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 Geraldo Rivera was absolutely beaming as he finished his broadcast from Somerset County where they had just gone "Nine for Nine" in rescuing the coal miners who had been trapped 240 feet below the surface for 77 hours. But he wasn't beaming about the rescue; he was beaming about the people he had met while covering the story. After all of his world travels, Geraldo had discovered a wholesome quality and an innate goodness in the local people of Pennsylvania that he had not seen before.
"This is you, America!" he said to the national audience. "This is the kindest, hardest working, most generous group of people I've ever met." Then he asked the camera to scan the faces of the firemen, the Red Cross volunteers, the policemen, the church people, and the other 50 or so volunteers lined up to help with the rescue. "No, get closer," he said, "I want people to see the spirit of these people." So the cameraman went closer and found the simple smiles of people who were being thanked - just for doing what they always do in hard times.
I grew up in Western Pennsylvania and have fond memories of the quiet communities north and south of Pittsburgh. These are communities that thrive on high school sports, hunting, fishing, and camping - where the first day of deer season still means a day off from school. A place where small wood frame churches take pride in developing strong willed people who pull together in times of adversity. These are people who understand that strong feelings aren't always best expressed through words, but rather with a tear drenched covered dish left on the door step with a note that says, "We're sorry for your loss."
This is a place where people get together just to be together, where scores do not have to be settled, and where old stories grow richer with time. Why was I surprised at my class reunion when our high school quarterback was blaming himself for our team's loss to Sharpsville twenty five years after the fact? And that covered dish . . . it always gets returned with something home made and a note that says, "Thanks for being there."
If you lived there, you would be surprised at the number of rummage sales, pancake breakfasts, car washes, and craft fairs that are advertised in the local paper. After all, it takes lots of nickels, dimes, and quarters to send needy kids to summer camp, to buy new curtains for the sanctuary, or to get new uniforms for the high school band. You would see small signs of people thinking about others nearly everywhere you go - like the glass jar on the gas station counter with the coin slot cut into the plastic lid with a note saying "We're collecting coins for the kid down the street who needs chemotherapy".
Many of the residents of Western PA are direct descendents from Poland, Checkoslovakia, Italy and other eastern European countries. The food at the state fair is not barbeque or Mexican, it is kielbasi, Italian Sausage, and thick crust Italian Pizza. Jack Kopniski, Jerry DeMarco, Frank DeMarsh, and Vard Margooglio played on teams with me. Their parents worked hard and tried to make a better world for their children, and they did.
Now the second or third generation has taken over. My peers are running businesses and serving on city council - trying again to make things slightly better for their children. So I write with pride as I think about these people. For those who helped with the rescue, it was all in a days work.
So Geraldo, congratulations! You found a rich deposit of goodness in the hills of Western Pennsylvania. Yes there are many other great sections of this wonderful land of ours, but perhaps none so humble, so unpretentious, or so giving as the one you just left. Sure they went "Nine for Nine," but more importantly they gave us all a nice reminder of the true colors of America.
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