Pennsylvania Bidwell High Rise

"Clues" -- An Introduction & A Welcome

Background -- Why & How

Ms. Gloria Blake

"I am an active member of the Jerusalem Baptist Gospel Choir and I also belong to what we call a Prayer Band Choir. I'm a member of it...I started [singing at a very young age] when my mother started me singing in a choir--my mother, my grandmother and godmother did! They all started me!"

Ms. Cleo Dunn

"I'm always got a smile on my face. They wrote a article in the Eyes and Views about me, and my favorite saying was, 'If it's a dog, give that dog a pat on the shoulder 'cause you never know when that dog might have to lead you across the street.' And so far it's been so true that you never know who might have to come and help."

Ms. Charlotte Egleston

"You know, I know every football player from Tony Dorsett on. And today I watch every football game that's on because some of my guys are on all these teams and the last one that I saw come out was Curtis Martin. From Tony Dorsett to Curtis Martin, I've known millions and millions of football players. There was the basketball team. The ballplayers. You name it."

Ms. Maggie Johnson

"I remember my dad had a big horse--he had white down his face, white tail, he was a big horse. His name was Charlie. Nobody could ride him but my dad. My dad would dress up, had on his brown boots, big brown hat, and he'd get in that saddle, you know, big brown saddle and my dad would go all over the community riding that horse."

Mr. James "Bill" Lee

"I was a candyman. I worked at Clark Candy Company. Making Clark bars. I'm one of the 'young old men'--if you can understand what I'm sayin'--one of the 'youngest old men'--I was young during that time. But, see, I come in when they made candy the old way, but I was at the end of it all--when the old men broke me in on this candy-making thing. That's when you used to hand-weave candy...the Clark bar...used to hand-weave it."

Mr. Clyde Wright

"But now, the places that I went to, a lot of them have moved or a lot of them have changed and they tore down some of the places. To me it was having fun. I guess to somebody else it probably wouldn't be because they was able to do it. But to me, everything--when I found out I was able to do things, it gave pride to be able to accomplish things that people didn't think you'd be able to do."

Acknowledgments

Created: 12 January 1999.
Last Updated: 23 May 2003.
Barry Chad, Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh.