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Reflections from Sunnyside Street by Jim O'Brien |
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| A so-called Sister of Charity cautioned my mother during my eighth and final year at St. Stephen's Catholic Grade School in Hazelwood. Your son, said Sister Mary Leo, is going to end up in Sing Sing someday! Sister Mary Leo must have been upset with me. After all, Sing Sing was a famous prison facility in upstate New York. When I was to graduate from the University of Pittsburgh, my mother sent Sister Mary Leo an invitation to the ceremonies. See, my mother wrote on the card, he didn't end up in Sing Sing after all. This all came to mind this past December when I found myself in jail in downtown Pittsburgh. Sister Mary Leo must have had a smug look on her pale face somewhere above. Then again, when I went to jail for the first time in my life I found myself in the distinguished company of Mayor Tom Murphy, State Attorney General Mike Fisher and Judge Ralph Cappy, to name a few VIPs. My mother always said you are judged by the company you keep. They were among the hundreds present for a Christmas party hosted by Jack Mascaro, the president of Mascaro Construction on the North Side. These are high times for Mascaro. His company is not only refurbishing the jail, but it is building the new football stadium and practice facilities for the Steelers and Pitt Panthers. Fisher and Mascaro were classmates at St. Bernard's Grade School and South Catholic High School in Mt. Lebanon. Now they live in Upper St. Clair. Renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, while visiting Pittsburgh long ago, once said the jail was the only building in the city worth preserving. It has been converted into court rooms and judges chambers and support offices. It?s a real beauty. This is a great save, said Judge Cappy. We're all so lucky, declared an exuberant Mascaro. We're here with family and friends and we have so much to celebrate. Some of the cells from the old jail have been preserved as a mini-museum, and that offered a contrasting mood, bleak images of the history of the jail. My wife Kathie and I walked through the cell area and into the cells. They are so small and so stark. There are well-stained cots and toilet facilities and angry graffiti to be found there. I felt the presence of past inhabitants of those cells. The ghosts of former inmates are still there. This was not a nice place, Mascaro said. Mayor Murphy was looking forward to the next day when the Steelers would be playing their final game at Three Rivers Stadium in his neighborhood. It would be a bittersweet experience for all. I revisited Mayor Murphy in a box at Three Rivers Stadium and he was one of those who thrilled to the experience. The Steelers ripped the Redskins, 24-3, and they brought out the best of the Steelers from the past, parading Hall of Famers across the field and the jumbo screen. And they had fireworks. Parades and fireworks have always been sure-fire hits in Pittsburgh. It was an exhilarating experience for all, including those who watched on TV. I went to one of the best Christmas parties in the Pittsburgh area late that same night. Armand Dellovade, the Canonsburg industrialist, had his annual fete at his palatial home in Lawrence, and there were judges and jocks filling every room. Everybody was still buzzing about the last game at Three Rivers. The announced comeback attempt by another Hall of Famer, Mario Lemieux of the Penguins, the final game at Three Rivers and Pitt going to a bowl game have created a buzz in the Burgh we haven't enjoyed in many holiday seasons. I heard upbeat conversation in every shopping mall I visited in the tri-state area during my annual book-signing tour. There was a great spirit in the air this past holiday season. There was an upbeat mood among the shoppers at the area malls I haven't felt in years. It's a shame Steelers' founder Art Rooney wasn't there. He always enjoyed a good wake. While driving through West Homestead on my way to Waldenbooks at Century III Mall in West Mifflin, I went by the site of the old Mesta Machine Company. That's where my father and brother, both named Dan O'Brien, and two of my uncles, Rich and Robbie, worked once upon a time. They are all gone now. I could see them clearly as I drove by their old workplace. It was a sad moment. I think all of us think about departed loved ones during the Christmas season. It's as much a part of the season as all the decorations, gifts and Santa Claus and images of the birth of Jesus Christ. The week before Christmas, as is my custom, I made my annual trip to Indiana, Pa., the Christmas Tree Capital of the World. That's the hometown of Jimmy Stewart. His 1946 movie, 'Its A Wonderful Life,' came to mind. It's a Christmas classic. One can still see Stewart racing down the streets of his hometown. The 'Christmas Carol' wasn't the only show in town with ghosts of Christmas past. |
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Reflections from Sunnyside Street by Jim O'Brien |
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