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OURAs with every issue, your community businesses are the reason for the publication of Allegheny West Magazine. Please support these businesses.Their support allows us to mail this magazine, free, into the households and most businesses of Ingram, Kennedy, Pennsbury, Robinson, andThornburg as a community service.:

This represents information that was submitted by these churches before our deadline.For more information on the individual churches,please refer to the listings on page 46 under Community Connections.

BY DR. GEORGE HESSThis information is provided courtesy of George G. Hess, owner and a physical therapist at Hess Physical Therapy. Contact him at either clinic location:Kennedy Township - 566 Pine Hollow Road, McKees Rocks, PA 15135, (412) 771-1055 or Crafton - 37 Foster Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15205,(412) 458-3445, www.hesspt.comLearning Curves is provided as a service to advertisers of Allegheny West Magazine to share educational and/or informational knowledge with the readership. To inquire, call (724) 695-3968.

RMU REACHES FUNDRAISING GOAL;OPENS THE WHEATLEY CENTERRobert Morris University held “Celebration2” last monthto mark the successful completion of the largest fundraisingcampaign in RMU history in conjunction with the opening ofthe Wheatley Center, the new building for the School ofCommunications and Information Systems (SCIS) at theuniversity’s main campus in Moon Township.The 50,000-square-foot facility includes an art gallery, a 3-Ddesign room, a screening room, computer labs, a café, andmore. It was named for Phillis Wheatley (1753-1784), a slave,poet, and first African-American woman to publish a book.The name was selected by SCIS full-time faculty and staffand announced during the event.The Wheatley Center is possible thanks to the $40 million,Changing Lives, Building Futures fundraising campaign,which also paid for the School of Business building thatopened last year.“This building is symbolic of how the capital campaign hascontributed to the ongoing transformation of Robert MorrisUniversity while allowing us to stay true to the mission andcore values that this community embraces like no otheruniversity I've seen,” said Gregory G. Dell’Omo, president ofRobert Morris University.More than 8,200 donors contributed to the university overSTORY AND PHOTO SUBMITTEDthe course of the campaign, which launched in 2006. Other campaignachievements include 30 new scholarship funds, the endowedresearch center, and the RMU Research Center on Black MaleEducational Student Success, which is funded through a gift fromThe Heinz Endowments.The School of Communications and Information Systems includesdegree programs in communication, media arts, computer, andinformation systems, English, and organizational leadership. Its newbuilding is part of a plan to give each of RMU’s five schools its owndedicated space. The university soon will break ground on a medicalsimulation center for the School of Nursing and Health Sciences, setto open in 2013.

NAVY OPERATIONAL SUPPORTCENTER BREAKS GROUND IN MOONThe Joint Services Color Guard, top right, showcases the Nationaland Military colors before the official groundbreaking of the NavyOperational Support Center at the 911th Airlift Wing last month. Theconstruction of the 30,600-square-foot facility will be completed inearly 2014 and will support 290 Navy reservists. The newly builtNOSC will receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Designcertification. The certification is intended to promote design andconstruction practices that increase profitability while reducing thenegative environmental impacts of buildings. The LEED also improvesthe occupant’s health and well-being.U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS BY TECH. SGT. RALPH VAN HOUTEMKENNEDY GARDEN CLUB ANNOUNCES WINNERSMembers of the Kennedy Garden Club in Kennedy Township go on“the hunt” each summer to locate beautiful yards/grounds for itsannual residential and business awards. Business awards arepresented to those companies that best represent landscaping doneby their own employees. The Animal Medical Center of KennedyTownship at 1746 Pine Hollow Road has once again received theBusiness Beautification Award.The 2012 Residential Award goes to Paulino and Eileen Paixao, 3008Timbercreek Drive. They have 27 rose bushes, a Peachy Hydrangea, astandard size Magnolia, and a beautiful Wisteria.If you believe your yard/garden is a “treasure to behold” andwould like to be considered for the 2013 award, call (412) 331-6466 or(412) 771-3694.

