Articles Archive - Page 83 of 157 - Pittsburgh Quarterly

It was now late winter of 1971 and I was running the traffic division at the 226th MP Company at Fort Benjamin Harrison, outside Indianapolis. In those days Fort Ben was the headquarters of the Army Finance School and the location of the Army Finance Center. The building that housed the Center was the second largest …

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Books

The Spirit of Animals Glows in Robin Becker’s “The Black Bear Inside Me”

by Fred Shaw

There’s a favorite scene in Don DeLillo’s sprawling masterpiece of a novel, “Underworld,” where a priest asks his student to name the parts of the boots the pupil’s wearing. The young man struggles with the assignment, allowing the priest to walk him through each aspect of this common accessory, an extension of the body, saying …

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Homes

Modern Family

by Marylynn Uricchio

A traditional English Tudor in Mt. Lebanon may not seem to be the perfect choice for a young family with progressive taste. The classic bones and signature Tudor elements, such as the use of wrought iron and stone, might have deterred less courageous buyers. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”142″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] But the 1931 residence had many …

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Culture

A Summer Sampling: Southwestern Pennsylvania’s County Fairs

by David Aschkenas

For many Pittsburghers, summer memories include fun days—and nights—at county fairs. In this collection of images, photographer David Aschkenas captures the spirit and fascinating culture of the region’s fairs over the past decade. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”256″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] The Big Butler Fair has already come and gone, but get your fill of country concerts and …

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Events

Black Tie & Tailpipes Gala Kicks Off Grand Prix

by PQ Staff

The Pittsburgh Vintage Grand Prix Black Tie & Tailpipes Gala on Friday, July 6 at Fox Chapel Golf Club kicked off a week of Grand Prix events, culminating on Sunday, July 15 with the races in Schenely Park. This year was another sell out for the gala as more than 300 people attended. The Fox …

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Creative Capital

The Legend of Duke Hock

by Greg Curtis

Sergeant Duke Hock was a legend in the Army while I was still in grade school. He was Jack Reacher before Lee Child was born. There are so many stories about Duke that, even though I’ve forgotten 90% of them, I can remember dozens. The two I’m about to relate happened to involve me. To …

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Nonprofits

Pittsburgh’s Hardest Working Angel

by Evan Pattak

Enter the warehouse and, if you aren’t bewildered by the seeming randomness of it all, you get a sense of the urgency. Mobile hospital beds. Crutches. Respirators. IV poles guarding bedpans. Hundreds of boxes of pharmaceuticals. Medical equipment bound for Nigeria, Uganda, Guyana. And for some reason, dozens of suitcases, many of them more than …

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American Spirit

Rocky’s World Behind the Diner Counter

by Kate Benz, photography by John Altdorfer

Where’s Apollo Creed? Oh, hardy, har, har. Like he hasn’t heard that one like, ten thousand times before. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”254″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] “I also get a lot of ‘Yo, Adrian!’” Rocky says from behind the counter of his corner diner in Bloomfield. The counter is short. Really short. Not even waist-high short. “About four …

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History

Kennywood at 120

by Kate Benz

Everyone has at least one, and probably way more memories of Kennywood: Finally getting behind the wheel of the blue car on the Turnpike. Stealing a kiss on the Old Mill. Begging Mom for another hour at the park. Putting up with your own whining kids when you say it’s time to leave. The taste …

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PQ Poem

O Say Can’t You See?

by Samuel Hazo

We shout when we should be discussing, and the country in chaos accepts it. We shoot when we should be disarming, and the country in chaos accepts it. We claim that the poor are just lazy, and the country in chaos accepts it. We budget to build bigger prisons, and the country in chaos accepts …

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Creative Capital

Shined Shoes Can Save Your Life, Part II

by Greg Curtis

So there we were, in late 1970, having graduated from the U.S. Army Military Police Correctional Specialist Academy, the best-trained prison guards in the world. We had been assigned to one of the worst prisons in the world, the stockade at Long Bình, Vietnam, better known as the Long Bình Jail, or LBJ. Our job …

