Since Ellie and I won’t be able to travel back to Pittsburgh due to COVID, I thought I’d share some memories of my Dad. Back in the 2000’s during my winter visits from TX, Jim and I would routinely do a day trip to various places of historic interest near Pittsburgh. The first of these trips included picking up Dad’s buddy Gene near Uniontown as we headed to Ft. Necessity and the Nemacolin Resort. It was a blast to hear Gene and my Dad banter back and forth! On the next visit we headed to his old stomping grounds in Johnstown and Latrobe. This trip was full of stories of his youthful exploits (Hitching rides on milk trucks to get back and forth from Johnstown to St. Vincent College; vacationing with his parents near Saxton along the Raystown branch of the Susquehanna before Raystown Lake, etc.). On our last trip we visited Friendship Hill National Historic Site in Fayette County. We followed the Monongahela River on our drive back, passing by the former and current industrial sites along its banks, which prompted stories of his time at US Steel in Clairton. These adventures were one of the few times my Dad and I spend time together one-on-one as adults, talking not only as father and son but as friends with common interests. I cherish these memories of my Dad. Pete Wehner