Recently, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette released a web-basedtool to analyze school districts throughout the state and theirperformance on the annual PSSA. Montour is pleased to sharemany of our academic reporting categories are ranked in the top10% of the state!Visit this Web site to learn more:http://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/PSSA/2012/.What is the PSSA?The annual Pennsylvania System of School Assessment(PSSA) is a standards-based, criterion-referenced assessmentused to measure a student’s attainment of the academicstandards.Every Pennsylvania student in grades 3 through 8 andgrade 11 is assessed in reading and math. Every Pennsylvaniastudent in grades 5, 8, and 11 is assessed in writing.Every Pennsylvania student in grades 4, 8, and 11 is assessedin science.BY DR. CHRISTOPHER STONEDIRECTOR, CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTIONOver the past several months, the Montour School District hasbeen migrating curricular content to meet the requirements of theNational Common Core Academic Standards, specifically thePennsylvania Common Core Standards. This school year gradesK-2 report cards will contain language and academic competenciesbased on the Common Core Standards. This means ofstudent “progress” reporting will migrate into grades 3-4 for the2013-2014 school year.So what are the Common Core Standards?Common Core State Standards (CCSS) are a set of shared,kindergarten through 12th grade national standards in English,language arts, and mathematics. The Common Core standards willallow teachers to develop students’ understanding of the contenton a deeper level by focusing on the most vital concepts. TheCommon Core standards also provide a more logical progressionof skills that spiral and build in complexity from one grade level tothe next.Were teachers involved in the creation of the standards?Yes. Teachers have been a critical voice in the developmentof the standards. The National Education Association (NEA),American Federation of Teachers (AFT), National Council ofTeachers of Mathematics (NCTM), and National Council ofTeachers of English (NCTE), among other organizations, havebeen instrumental in bringing together teachers to providespecific, constructive feedback on the standards.Will more standards mean more tests?No. For states like Pennsylvania that choose to adopt thesecommon standards, having one set of standards will make iteasier for states to pool information and resources to developa shared set of high-quality tests to better evaluate studentprogress. The goal is not to have more tests, but to havesmarter and better tests that help students, parents, andteachers.

Please find below the Winter Keystone Exam testing schedule (Module I and Module II) for selectMontour High School students, including all 11 th graders: Algebra I Keystone Exam - Tuesday,December 4, Biology Keystone Exam - Wednesday, December 5, English Literature KeystoneExam - Thursday, December 6. Make-up testing will occur the week of December 10.For more information, please visit the Montour School District Web site and click the link 2012-13Keystone Exam Parent Information under the announcement section.On October 3, a group of eighth grade David E. WilliamsMiddle School students competed in the CalcuSolve Bowlat Duquesne University. CalcuSolve is a competition thattests students’ problem-solving skills related to mathematics.Rosh Bharthi, Dina Condeluci, Aaron Crist, JacobDevos, John Dukewich, Clayton Edwards, Megan Hanlon,and Shawn Rose participated in both individual andgroup competitions. The students were scored both as agroup and as individuals. The Bowl consisted of a total ofnine rounds. Rounds 1 and 9 were group problems whereeach team of four sat as a group and worked together tocalculate an answer within a ten-minute time limit.Rounds 2 through 8 were individual problems whereeach student worked independently.CalcuSolve is sponsored by the II-VI Foundation,whose mission is “to encourage and enable studentsto pursue a career in engineering, science, andmathematics while maintaining a standard of excellencein that pursuit.” Montour School District iscommitted to a STEM (science, technology, engineering,mathematics) cross-curricular approach, andCalcuSolve was an exciting yet competitive experiencethat exposed this team of eighth graders to a funmathematics challenge!

Seventh graders enjoyed a Soc Hop on October 26 at David E.Williams Middle School. Students dressed as greasers or socs, asstudents once did in the late fifties and early sixties. The studentscelebrated and acknowledged the novel they just completed,“The Outsiders.” Students joined in the festivities at the Soc Hopsuch as the twist, car hop, hand jive, hula hoop, root-beer floats,and many other fun activities. Seventh graders had a “PennyWar” in October to fund their Soc Hop. A Penny War is a fun andcreative fifties fundraiser to raise money. Losers are the bigwinners in this type of competition, so everyone walks awayfeeling victorious while never losing sight of the purpose to raisemoney for a worthy cause. In the Penny War, students usepennies and dollars to gain in the money war, and any silver iscounted against the opponents in the war. In this instance, it ishomebase against homebase in competition to win a pizza partyand an ice cream party for the runner-up. The home base bringingin the highest score wins the pizza party, while the secondhighest winner receives an ice cream party. The funds are used toprovide a Soc Hop for the students and awards at the end of theyear. This year, the first place winner was Room 104. The runnerupclasses were Rooms 108 and 103.Athletic Director Mitch Galiyas recently made a presentation to the school board to outline the various athletic programs andachievements in the district. He shared information that included each season’s sports, noting that the district fields 25 teams for fallsports, 27 teams for winter sports, and 18 teams for spring sports.He noted the following athletic achievements over the years:

The David E. Williams Jazz Band, under thedirection of Allan “Rusty” Pontiere, willpresent, “Jazz Up the Holidays” on Tuesday,December 18 at 7 p.m. at David E. WilliamsMiddle School, 100 Porters Hollow Road.The concert will feature Montour alumnaLisa Ferraro, a jazz musician and singer, in aspecial “home-coming” concert with MikeTomaro and Kurt Lorence.Proceeds from the concert will benefit theFather Ryan Arts Center’s arts educationclasses and financial aid program.Tickets are $10/adults and $8/children (age18 and younger) and senior adults (age 65 andolder). To reserve tickets, call (412) 771-3052.The Montour High Schoolcheerleaders and drum linerecently participated in a pressconference held by City ofPittsburgh Mayor Luke Ravenstahland former Steeler Chris Hoke.The press conference was calledto announce a contest between theCity of Pittsburgh and Clevelandfor the month of October. Paneraand the Young Women’s BreastCancer Awareness Foundationsponsored the contest. The citythat purchased the most pinkbagels in the month of Octoberwas awarded $10,000 toward breast cancer awareness.The cheerleaders and the drum line entertained the crowd at Market Square with a “pink pep rally” and got a special“shout out” from the mayor for their participation. KDKA covered the event, and the students were featured on theevening news.The students were honored to be asked to participate in such a worthy cause and thank Lisa Edmonds, KDKA,Panera, and the Montour School District administration for making their participation possible.Drum line director is Mr. Nick Hufnagel. Cheerleading coaches are Cyndi Hadfield and Sheri Sumpter.www.montourschools.com

The worst financial crisis since theGreat Depression doesn’t sound likea great time to start a multi-milliondollar real estate venture. Yet in 2009,as retail companies across thecountry were reeling, leaving large boxstores in prime shopping locationsvacant, Robinson native and LatitudeGlobal (LGI) CEO, Brent Brown,realized it was just the opportunity hiscompany needed.As early as 2007, the Montour alum’sprivate equity firm, The BrownstoneGroup, had been developing an idea for anentertainment complex around luxury, boutiquebowling. When the real estate bubble popped in 2008,BY DOUG HUGHEYmaking some rather large venueoptions available, LGI settled on aformer Toys-R-Us in Jacksonville,Florida for its first location.The company renovated the 50,000-square-foot building, packing it witheverything from live bands and hightechbowling to a movie theater, andadded LED-lit bubble walls and dark oakaccents.Just months later, the concept attracteda partnership with publicly-tradedEntertainment Partners Trust, which,according to the “Wall Street Journal,” hasbeen searching for ways to expand beyond its breadand butter AMC movie theater management business. With aBELOW: Brent Brown inside Latitude 40 at the bowling lanes still under construction; lower and upper floor diagrams show all the entertainmentvenues inside. PHOTO BY SARAH HUGHEY

