardens around Duquesne began popping up as early as mid-April. Many of the residents who were from “the old country” planted early in spite of possible threat of a freeze. If they would “feel it in their bones” that it might freeze overnight, they would shroud all of the plants in old sheets or anything else they could find that would protect the plants.

Kopriver’s didn’t sell every plant under the sun. There were only a select number of plants that were popular in the Duquesne area when it came to flowers. Their vegetable assortment was much wider since most hunky homes would have their own version of a “Victory Garden,”

The “must have” when it came to flowers were geraniums. I must have watered hundreds and hundreds of them as they awaited their Spring adoption by some loving hunky hands. They have a very distinctive fragrance that even now means “Spring is here” to me. Geraniums would end up brightening the fronts, sides and back yards of homes throughout Duquesne. Somehow, residents were able to produce exceptional growth and constant flowering from them. I recall my “old country” neighbors, Mike and Mary, lovingly tending to all of their flowers on a daily basis, especially their geraniums

Now….what follows might seem like I’m trying to give you a Botany lesson. Actually, I am attempting to perhaps evoke some memories of your parent’s or grandparents Duquesne gardens and their contents. With that said, other flowers that were commonly planted each year in Duquesne were:

Ageratum – which were small purple furry flowers and were very popular. Purple was a “big” hunky color.

Blanket Flowers – also called gaillardia, these bright yellow and orange flowers seemed to last forever. Mike and Mary Kovach were really into these.

Lantana – another yellow and orange flower that grew fairly tall. There were also red lantanas as well as purple ones.

Marigolds – I swear that every garden had both geraniums and marigolds in them. My other “old country” neighbors, Adam and Eve Oravich, said that the marigolds dropped their seeds and made them take over the garden. They weren’t fans of the marigold, obviously.

Geraniums – what can I say except that they reigned supreme in Duquesne!

Now, I am sure there were many other flowers that you remember, and I hope that you post a comment and share your memories with us!

In addition to the profuse annual plantings, there were some other flowering shrubs that I remember in Duquesne as well as wildflowers that grew in vacant lots, hillsides and even in cemeteries! The ones I recall are:

Spirea (Bridal Veil) – my neighbor Anna Yasko had these all along the front of her home.

Lilacs – we had a beautiful lilac bush on the side of our house that eventually was cut down when my dad put in a patio on the back of our house.

Tiger Lilies – I remember seeing tons of these bright orange lilies on the side of roads as we traveled around the area. I especially recall them on River Road, just beyond the Duquesne-McKeesport Bridge heading toward Dravosburg.

Hollyhocks – There was an empty lot on the corner of Mellon Street and Texas Ave. that was a virtual Botany lesson in itself. Hollyhocks grew throughout the lot and always towered over the other weeds,  ah, er, plants.

Queen Anne’s Lace – I remember fields and fields of these flowers. They grew wild everywhere. When you would look toward St. Joseph’s Cemetery from Thomas St. it would remind you the field of poppies from the movie, The Wizard of Oz, only white!

Milkweed – Yes, I know it was truly a weed. However, this “weed” was a source of constant entertainment for kids. I remember that if you would break off a leaf, the “sap” was opaque white  and sticky. They plant had these really neat pods on them as well. When they first appeared, we’d pull a few off and cut them open with our pocket knives. If they were newer, they would have this seed pod inside that looked like a scaly little white fish. As the pods got a bit older, you could open them and see the seeds and “fur” begin to form. Of course, the most fun came from pods that had just popped open. Before the wind managed to blow away the individual seeds with their white furry parachute, we’d grab the pods and blow like heck and watch the seeds fly off everywhere! Little did we realize that we were contributing to the plants propagation, just like busy little bees.

I’m looking forward to writing about the Hunky vegetable garden. BUT, that’s a whole other story!  More later….keep reading my friends!

Posted in Jobs, Springtime, Stores and Businesses | 10 Comments

My Mother’s Rite of Spring

Posted on March 12, 2011 by Jim

If there was ever a saying that my mother DID NOT pay attention to, it was “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” She, along with the thousands of women in Duquesne, welcomed spring in a very remarkable way…. Spring Cleaning! Whether the house needed it or not, the universal Hunky project was to scrub, wash, air-out, vacuum and re-organize every square inch of their homes. This cleaning frenzy was perhaps an innate prehistoric instinct that began in the caves of Brno, Czechoslovakia. I can just imagine all of the Hunky cavewomen, in their leopard skin babushkas, sweeping out their caves and tossing out all of the old dinosaur bones from their winter meals.

 

My mom cleaned everything in sight. It all began with the washing down of ceilings and walls in every room. Of course, back in those days, the paint lasted forever. It was more than likely due to the high lead content that it lasted so long and was able to be scrubbed. In fairness to my mother, the walls actually did show a considerable amount of soil after the winter months. The combination of all of grit and smoke from the mills, the months and months of cooking robust winter meals, the behemoth furnace that took up half of our basement, and the smokers that visited our home, left its shadowy mark on our walls. I can still remember the scent of the Spic ‘n Span that she used.

 

When Mom attacked each room’s walls, she would first remove all of the drapes and curtains, along with any pictures adoring the walls. Furniture would be clustered into the middle of the room so that she and my dad would have free access to the walls. Usually, the wall cleaning took place on weekends, and they would tackle one or two rooms each day. While my dad was at work during the week Mom would continue the Spring Cleaning process by cleaning every little corner of each window, inside and out.  She would then launder all of the drapes and curtains, hang them outside to absorb the freshest smell, expertly press each panel and then re-hang them on each of the windows.

 

Once all of that was done, she would turn her attention to the furniture and anything that was in the middle of the room cluster. Furniture would be polished; pictures would be wiped down before they were hung back onto the walls, and every lamp and lampshade cleaned. I remember that Mom had this soft wire brush that would use to clean the carpeting along the baseboards around the room. She would make sure that every inch of the carpeting was cleaned. When my dad got home from work, he’d help her to place the furniture back into their proper positions. She would finish the room, long after dark, but vacuuming every inch and replacing all of the chachkies around the room.  

 

This cleaning process would go on for a couple of weeks, room by room, each place getting the “Mrs. Clean” treatment. Mom would always save the hardest room for last, the kitchen! Each cabinet would be empties and every single item would be washed. Of course, we didn’t have a dishwasher with the exception of my mother’s two untiring hands. The inside of each cabinet would be wiped down and the waxed shelf paper would be changed. I remember that Mom would have Dad take her and I to Schink’s to pick out the shelf paper she would use to reline the cabinets. I really didn’t have much input, but it was thrilling to be included in the decision. Of course, even boxes, jars and bottles of food and drinks would all be wiped off before each would be replaced into the cabinets. I don’t know how many boxes of Spic ‘n Span and bottles of Windex my mom would go through during Spring Cleaning. I am sure that the Hunkies ladies of Duquesne alone, helped to keep those companies in business for many, many years.

 

As I am writing this post, I’ve come to realize that many of the products that our parents used for cleaning are no longer available. For instance;

  • Spic ‘n Span – It had the cleanest, freshest smell, however I don’t believe it’s available in its powdered form any longer. Who knows, maybe its name fell victim to the Political Incorrectness Police!
  • Glass Wax – before Windex was around, she would use Glass Wax on the kitchen windows. She said it did a better job of getting the cooking residue off of the windows. The bigger loss in not having Glass Wax around is not being able to make those Christmas windows stencil decorations any longer
  • Jubilee Kitchen Wax – we had those big white metal kitchen cabinets. Jubilee would clean them perfectly, plus, it smelled so good too. Can’t find it in the bottles any more
  • Murphy’s Oil Soap – Can only be found in Saddle Shops, if you are lucky. When Mom used it, it cam in a jar and was this thick amber paste that she would glop into a bucket of hot water and use it to clean the woodwork and any hardwood floors.

I guess some of these products became victims of environmental regulation, or perhaps their maker realized that the product was so good, a bottle just lasted forever tucked away in sink cabinets.

 

The interior of our house wasn’t the only place that Spring Cleaning occurred. When the weather would be good enough, we all would join in on cleaning the exterior areas of the house. So much dirt and grit would accumulate on the front and back porches, Mom or Dad would use one of those stiff bristle shop brooms and buckets and buckets of Spic ‘n Span to scrub off the exterior walls and floors before hosing them down on a final rinse. Dad would then take down all of the storm windows he had installed in the Fall and would store them in the rafters of our garage. The large window screens would be  hauled out from the rafters and my brother and I would be in charge of hosing them down and getting them ready for re-installation by my dad.

 

While my dad would be putting up the screens, my brother Steve and I would be relegated to the one job I hated most; washing down the outdoor furniture that had been stored in the garage since last fall. The actual washing part wasn’t so bad, it was the discovery of the random creatures that had decided to make the furniture storage area their home, as they “wintered” in our garage. I wasn’t, and I am still not, into spiders. They creep me out. When you disturb their winter’s nap, teardown their home and then confront them with a bucket of hot Spic ‘n Span, well, they’re not happy campers. In my wild and imaginative mind, I was convinced that they were in an attack mode and would soon sink their fangs into my neck.

 

After the furniture had been thoroughly scrubbed off, Mom and Dad decided if the various items would make it through another summer or if they needed a coat of paint to freshen them up. Usually, Mom won out, and my father would be assigned the additional task of repainting the furniture. Thank goodness for Rustolium! Dad was a firm believe in the product, and it saved having to scrap off layers of rust that had formed during the furniture’s Winter hiatus! If you were to have scraped off the layers of paint of the steel outdoor furniture that we had, you would have found a virtual rainbow of colors that it had been at one time or another. The care that Dad gave the chairs obviously worked! The furniture STILL is being used at my daughter’s home after 60+ years of repainting.

