The Unimaginable Grief of One Mon Valley Family in the early 1900s
Howard and Iva Dail Hart suffered more than their share of grief working and living in the Mon Valley many years ago, when life was brutally difficult.
Writing with a Painful Paw
I'm deep in writing again, and dang if my hand pain didn't come back. CBD to the rescue!
How Thomas Edison’s Cement Contributed to Donora’s Storied History
The Wizard of Menlo Park helped ease a housing crisis in Donora.
What Donora’s Smog Plaque Gets Right … And Wrong
A prominent bronze plaque at the southern entrance to Donora honors smog victims...and then some.
No Strikes for Mr. Donner — The Battle of Virden
This is the second of a three-part series covering devastating strikes of the 1890s, strikes that surely helped cement anti-unionism in Donora's founder, William Donner.
No Strikes for Mr. Donner — The Pullman Strike
This is the second of a three-part series covering devastating strikes of the 1890s, strikes that surely helped...
No Strikes for Mr. Donner — The Homestead Strike
William Donner, the founder of Donora, never liked unions. He was a businessman seeking ever-increasing profits, and unions tended to cut into them. Donner had grown into his wealth during a time of...
Blasts From the Past
Who was Opechancanough, and what did he have to do with blast furnaces in Donora?
Founder of Donora Biked ‘High’
Who was Prince Wells, and how did he get the great William Donner so blinkin' high? William Henry Donner, founder of Donora, was an astute,…
The Carnegie-Donora Connection, Part 2: Donner Vertically Integrates Donora Mills
The second part of two posts linking Donora's founder with the industrial titan Andrew Carnegie.
The Carnegie-Donora Connection, Part 1: Frick Shows Carnegie Value of Vertical Integration
William Henry Donner, founder of Donora, was never a titan in the mold of Rockefeller, Carnegie, or the Mellon brothers were, but he learned a great deal from them all. Including how to build his mills in Donora.
Should Chadwick Boseman Have Worked During His Cancer Treatment?
Could he have survived if he hadn't worked so hard?
I’m Not Dead Yet!
Once a great while it happens that death can fool even experienced healthcare professionals. It did me, certainly.
The Pain of Dying Alone
One of the saddest days of my nursing career happened when I made shift rounds and found that an elderly patient was in the throes of death, alone. I didn't know him, but I stayed with him until his final breath. No one should have to die alone. But with COVID-19, they are and will continue to die with no loved ones nearby.
Writing in the Time of Coronavirus
My writing life hasn't changed while I'm in social isolation, but my mind sure has.
Was There a 21st Victim of the Donora Death Fog?
I thought I had determined the final count of victims from the Donora Death Fog. I was wrong.
How Were Lawsuits Settled After the Donora Death Fog?
After Susan Gnora died in the smog, a settlement with US Steel allowed each of her eight children, all of whom were age 20 or older, to receive a bit over half the cost of a new TV.
Full List of Donora Smog Victims
So, who *really* died in the Donora Death Fog?