Two Funerals, One Steelers Legend: THE Art Rooney, Sr., Dreaded Diseases of the Great Depression and She Quit Her High Paying Job To Make Crafts

This is Mrs. L American stories. We sure were Americans. The store and the American people to search for the L American stories podcast go to the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcast. Next we bring you Jim O'Brien Pittsburgh native sports journalist and the author of the Pittsburgh proud series of books today. Jim brings us a story about Steelers legend, the chief founding owner of the franchise. Art Rooney Senior I like to tell you a story about my favorite person in all price parts. He's like the grandfather that I never had my grandparents were all gone by the time I was a little boy so I guess I need a grant that an art.

Rooney filled the bill is the nicest guy that I ever met in the sports world.

I met him when I was a teenager and I went out to see the Steelers practice one day at the fairgrounds in the South Park area of Pittsburgh. Boy was that a dump had horses out there during the week and sometimes the players had to watch where they stepped on the grass but somehow the Steelers back in the 50s managed to practice Darren's Art Rooney was normally on the sideline.

I met him one day on the sideline and talk to him and he told me he knew some of his favorite players where some of his favorite sportswriters and just to say what kind of a man he was. The next day he sends me a postcard and he apologizes for having the temerity to tell me who his favorite sportswriters work. Now I was a freshman at University of Pittsburgh. I was 19 years old and Art Rooney's apologizing to me now is the sports editor of the student newspaper. He's apologizing to me, but that's that's what a humble man. A wise and Art Rooney is responsible for the reason that I go to so many funerals today. He says you can't miss the funeral of a friend and acquaintance you show up and if you never hear another story about Art Rooney. This one should suffice to tell you exactly what a wonderful man he was. I went to the funeral when his wife Kathleen died.

I was covering the Pittsburgh Steelers at the time for the Pittsburgh press and she had died while we were in Seattle in a couple days later they had a funeral and what they called the Rooney church which was St. Peter's on the north side of Pittsburgh. The reason they call it the Rooney church was twofold. One is Mr. Rooney, was always seceded and one of the first pews in the church on a daily basis. Secondly, no one in the community gave more money to St. Peter's then did Art Rooney so his wife Kathleen dies and the funeral was held at Devlin's funeral home. Also on the north side of Pittsburgh and just about everybody in Pittsburgh showed up for the funeral and just about every priest.

When I had the mass that St. Peter's just about every priest showed up for the funeral. George Young good friend of the Rooney's and at the time, the general manager of the New York Giants said nobody in Pittsburgh. No Catholic should be dying at that particular time because there would be any priest to offer the last rites. So a friend of mine, Dan Lackner, who owned a paper company in Pittsburgh and of course had to Steelers account.

He was a good Catholic and he had worked for the Steelers when he was a teenager at Central Catholic high school in Pittsburgh school well known for later producing the likes of Bob Danny Marino, who went on to become an All-American quarterback at University of Pittsburgh and then an All-Pro quarterback for the Miami Dolphins so art Rooney's at the door greeting all of his friends and acquaintances that come through the front door of Devlin's funeral home and offer their condolences for the death of Kathleen already was almost dismissing most of their comments because they were usually the same, and that my friend Dan Lackner showed up and Dan getting in line getting ready to talk to Mr. Rooney when all of a sudden somebody to his left went next next eight and Dan and Dan looked over and it was a fellow named Joe McNamara been a classmate of visit Central Catholic and I didn't support what you doing here and he said I'm here because my father died and we have them in the back room here.

He said I didn't know what to do. He said we don't have many people left. It still knew my dad my mom's been gone but I thought I'd have him here for at least a day.

I didn't have that art Rooney's wife was going to be at the same funeral home but were doing the best we can, and since Dan Lackner had to wait a while before he could get to see art Rooney he Sycamore not going to back with you offer my condolences.

You're listening to author Jim O'Brien the sports journalist, Pittsburgh native and the author of Pittsburgh proud series of books about his hometown telling the stories of the legendary art Rooney Senior fitness a funeral. He said friend anyone you know or care about.

You've got to show up when we come back more of the story of art Rooney Senior is told by the man considered art. Rooney, Senior his grandfather and father he never had you on our American store.

We Habibi are the hosts of our American stories every day on the show were bringing inspiring stories from across this great country stores were big cities and small towns, but we truly can't do the show without our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make love with you here to L American stories.com click the donate button a little of a lot to L American stories.com I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my business needs. Piping hot people and confident the small business owners to help the vast State Farm is in your corner and on leg and a neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. There's nothing more daunting than facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone. If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all three clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry all three clear mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and gentle on skin, which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sensitive skin. The next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation as that's cause this big pile of dirty clothes. All three clear maggot packs have your back purchase all three clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types. Geico asks how would you love a chance to save some money on insurance. Of course you would.

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Simply go to Geico.com or contact your local agent today and were back with our American stories and Jim O'Brien story about the Pittsburgh Steelers founding owner. Art Rooney Senior we just left off with Jim's friend Dan Lackner at the funeral of Rooney's wife, Kathleen Wallin wanted to give Rooney his condolences then ran into a friend and former classmate whose father was also being remembered at the funeral home.

Joe McNamara, let's pick up when we last left off in the back room with his former classmate Joe McNamara and walks into the room and his opponent is a little dance there, so to speak.

Table you could sign your name that you would paid your respects and he signs his name and he said there were only about three or four other signatures on the pad and he said there were many flowers in that room at the funeral.

He went back on and is entered the lobby of the funeral. Art Rooney spider Hartley walks over to him and he did miss a trick and he said a Dan what are you doing in the back room. Kathleen's over here and Lackner said no friend of mine from Central Catholic high school.

His father died cunning. Joe McNamara signed nemesis Mr. furnaces will come on let's go back. Show me where he is in. I'll pay my respects to your friend got to remember that art Rooney was known for going to more funerals in Pittsburgh than anybody.

He just always showed up said a prayer and had a very comforting effect on people.

I remember when my brother Danny died. I was editing a newspaper that had a circulation of about 5000 best and Mr. Rooney and all the club officials and the Steelers showed up at that funeral home to pay their respects, and everybody touched in the room felt like a cardinal or bishop just bless them.

Subpart renters in the back room with his friend Dan Lackner signed Sandy tells the sun that he's sorry that his father had died in he learns that his father had lived on Dawson St. in Oakland not far from Ford's filter that stadium and he had died at the VA hospital in Oakland. It was very familiar to art really because in addition to going to 70 funerals. He also paid many visits to friends O'Brien hospitals in the community safe back there talking to Joe McNamara, you thought he was the mayor Pittsburgh and Mr. Rooney remembered that his dad had been a city fireman. He always had a soft spot is hard for them.

So now he is back on the lobby. Lo and behold, the mayor Pittsburgh is in the doorway that was Pete Florida good Irishman from the north side another North Side or Tom Forster, the Allegheny County Commissioner, one of the top politicians in the city he was in the doorway with his friend Pete Florida and they were ready to offer their condolences to art Rooney said how sorry they were. Kathleen had died and art. Rooney kinda shrugs it off. He says to Mrs. they listen. He said you fellas don't forget to go to the back room and pay your respects to our friend McNamara Forster shoots look at Florida to see if he knows McNamara that art Rooney is referring to. He gets a blank look and force this is. I don't know any fireman may McNamara and Rooney rather testily. It was little upset with says yes you do the one from Dawson St. in Oakland. So Forster and Larry look at each other and they sort of gave a look like the new Mr. Rooney was talking about Forster's is that one and he and Pete Florida go back to the other room. So the rest of the day that weekend. Art Rooney at everyone pay their respects to our friend McNamara had them sign the visitors book woodlike out the rest of the day when I came back the next day my friend Lackner was still there and so was McNamara is that we decided to stay another day. So Dan Lackner said that he went into the back room. See Joe McNamara's father once again and he said you could hardly see Joe McNamara in the casket so the room was full of flowers.

It looked like Phipps Conservatory and young McNamara showed the visitors book to Dan Lackner and there were so many famous Steelers would sign the book, such as Joe Greene and Mel Blunt and Terry Bradshaw, Andy Russell so many Hall of Famer's get this ship was signed by Pete Roselle, the NFL Commissioner and now Davis the owner of the Oakland Raiders, a been there to everybody who was anybody in the National Football League had signed the book. That's just showing you the way that art Rooney was how respected he was in the league and how he got all these people would come to see him and offer him their condolences that he got them while they were there to sign the book for his friend McNamara and I'll tell you, you know that the church itself funny things happen.

Now Davis was seated in a pew on the Isle in front of Pete Roselle. They had been at odds with each other because they were fighting about things and Davis was threatening to take the NFL to court and so forth for difference that they had. But even on that day when the priests who was officiating.

The mass told everybody to give sign of peace to the person in front of them are behind him. I saw how Davis shake hands with Pete Roselle and somehow I thought that art Rooney arranged that I guess is on way but think of that. Just think of that art. Rooney's wife has died and art. Rooney is steering everybody that comes to the funeral home to a man that he doesn't even know but he's from Pittsburgh. He was a fireman as far as art. Rooney was concerned he was the best of friends.

All you need to know about art. Rooney in a terrific job on the production by Robbie and a spectacular piece of storytelling by Jim O'Brien but a legend in the sports business and owners owner literally one of the men who started the NFL starting from scratch when there was nothing there and built up anyone who's known art Rooney or his family will say one thing. He was a Catholic is a Catholic before he was anything and this is what the Catholic Church aspires to be is what any church or synagogue or mosque aspires to be met as a servant to the city servant to the people around and there is no better story to tell about art Rooney than that story shows his heart shows his compassion for others, even at the greatest moment of his breathing, the loss of his wife was everywhere with him in Pittsburgh and always at that church daily mass story of art Rooney Senior, a Catholic story. A story of faith and so much more here on our American story. I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my business days piping hot people and confident the small business owners to help you best. State Farm is in your corner and on leg and a neighbor. There call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. And there's nothing more daunting than facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone.

If you want to get those larger laundry loads down right and get back to your life. Try all three clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular pack so that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry all three clear mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and gentle on skin, which is great for any family sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sensitive skin. The next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation as that's cause this big pile of dirty clothes. All three clear maggot packs have your back purchase all three clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types. Then we returned to our American stories mixed story from a regular contributor recipient of our great American storytelling awards and contests in the friend of our show joy you do is the author of Leora's letters and we are is Dexter stories phenomenal books about her family's history. Today she shares with us a story entitled dreaded diseases of the Great Depression taken away joy you ever heard of anyone dying from the monks think off both profoundly affected Iowa Scott and Wilson families during the 1920s they had already suffered through severe cases of the so-called Spanish influenza early in the decade. Leora, the oldest of Chardon Laura Goff family, was married to Clay Wilson. They had three children by then. Brother Jennings had returned from the great war and married Tess local Guthrie County girl in 1921 Jennings Cintas had a daughter, Maxine was born the same spring as the Wilson twins.

Three years later, Tess gave birth to a son both test and baby Merrill came down with the monks. Merrill was just four days old when his mother died.

Jennings and his two small children began to make their home with his parents, Chardon Laura when the Wilson family moved to Dexter Goff, moved there as well, along with many others. Both families had lost their farms after the great war, having been encouraged to go into debt for land they wish that farm prices severely slumped Clay Wilson hired out as a tenant farmer, but when that sound like the family moved to the edge of Dexter where they could at least keep their cow by 1928 farm jobs had dried up along with the Wilson's Claim so they account for $75 by then. They had seven children. They made out a large order to Sears Roebuck and Company for food in bulk, including oatmeal, gallons of sorghum large jars of peanut butter close boots winter coats and one Christmas present for each youngster days of winter were upon them. Leora was in a family way again with the baby due soon in January 1929 twins Jack and Jean. The babies were about three weeks old when the family moved from the outskirts of Dexter into a draft greenhouse on the street just south of the home. The extended Goff family the Wilson youngsters look forward to having cousins Maxine Merrill as their neighbors right away like set up stove in the new house and later fire so it would be warm. When the youngest ones right a few kids at the time wrote in the model T with their mothers stick every asparagus fern and other houseplants and dozens of Mason jars filled with whatever Leora had been able to preserve from the garden all nine children. Even the babies came down with colds. It was not long before their costs serious with a deep telltale crew eye doctor confirmed. Indeed, they had all come down with cough, a quarantines sign was posted on the front door.

As the disease spreads very easily. Claimant Leora both had whooping cough is children strewn newspapers upstairs on the wooden floors beside the children's beds with ashes in the center to catch the phlegm that they sped up short of breath after deep coughing. The kids would fall to their knees and gasped for air.

