Homestead Mayor Betty Esper was honored for her years of service and dedication to the community.
The
Harmony Club of Homestead paid tribute to Esper at its Dorothy
Lance-Vivian Weems Annual Scholarship Luncheon on Saturday afternoon at
St. John's Cathedral Center in Munhall.
Many of the mayor's relatives traveled from as far away as California to join local family, friends and colleagues at the event.
"The
biggest surprise was my family coming," Esper said. "When I was out in
the lobby, I was looking at people coming in. Then somebody said
(tilde)Congratulations.' I thought, (tilde)I don't know what's going on,
but something is going on.'"
Her family was hiding in the lounge
until KDKA news anchor Brenda Waters, the mistress of ceremonies,
announced Esper as the Harmony Club of Homestead honoree.
"Mayor Betty Esper, this is your day," Waters said. "You are being honored today."
Harmony
Club member Marlene "Pumpkin" Murphy organized the surprise and
presented Esper with the 2012 Best Foot Forward Award for her dedication
and ongoing spirit of service and volunteerism.
"She's always
there for whoever needs her to be there," Murphy said. "She's been my
best friend. She's my mentor. She's my strength when my strength seems
weak."
She said no one will ever fill the shoes of "BoBo" Esper.
Esper's nephew Joe Esper, who is a Pleasant Hills councilman, shared some stories of his well-known aunt.
"She
did lose an election back in 1993," he said. "We try to forget that.
But I remember back in 1993 talking to her and asking what she was going
to do now that she wasn't mayor. Her response was that she was going to
keep doing the same things that she's always done, but she just wasn't
going to have an office to go to everyday. I can guarantee you that she
never stopped. She didn't give up"
Joe Esper shared a memory of
his aunt introducing him to President Bill Clinton in 1996 when he came
to Pittsburgh while running for re-election.
"I'm so proud to be
her nephew and of everything she has done," said Robin Robinson, who
traveled from Westwood, NJ. "Everywhere I go, I talk about her
commitment to her town and family."
"During one's lifetime, there
are few opportunities to recognize an individual who has placed a
handprint on the lives of her family, her friends and the citizens she
was elected to represent," said Denise Kelly, Esper's friend and former
Homestead program director.
Esper is a life-long resident of
Homestead who began her political career in 1980 as a borough
councilwoman, serving in that capacity for 10 years before becoming
mayor.
"Mayor Esper has seen her community through the struggling
decline of the industrial revolution," Kelly said. "It was during that
period that our mayor, like many before her, became a former employee of
United States Steel. It was also during that time when she maintained
her vigilance during the second renaissance of the borough of Homestead,
during the dismantling of the Homestead plant, during negotiations with
potential developers and the subsequent birth of our county's most
premier destination point, the Waterfront."
She said that,
through the mayor's diligence and guidance, Homestead chartered new
ground and pulled itself out of Act 47 distressed-community status.
Esper
also played a large part in the Homestead High Level Bridge being
renamed as the Homestead Grays Bridge in 2002, in recognition of the
borough's famous Negro League Baseball team.
"The only reason I
wanted to be a mayor is to be out in the public, talk to people and help
people," Esper said. "The political part, I hated. I don't even
consider myself a politician. I just like doing things for people."
She
said mayors get credit for many things by being in the public eye and
representing boroughs, but there are many others who come together to
get tasks accomplished.
"We get the credit," Esper said. "When
people tell me about everything I did for Homestead, I just put my head
down because I didn't do it all. You cannot do anything alone."
Lynn Settles, mother of Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Charlie Batch, read a letter to Esper from her son.
"I
appreciate you helping me become the (tilde)Best of the Batch' as I
grew up," Batch wrote. "I also correct the media that I'm not from
Pittsburgh; I'm from Homestead. You are the reason for the life of
Homestead today. The memories you have given me as a kid and as an adult
will last forever."
Former state Sen. Mike Dawida noted a famous
Robert Kennedy quote: "Don't ask what your country can do for you. Ask
what you can do for your country."
"Betty Esper has done for Homestead just like he said," Dawida noted.
"On
behalf of Barrett Elementary School and community, we salute you," the
Homestead school's principal Sharon Fisher said. "We say thank you for
the many items you donated to the school and just from being a visible
sign of support."
Austin Davis, executive assistant to Allegheny
County executive Rich Fitzgerald, presented Esper with a proclamation
from the county.
Davis told Esper that Fitzgerald sees her as his "political mother" since he started as an Allegheny County councilman.
Esper
received proclamations from state Sen. Jay Costa, D-Forest Hills, and
state Rep. Marc Gergely, D-White Oak, honoring her life and
accomplishments.
Also at the luncheon, Steel Valley High School
student Marlon Brown and West Mifflin Area High School student Erika
McDonald were presented with $1,000 scholarships from the Harmony Club
of Homestead.
The club was started in 1899 by Anna S. Posey, and
originally was called The Ladies Aid of Homestead. It helps local
families in need and offers financial support to community
organizations.
By Stacy Lee
McKeesport Daily News
Published: Monday, May 7, 2012