 

 

As you might be able to tell, my parents had no problem with having my brother and I do chores around the house. I think they believed it was one of those “character building” exercises that I’ve heard about. The Spring Cleaning ritual was just one of the many in which we participated in our quest for character I suppose. Another part of the Spring clean up was yet another that I dreaded, cleaning out any debris that may have gotten stuck at the base of the hedges that surrounded the front of our house.  Although it sounds like a fairly innocuous job, the fact that the bushes were the infamous “jagger bushes” had it a difficult job. Those of you who are unfamiliar with the term “jagger bushes” obviously do not speak Pittsburghese. Jagger bushes are these tiny leafed bushes that were prevalent in almost every Hunky yard throughout the Duquesne area. The thorns that were on the branches, were often larger than the leaves themselves!  Our tiny arms were able to reach in and pull out any debris without getting scratched. Extracting the assorted papers and such was never the problem. However, those creatures that were unable to make it to our garage for the winter, managed to make a temporary home in these bushes. I knew they were out to get me! Now THAT was the problem.

 

After the Spring Cleaning ritual, it seemed everyone’s outlook was brighter. Every home was ready to welcome those perfect days just prior to the onset of Summer when temperatures were mild, breezes would waft through open windows and nights still had just enough chill in them to create the perfect sleeping environment. As kids we’d listen, once again, to the lullaby from the mills and drift off to sleep thinking about the end of school and a summer of fun that lay ahead.

 

 

 

Posted in Jobs, Life in General, Parents, Springtime | 8 Comments

Duquesne’s Rip Roaring 30’s

Posted on March 11, 2011 by Jim

When I think of Duquesne, I think of neat homes in a row, the steel mills, having fun at Kennywood Park, Little League Baseball games and all things idyllic. The last thing that I would ever think of is Duquesne as a 1930s Gangster Era town. As I was researching newspaper articles about our home town, I came across a few eye-opening articles that proved surprising to me. I thought I would share these tidbits of Duquesne history with you….. enjoy!

Man Is Slain In Duquesne Raid Battle

August 24, 1934 – Pittsburgh Post-GazetteCLICK BELOW TO READ ARTICLE

December 20, 1936 – Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Murder Crazed Cop Tells Own Story

The Story of Duquesne’s Mass Killer!

CLICK TO READ ARTICLE – PART 1

CLICK TO READ ARTICLE – PART 2

CLICK TO READ ARTICLE – PART 3

Posted in Duquesne History | 6 Comments

A Good Catholic Boy’s Easter Prelude

Posted on March 7, 2011 by Jim

If you were a part of a Catholic family in Duquesne, this week was a very busy week, and if you attended one of the Catholic schools, it was ever busier. This was the week that the Season of Lent began. Lent, of course, is the period of the liturgical year leading up to Easter.

The Lenten Season actually began on Ash Wednesday, but as a kid, we had a lot of thinking to do prior to that day. The good sisters at Holy Name began drilling the need for sacrifice during Lent into our little heads in First Grade. From that point and continuing throughout every grade at Holy Name, each year we were instructed to decide what we were going to “give up” during Lent. Of course, we were not allowed to choose the things we REALLY wanted to, like brussel sprouts, spinach, carrots or chores. NO! We had to choose the tough stuff like, candy, cake, ice cream or COOKIES! Those nuns were heartless! Mom and Dad would always help me with my decision since they were fully aware of my likes and dislikes. They would also always dangle a carrot in front of me by telling me that it was only for 6 weeks and that when it was over, the Easter Bunny would have delivered a HUGE basketful of goodies for me to enjoy. Now mind you, I realize that my parents should have used this period of sacrifice as vehicle to build our understanding and dedication to our faith. However, the reality is that they had two active boys at home who were suddenly deprived of sweets for 6 weeks. It was like trying to kick a crack habit “cold turkey!”

In the meantime, back at Holy Name, the good sisters would take precautions against us “changing our mind” about what we were sacrificing for Lent. Once we had made our “acceptable” decision, they would pristinely write it on a piece of construction paper and post it on a section of the blackboard that was devoted to the current Liturgical Season. It served as a constant reminder that God was watching us and taking names!!

I don’t recall my parents or anyone else celebrating “Shrove Tuesday” on the day before Lent began. In some circles, it was called “Fat Tuesday” and was celebrated by eating rich meals and desserts one last time before Lent began. My parents never talked about it or mentioned Mardi Gras as a celebration that was occurring. It was never a part of the Hunky culture I suppose, but I do believe that there was a Catholic Hunky somewhere down in New Orleans that was using it as a reason to have a final shot and beer before Lent began.

Aside from the preplanning of our sacrifice, the biggest event of the week occurred on Ash Wednesday. During a very solemn rite, Fr. Shaughnessy. Fr. Turner, or Fr. Hanlon, would set the tone for the coming Lenten Season which would culminate with the placing of the ashen cross on our foreheads. I recall being very proud of displaying that symbol on my forehead. It was somehow a wonderful equalizer of everyone in our lives. Parents, relatives, priests, teenagers, and neighbors alike were all displaying their faith and were not embarrassed about doing so. Even though the intent was of a very solemn nature, as a child, we all wore smiles of delight to be old enough to understand the concept of Ash Wednesday and to wear its outward sign.

After Lent had begun, we were marched over to the church every Friday to participate in the Stations of the Cross. We all had our missals with their black or white covers, and we would follow along solemnly as each station would be announced:

  1. Jesus is condemned to death
  2. Jesus carries His cross
  3. Jesus falls the first time
  4. Jesus meets His Mother
  5. Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus to carry His cross
  6. Veronica wipes the face of Jesus
  7. Jesus falls the second time
  8. Jesus meets the daughters of Jerusalem
  9. Jesus falls the third time
  10. Jesus is stripped of His garments
  11. Crucifixion: Jesus is nailed to the cross
  12. Jesus dies on the cross
  13. Jesus’ body is removed from the cross
  14. Jesus is laid in the tomb and covered in incense

One of the best parts of Lent was being able to enjoy “better than average” food on Fridays. The primary reason for this gastronomical change was the emergence of “Lenten Kitchens” at area churches. Of course, back when I was a kid, I think my parents called them “Fish Frys.” I can’t attest to the fact that every church in Duquesne had a Fish Fry, but at our house, we would either get these humongous fish sandwiches and fries from Hucksters Bar on Crawford Ave. OR we would go to St. Michael’s in Homestead/Munhall and enjoy their wonderful menu. They would have fish sandwiches, perogies that were just floating in pure butter, potato pancakes with sour cream or applesauce, haluski, macaroni and cheese, potato or macaroni salad, and bulbalki with sauerkraut, to name a few of the items. I don’t think there was a salad in sight, but MAYBE you might have found some coleslaw if you were lucky. No one complained about the lack of vegetarian dishes. Back then, my dad would always refer to them and salad as “rabbit food” anyway!

So, as you begin this Lenten season, remember that the good sisters are watching! No giving up running 10 miles a day, or staying up until 4 a.m., or rock climbing, or eating live goldfish. They’re taking notes you know!

Posted in Church and School - Holy Name, Church and School - Holy Trinity, Church and School - St. Joseph, Holidays - Non-Christmas and New Years | 20 Comments

Voices from Duquesne – Part 3

Posted on March 6, 2011 by Jim

Once again, I am thrilled to be hearing from so many current and former Duquesne area residents. As always, I invite you to click on the first link under BLOG ROLL (in the right hand column of this page) titled “ATTENTION! CLICK TO CONTACT JIM, THE DUQUESNE HUNKY .”

As promised, I am still working on compiling an email directory of those who have written comments and responded via the contact form. It’s a time consuming process, so be patient, I’ll get there soon.

 In the meantime, please enjoy the following thoughts and updates from our friends:

Laurine Emert

Years in Duquesne = 1953 (when I was born) to 2003

Where do you live  now? = (moved very far away – LOL) West Mifflin, PA

comments = I love the ideas you have had already.  I love the old photos of Duquesne and McKeesport, too.  I remember you dad’s business because it was there for a while when we moved from 1st to Kennedy.

Maybe you could talk about DHS when it was in its prime. . . I graduated in 1970. 

 

Bernadette Lucas

Where do you live now? = Dillsburg, PA

comments = A blast from the past! Eliciting some fond memories.  Would love to hear from long-lost friends and acquaintances.

 

Barbara Ruhe

Maiden name = Fodo

Years in Duquesne = 1938 – 1959

Where do you live now? = Rehoboth Beach, Delaware

comments = What a trip down Memory Lane!  My brother, Steve, sent me the link today and I haven’t been able to tear myself away from it.  My husband Jim is a Duquesneer also. He lived on Karl Street and I lived on South First right across the street from Pirhalla’s corner store.  Later known as Joe’s Luncheonette.  We both graduated from DHS 1953, 1955 respectively and were married 51 years ago in St. Joesph’s.  It was great to read so many familiar names and the pictures brought tears to my eyes.  I tell my grandchildren what a great place Duquesne was to grow up.  They can’t comprehend being able to walk everywhere we wanted to go — even Kennywood and do it safely.  What a wonderful life!

 

Rosemary Denne

Maiden name = Curran, my dad was a Dentist here

Years in Duquesne = I have lived here since 1936 and still do

comments = I am so excited about this.  I am the city Treasurer and Tax Collector for the City of Duquesne and use my computer here at city hall.  I am very busy now, since the Real Estate taxes have just gone out, but I want to keep getting these pictures and comments.  I don’t know whether anybody still remembers me, as I am 83 years old.

 

Claudia Misage

Maiden name = Repko

Years in Duquesne = 1943 thru 1963 and again in 1967

Where do you live now? = Austin, Texas

comments = What I enjoy about this blog, how is EVERYTHING?

It is just fantastic remembering all those good times, can not remember too many bad times except the Christmas Eve I had a car accident almost right in front of the police station and my cousin was a police man and he was the first to come to me and I did not have my drivers license on me and could not tell him I was seeing a boy friend who I was not allow to see. Boy that was really something, could remember it like it was yesterday.

