I grew up on the slopes of Pittsburgh's southside on Cobden Street. I graduated from South High School in 1976 and from Pitt in 1979. Even though I haven't lived in the city since 1980, my bond to the city never broke. If anything, it's grown stronger. This blog is about trying to figure out why.
Saturday, July 6, 2013
Loran Smith on being "Inspired by the Spirit of Pittsburgh"
Loran Smith is another local writer and Athens sports celebrity. Coincidentally, today - the day I started this blog - he has published an article in the Athens Banner-Herald about the "Spirit of Pittsburgh."
Why I Won't Go on a Tour of New York with Darrell Huckaby
Darrell Huckaby is a weekly columnist in our local paper here, the Athens Banner-Herald. He tells homespun tales in his column in the attempt to be another Lewis Grizzard, an author I admire. He is also a public school teacher who is a proud graduate of the University of Georgia. He is also a lover of American history, something I have become passionate about over the past 25 years or so. I dare say that Darrell has become a beloved member of the Athens community and he's become a much sought after speaker. He has also publicly shared some tough times as he has dealt with cancer, so he's known as a really great, classy guy.
Lately, he's been in the tour guide business, leading tours to various places, with an upcoming trip to New York City in December. My wife Pat saw the advertisement in the paper and thought it looked good. She asked if I was interested, and I quickly said "Absolutely not!" Now, given what I told you about him, you would think I would be a fan of Darrell's, but I'm not.
She asked why and I explained that in one of his early columns years ago he insulted the city of Pittsburgh. To be honest, I hardly remember the details of the insult -- something about his neighbor (a former Pittsburgher) not knowing the difference between a cookout and a barbecue. But, I remember it went a little further than that because, at least in his early columns (the only ones I ever read) he also had a tendency -- in a nice way -- to tell all Northerners they should go home. I really haven't thought about any of this for a long time, but I remembered them all the moment my wife mentioned the idea of going on his New York tour. I could not bear the thought -- and paying for the opportunity -- of spending time with a guy who publicly disrespected my hometown.
P.S. Let me say that I admire anyone who has the ability, talent, and work ethic to write a weekly column, and I also admire the way he's handled life's challenges, so despite what message I seem to conveying above, I do respect Darrell and wish him well.
Lately, he's been in the tour guide business, leading tours to various places, with an upcoming trip to New York City in December. My wife Pat saw the advertisement in the paper and thought it looked good. She asked if I was interested, and I quickly said "Absolutely not!" Now, given what I told you about him, you would think I would be a fan of Darrell's, but I'm not.
She asked why and I explained that in one of his early columns years ago he insulted the city of Pittsburgh. To be honest, I hardly remember the details of the insult -- something about his neighbor (a former Pittsburgher) not knowing the difference between a cookout and a barbecue. But, I remember it went a little further than that because, at least in his early columns (the only ones I ever read) he also had a tendency -- in a nice way -- to tell all Northerners they should go home. I really haven't thought about any of this for a long time, but I remembered them all the moment my wife mentioned the idea of going on his New York tour. I could not bear the thought -- and paying for the opportunity -- of spending time with a guy who publicly disrespected my hometown.
P.S. Let me say that I admire anyone who has the ability, talent, and work ethic to write a weekly column, and I also admire the way he's handled life's challenges, so despite what message I seem to conveying above, I do respect Darrell and wish him well.
Is "Diaspora" the Right Word?
The subtitle of this blog is "letters from one of the Pittsburgh diaspora." I hesitated in using that word, as it is usually defined and associated with "the scattering of the Jews to countries outside of Palestine after the Babylonian captivity." I didn't want to write anything that would seem the least bit disrespectful to anyone of Jewish heritage. But, another more general meaning is "any group that has been dispersed outside its traditional homeland, especially involuntarily..." I think this captures well the feeling of so many people, like me, who left the city of Pittsburgh. I've also seen this word used by others to describe Pittsburghers who now live all over the country. (It's always great to see the number of terrible towels being waved at away Steeler games.)
According to Wikipedia, the current population of Pittsburgh is 307,484. The population peaked around 1950 with a population then of 676,806. In every decade since, the population decreased, with the more dramatic being associated with the rapid decline of the steel industry in the late 1970s and 1980s. So, over half of the population left the city during this time. Of course, American is a mobile society, but this represents a quick and dramatic migration of people who largely found themselves needing to leave the city against their wishes.
In my case, I left the city within weeks of graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in December, 1979. There just were no prospects of full-time teaching positions within the city. Although my wife, Pat, and I didn't want to leave, I must admit that I recall we were both up for an adventure. But, if I had found a teaching position in or near the city, I'm sure we would have stayed. We ended up in Bluewater, New Mexico and I taught at Bluewater Elementary for almost five years. I earned my Master's degree from the University of New Mexico in 1983. We left New Mexico in August, 1984 for me to return to school to get my doctorate. I thought I was going to go to the University of Oregon, but wound up going to Penn State. It felt a little like a homecoming, being at least back in Pennsylvania. It was also wonderful to discover and explore the state of Pennsylvania, something my family never did when I was growing up. (The furthest trip from Pittsburgh my family ever took was to Slippery Rock to send my older brother off to college. The next most "exotic" trips we ever took were the once-per-year trip to the Piney Forks pool during my dad's summer vacation from the J&L steel mill.) We lived for three years in Bellefonte, Pa, the county seat of Centre County and a more economical place to live for a starving graduate student and his family than State College. (It's been hard seeing the world "discover" Bellefonte from the Sandusky trial.)