Donald fainted during a coughing episode. Newspapers covered the downstairs floors as well, but a miserable time for the entire family. Every morning Clay gathered up the stench field newspapers to burn in the stove and arrange fresh ones on the floors every few days. Leora sent the children upstairs to snuggle under blankets in bed to stay warm while she aired out the house scoured everything and mop the floors with disinfectant when the stove warmed up the kitchen again.

She called youngsters come down. The room smelled so clean in medicine.

He darling remember that decades later, the seven-year-old felt warm and safe crouched behind the wood stove one night. Claimant heard scuffling and squeaking of bed springs overhead.

Dale was nearly unconscious and the disheveled bed with his head caught in the curves of the wrought iron headboard. The boy was too weak to free himself.

Clay went for the doctor who prescribed medicine for Dale who had developed pneumonia and also check Doris is bloodshot. She had coughed so hard that it blood vessel doctor sending you Cyclops probably boric acid. Those baby twins gasped and cried. They gained when Leora tried to nurse them. Parents held them upside down using fingers to work phlegm from their tiny mouse so that claimant Leora could get some rest. Jennings Goff Woodhead diseases a child stayed with the Wilson's at night to help pertussis or whooping cough is most dangerous in infants. The doctor suggested splitting a little whiskey down their throats to try to clear them, but I didn't do any good. Baby Jack died in two days later.

So did Jean. They were five weeks old.

The local paper noted that the school and set up okay and so at the Rebecca Lodge, of which grandmother was a member neighbors are taking up a collection for flowers carnations the spicy scent of carnations for ever after. Would take Doris back to when she was 10 years old and the funeral for the baby twins called the 100 day cough. The miserable disease can last weeks. Delbert Donald were in eighth grade and ended up missing a whole grain. At school, there was talk about holding them back here, but they wanted to graduate with their classmates. The teachers agreed that if the boys would double down on their studies take a special test they could graduate which they did. These days most of us have gotten the D TP vaccination, which protects against it. And working cough amongst vaccine wasn't developed until 1967. These days, it's hard to imagine the loss of a young mother two months, or to imagine the hardship of caring for nine children was such a dreadful disease is working cough, then losing infants because of her beautiful job on the production by Monty Montgomery and a special thanks to Julio Kibbe assuring so many of the stories of her family. It's hard to remember what life was like before we were here as a comedian recently said there was life before us and before you in my goodness, my dad and I were traveling the country would always go to Civil War battlefields and on the grave yards in cemeteries and always there will be these little plots little baby plots every family losing a three-year-old, one-year-old miscarriages.

The amount of death, experienced by families right here in this one family losing two five-week goals, whooping cough, having to bury those little babies remarkable story about America living through hard times farming life falling prices, the Great Depression, no jobs, bleak winter months.

Mason jars and my goodness, stove, warmed the house, reminding us what America was and still is family still loved and family still lived and thrived story of America the story of the morning and join your kidneys family here on our American story. I know everything there is to know about running a coffee shop for small business insurance. I need my State Farm agent make sure my business days piping hot equal and confident the small business owners to help you best. State Farm is in your corner and on like that neighbor there.

Call your local State Farm agent for quote today doing household chores can Artie be time-consuming and tedious. There's nothing more daunting than facing piles and piles of laundry that need to be done can be overwhelming for anyone south if you want to get those larger laundry loads done right and get back to your life. Try all three clear maggot packs all three clear mega packs are bigger packs two times the cleaning ingredients compared to a regular packs of that you can tackle any laundry load without the worry all three clear mega packs are also 100% free of perfumes and dyes and gentle on skin, which is great for any families sensitive skin needs my family. We definitely have sensitive skin. The next time the whole family gets home from long vacation or you get the kids back from summer camp or whatever the situation is. That's because this big pile of dirty clothes is not all three clear maggot packs have your back purchase all three clear mega packs today and conquer any laundry load for all fabric types we continue with our American stories. The Artist known by her followers really makes things, creates and forms partisan teacups, mechanical keyboards. Finally, as a content creator alongside making her art uses polymer clay to sculpt her custom designs which is brought over 3 million followers on tick-tock peers tiny with her story and how she made this unique hobby or full-time career. My dream job back when I was little I like to set I wanted to be an architect and I was because I really liked art and I also knew that I had a pretty take an 84 Mac engineering science and aspect and that was the kid out like what I thought was the combination of arts and math I guess and I think earlier on. I do remember wanting to be an artist and I think they were trying to like stifle my artistic spirit, but my parents were probably not super supportive of anything I wanted to be an artist. Even back then. I think an artist means that you are kind of like or dislike make money as an artist and I was like me is more practical to think about what actually providing salary and eventually I want to be an engineer when I was applying to college and I need that.

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Now Is Making like Minimum Wage Rate and Can Even Do This Job. I Wanted to Make Enough Money on the Other Is Thinking about Maybe I Rest My Maybe I Can Make You More Work That You Can Hold in Greater Presence out. I Think I Could Probably Make This Work but I Really It's Really Hard to Leave Nice Corporate Job That Provides A Lot You like Health Benefits and like A Lot Of Mentees Specially in the Bay Area Tech Companies like What They Provide for You. It's Just Sleeve. I Ended up Going Part-Time for a Little Bit. I Have Just Passed Both Things That I Couldn't Be My Full Potential.

For Each Either of the Jobs I Was There. Despite This Is like a Crossroad Because I Realized That When I Cannot Go I like Doing What I Was Doing Is like Miserable and I Just Thinking about like All the Things That I Wanted to or Not. Like My Business.

I Think the Hardest Part about That Was High. My Parents Told Don and They Thought I Was Doing Drugs Are Involved in a Gang or Something Really Literally Asked Me like like Are You Okay Is Everything Okay Are You Taking Time Out Of My Mind What World with Putting a Nice Job in Pursuing This Key Art. I Think They Understood What Are Very All I Confusing to Them and They Tried Very Hard to Convince Me Not, and I Think at That Point I Was Artie Set Myself up on Your Timeline.

If I Don't Solve Goes South, and I Don't Make Enough Money to Go Back to Maybe Three Years Ago My Job and Time Line Here after One Year I Did Was Able to Make It Work and Kept Going into Commissions Which Are Actually People Will When They Hear about Clinicians.

Generally, I Think People Are Flabbergasted at the Price My Price Point Is like the Bare Minimum for Me to Do Commission for Hundred Dollars and Go from There Based on the Design, How Much Work Goes into the End like If You Look at Art in General. Like That's Not Commission and Actually Lose Money to Christians for Most of the Time You Get the Same Amount of Time That I Can Spend the Next Mission I Can Probably Make by Doing Because I like Happy to Make Other People Happy like I Want My Dog I Really like This Character Means A Lot to Me Is Amazing. I Have Some Really Sentimental Story Sells Most Times People Just like Using like Using Art As Needy Stinky Because Anytime Is like Helps Complete the Luck I Throw Away a Very Good Job. I Don't Know If I Could Ever Get That Job Back.I Might Regret That by.

I'm Definitely Not Grateful for a Pandemic Definitely Accelerated A Lot Of the I Think I Started Doing Tick-Tock before It Started and A Lot Of People Got onto Tick-Tock Because of Pandemic and There's A Lot More Traders out There Now. I Think Maybe a Little Bit Harder to Be Noticed Because Then Your Are so Many People Making Caps. I Work A Lot Tonight.

I Enjoyed to a Degree Where It Doesn't Always Delight Me. There Are Definitely Parts of It That You Feel like Work on It to Do Certain Sponsorships.

I Have To like Negotiate Contractor Business like That SF Does This Make Me Happy like Not Every Part of the Job Is Selling or Is Helping Me Happiness by the Large Part of It. The General Feel That I Get from Doing This Job.

This Is Pretty.

Makes Me Happy to Do A Lot Of People Find It Hard to Pursue the Things That They Really like Doing and Being Able to Make a Career Out Of It Is. I Think There Are Some Things That Are Just Better Just Copied and Hard to Make It to an Actual Living Wage.

I Think I'm Really Lucky and Blessed to Be Able to Do That. A Lot Of People Are Afraid to Try and I Just Try but Don't Be like Him about You Know I Have Backups and Have I Just Quit My Job Because I Was like Nothing I Thought about It A Lot, I Kinda Consider My Options and Give Myself Timelines and like Goals You Have like to Play so You Know Your Job, but Also Don't Do It Really Hastily or Don't. Special Thanks to Tidy Units Tightly Makes Things Start Where You Can Go and Learn More about What She Does about Her Art Story of the Key Partners on Our American Stores