Things we remember or heard about
Last updated 28 July 2020
One summer evening Marge and a couple of her girl friends were sitting on the steps of the Eighth Presbyterian church on Perrysville Avenue eating ice cream. A red car came by,stopped and Bob got out and asked their names. It was not love at first sight, but it was like at first sight.
Last updated February 17, 2020
During his summer vacations, Bill, Bob “Squeaky” Myers, Bob “Bugsy” Texter, Charlie “Butchy” Saar , and other boys would often walk to Harry Babbitt’s ice cream store. The store not only sold ice cream and sodas, but was a comic book haven. Babbitt’s had all the latest comic book, and was their comic book library. It was the custom that whoever had money would pay for the ice cream.
During the summer between his senior year in high school and his freshman year in college Bill had a job . He worked in the shipping department of Caslon Press, a printing company. Thus, at Harry Babbitt’s , because he could afford it and was the only one with money, Bill often footed the bill.
Ruth Puccinelli and Judi Hinderliter were also customers of the ice cream shop. One evening when the boys were in the shop, eating ice cream and perusing the literature, Judi and Ruth came into the shop. They talked to the boys for a short time, went to the counter and ordered ice cream, then told Harry that Bill was paying. Just as they were leaving, Bill learned of the ruse and stopped the girls. After some discussion, he agreed to pay, and the girls stayed around until it was getting dark.
Ruth would have to walk up East Street from the store to get home, the same direction as the boys. Judi lived in the opposite direction. Because the pole lights were coming on, the girls wanted an escort home. The boys walked Ruth home, and Bill was chosen to walk with Judi. After all, he was going to be a priest. This was the start of friendship based on walking. Bill and Judi were not boyfriend and girlfriend, just friends.
This walking friendship continued after Bill returned from the seminary. For a long time the were just walking buddies who liked one another and walked all over the North Side. Who knew it would turn into love?
Last updated December 19, 2019
Bob, Joe,Bill and Russ had the same paper route over a span of years. Bob had the route first, then after a few years, shared it with Joe. When Bob quit the route Joe shared it with Bill. This was a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette route that stretched from 2500 East Street to North Ave and included Howard Street and Madison Avenue as well as East Street. One boy took a side of East Street and its companion street, Howard Street or Madison Avenue. The Post-Gazette was a 6 day a week morning paper. We had to be out of the house by 6:30 so that we could get the papers delivered and not be late for school at 8:00. There were about 60 customers on the route, and we were paid 1 cent per paper. Saturdays we went collecting the 30 cents per subscriber, plus 2 cents if they had “the insurance”. I’m not sure what kind of insurance it was, probably life insurance. We often got small tips. Bob was able to save enough to buy a bicycle.
Last updated December 22, 2019
In 1949 Bob built and raced a Soap Box Derby car. For those of you who don’t remember, the racers were hand built by boys under 16 out of standard materials. The only parts that were required to be purchased were the wheels and the axles. Current rules specify the weight of the car and participant, I seem to remember that only the maximum weight was specified. The builder was 
encouraged to participate in the construction of his car; but an adult was permitted to assist in the construction of the car if and when necessary. By the looks of some of the cars, I suspect that the assistance level was a lot more than guidance. Not Bob’s car! He designed and built the entire car in the cellar by himself. He worked for weeks, building the car, and then spinning the wheels for hours on end because he wanted to make sure everything was perfect. His car was not elegant, but it was his car.
The races were held in July on a main thoroughfare in North Park. The races were run in heats of four. The cars were lined up on a starting ramp, and had to start by gravity when the ramp gate was lowered. I think Bob won the first heat he was in, but did not come in first on the second. The article from the Sun Telegraph and my memories make up all the information I have on this. As far as I know, there are no photos of the car.
Four Jones and Laughlin Employees , city police and firemen yesterday were credited with preventing a major catastrophe when fumes from ammonia gas poured over the Soho district shortly before 12:30 a.m.
Hundreds of panic stricken residents of the district flooded police and the Post-Gazette with calls and choking fumes from a ruptured safety valve at the Jones and Laughlin galvanizing plant on Second Avenue spread as far as Oakland.
The four plant maintenance men quickly donned rubber suits, gloves and oxygen masks and rushed into the shed housing and cut off the escaping gas.
They were identified as Joseph Hartmann, 42, of 30 Bly Street; his son, Robert L Hartmann, 21 of 14 Bly Street; Harry Gibbs, 32, of 404 1/2 Pike Street, Canonsburg and Dick Waters, 37 of 496 Preston Street.
A two percent concentration of ammonia is fatal and the shed was filled with it when the four men entered, a company spokesman said.
Meanwhile streets and bridges leading into the area were closed to traffic. Police, their eyes watering from the fumes, went from door to door warning residents to close their doors and windows and remain awake until the emergency was over.
Fire companies called to the plant sprayed water on the escaping gas.
Last updated August 16, 2020
We could use a few short posts about Bob. If you have information I can use, but don’t want to post it yourself, use the contact form and I’ll post it.
Bob was always wiling to help other people. On the night that the Kaufmann’s house on Bly Street caught fire, Bob ran over to the house and helped get some of the kids out. I don’t know how many of the Kaufmann’s 24 kids were in the house, but Bob kept trying until the fire department arrived.
Bob was a jack-of-all-trades. For instance, fter he got married, he and Marge moved into a cold-water flat on Bly Street. Marge would not accept that, so Bob replumbed the apartment and added a hot water heater.
Charlie Saar’s dad walked up the back step on his way home from work. When he was in front of our house, he was tired and sat down on the bench out front. He asked Bob for a glass of water. When Bob returned with the water, Mr. Saar drank it and slumped over into Bob’s arms and died. A little late that day Bob went in his car to pick up Marge and said “Maybe you don’t want to get in, I just had someone die in my arms”.
Bob came home one day with a wire reorder. I was wowed when he 
demonstrated it to me. The wire recorder was the predecessor to the tape reorder. The wire was wound on reels, and operated just like a tape recorder.
Bob was also the first person I knew who had a Citizen’s Band (CB) radio. He was also the only person I knew who added an amplifier to boost his power from the legal 4 watts to 100 watts. As far as I know, he never got caught. I don’t remember what his handle was, does anyone else know?
I remember that Bob had some sort of an argument with Mom or Dad. I was there when he was told to go out and get a job, and not to come back until he had one. He found a job as a helper that day with A J Rick electrical contractors on the corner of Royal St. and East St. He ended up being an electrician, including owning his company. He was a successful electrician until his brain tumor ended his career.
For a while Bob had a side business doing electrical work. He re-wired the hall above St. Boniface Elementary school. It was rather low-paying but it was for the church.