BELOW, LEFT TO RIGHT AND BOTTOM: Scenes from inside the new Latitude 40. PHOTOS BY LATITUDE 40$25 million infusion from EPT, LGI is about to open two newlocations in Chicago and Indianapolis, but not before they putthe final touches on its second location in Brent’s old backyardat the Pointe at North Fayette.There, the once weed-strewn Roomful Express building hasgotten a thorough, $14-million facelift, including a new additionto house a theater and patio roof deck. Named after its nearestlatitude line, Latitude 40’s doors opened this month, and, like itssister location in Jacksonville, it features a range ofentertainment options. The promising retail market, along withthe proximity of hotels and the airport, says Brent, played nosmall part in LGI’s decision to invest in his hometown, where hisconcept has created about 190 jobs amidst the tough economy.“I love what they’ve done,” says Brent about the area wherehe grew up, went to high school, and met his wife in eighthgrade. “It’s an amazing change.”Brent says that through his wife, Antonia Zambrano Brown,they’ve retained close familial ties to the area, and that the twohave made frequent trips back with their three children.Recently, they bought a townhome in Centennial Point nearSettler’s Ridge.Last year, Brent’s brother, Kyle, another area native, joinedLGI as its director of venue oversight. Like Brent, Kyle alsograduated from Montour in the 1980s, where both brothersplayed football. While Brent went on to attend the NavalAcademy and quarterback the football team, Kyle played for aseason at the University of Pittsburgh. Brent went on to pursueinvestment banking, while Kyle got into real estate developmentand management.In 2007, Brent teamed up with fellow investors to start TheBrownstone Group, and together they began the hard work oftraveling across the country, checking out similar type venues.Brent says that it actually was a lot of work.“Really, it was a team of professionals who worked very hardto develop the concept,” he says. “It was no one person ormoment. It was a year-long process.”What they came up with was a sprawling, open floor, Vegasstyleformat that encapsulated the best of what they’dexperienced. Latitude 40 features 24 lanes of luxury bowling ontwo floors, 70 arcade games, a sports theater, live music,comedy acts, and a 90-seat, single-screen theater showingsecond-run movies. Cocktail service is available throughout,serving a menu that LGI Business Developer Mike Biogiottidescribes as Neuvo American. That means options like searedand blackened tuna sashimi and ribeye steaks, but not at theexpense of comfort standbys like burgers and pulled porksandwiches.For those preferring a quiet, sit-down dinner, there is also arestaurant downstairs, partitioned off by bubble wallsdampening the sound from a nearby, multi-tiered sports theater,which will show just about any major sports event, includingevery NFL game.Upstairs, past the glass-enclosed wine room, entertainmentseekers can also bowl while listening to live bands and DJ’s.Brent says they’ll have one of either every Friday and Saturdaynight. Or they can check out live comedy and bands in theVegas-style theater. Once the weather improves, the outdoorpatio will also be open.In Jacksonville, Mike says, both theaters have proven popularfor private events. Outfitted with video conferencingequipment, the live theater was 90 percent booked last year withevents ranging from college booster meetings to productannouncements. The movie theater, says Mike, has provenpopular for birthday parties, for which LGI can either downloada movie or hook up a video game system to the theater’senormous screen. Brent says on Sundays it’s commandeered bylocal Steelers fans, who announce their presence by displayinga giant, blow-upSteeler outsidethe venue. Thatmay or may nothave somethingto do with Brentbeing a devotedand life-longSteelers fanhimself.Either way, hesays, “it’s onelocation, endlesspossibilities.From theyoungest to theoldest, they allhave a greattime.”

Anyone in Pittsburgh will tell you that there is littleneed for clever Santa-tracking websites andcustomized electronic letters, because, in our town,we know that the real Santa Claus is right here atThe Mall at Robinson.And that’s exactly where thousands of people willfind him, some travelling great distances, until hepacks up and takes flight for his big night onDecember 24.The Mall at Robinson’s Santa Claus has been aPittsburgh family tradition since the Mall opened in2001.Just ask him to see his driver’s license and you’llget all the evidence you need. Santa Claus will showhis official license issued by the state of Colorado,noting his summeraddress in Fort Collins.But from November 9through December 24, thereal proof is a matter ofthe heart.Here, Santa Clausspeaks seven languages,including American sign,and has a particularfondness for children who have special needs. Parentsare willing to travel a great distance to bring theirchildren to him, observing the magical rapportbetween Santa and the children who visit him.“It can be as simple as how hemakes such a big deal of the children’s new holidayclothing,” said Amy Rusnak. “He is absolutelymagical – and the only Santa we go to see.”Children of all agesrelate to Santa Claus. “He even gets my 15-year-oldson to sit on his lap,” said Duane Rankin. “I love himand so do my kids. It wouldn’t be Christmas withouthim.” U.S. ArmyCaptain Dawn McCracken Bruce knew about Santa’smagic when she asked him to help her reunite withher sons after a long assignment in Iraq – a momentcaptured by Good Morning America’s Ron Claibornejust before Christmas in 2011.Shema Krinsky is a true believer. As director ofmarketing at The Mall, she’s perhaps one of Santa’sclosest observers. “I think about the things I’ve seen,and the things Santa has told me about hisconversations with kids from people he sees everyyear….from two days old to 102 years old,” she said.“It’s a powerful combination of emotions that I canonly describe as…..grateful.”Krinsky said she calls to mind the letter VirginiaO’Hanlon wrote to the New York Sun. Her father toldher: if you see it in the Sun, then it’s so.“For all of us here at The Mall at Robinson, thestory is just the same as it was written all those yearsago. When you see him — then you’ll know — it isso.”

BY DOUG HUGHEYFor the past four years, theU.S. has experienced a boom innatural gas exploration, due inpart to advancements in techniquesallowing drillers toburrow sideways throughrelatively narrow layers of rockthousands of feet below thesurface. Coupled with a processknown as hydraulic fracturing,which employs massive amountsof pressurized sand, water, andchemicals to break apart rocklayers, drillers have recoveredcopious quantities of naturalgas; so much now that methanerivals coal as the country’sprimary energy source.As methane prices haveplummeted, however, drillershave started focusing on areaslike southwestern Pennsylvania,where valuable pentanes withprices tied to oil, such aspropane, butane, and ethane,intermix with methane. Processed,these pentanes can beused to produce consumerproducts from plastics to tires.A hundred years ago, oil speculators descending on parts of Robinsonand Moon townships were also searching for the raw building blocks forconsumer products, at that time being demanded by markets arising fromthe industrial revolution.Decades before the advent of the Model T, when a byproduct ofpetroleum distillation known as gasoline was dumped in rivers, most ofthe oil produced in Pennsylvania was being sold as kerosene to marketsas far away as Europe and Russia. Packed with hydrogen-based paraffins,and low in impurities, Pennsylvania crude was suited to a range ofproducts, and from it companies made everything from bubblegum tomachine lubricants. Some Pennsylvania-based motor oil companies stilldeal largely if not exclusively in oil being produced by century-old wellslike those populating the area today.By the time oil wells were being drilled on farms lying along presentdaySteubenville Pike, a feverish, decades-old oil boom had alreadyswept across western Pennsylvania. In the wake of that boom, geologistswith the United States Geological Survey were beginning to warnthat the state’s reserves had become tenuous, fueling a new breed ofmuckraking journalists in New York who decried the nation’s growingdependence on a limited natural resource controlled by a consolidatedsphere of wealth. It was a characterization of the early petroleumindustry, formulated largely by criticism of the monopolizing operationsof John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil in western Pennsylvania, that

PHOTOS BY CHRISTOPHER ROLINSONABOVE AND LEFT: You see them in unexpected places, and in some cases, they sit alongside the road as you drive by them. They’reoil wells, and they represent remnants of a time in western Pennsylvania history when the oil boom defined how some of this areasecured its place in history due to the economic boom the oil wells brought. Many of the local wells still put out oil, and are owned byindividuals who tap their reserves regularly. These photos around the airport area communities were taken by photographer ChristopherRolinson, a photography professor at Point Park University and owner of StartPoint Media. Can you identify where they are?

