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The
Heartbeat of the Quench
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The
strength of steel,
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Held
within the fragility of glass...
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Built
for those who have forged the history
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and
character of our substance
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A
group of Steelworkers from Local 1843 of the USWA at the LTV Steel Mill were
taking a course on stained glass techniques through the United Steelworkers
of America's Institute for Career Development. When challenged to create a
project to show the value of their courses, they decided no small trinket
would do, and embarked on the creation of a majestic memorial dedicated to
the workers who lost their lives working at their mill. Over the next 18 months,
giving up their personal time to work on this memorial, these steelworkers
cut and soldered over 1500 pieces of glass. Artist Donna Bogosto Kearns, the
workers' instructor in stained glass, created the design for the memorial.
Kearns and the steelworkers contributed in excess of 500 hours of painstaking
work to create this remarkable monument. The memorial was initially housed
in an altar-like structure, designed by Architectural Designer Bill Pascale,
at the LTV Pittsburgh Works in Hazelwood. The memorial was dedicated at the
mill in August 1997. Less than a year later, the company announced its plans
to close the coke plant, the only remaining operation of the LTV Pittsburgh
Works. Both Donna and Bill donated their talents and services to redesign
and oversee the creation of the memorial now on display at the USWA
International Headquarters Building in Pittsburgh, PA. The memorial was
dedicated at the Headquarters on April 28, 1999 as part of a ceremony commemorating
Workers Memorial Day.
The memorial depicts imagery of the mill from different points in time during its 144 year history. The true strength of the memorial comes from each individual creators' identification and interpretation of the symbolic history being conveyed. As one gazes upon this moving memorial, they may be reminded of a time, friend, or a moment in life that strikes a deep chord of emotional memory that characterizes their experiences in the industry.
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