Although I have officially been retired from teaching in the Civil Engineering Department at Pitt for over eighteen months, up until now I have been able to retain my office. Before Covid-19 I would go into school one day each week, loaf in my office, help out with Senior Design, and enjoy lunch with my daughter Elizabeth. Alas, all good things must come to an end; recently I was advised that the Department had four new hires coming in and that they needed my office. Elizabeth and I waded through the red tape maze, acquired an entry permit, and were…

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For most of my life I assumed that my life span would be the traditional “three score and ten” years. This month I celebrated my eighty-ninth birthday and realized that I have had nineteen years since my warranty ran out, a remarkable bonus. This got me thinking about all the wonderful things I would have missed if I had indeed cashed in my chips in 2001. Most important of course are the fifteen wonderful years my wife and I had together since then, a blessing that easily overshadows the four empty years since she died. I have been fortunate to…

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My friend Troy Bogdan has a YouTube Channel with the name “Farmer Troy” that regularly has a wide variety of interesting videos. Recently he posted one entitled “Sweet Gum Trees of Bridgeville, Pa.”, documenting a well-known group of trees, many of which were scheduled to be cut down. The southeast (uphill) side of Gregg Avenue boasts a stand of twenty mature sweet gum trees, primarily known as the source of disruption for the adjacent, very old stone slab sidewalk. Having learned that many of them were doomed, Troy walked along the sidewalk, filming the trees. In passing, he mentioned that…

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My (soon to be Nonagenarian) friend Don Toney is continually impressed with today’s technology and the modern miracles it has produced. Recently he was waxing eloquent about the convenience we have today ordering things on the Internet and having them delivered to our front door. My reaction was “Yes, but how much different is that from 1940?” Eighty years ago our parents appreciated the convenience of leafing through the Montgomery Wards and Sears, Roebuck catalogues, ordering items, and having them delivered to our homes. I particularly remember the excitement of receiving the Christmas catalogues right around Thanksgiving and pouring over…

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The Bridgeville Area Historical Society celebrated the promotion of Allegheny County to the “green” status by returning to its regular program of live presentations last month. Appropriately the speaker was one of the Society’s favorites – Dr. Todd DePastino. His subject was also appropriate for these times – “The American Way of Voting: a Wild History”. Because of my voluntary self-quarantine I was unable to attend the presentation in person; fortunately it was filmed and became available on the “Bridgeville.org” website two days later. I was not surprised to learn that the program was equally entertaining and educational, particularly since…

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The events of recent months have been of great interest to us amateur political scientists (a category that includes almost all of us) as “government” has been forced into taking the most active role in our lives since World War II. Who would have foreseen lockdowns, mandatory use of masks, and the general disruption to everyday life we have experienced? I think most of us will agree that it was necessary for someone to at least consider each of the measures have been imposed on us. The surprising thing to me is the general confusion regarding the level of government…

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This week we are going to roll back the calendar six decades by taking advantage of the Bridgeville Area Historical Society’s archive of old copies of the Bridgeville News, beginning with the June 30, 1960 issue. The News was an eight-page weekly paper available at newsstands for seven cents each week, or mailed to your home by subscription for three dollars a year. Ralph E. Hennon and Custer G. Papas are listed as owners and publishers. In many respects 1960 was a watershed year for Bridgeville in its transition from regional commercial center to suburban bedroom community. The Great Southern Shopping Center had opened…

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I have been self-isolated for eleven weeks, probably over-reacting to the Covis 19 pandemic. My children are overly protective and keenly aware of my fragility. And, the fact that well over one-fourth of the octogenarians who have been infected have died is frightening. Consequently I have stayed close to home all this time.  I am writing this on June 6, the second day Allegheny County has been promoted from “yellow” to “green” in the gradual transition back to something closer to normal. Two weeks ago my daughter Elizabeth, who has carried the brunt of supplying me with groceries, allowed me…

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For a number of years, a statue of a dog has been a landmark in our woods. It was about thirty inches high, portraying a Golden Retriever obediently sitting back on its haunches (hunkered down?). No one seems to know how it got there, although some of the older eccentrics in the neighborhood apparently have fabricated unlikely scenarios. My favorite is the story that a farmer living in the century old house across the road at the west end of the woods was having a problem with a dog that simply wouldn’t obey. One day the dog ran off and…

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My grandson, Ian Alistair McCance, is about to graduate from Rocky Mountain High School in Fort Collins, Colorado, in a ceremony severely limited in attendees. His mother has elected to supplement this with a teleconference including all of his extended family. I was asked to provide the Commencement Address for this family celebration. What follows is an approximate version of that address. Good afternoon, Ian, and to your extended family as well. I am honored to have been asked to give this Commencement Address. This is an appropriate assignment for me, as I am the oldest, and consequently the wisest…

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