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?
Donora Death Fog: Clean Air and the Tragedy of a Pennsylvania Mill Town
That's the working title of the book I'm currently working on for The University of Pittsburgh Press. A nonfiction work, the book will tell for…
Continue reading → Donora Death Fog: Clean Air and the Tragedy of a Pennsylvania Mill Town
Donora, London, and the Politics of Smog
After the smog cleared out of the Mon valley that deadly October 1948, after Dr. William Rongaus's pleas for people to leave town went unheeded,…
Air Pollution Hotspots Around the World
Air pollution continues to kill people around the world.
Donora’s Legacy Still Felt Today
How has the Donora smog tragedy affected the way we live today?
Secrets of Donora’s Forgotten Cemetery
We tred carefully through the brambles, weeds, and bushes devouring a hillside cemetery in the north end of Donora, Pa. We step from one small…
The Curious Case of Stanley Sawa
This post was updated Feb. 14, 2020, based on information obtained from Stanley Sawa's son. One of the first stories I heard about the Donora…
I Have a Publisher!
I am delighted and honored to join this prestigious university press. Now, to write the book!
I Have an Agent!
I am thrilled to announce that I have signed with Bookends Literary Agency for Silver Lining: Clean Air and the Tragedy of a Pennsylvania Mill Town.
Why I Don’t Read Books Anymore (But Still Love Them)
I'm a word guy. I read, I write, I edit. I've grown up with books. I loved The Hardy Boy books, and read a flock of them. (Flock of books? Bevy? Gaggle?) But I don't read books anymore, because ...
Where Did the Smog Victims Live and Die?
Knowing where each victim lived — and died — can be instructive for several reasons. Consider how many of those victims and their families must have known each other.
When Did Death Fog Victims Perish?
Ceh and Kirkwood were the first Donorans to die in the Donora Death Fog of 1948. At least 18 more followed, most of them the same night. Ceh died from sudden heart failure, Jeanie of asthma. Both of their death certificates indicate they died at 2:00 AM on the deadliest day of the smog, Saturday, October 30, 1948.