 

Amy Trettel

comments = Hi Jim, I am Joanne Carr’s daughter.  She’s been reading your blog posts and has asked if I could get your address (snail mail) so she can write you.  I can’t find a way to get a hold of you thru your blog.  I hope this finds you.  Amy

 

Robert Salopek

Years in Duquesne = 1941 to 1963

Where do you live now? = San Francisco and Albuquerque

comments = I grew up on Auriles Street, right across the street from St. Joseph’s Church and School.  The school was torn down some years ago.  I did a lot of mechanical and electrical projects, and so my favorite store was Schinck’s Hardware.  Boy, you could go in there and buy 3 little screws for maybe 7 cents.  Gone are THOSE days with everything now in bubble wrap for 4.99 !

 I owned a 1940 Pontiac there, once owned by the Tutero family on Auriles, and then Richy Plastino, who was one year ahead of me at Duquesne High.  The Plastinos had a taylor shop on Kennedy.

I would like more pictures of ALL the businesses on First Street.

 

 

Eileen Phillips

Maiden name = Chorman

Years in Duquesne = Born 1945 – in Duquesne until 1966

Where do you live now? = Ocala, FL

comments = I enjoy everything about this blog.  I lived in Duquesne Annex (West Mifflin).  I went to Church, Catechism, and piano lessons at Holy Name. I went every Sunday to the Plaza Theater.  I married a Duquesne Boy who graduated Duquesne High in 1961. I was the fist to go to North High when it was built.  We got married at Holy Name Church and had our “hunky” reception at the Slovak Club.

Just last Wednesday, we met three other couples from Duquesne at “Katie Belles” restaurant at “The Villages, FL” for dinner. I took a print-out of this blog, and they really enjoyed reading what others had to say. 6 out of the 8 of us were Duquesne Hunkies (the two that weren’t were married to Duquesne Hunkies. I would like to read more about other people and their memories of Duquesne, and where they are now.

 

 

Bob Hrozencik

Years in Duquesne = 1958-1979

Where do you live now? = Boone, N C

 Bill Larkin

Years in Duquesne = 1951-1973

Where do you live now? = Albuquerque New Mexico

comments = I love this blog it brings back many memories of childhood days and reminds Me of the many fine people that had an impact on my life.

 

Lou Andriko, RPh

Years in Duquesne = 1951-1979

Where do you live now? = Elkins WV

comments = My father’s father built the first house in the 900 block of Maryland Ave. in the early 1920’s. My 85 year old mother still lives there; I visit her 6-8 times each year. I went to St Joseph’s School, then Serra HS, then commuted to DU. for Pharmacy School. I worked as delivery driver for Morris Gordon at Eagle Drugs on Grant Ave in HS, pushed countless tots on the swings at the Polish Hill playground, then the mandatory stint at Kennywood for four summers in college (yep, I’ve got stories), got my degree and plied my trade in Christy Park, Elizabeth, Port Vue and West Mifflin (at Penn Taft as a floater)and  moved to Meadville in 1978 when the mills began to close, met my wife and within 2 years moved back to 1100 Maryland Ave. By 1984, steel hit rock bottom, and we moved to West Virginia, opened and closed my own pharmacy and now practice for a Big Box in a little town in the next county ….but always kept coming back to Duquesne. So very sad to look at the Google map and see all the green spaces where homes, stores, churches, factories once formed a safe, vibrant community…. This blog has been bittersweet and I keep telling myself I’m not going to post anymore, but here I go again.

Posted in Feedback From Our Friends | 23 Comments

A Duquesne Monday

Posted on March 5, 2011 by Jim

This morning as I got ready to go to the office, I decided to dress casually. It was the weekend and I didn’t enjoy having to work on a Saturday, but it was one of those necessary evils. I went to my closet to grab my favorite shirt and was upset when I couldn’t find it, only to remember I had tossed it into the hamper two days earlier. “Not a problem,” I thought. I had given myself enough time this morning to enjoy a cup of coffee and a light breakfast before leaving for work, so I tossed the shirt and a few other items into the washer for a quick wash. By the time I had finished my morning routine or “ablutions” as my Uncle Lou referred to them, I was ready for my breakfast. I tossed the laundry and my shirt into the dryer and then proceeded to sit back and enjoy my breakfast while I surfed the web to learn what had happened in the world since I last checked. By the time that I was done with my news search and a second cup of coffee, it was time for me to leave. I grabbed the now dry and very warm shirt from the dryer, tossed it on and was out the door and heading for the office.

 As I drove to work, I thought about how easily this morning’s “no shirt” problem had been resolved. It certainly was a far cry from what our poor mother’s had to cope with each week when I was a “dirt and grime” attracting kid! I thought about a children’s song that I had heard at one time or another, that really rang true to what was our mother’s typical routine each week. With the internet and Google being the wonderful tool that it is, I was able to find the song’s lyric’s:

Monday’s Wash Day

Today is Monday, Today is Monday,

Monday’s wash day, Everybody happy?