persists to this day.When oil was found in parts of Robinson Township in 1888, itset off a short-lived boom across Moon and Crafton. It was justthe tip of the iceberg, however, as just a few miles south gushersset initial production records still standing in the AppalachianBasin today. By 1891, drillers were producing from an areastretching from Venice to Neville Island, recovering 12 millionbarrels of oil in a 12-month period. Pennsylvania’s annualproduction swelled to an all-time high of 31.4 million barrels, asdrillers tapped into what turned out to be one of the last great oilfields in Pennsylvania history.Events occurring about 390 million years ago that formed theMarcellus Shale, which is driving today's natural gas boom, saysDr. John Harper of the Pennsylvania Geological Survey, are thesame ones responsible for forming the natural oil reservoirs thatattracted oil speculators to the area over a hundred years ago.* * * * * * *The earth had moved. It had buckled, folded, and traveled. TheAcadian Mountains had risen in the east, and to the west, thefloor of a shallow sea had formed. Algae had settled, along withanaerobic bacteria and pieces of ancient marine life, into a dark,oxygenless environment carpeted by thick, putrid mud.Further west, the sea floor had risen gently, covered in whitesands of quartz and ground-up shells. Over millions of years,water had advanced and receded numerous times, buryingsuccessive layers of sand, gravel, and mud. When the continentsof Africa and North America collided 115 million years later, theAppalachian Mountains rose to heights rivaling the Himalayas,sending shockwaves through present-day Washington andAllegheny counties in the form of gentle rises and dips.The sea floor was buried, its mud compressed into flaky shale.Organic matter, preserved by the lack of oxygen, had disintegratedinto long-chained, hydrogen-based petroleum and naturalgas. Under enormous pressures, oil and gas had seeped throughthousands of feet of rock, collecting in sandy, porous layers;most in the gentle rises undulating westward from theAppalachians.In 1890, near such a rise in a part of Allegheny County south ofthe Ohio River, oil rigs were being raised across parts of Moonand Crafton. About 350 wells were drilled in the area, after theFort Pitt Gas Company discovered oil just east of the town ofMoon Run. About three years prior, the Philadelphia GasCompany had also struck oil near Moon Run; an occurrence thatwent by without much notice. However, at the time the companywas feeding natural gas to hundreds of miles of pipelinesrecently installed throughout the city of Pittsburgh.Both wells had been drilled on the side of a promising rise. Butdrillers descending on parts of Moon and Crafton had missedthis mark, despite an increasing awareness of where it waslocated and the likelihood of oil pooling beneath it.At the time, entire towns were growing up around feeding coalto the coke ovens driving Pittsburgh’s burgeoning steel industry.A shallow coal seam cropped out of the side of Mt. Washington,and miners had learned to follow it along the gentle rises anddips in the area.Around that time, too, a geologist named Israel C. White hadproven that oil pooled in such a rise. After putting his moneywhere his mouth was, he invested in an oil company tappinggushers in West Virginia. Geologists like Dr. White, however,were less common in the early oil producing regions thanwildcatters with a so-called nose for finding oil, and “scouts”hired to spy on rival drillers.In 1890, at the height of activity in Moon and Crafton, two oilspeculators named N.D. Jones and J.M. Patterson sunk a wellon a farm that once sat behind where the United PresbyterianChurch does today.Whether Jones and Patterson realized that they were situatedon top of a promising rise or had done any kind of geologicalanalysis is uncertain. They did, however, sink their well deeperthan any other up to that point in Allegheny County, and, at2,000 feet, had tapped into a yet undiscovered formation. By2,200 feet, their well was flowing at 25 barrels per hour, filling atank with 600 barrels in a single day. Of the ten additional wellsJones and Patterson drilled on the farm, the largest had an initialproduction of 125 barrels per hour.The volume alone of that first well was significant enough forthe Oil City Derrick to report on, let alone the depth andlocation, which indicated the apparent discovery of an oil-richgeological formation.A half dozen miles southwest, where oil had concentrated inthis structure, a well was sunk on the Mevey Farm outside ofthe town of McDonald. It produced volumes eight times thelargest struck on the McCurdy Farm.Both areas had benefitted from a robust agrarian economythat had suffered in the years following the Civil War, with theintroduction of competition via rail lines into western territories.Derricks peppering the countryside thus provided a new sourceof income for these farms, which also hired miners eking out aliving in the shadow of the company store.Not everyone with a piece of land in the area struck it rich,however. One who did, according to Robinson Township’sBicentennial Book, was a Forest Grove school janitor namedJohn McKown. In 1892, John made $75,000 on a single oiltransaction; the equivalent of almost $2 million today.As activity in the McCurdy field grew, it attracted out-oftownerswho found work in the oil fields, and who went on toestablish roots that remained for another hundred years.Among them was Elise McCormick’s father, who moved herfamily into an oil company house when she was just a baby. Inan interview published in the bicentennial book, she recountsplaying in the town’s muddy streets, which remained unpaveduntil the 1930s.David Gailey, a superintendent overseeing the oil fields, tookup residence in a house on the McCurdy farm. His prominence,and the increasing importance of the industry, may be expressedby the fact that the town’s name was eventuallychanged from Palmersville to Gayly. According to Robinson’sbicentennial book, the small town that sits at the corner ofSteubenville Pike and Church Hill Road, just a few hundredyards from where David once lived, was named, “after aprominent local oil operator by that name.”Another mark the industry left is the United PresbyterianChurch. In 1993, the church’s bicentennial chairwoman, the lateLeona Scott, told the “Pittsburgh Post-Gazette” that it had beenbuilt with royalties from coal and oil mining, about ten yearsafter oil was first struck on the adjacent property.

