A Miller Medley
It has been a few months since I took advantage of the Glenn Miller
"Something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue" format to
cover several subjects in one column. Let's give it a try.
Something old -- My brother Joe sent me some comments on the Knee Pants
League I mentioned in a recent column. He thanked me for deleting nine years
from his age by incorrectly dating the league as 1960, rather than 1951.
The age group was eleven to fourteen. There were six teams (not four). Gus
Ferree coached Joe's team; the other teams were coached by Morris Perkins,
Jim and Buddy Gardner, Whitey Miskofski, Virg Dalbon, and a Mr. Smith (whose
first name he couldn't recall). Somehow I think Mr. Smith was Earl Smith.
Joe recalls that the league was dominated by a few pitchers who could throw
hard and, occasionally, accurately. In addition to Ron Sams, whom I had
mentioned, the strong pitchers were Marvin McCormick, Tom Herman, Jim Kusis,
Jim Hervert, Al Fletcher, and George Goldbach.
Goldbachs were our next door neighbors; the two families were very close
friends. We were delighted at George's success and cheered for him nearly as
much as we did for Joe. Joe also reminded me that Al Fletcher later gained a
wee bit of fame by coaching Jack Ham in high school football.
Our family had a lot of fun going to the Knee Pants games in 1951 and 1952.
My father had been a good baseball player in his youth and early adult
years. He and his brother Chester claimed they made an outstanding double
play combination at shortstop and second base for the local town team where
they grew up. My father was disappointed at my lack of athletic ability and,
consequently, was pleased that Joe had inherited some of his.
Something new -- In honor of its 150th anniversary in the year 2002, the
American Society of Civil Engineers is sponsoring a number of different
projects across the country to commemorate the significant Civil Engineering
achievements of the past 150 years. Here in Western Pennsylvania the
Pittsburgh Section, ASCE, is planning to erect a number of historical
informational markers at the sites of specific buildings, bridges,
transportation arteries, etc. to honor the achievements and the people
responsible for them.
The Bridgeville Area Historical Society has made a commitment to sponsor a
marker to be located somewhere near the Bridgeville Public Library,
commemorating the construction and operation of the Chartiers Branch of the
Pennsylvania Railroad, originally known as the Chartiers Valley Railroad.
The marker will be about twenty four inches high and thirty six inches long
and will include text which details the history of the railroad and its
significance to the industrial development of the Chartiers Valley, as well
as several old photographs, maps, and timetables.
The original construction of the railroad was a source of pride and
confidence in the future of the Chartiers Valley to the people who lived
here in the middle of the nineteenth century. Eventually it provided the
opportunity for development of the coal mines and industrial plants which
became the backbone of this area. The Bridgeville Area Historical Society is
proud to honor it today.
Our sponsorship includes an obligation to provide the necessary information
and graphic exhibits for the markers, and to initiate a fund raising
campaign to raise $2,000 for the marker to be erected in Bridgeville.
For the past six years I have reprinted my columns from the previous year
and given them to family and close friends as Christmas gifts; the
collections were entitled "Water Under the Bridge, volumes 1 through 6".
This year copies of volume seven (and certain previous volumes) will be
available to the general public at a price of $10.00, with the proceeds
being donated to the CVRR Marker Fund. Please contact me at (412) 343-1652
or, on the web, at joylerpa@adelphia.net.
Something borrowed -- I try to read the Pitt News now and then, to get a
flavor for the environment in which my students exist. My favorite section
is "Pitt Police Blotter". Here are a few excerpts which exemplify the world
of crime on the University campus.
Nov. 1 "At 2:20 a.m. a woman in Lothrop Hall reported that the male guest of
another resident came into her room".
Nov. 1 "At 9:42 a.m. a complainant reported that a student from Hong Kong
had been missing since the start of the semester. The student was located at
his off-campus residence."
Nov. 2 "At 9:00 a.m. someone in the University's mailroom reported receiving
a suspicious envelope. The envelope was brought to the police station and
found to contain a legitimate letter."
Nov. 2 "At 9:13 a.m. police received a report of graffiti in the men's room
at Clapp Hall."
Nov. 2 "At 4:59 p.m. a woman in Bouquet Gardens building G reported that she
had been sexually abused when she a child. Police determined that the
incident had occurred in another jurisdiction and had already been reported
to that police department."
Nov. 5 "At 2:51 p.m. police received a report that an authorized person in
Hillman Library was using a student account to print articles. The person
was given property warnings, and left without incident."
Nov. 5 "At 6:27 p.m. a man called police regarding being assaulted by his
roommate's girl friend. Police informed the man that because the incident
occurred off campus, he should contact the city police if he wished to file
a report."
Nov. 5 "Someone in Langley hall reported to police that a foreign man was
asking questions about the location of a building. The man left the area
before officers arrived, and they were unable to locate him."
Nov. 6 "At 10:40 a.m. police received a report that someone in Old
Engineering Hall received an envelope in the mail with no return address.
The envelope was found to contain a letter asking for bank account
information."
Nov. 12 "Police transported a student from Holland Hall to Western
Psychiatric Institute and Clinic for a severe panic attack at 5:29 a.m."
Where is Barney Fife, just when we need him?
Something blue -- This is a bit of a stretch. In October we experienced
something rare -- a "blue moon", which turns out to be the second of two
full moons in a one month. This time it coincided with what the Indians who
used to live in this area called the "hunting moon".
In ancient times the local tribe relied upon its chief, Wise Old Owl, to
make the decisions that were necessary for their survival. Each year, when
the hunting moon arrived, they would ask the chief for a forecast of the
upcoming winter, so they could determine how much firewood should be laid
aside to get them through till warm weather returned.
The first hunting moon after Wise Old Owl became chief, he was slow in
responding to their question. Several days later he proudly advised them
that they should anticipate a long, harsh winter. The braves promptly went
into the forest with their tomahawks and spent a week collecting and
stockpiling firewood.
They then asked Wise Old Owl if he thought they had a big enough reserve to
get through the winter. Once again he disappeared for a day. When he came
back he reported that he had underestimated the severity of the winter and
sent them back for another week of foraging.
The same sequence of events occurred again a week later. Following it, the
weary braves again requested instructions, this time being more curious
about the information upon which the chief based his forecast. One of them
followed Wise Old Owl as he left the camp and was surprised to see that his
destination was a colony of squirrels that were hard at work gathering and
storing acorns.
"Aha," said the brave to himself, "The chief is basing his forecast on what
he sees the squirrels do. I wonder how they know what to expect?"
Fortunately in those days animals and humans were much closer than they are
today, and could communicate easily with each other. The brave took
advantage of the opportunity and approached one of the squirrels.
"Why are you gathering so many acorns?"
"We know that we are in for a very severe winter."
"How do you know the winter will be severe?"
"We watch the Indians closely. When they cut lots of firewood, we know they
expect a severe winter. And are they ever cutting firewood this year!"