Well, I should say!

.

Today is Tuesday, Today is Tuesday,

Tuesday Ironing, Monday washday

Everybody happy?

Well, I should say.

.

Today is Wednesday, Today is Wednesday,

Wednesday Cleaning, Tuesday Ironing, Monday washday,

Everybody happy? Well, I should say.

.

Today is Thursday, Today is Thursday,

Thursday baking, Wednesday cleaning, Tuesday ironing, Monday washday,

Everybody happy? Well, I should say.

.

Today is Friday, Today is Friday,

Friday fish, Thursday baking, Wednesday cleaning, Tuesday ironing,   Monday washday,

Everybody happy? Well, I should say.

.

Today is Saturday, Today is Saturday,

Saturday shopping, Friday fish, Thursday baking, Wednesday cleaning, Tuesday   ironing, Monday washday,

Everybody happy?

Well, I should say.

.

Today is Sunday, Today is Sunday,

Sunday church,

Saturday shopping, Friday fish, Thursday baking, Wednesday cleaning,

Tuesday ironing, Monday washday,

Everybody happy?

Well,   I— should—say!!!

I remember how, without fail, Mom would always do laundry on Monday’s. It was not a simple task either. She didn’t have the convenience of just popping a load into the washer  and dryer whenever she wanted. Each week, she would pull and tug a behemoth sized wringer washer over to the twin sanitary sinks in our basement and begin her preparations for doing the laundry. She would start by filling one of the twin tubs of the washer with scalding hot water. The other tub would be filled with cold water for rinsing. Once the first tub was filled with the hot water, she would begin adding laundry detergent, bleach, and bluing in perfect proportions to begin the first load, which were always “the whites.” Watching her add the perfect proportions of “stuff” to the hot water reminded me of what it would be like to watch an alchemist preparing to turn metal into gold!

Mom would carefully drop the laundry into the sloshing water after the chemicals were thoroughly mixed and make mental note of how long they should churn away. While that was going on, she would begin to fill each section of the twin sanitary sinks with cold water. Once that was done, she would begin preparing a big ol’ copper laundry tub with an Argo starch concoction. Since the first load was probably not quite ready, she would then haul a huge wicker laundry basket containing a ball of clothesline and clothespins up the basement steps, through the kitchen and out to the back yard where she would begin hanging her labyrinth of line in a pattern as precise as that of a spider constructing a web. She would hook the line from the house, to the garage, back to the house and so on.  By the time she was finished, the once huge ball of clothesline was reduced to a mere few remaining inches. Her final phase of prep was to grab the dozen or so wooden props out of the garage and place them strategically on various spots of the clothesline web to assure that nothing would touch the ground once hung. Of course, her whole routine would change if it happened to be raining or wintertime. I remember her demeanor would change as well, but I’ll get to that later. In the event of inclement weather, Dad had set up a permanent clothesline installation in the basement which served the purpose just as well.

Once Mom was finished with all of the outdoor prep, she was ready for the first load to come out of the washer. It certainly wasn’t as simple of a task as just tossing damp clothes from the washer to dryer like I did this morning. Her procedure went as follows:

  1. Stop the washer with that HUGE lever on the front.
  2. Swing the wringer around so that as she fished clothes out of the washer with her big ol’ wooden stick, they were fed through the wringer rollers and dumped into the first sanitary sink section of cold water.
  3. Once all of the clothes were out of the washer, she would load in the next pile of dirty laundry into the hot water tub and start the sloshing agitator.
  4. Back to the first load where she would stir them around to remove as much soap as possible.
  5. Then she would swing the wringer around so it would bridge both sections of the sink.
  6. Then she would use the wringer once again and transfer the clothes into the second tub which also contained a bit of fabric softener mixed into the cold water.
  7. Once again, the clothes were sloshed around allowed to absorb the “virtues” of the softener.
  8. By that point, tub #2 would be started up and served as the final rinse for the clothes.
  9. Then, the wringer would be placed in its final position between the sink and the washing machine.
  10. Once again, my mother would start up the wringer and transfer the clothes into their final bath.
  11. Step 11 was a bit more tricky for her, since it called for feeding the laundry back through the wringer and into her waiting hands over the sink.
  12. The clothes would then be dumped into a laundry basket and taken out to be dried.
  13. If the first load contained any shirts, Mom would transfer them to the copper tub of hot water and starch for one last step, and would let them soak for awhile.

The laundry basket full of remaining damp clothes would then be lugged up the basement steps and out the back door. Once outside, Mom would carefully begin hanging the clothing onto the line with the well worn wooden clothespins. The fact that our tighty whities were displayed for the world to see never phased us. After all, we were able to know whether our neighbors wore boxers or briefs by the first load of laundry on any given Monday!!

By this point in the day, the reason why Mom preferred the bright and sunny days for laundry was evident. Yes, the clothes DID smell better if hung outside, but that was only half the reason. The other half was that in between loads, all of the Monday morning laundry neighbors would gather on our back porch to enjoy a cup of freshly perked coffee and the company of each other. Anna Yasko, Gladys Mentzler and whoever else might have been out that morning would sit and “gab” with one another until it came time to process the next load of laundry. At that point, as if by some instinctive internal timepiece, they would all retreat to their homes and laundry duties until another load had made its way to the clothes line. The “wash-hang-talk” cycle would continue to repeat itself until all of the laundry had made its way to the line for drying.

As the clothes were removed after drying, some would merely be folded and stacked into the laundry baskets. Others would be separated out for ironing and make their way to the side of our kitchen table for “further processing.” If they were to be ironed, Mom would carefully lay out each individual piece on our pink and black formica topped kitchen table and be “sprinkled” with water like the Easter Sunday service at Holy Name. Each piece would then be tightly rolled up, stacked and placed in a plastic bag to keep them moist until it was time for ironing.

Considering that just writing about Mom’s Monday laundry day has exhausted me, think of how our mom’s probably felt at the end of the day. Facing basketfuls of ironing for the next day, my mom would head back down stairs to the basement to begin tearing down the whole washday set-up. Emptying the sinks was the easy part, but she would have to hook up the hose from the washing machine and begin pumping out each of the tubs, then rinse them out and finally dry them before they would be stowed back to their home at the beginning of the day. As she would wearily climb the steps for the last time that day, she probably was thinking about the ironing that was awaiting her as well as the evening meal she would now have to prepare. Make’s you appreciate your mom all the more, doesn’t it? And THAT was just one day!

As a side note, one of my favorite things to do was to use the washer for a somewhat different purpose. After my mother died in 1965, I was often left home alone and needed to entertain myself. In 1957, two guys invented bubble wrap. A great packing material, but an even better stress reliever, as you could sit there and pop the individual bubbles. Whenever I was lucky enough to find a piece of bubble wrap, I would delight in feeding it through the wringer mechanism of the washer. It sounded very much like the St. Valentine’s Day massacre as the barrage of pops echoed through the basement. “Thank heaven for little boys???”

Posted in Life in General, Parents | 19 Comments

Extra! Extra! Duquesne Headlines!

Posted on March 3, 2011 by Jim

Thanks to Jim Hartman from the Mifflin Historical Society, I have found a wonderful resource to research all types of history about Duquesne. In order to be able to allow you to read the various stories, I will provide a brief “snapshot” of the story and a link for you to click on and connect to the story. The stories are primarily from old Pittsburgh Press and Pittsburgh Post-Gazette newspapers. I certainly hope that you’ll enjoy these tidbits of local news! Be sure to let me know if you enjoy these articles!

DUQUESNE PROSPERITY

I love this story about life in Duquesne from the January 17, 1941 Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The headlines boast ‘THE REVIVAL REACHES DUQUESNE!” There are two full pages of photos and articles about Duquesne’s mills and how they were experiencing a resurgence. We all know the current conditions in Duquesne today, so it was so nice to read about a time when life was great. Remember to click on the blue  “CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE” after each picture to read the stories.

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE – PART ONE

CLICK HERE TO READ ARTICLE – PART 2

I hope you enjoy the stories. Please make sure you let me know if you’d like more. Keep reading my friends!

Posted in Duquesne History | 4 Comments

Movin’ On Up to Duquesne Place

Posted on March 2, 2011 by Jim

As I was growing up, Duquesne Place was always held in high regard by many of the residents of Duquesne, my parents included. Living in Duquesne Place was viewed the same as living in New York City’s Upper East Side. Compared to the busier and, dare I say, urban atmosphere of life in closer proximity to the mill, living in Duquesne Place offer a quieter and slightly less congested lifestyle.

There were some very large homes in Duquesne Place that stood majestically amid beautifully manicured yards. Even the names of the streets themselves evoked a more upscale area; Commonwealth Ave, Richford Ave, and Stockton Way, to name just a few.

I recall driving through many of the streets with my Aunt Mary, who seemed to be an expert on the various residents and homes throughout Duquesne Place. One home in particular that always impressed me with its size and grandeur was Dr. and Mrs. Linn’s home. It had these wonderful stately columns and was painted a pristine white. My aunt had lived on Commonwealth Ave. in Duquesne Place for a brief time while her husband, my Uncle Lou (Goldman), was in the service. I’m not sure if that was when she came to meet Mrs. Pat Linn or if it was when they were parishioners at Holy Name Church. I had never met Mrs. Linn until she moved to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. There, she opened a very upscale gift store. I visited her and introduced myself to her when my family and I were visiting Rehoboth one summer about 10 years ago. We would reminisce about my Aunt Mary, as well as Duquesne and Holy Name each time I visited her over the course of the next few years. There truly is a wonderfully warm and loving thread that connects all of us that were fortunate to grow up in Duquesne.