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hether it’s a Japanese maple or a sycamore, a black walnut or a ginkgo biloba,members of the Ingram Historical Society hope to educate residentsand others about the many beautiful as well as historic trees that dot theircommunity.The organization has created “Heritage Trees of Ingram,” an 18-month displaycalendar featuring the trees of Ingram. Now available, the calendar captures the heart ofIngram in beautiful pictures around 18 tree-related themes. With many images offlowering pear, dogwood, magnolia, and redbud trees, current and former residents will bereminded of the beauty of Ingram’s streets in the spring. Fall foliage images and snowcoveredtrees round out the seasonal themes. A written passage on each monthly pagedescribes a bit of Ingram history by relating the featured tree to a person, event, location,or the natural history of trees. Featured trees include Loretta’s Tree, which was plantedin memory of Loretta Knudson, a resident who died as a young girl in 1958. The tree wassalvaged from a 1968 gas explosion site on Ingram Avenue and moved to the boroughbuilding. Other interesting stories include trees that came from Europe, one that startedfrom seed as a scout project, and diseases that are endangering some of Ingram’s trees.January 2013 features one of the pinoaks at the Ingram Borough Building in starkwinter beauty.February 2013 displays the generous sized trunk of a one-hundred-year-old sugar maplein the back yard of a Wynne Avenue property.September 2013 reminds Ingram residents of the community’s origin with a full lengthimage of a black oak that is the last remnant of Thomas A. Ingram’s homestead on WestProspect Avenue across from Berry Street.March 2014 points out that several tree species in Ingram are endangered by diseases.such as the white ash on Valois Street near Linshaw Avenue. Inserts are of an Americanelm on West Prospect Avenue affected by Dutch elm disease and a black walnut onThorndale Street affected by thousand canker disease.June 2014 calls attention to the tallest hardwood tree in North America, the tulip tree.Several specimens are on a property at the far end of West Prospect Avenue near theBaby Home.The calendar covers the months of January 2013 through June 2014. The calendarmeasures 11" by 17" and is available for $15, either bound or unbound, from the IngramHistorical Society Web site (www.ingramhistoricalsociety.org) or call (412) 337-7759.Delivery is free within the Ingram area. Non-local orders will be mailed to continentalUSA addresses for an additional $5 per order. Paypal is available for ease of payment online.Frames are available for unbound calendars at an additional cost of $10, but cannotbe mailed. Quantities are limited.The Ingram Historical Society was founded in 1994. Its members are dedicated to thepreservation of the history of the Borough of Ingram and the Chartiers Valley.

ABOVE: Middle States Team: Fr. Michael Maranowski, Principal JanetEscovitz, Mrs. Cathy Militzer from St. Margaret of Scotland School,Mrs. Grace Guaetta from St. Andrew’s, Mrs. Susan Sbuscio fromBrookline Regional School, and Dr. Michael Latusek, Superintendent ofCatholic Schools.LEFT: St. Malachy Studentsaccompanied by Fr. MichaelMaranowski and MusicMinister Laurie Lanz. ABOVE: With money they raised last year, the Student Council ofRobinson Township Christian School purchased materials to improvethe playground area behind the school. With the help of students fromthe Community Service Club, they dug up weeds and filled the areawith new mulch, making it both safer and more attractive. They alsocleared a path leading to the Chapel in the Woods, where weekly highschool chapel services will be conducted in nice weather.PHOTOS THIS PAGE SUBMITTED

BY RACHEL CIPRIANIOWNER, ROBINSON TANG SOO DO KARATE This information is provided courtesy of Rachel Cipriani, owner ofTang Soo Do Robinson. For more information, contact her at:(412) 788-0711, or visit her Web site at www.TangSooDo-Karate.com.

PTI TO OFFER SERVSAFE TRAININGPTI will offer ServSafe training classes throughout the year tothe business community in 2013 on Mondays, January 21, April15, July 8, and October 7. For more information, http://www.pti.edu/servsafe_training.php.The program chair who coordinates these training sessionspassed along these comments from individuals who completeevaluation forms and who said we could use their comments.“This will help me at my job. Very useful examples that willcarry over to real life. Awesome teacher.” -- Kevin Canovali,Assistant Manager, Panera Bread“The information was important and I know it will improve myjob performance. The location was great and only minutes fromdowntown Pittsburgh.” -- Teresa Day-Robinson, Senior CenterManager, Lutheran Service SocietySend a bit of “home” to someone you know!We Do Gift Certificates!Send a Gift Subscription of “Allegheny WestMagazine” for that out-of-town relative, collegestudent, or someone who has moved away.Subscriptions are just $12 per year for six issues!CALL: (724) 695-3968 or e-mail:

AIRPORT BUSINESS PARK HELD GROUNDBREAKINGAllegheny County Executive Rich Fitzgerald and theAllegheny County Airport Authority hosted a groundbreakingceremony for the Pittsburgh International Business Park onNovember 2. Construction will begin this fall and will becompleted within nine months. This shovel-ready developmentis a direct result of the completion of the Cherrington ParkwayExtension to Ewing Road and preparation of the site. Shovelreadyland attracts new construction and increases job growth.Speakers included County Executive Fitzgerald,Congressman Tim Murphy, Allegheny County AirportAuthority Board Member & State Representative Matt Smith,State Representative Mark Mustio, and Moon Township Boardof Supervisors Chairman Marvin Eicher.FOCUS ON RENEWAL ACCEPTINGFOOD PANTRY ENROLLEESFocus On Renewal (FOR) is accepting new enrollments for itsemergency food pantry, located in the agency’s communitycenter at 701 Chartiers Avenue in McKees Rocks. Eligibility isbased on the following requirements:Income must be under 150% of poverty, which is $1,396 permonth for one person or $2,881 for a family of four; and individualsand families must reside in McKees Rocks Borough or StoweTownship (but not in Hays Manor, Pleasant Ridge, MeyersRidge, or Usana Village housing communities, which have theirown food pantries).Individuals and families who qualify are eligible to pick up foodone time each month. Focus On Renewal’s distribution days areWednesdays and Fridays from 2 to 4 p.m.According to Sr. Sarah Crotty, FOR’s associate director, thosewho qualify may visit FOR’s food pantry once a month, receivefood from the monthly Produce to People program, and stillreceive food stamps; however, they may only receive fooddistributions from one pantry.Phone number and hours of the FOR Community Center: (412)771-6460, Mondays through Fridays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., andSaturdays from 9 a.m. to noon.Volunteers and donations of food and money are alwayswelcome.McMAHON & CARDILLOHONORED AT IABC GOLDEN TRIANGLE AWARDSMcMahon & Cardillo Communication received two GoldenTriangle awards from the Pittsburgh Chapter of IABC.Lynn McMahon won an Award of Excellence in thecommunications management category for the Pittsburghaffiliate’s response to the national Susan G. Komen controversy.Sue Cardillo won an Award of Honor in the media relationscategory for FISA Foundation’s 100th Anniversary CelebrationGIMP Performance.IABC’s Golden Triangle Awards recognize communicationeffectiveness and are the highest awards presented by the localchapter.

ROBINSON TOWNSHIP RESIDENTFEATURED IN NEW YORK CITY’S TIME SQUAREHannah Fox of Robinson Township appeared in the brightlights of Broadway on Saturday, September 22, as part of theNational Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) annual Times Squarevideo presentation, which embodies the NDSS mission topromote the value, acceptance, and inclusion of people withDown Syndrome.The photo of Hannah, who has Down Syndrome, was selectedfrom over 1,000 entries in the NDSS worldwide call for photos.Over 200 photographs appeared in the video, which was shownon the News Corporation Sony Screen, located in the heart ofTimes Square. Hannah was pictured in her Girl Scout uniform.She is part of Troop 50732 in Crafton.The Times Square video presentation kicked off DownSyndrome Awareness Month in October.MEDALLION BALL HONORS LOCAL WOMENThe 49th Medallion Ball will be held at the Wyndham GrandPittsburgh Downtown on November 23. The 121 candidates, whocompleted 24,319 hours of volunteer service, were honored at theBishop’s Tea on September 29.ABOVE: Pictured are four local candidates with The Most Reverend DavidA. Zubik, D.D.: Merritt Donoghue, Olivia Jancosko, Tracy Knittel, JacquelineO’Toole. PHOTO SUBMITTEDCHAMBER ANNOUNCES NEW BOARDThe Pittsburgh Airport Area Chamber of Commerce (PAACC) ispleased to announce the results of its recent Board of Directorselections and to welcome the following returning and incomingdirectors.Returning to the PAACC Board for various terms are: AlisaFaulk, Courtyard by Marriott Pittsburgh Settlers Ridge; JimKatsafanas, Michael Baker Corporation; Frank Polito, Comcast;Don Smith, Robert Morris University.Newly elected to the PAACC Board for varying terms are:Mike Belsky, Columbia Gas of Pennsylvania; Kelly Englebert,EATON Corporation; Dr. Neal Fanelli, Allegheny Medical IntegratedHealth Services; George Stark, Cabot Oil & Gas Corporation.

TOP: The Marcellus Shale Coalition enjoyed a ribboncutting ceremony with Chamber Board Members andChamber Ambassadors.BOTTOM: The team at Max ‘n Erma’s were joined byChamber Ambassadors for a ribbon cutting ceremonyto celebrate the grand reopening of their RobinsonTownship location.

1000 Church Hill Road (in the Robinson Twp. Municipal Bldg.), Pittsburgh PA 15205 (412) 787-3906 Hours: Mon-Thurs, 10 a.m. - 8 p.m., Fri-Sat, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.E-Mail: robinson@einetwork.net, www.robinsonlibrary.orgRIGHT: Shakespearecame to the RobinsonLibrary this fall whena youth troupepresented “TheTempest” beforelibrary patrons youngand old. PHOTOS BYSARAH HUGHEY

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