I'm not going to say what I think Serra Catholic High School's football team might be able to do this season. I don't want there to be an "Almanac jinx" like the Sports Illustrated jinx.
Let's just say I had a big, dopey smile on my face at Homecoming two weeks ago, when the Eagles pasted Bethlehem-Center, 54-14. My old religious studies teacher and faculty adviser, Mike Luft, was smiling, too.
"Did you ever think you'd see the day when Serra would score 50 points?" Luft, now principal, asked me.
"There were a few years when we didn't score 50 points all season," I said. I was exaggerating, but not much.
Our Fair City's other high school, up on Hershey Drive in Haler Heights, has plenty to smile about these days. Besides the football team's success under Coach Rich Bowen (they're ranked No. 2 in WPIAL Class A) things are looking good academically and financially, too, according to Luft.
Oh, yeah: And a few years ago, they finally put lights up at the football field.
When the Franciscan monks who had taught at Serra since its creation in 1961 announced they no longer had the personnel to send to McKeesport, a nasty rumor spread that the school was about to close, and enrollment fell. Now, there's a waiting list again.
. . .
I'm not going to make any specific claims that Serra is "better" academically than any other local high school. There are some awfully smart kids coming out of McKeesport, South Allegheny, East Allegheny, Woodland Hills, West Mifflin and elsewhere.
Also, Serra students are a self-selected sample ... do they do well academically because their parents insist they do well, or because of something they get at Serra?
Whatever the case, in my own graduating class, we had three National Merit Scholarship finalists, and we've now got a PhD, a couple of commissioned and non-commissioned military officers, a few corporate executives ... and me, doing whatever the hell it is I do. Serra continues to turn out good kids; one of last year's seniors, Luft said, received a full-ride scholarship to Notre Dame.
And the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh is allowing regional high schools like Serra to incorporate themselves as independent entities. It was done to help North Catholic High School build its new campus in Cranberry, but it will also insulate the other high schools from any financial problems the diocese might have, and will make it easier for them to raise money. Serra received its charter earlier this year.
Serra has been forced to adapt to the Mon-Yough area's steadily declining population base. Besides McKeesport and vicinity, the school now accepts students from Gateway, Woodland Hills, Steel Valley, Ringgold and other fairly distant districts. They're attracted by the school's reputation, small class size, and family atmosphere.
. . .
One thing, unfortunately, does hold Serra back.
"It's the Pittsburgh mystique," Luft told me. "We're recruiting against Central Catholic and Oakland Catholic." Students and parents hear "McKeesport" and decide one of the Pittsburgh Catholic high schools is better because ... well, because it's in Pittsburgh.
I can understand why a kid from Edgewood might turn up his or her nose at going to McKeesport. How you gonna keep 'em down on the farm after they've seen Commercial Avenue in Swissvale?
But a lot of McKeesport-area residents are swayed by the "Pittsburgh mystique," too. We seem to educate a lot of kids who go away to college, get a job back in Western Pennsylvania, and buy a house ... in Cranberry. Or Moon. Or Murrysville. "I'm not going back to McKeesport," they say.
. . .
There's a defeatist attitude among many people who stay in McKeesport, too: "Your doctor (or lawyer, or whatever) couldn't be any good if he's in McKeesport."
(It's not exclusively a McKeesport malady. I'm sure you can hear the same thing said in other older cities, like Latrobe, Uniontown, Monessen and Jeannette.)
That attitude sure didn't exist a century ago, when Edwin Crawford built the world's largest tinplate factory on the Youghiogheny River, or when Seph Mack and Walter Shaw took over the G.C. Murphy Co..
It didn't even exist two generations ago when institutions like the McKeesport Symphony, the McKeesport Little Theater, and Serra were founded.
Having pride in one's community doesn't mean ignoring the problems. It means addressing the problems.
And it doesn't only mean pride in your sports teams, though I'm rooting for the Tigers to clobber Upper St. Clair tonight.
It also doesn't just mean nostalgia. It means determination to save what you have that's worth saving, and to build new, too.
. . .
I wish I knew how to make sure that the "best and the brightest" from the Class of 2008 at Serra, McKeesport, South Allegheny and elsewhere will stick around and contribute something back to the communities and people that raised them.
We can't change the fact that these are relatively small towns, or that we talk funny, or that the buildings are old. But are those necessarily bad things? (OK, the yinzer accent isn't necessarily a good thing.)
McKeesport and vicinity have a lot of assets. As a community, we need to accept responsibility to leave things better than we found them --- and instill that sense of responsibility in our friends and neighbors.
It starts with us. We need to do less complaining and mourning over what we don't have, and more investing time or money (whichever we can afford) in improving what we do have.
In the meantime, the only "Pittsburgh mystique" I'm dreaming about is on the North Side.
I'm hoping --- just once --- that the road to Heinz Field will go through Haler Heights.
. . .
To Do This Weekend: McKeesport hosts Upper St. Clair tonight at Weigle-Schaeffer Stadium, 1960 Eden Park Blvd., while Serra hosts Frazier at the high school campus, Hershey Drive. Kickoff in both games is 7:30 p.m. ... Tomorrow, there's a "harvest ball" dance at 7 p.m. at the Palisades, Fifth Avenue at Water Street. Call (412) 678-6979 ... In Homestead, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, 903 Ann St., holds its fall festival and craft show from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. tomorrow and 1 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Ethnic refreshments will be on sale Saturday, and there will be a bingo Sunday afternoon. Call (412) 461-9437.
It's that time again. No, not Christmas, although they already have the decorations and Christmas candy on sale at Walgreen's in Pleasant Hills, right next to the Halloween items. (Arrgh!)
No, I'm talking about United Way time. Many employers are running their United Way campaigns right now. Back in 2004, I compiled a list of eligible United Way agencies from the Mon-Yough area. It's become an annual tradition around here (mostly because it makes it look like Tube City Almanac is published in the public interest).
Most of the agencies listed below receive United Way money only if you specifically write their code number onto your United Way form.
If you want your pledge to go to a specific organization in the Mon-Yough area, you have to say so.
I'm sure they'd appreciate it. Note that most employer-run United Way campaigns allow you to remain anonymous, so you won't be pestered by fundraisers.
If you know of any other local groups that are participating United Way agencies, add them in the comments section below, please.
City of McKeesport ("Our Fair City")
American Cancer Society, Mon-Yough Division: 1311
Boys & Girls Club of McKeesport: 7051
Long Run Children's Learning Center*: 406
Lutheran Service Society (Meals on Wheels): 3040
McKeesport Hospital Foundation: 888454
McKeesport Collaborative: 9514
Mon Valley Education Consortium: 2910
Mon Yough Community Services, Adult Training Center: 1490
Salvation Army, McKeesport: 4875
UPMC McKeesport hospital: 360
UPMC McKeesport Diabetes Center: 9354
UPMC McKeesport Oncology Center: 4905
UPMC McKeesport pediatrics center: 4904
YMCA of McKeesport: 112
(* --- formerly McKeesport Pre-School for Exceptional Children)
To see a list of United Way participating agencies located in the Mon-Yough area outside of Our Fair City, click on the "more" link ...
I chipped in my nickel on the WDUQ controversy today over at Pittsburgh Radio & TV Online.
By the way, a few people (very few) have asked me recently: Whatever happened to the effort to bring a public radio station to the Mon-Yough area?
Briefly, the group that I'm involved with, called Lightning Community Broadcasting Inc., applied for a license back in 2001. We even approached the Redevelopment Authority of the City of McKeesport about acquiring space in The People's Building, and putting the transmitter on the roof. (I still think that's a good idea.)
But at the urging of the broadcasting lobby (and National Public Radio), the Republican-controlled U.S. Congress ignored the scientific data the FCC had collected and said small, 100-watt FM stations would cause too much interference.
That blocked our application and thousands of others, and the FCC was forced to reject them.
This was the first time, but not the last, that Republicans in Washington rejected scientific evidence in favor of something being spoon-fed to them by lobbyists.
(Ahem. Sorry, a little political editorializing crept in. Herbert Hoover, shown above while listening to Jack Bogut, would not approve.)
Anyway, with the change from Republican to Democratic control of Congress, legislators are trying to roll back the restrictions. U.S. Rep. Mike Doyle (D-Swissvale) is leading the effort, at the urging of Penn State Greater Allegheny Campus in McKeesport.
Back in 2000, our group was working with Penn State to apply for a shared license; Penn State ultimately decided to apply for its own license.
Well, in August of this year, we voted to help Penn State Greater Allegheny with their effort to get a radio license in any way that we can, including fundraising and technical help. We've written to their student-run Internet radio station (WMKP) and their faculty adviser with that offer, and we're waiting for a response.
When I hear more, I'll let you know. The comment line is open. What's on, your mind?
Lots of people in the newspaper business are worried about ... um ... the future of the newspaper business.
One of the nation's savviest businessmen, Warren Buffett, owns the Buffalo News and a large portion of the Washington Post, and he says that if cable TV and the Internet had been invented before newspapers, newspapers would never have existed at all.
"Fundamentals are definitely eroding in the newspaper industry," Buffett wrote this year to shareholders of his conglomerate, Berkshire Hathaway, arguing that newspaper executives "were either blind or indifferent to what was going on under their noses," and that they are "constantly losing ground in the battle for eyeballs."
Meanwhile, newspaper industry analyst John Morton argues in this month's issue of American Journalism Review that newspapers are right now fumbling the transition to the Internet.
And over at the Poynter Institute's Web site, journalism professor Roy Peter Clark is arguing that we have a moral obligation to buy a newspaper every day. (Tube City hard-hat tip: Dave Copeland.)
"I have no proof, but a strong feeling, that even journalists, especially young ones working at newspapers, don't read the paper. That feels wrong to me -- and self-defeating," Clark says. "So join me, even you young whipper-snappers. Read the paper. Hold it in your hand. Take it to the john. Just read it."
. . .
That's right, you young whipper-snappers! Buy a newspaper!
"But" --- I hear you say --- "what am I missing in our two local metropolitan newspapers?"
Why, I'm glad you asked, hypothetical straw-man I made up for the sake of my argument!
I do my part by buying at least one newspaper every day. Let's look at two articles I read over the weekend, hmm?
. . .
On Saturday, One of America's Greats featured an op-ed by former reporter Gene Jannuzi, who wrote about this new phenomenon on the Intarwebs called "spam":
Now it's time to reveal how SPAM became spam. Wikipedia tells us. Blame it on a skit by Monty Python's Flying Circus about 20 years ago.
The skit is set in a cafe where every item on the menu includes SPAM Luncheon Meat. The server calls out the SPAM-packed items, while patrons sing a song that goes, "SPAM SPAM SPAM, wonderful SPAM," to the tune of "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean." Soon after that skit SPAM morphed into spam, which became the name of unwanted e-mail.
How are things across the river? Let's check Sunday's column by Tribune-Review editorial page editor Colin McNickle, who wrote about the Nobel "Fraud" Prize:
For his "work" on global warming, former Vice President Al Gore on Friday was named the 2007 co-winner of the now thoroughly discredited prize along with the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. It might as well have been the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (bad fiction at that, filled with historical inaccuracies) or the Wurlitzer Prize for Organic Circular Illogic given the dung both have been peddling as seasoned cordwood ...
Never mind that the work of Gore and the U.N. panel are rife with errors so significant that they are a mockery of the scientific method and disgrace the word "education."
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