My Aunt Rose and Uncle Sam (Carr) moved to Duquesne Place when they built a home on Clonmel Ave., just above and overlooking the Duquesne High School Football Field in 1964. I think this was the first time that anyone in our family ever had a home built. Today, the home would be referred to as “Mid-Century Modern,” but as a brand new teenage, I just thought it to be so cool. I recall that there was this space age shaped ceiling light as you came in the front door. Sort of looked like the “Sputnik” satellite and totally neat.

I remember that my cousins Bobbie and Joanne Carr would invite me up to their house when Duquesne was playing a home game and we would watch the game from the kitchen window while they would bake chocolate chip cookies. Think about it, a wonderful game view, a cool and crisp autumn evening, warm chocolate chip cookies… ahh, heaven to a young boy. In fact, it was Bobbie and Joanne that taught me the joy of eating raw chocolate chip cookie dough. Yes, I know all about the dangers of eating uncooked eggs and all that jazz, but come on, our parents ate pig’s feet and coagulated blood sausage, so cut me a break!

It was Aunt Rose that allowed me to host my first Boy/Girl Party in her basement “Rec Room.” I think it was during my freshman year of high school, the year following my mom’s death. Aunt Rose was her oldest sister. They had just finished the room with the very latest trend in home fashion, wood paneling! It was the perfect place for a party and I took full advantage of it. I had my mom’s hi-fi stereo record player there and cranked it up, playing songs by the Association, the Righteous Brothers, the Four Tops, and the Supremes. Of course, none of the boys would fast dance with the girls, but slow songs got us quickly to our feet. If I recall correctly, the slow songs also managed to get either Aunt Rose or Uncle Sam to come down from upstairs to be sure we were not getting into trouble. By the time the evening wore on, the music shifted from playing 45’s to tuning into WMCK and Terry Lee’s “Music for Young Lovers” program, complete with its resplendent echo chamber.

Just like some scene from a retro sitcom today, at one point, we all sat down and played “spin the bottle.”  We didn’t know if that was something that was really done at parties, but we had heard so much about it, that we decided to try. We were naïve little freshmen. What did we know?!?  Since only half of Aunt Rose’s basement was finished, each randomly paired couple would retreat into the unfinished portion of the basement once they were matched. Of course, we were supposed to “make out” and then return to the party before the next couple entered. What I came to find out in later years, was that most couples just giggled and laughed at each other when they were out of the room amid my aunt and uncle’s hanging laundry.

To this day, I often wonder if the current residents of Aunt Rose’s home have ever discovered a hidden treasure that lurked in the basement. My cousin Bobbie is a very talented artist. Prior to the installation of the paneled walls, Bobbie had begun sketching a wall mural on one of the basement walls. It was of a collection of instruments, and was really quite good. However, being a perfectionist, she felt that she had made an error in the perspective of one of the instruments (the violin I believe) that could not be corrected. For that reason, she abandoned the project and it was eventually walled up and perhaps still lies beneath the walls.

It wasn’t until I was into 7th  or 8th grade and thereafter that I began to go to Duquesne Place more regularly. Prior to that time, my only exposure to that area was as a pass through on the way to Kennywood Park. I usually was so excited about going to Kennywood, that I didn’t pay much attention to my surroundings until we would pull into Kennywood’s parking lot. When I finally began to frequent Duquesne Place more often, one of the stops I would make with my friends would be the Dairy Queen on Duquesne Blvd. This was where I had my first “brain freeze” courtesy of one of their Mr. Misty ice drinks. I remember how much we enjoyed going there. No parents around, just a bunch of preteens trying to be cool. How sad was that?!? Dairy Queen is still operating in the same spot and the last time I was there, they were just as busy as when I was a kid. You just can’t beat those charbroiled burgers!

I thought you might enjoy seeing the old Duquesne High School Football Stadium as it stands today. It is actually pretty well maintained. Unfortunately, its one of the few places in Duquesne, except for the government builds, that are! Since I attended Serra Catholic High, I never went to a game at the stadium, but as I wrote earlier, I watched plenty from my aunt and uncle’s home. I remember hearing the crowds cheering, the sound of the band and the cheerleaders even encouraging more spirit, even though it seemed to fill the air already.

I had several friends who lived in Duquesne Place that I visited. Since my Uncle Sam Carr was in local politics, he introduced me to Nancy Staisey, Senator Staisey’s daughter. She and I became very good friends during high school. My Holy Name buddy, Geno Sabolcik was a D.P. resident as well as Alan Belancik, a high school friend. I sometimes would drive with my Aunt Mary when she would take my cousin Karla Goldman to Pat’s Dance Studio on Duquesne Blvd. I also remember going to Palchak’s Drug Store as well and taking advantage of their Soda Fountain.

In closing, I wanted to share an interesting article about an event that occurred at Palchak’s back in 1947. A bit before my time, but perhaps some of you might remember. In the meantime, I would love to hear some of your recollections about Duquesne Place. Be sure to post your comments AND most of all, be sure to keep on reading!  Later my Hunky friends!

Posted in Duquesne Place, Stores and Businesses | 15 Comments