From Penn State, we traveled to Bryan, Texas for my first academic position at Texas A&M University. We lived there for six years, from 1987 to 1993. Since 1993 we have lived in Georgia while I have worked at the University of Georgia. We've lived on Nowhere Road in Madison County, Georgia (yes, that's a real road) since 1998. This summer marks our 20th year in Georgia in the Athens area. One more year here and it will equal the time my wife and I lived in Pittsburgh.
Through it all have been countless trips back to Pittsburgh, at least one per year, but more as the situation warranted. As both of my parents grew older and became ill, I found myself traveling back much more often, or trying to find ways to stop through Pittsburgh if only for very short stays to see them. My parents lived at the same address on Cobden Street for 60 years, having bought the house in 1950. I didn't realize it at the time, but the house truly was a harbor or a refuge for me. I've certainly been thinking a lot about it since we sold the house after my mom died in October, 2010 (my dad died in July, 2002).
People who I have met in my travels who also left the city for one reason or another also, like me, have kept a bond with the city. In one sense, we don't really feel like we've left. I sometimes wonder if this annoys or irritates Pittsburghers who found a way to stay put. Do they feel like we abandoned our city? Frankly, I've never heard this sentiment expressed, but only have felt a sense of welcoming back, if only for the few days of a visit.
I really don't understand the pull the city has had on me all these years. Perhaps by writing about it here, something will be revealed. If not, well then at least I'll have a chance to share a few stories. I also find myself reading more about Pittsburgh's history and often search out for places in the city when I visit that I never knew existed or never knew of their significance. I don't expect anyone to read this blog other than some family members, but if you are a former Pittsburgher and have stumbled across it, I hope you will share some of your story as well. And, if you are a Pittsburgher who never left the city, I'd like to know your feelings about those of us who have left but have kept our Pittsburgh connection. Do we have any right to call ourselves a Pittsburgher?
According to Wikipedia, the current population of Pittsburgh is 307,484. The population peaked around 1950 with a population then of 676,806. In every decade since, the population decreased, with the more dramatic being associated with the rapid decline of the steel industry in the late 1970s and 1980s. So, over half of the population left the city during this time. Of course, American is a mobile society, but this represents a quick and dramatic migration of people who largely found themselves needing to leave the city against their wishes.
In my case, I left the city within weeks of graduating from the University of Pittsburgh in December, 1979. There just were no prospects of full-time teaching positions within the city. Although my wife, Pat, and I didn't want to leave, I must admit that I recall we were both up for an adventure. But, if I had found a teaching position in or near the city, I'm sure we would have stayed. We ended up in Bluewater, New Mexico and I taught at Bluewater Elementary for almost five years. I earned my Master's degree from the University of New Mexico in 1983. We left New Mexico in August, 1984 for me to return to school to get my doctorate. I thought I was going to go to the University of Oregon, but wound up going to Penn State. It felt a little like a homecoming, being at least back in Pennsylvania. It was also wonderful to discover and explore the state of Pennsylvania, something my family never did when I was growing up. (The furthest trip from Pittsburgh my family ever took was to Slippery Rock to send my older brother off to college. The next most "exotic" trips we ever took were the once-per-year trip to the Piney Forks pool during my dad's summer vacation from the J&L steel mill.) We lived for three years in Bellefonte, Pa, the county seat of Centre County and a more economical place to live for a starving graduate student and his family than State College. (It's been hard seeing the world "discover" Bellefonte from the Sandusky trial.)
From Penn State, we traveled to Bryan, Texas for my first academic position at Texas A&M University. We lived there for six years, from 1987 to 1993. Since 1993 we have lived in Georgia while I have worked at the University of Georgia. We've lived on Nowhere Road in Madison County, Georgia (yes, that's a real road) since 1998. This summer marks our 20th year in Georgia in the Athens area. One more year here and it will equal the time my wife and I lived in Pittsburgh.
Through it all have been countless trips back to Pittsburgh, at least one per year, but more as the situation warranted. As both of my parents grew older and became ill, I found myself traveling back much more often, or trying to find ways to stop through Pittsburgh if only for very short stays to see them. My parents lived at the same address on Cobden Street for 60 years, having bought the house in 1950. I didn't realize it at the time, but the house truly was a harbor or a refuge for me. I've certainly been thinking a lot about it since we sold the house after my mom died in October, 2010 (my dad died in July, 2002).
People who I have met in my travels who also left the city for one reason or another also, like me, have kept a bond with the city. In one sense, we don't really feel like we've left. I sometimes wonder if this annoys or irritates Pittsburghers who found a way to stay put. Do they feel like we abandoned our city? Frankly, I've never heard this sentiment expressed, but only have felt a sense of welcoming back, if only for the few days of a visit.
I really don't understand the pull the city has had on me all these years. Perhaps by writing about it here, something will be revealed. If not, well then at least I'll have a chance to share a few stories. I also find myself reading more about Pittsburgh's history and often search out for places in the city when I visit that I never knew existed or never knew of their significance. I don't expect anyone to read this blog other than some family members, but if you are a former Pittsburgher and have stumbled across it, I hope you will share some of your story as well. And, if you are a Pittsburgher who never left the city, I'd like to know your feelings about those of us who have left but have kept our Pittsburgh connection. Do we have any right to call ourselves a Pittsburgher?
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