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Education

Black and White

by Bob Germaux

For the first eight years of my teaching career, the only white face in my classroom was mine. I was aware of that fact, of course, but only peripherally. My students were just that, my students. Don’t misunderstand. I’m not saying I was colorblind. I just didn’t relate to my students at Westinghouse High School …

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Opinion

Lessons from the Farm

by Douglas Heuck

Out at the farm, there’s an old trailer that my parents bought about 30 years ago after the farmhouse we’d been restoring burned to the ground. I’m sure that when Mom and Dad were alive and used it on weekends, the trailer had enough of Mom’s touches to make it seem homey and nice. But …

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Regional News

Region’s Demographics Changing

by Julia Fraser

Southwestern Pennsylvania is starting to look more like the United States as the region’s population becomes more diverse, the latest U.S. Census Bureau estimates suggest. The demographic shifts are most significant in Allegheny County and the City of Pittsburgh, where the Asian and Hispanic populations have been on the rise. In the five-year period from …

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American Spirit

Donna’s Dream and a Life of Roller Skating

by Kate Benz, photography by John Altdorfer

Donna’s knee has been bothering her lately. Which is why she isn’t lacing up her white roller skates right now, the pair her late husband bought for her in 1963 for, geez, it must have been five hundred dollars. The same pair she was wearing 10 years ago when she was 71 and broke her …

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Events

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden’s “From Garden to Mexican Table” Gala Honors Rick Bayless

by PQ Staff

“From Garden to Mexican Table—A Gala Tribute to Rick Bayless” raised $260,000 for Pittsburgh Botanic Garden. Held at the Pennsylvanian on Thursday, June 14, the event drew 350 attendees. The seated dinner—following a presentation to Rick Bayless—was crafted by a group of the city’s finest chefs led by Bill Fuller and Justin Severino. [ngg src=”galleries” …

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Business

A Look Inside Google’s Unconventional Bakery Square Offices

by David Aschkenas

What is really behind the brick walls of that redeveloped Nabisco cookie factory building in Bakery Square, labelled with Google’s colorful logo? Think: hammocks, coffee shops, dining rooms, gaming rooms and pool tables. Created in collaboration with local architecture firm Strada, Google’s office space in Pittsburgh’s East End is playful, unconventional and inspiring with many …

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Creative Capital

Shined Shoes Can Save Your Life

by Greg Curtis

A few weeks ago, in a post about J. D. Vance’s book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” I mentioned in passing that I was convinced that having spit-shined my Army combat boots may have saved my life. I didn’t elaborate, and since then several dozen people have inquired about that brief aside. So here’s the story. To understand what …

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Sports

Play Ball! Faster Please

by Marino Parascenzo

Major League Baseball’s department of Faster Play, fearing that people will think the game has become sluggish and dull and will quit watching, has devised yet another new rule to perk things up, as Pirates fans might note this season. This one’s about mound visits. Like when the catcher goes out to the pitcher and …

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Events

“Galactic Get Down” Revels in Museum’s Vision of the Future

by PQ Staff

On Friday, June 15, the Mattress Factory museum of contemporary art welcomed a sold-out crowd of over 1,300 people to its annual Urban Garden Party. This year’s theme, Galactic Get Down, took inspiration from the museum’s vision for 2058, 40 years in the future. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”250″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] Guests remembered the Mattress Factory’s founding …

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American Spirit

An Antique Point of View

by Kate Benz, photography by John Altdorfer

Someday, Jim Barricella will retire from antiquing. Well, maybe not retire literally, but definitely do something else with his life. Something other than the never-ending hours he spends at his antique shop, Off the Avenue. [ngg src=”galleries” ids=”248″ display=”basic_thumbnail” thumbnail_crop=”0″] If someone bought the place, Jim would set up a booth and stick some antiques …

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Creative Capital

Why Democracy Matters

by Greg Curtis

Just to make it simple, let’s define Europe’s “illiberal democracies” as those countries where elected leaders profoundly disagree with the liberal, inclusive, affluent worldview of the EU’s political classes. The British disagreed with this worldview so violently that they left the Union altogether. Most of the other “illiberal” democracies aren’t in strong enough positions to …

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