What
makes a hero?
A community's
history tells the story of people who worked to see change and innovation
and growth. They are the local legends whose names filled history books.
They are the everyday citizens remembered because they consistently
offered simple kindnesses, or reliable service. And in some cases, no
actual name of a person exists; but you'll see his or her contribution
– in the shape of a business, landmark, or public institution.
And that contribution is so distinct it clearly speaks of an "unsung
hero's" efforts.
From the
wealthiest industrialist to the most humble private citizen, "heroes"
are the people whose actions exemplify community values or push the
neighborhood one step closer to achieving its goals. But what form can
such "actions" take? Perhaps it is innovation and invention,
such as George
Westinghouse's. Or it may be business acumen, as seen in Andrew
Carnegie or Henry
Frick. Political activism is another way to distinguish oneself
in the community. Father Cox used radio broadcasts from his pulpit at
St. Patrick's Catholic Church in the Strip District to organize people
to stand against inadequate housing and unfair labor practices.
Tom Altany
|
Top: Phipps Conservatory, Schenley Park
Bottom:
George Westinghouse Memorial, Schenley Park |
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What "heroes"
grew out of those conflicts? It is a lesson in perspective, since industrial
giants like Andrew Carnegie helped to build a strong economy and contributed
to many of the city's cultural outlets. Yet from the perspective of
a mill worker living in a cramped company house, that same industrialist
could be viewed as a rich man living off the underpaid labor of poor
immigrants. To the immigrants, the mill worker who challenges authority
and demands higher wages for all the workers may be considered the hero
of the story.
The word
"hero" so frequently gets limited to a comic-book definition,
one influenced by caped crusaders and action movie stars. In real life,
though, as seen in the pages of history books, and even in the truths
of history that exist beyond recorded words, a hero is far more diverse,
far more dimensional, far more complex – and, in truth, far more
heroic than anything comic books can create. Pittsburgh's "heroes"
are no different.
Pittsburgh heroes
While history
books are filled with tales of pioneers and military leaders believed
to have "settled" the Wild West (as Pittsburgh surely was
considered to be in the 1700's), the region's true first inhabitants
were Native Americans.
We travel
past road signs pointing the way to Aliquippa, Montour Run, the Monongahela
Valley – all indications of Western Pennsylvania's population prior
to the time of Caucasian settlers.
Sometimes
place names commemorate their achievements and contributions. The town
of Aliquippa is named after Queen Aliquippa, a Native American leader
who settled her people along the banks of the Ohio River after white
settlers pushed them from their original home in the eastern part of
the state. Montour, the name of several roads, a valley, and a high
school, is the namesake of an Indian guide who aided white settlers.
Red Poole, buried in Trinity Cathedral Cemetery, helped to win peace
with the US government by getting his peers to sign the Treaty of Greenville
in 1795, which pushed the Indian Territory west to the border between
Ohio and Indiana. He was viewed as a hero by US government, was it likely
that he was also revered as a hero by Native Americans?
Other Native
Americans received no such commemoration, but they were integral parts
of the community nonetheless. Even today, we live with the achievements
of Native Americans yet may not recognize the innovators that gave us
such agricultural staples as corn, beans and squash. We enjoy water
sports on the Ohio River, yet rarely appreciate the fact that "Ohio"
is an Indian term meaning "beautiful water." As modern communities
strive for diversity,
and small groups within the community rally to be heard, Native American
achievements are again being recognized, and organizations continue
to grow to help promote and support their culture in Pittsburgh.
Description of related video segments:
Latter day heroes
If heroes
can be said to save lives, Rachel Carson, a native of Springdale and
graduate of Chatham College, is the ultimate hero. Through her book
Silent Spring, she had the courage to speak out against widespread use
of DDT because it was killing wildlife as well as insects. Her rallying
cry began the modern environmental movement, saving millions of birds
and sea animals, and likely, not just a few humans.
For
more, see Pittsburgh's
Top 100 People of the 20th Century from Pittsburgh Magazine.
Roberto Clemente
was a double hero, having been the idol of Pirate baseball fans for
being an outstanding right fielder in the 1960s. But his philanthropy
to his native Puerto Rico and other Latin American nations went largely
unnoticed until the tragic day it cost him his life. While delivering
emergency supplies to earthquake victims, Clemente's plane crashed.
His legacy lives on in showing young people that sports can be much
more than money and competition.
Unsung Heroes
Without the
contributions of a group of unsung sports heroes of an earlier generation,
athletes like Clemente would never have played in the major leagues.
The Pittsburgh
Crawfords and Homestead
Grays, Negro
Baseball League teams of the earlier 20th century, withstood
discrimination and racism to give their community the first-class teams
to be proud of. Players like Josh Gibson and Satchell Paige still inspire
awe with their incredible baseball records.
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Other unsung
heroes have made great contributions to their communities by putting
their faith into action. Father Cox, a priest at St. Patrick's Catholic
Church was one person to take political action to change things. In
the first half of the 1800s, others in western Pennsylvania took direct
action against injustice by becoming "conductors" on the Underground
Railroad that smuggled escaping slaves from the South to Canada. The
rivers were an important link in the Underground
Railroad's transportation system. The Bethel AME Church, an
early African American church in the Hill District and Monongahela were
especially active in ushering ex-slaves to freedom.
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Some heroes
probably would never think of themselves as heroes, but rather helpers.
Luana Graves started LaSalle's Beauty School in the Hill District in
the mid-1900s to teach African American girls skills the could use to
run their own businesses instead of doing housework for white people.
Seeing the needs of others and figuring out a way to help is one way
everyday heroes make our communities better!
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