Enjoy the holiday, friends.
My Dad was a second-generation US Steel employee in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He knew how to work hard in the dirt and noise of the Homestead Open Hearth furnaces. As I began my Penn State studies in engineering, he told me I could secure a good-paying job in the steel mills for the summers. I had to join the union. I became a mechanics helper. When a Cat threw off a track, we ran to the machine and put it back on. It was so hot we could only work 20 minutes because the tools became too hot to hold. He was right. I earned a ton of money. So much, I paid for most of my college expenses. The following summer I was invited into their EIT program, Engineers in Training. More money, a tie, and more mental work. My parents were so proud when I graduated with my BSME.
Me and my brothers were together for my graduation day. Dad became enraged when I declined the US Steel offer and joined Westinghouse. He was pissed for five years. Meanwhile, I earned my MBA, got recruited by BF Goodrich Aerospace in Ohio, and my comp doubled. He told me later that I was right not to join US Steel as the ops where he worked and US Steel wanted me to work had been closed and replaced by riverfront hotels.
A few years later he was relaxing on my back porch in North Carolina. I showed him the job offer from Hawk to become the president of the company. Dad cried tears of joy. He was so proud and shocked to see the compensation package.
My life journey began with loving to take things apart and put them back together. In this photo, I was 18. We were removing the motor from my first car, a ‘49 Chevy I bought for $25. Dad and I always enjoyed working together. Manual labor is good for society and it can lead to lifestyle improvements. Happy Labor Day, Friends.
Gotta say - one of the great thrills of my life was a tour of the Stelco Steel Plant in Hamilton, Ontario as a kid in Grade 8 - we caught ‘a major Pour & it’s related light show ! Dazzling ! Unforgettable !