TM(Advertisement)
Tube City Community Media Inc. is seeking freelance writers to help cover city council, news and feature stories in McKeesport, Duquesne, White Oak and the neighboring communities. High school and college students seeking work experience are encouraged to apply; we are willing to work with students who need credit toward class assignments. Please send cover letter, resume, two writing samples and the name of a reference (an employer, supervisor, teacher, etc. -- not a relative) to tubecitytiger@gmail.com.
Ads start at $1 per day, minimum seven days.
National Works Remembered: Ed Brush's Poem
By Jason Togyer
The Tube City Almanac
November 02, 2017
Posted in: History
In 1997, while working at the McKeesport Daily News, I realized that it had been exactly 10 years since U.S. Steel's National Works had closed --- actually, I think I noticed an item under "This Day in History."
Business editor Sue Simkovic, photographer John Barna and I decided to do something we called "The National Works Project," and we asked readers to send us their memories of working in the mill.
For a variety of reasons, none of which I remember (probably lack of space), we didn't use everything we collected. One item I particularly regretted not using was a poem that came to us from a retiree named Ed Brush.
Mr. Brush had retired in 1981 --- just as the mill was entering its final decline --- after 41 years, most recently as an electrician in the Pipe Mill, and had written the poem for his former co-workers before a retirement party.
I saved it, and I'm happy to finally publish it at Tube City Online, 20 years later.
Sadly, Mr. Brush won't get to see it. According to an obituary I found, he died Jan. 8, 2007, at 87, leaving his wife, Mary, who passed away about three years later.
If any of his children or grandchildren should happen to read this, I would appreciate hearing from them, and I hope they don't mind me printing his poem, finally, 20 years too late.
You can read Ed Brush's poem here.
Yesterday, we published a timeline of the history of National Works from 1865 to 1987.
Originally published November 02, 2017.
In other news:
"State Regulators OK S…" || "Lions Slate Toys for …"