Raves: The Carnegie Library of Homestead

Wednesday, August 20, 2008
By Vincent DiRicco

It's all happening at the Carnegie Library of Homestead, the 'jewel of the valley'

What a place!

I'm slumped in a soft-pillowed chair in the adult reading section of the Carnegie Library of Homestead. About two hours ago, on the adjacent music hall stage, WTAE's Sally Wiggin began interviewing Anna Mae Gorman-Lindberg, a Mon Valley native who competed as a swimmer in the 1932 Olympics at the age of 16. After the interview, the audience moved to the main library area where I'm seated for a catered buffet luncheon.

Right now, my wife and several other volunteers are clearing the tables of plates, cups and other items left over by the 100 or so invited guests. As I watch, the image of the man, whose portrait hangs on a nearby wall, keeps popping into my mind.

Andrew Carnegie would be proud indeed to see how his philanthropic largess is still paying off today as the institution -- a library, music hall and athletic club all in one -- celebrates its 110th year of continuous operations.

For 10 years (1988-98), I served as a member of the library's board of directors. During that stretch, I came to appreciate what the so-called "jewel of the valley" meant to the surrounding communities in providing families with a wealth of educational, cultural and recreational opportunities. (For the record, the library is located in what's now Munhall, but it was all Homestead back in the day.)

Showcases, wall displays, framed photographs and trophies offer ample evidence of the CLoH's rich heritage in swimming, basketball, baseball and other sports endeavors. The music hall has been host to countless dance recitals, musicals, lectures and plays. Community events continue to attract an appreciative audience. The shuffleboard room, adjacent to the library, has remained a popular gathering venue for art auctions, meetings, receptions, book sales and workshops. And the athletic club gets a steady, year-round workout from its members.

I'm one of them. Three times a week I paddle away in the swimming pool -- the very pool where Anna Mae Gorman took lessons -- or work up a sweat on the treadmill or some other piece of equipment in the club's air-conditioned fitness room.

While I wait for my wife to finish up, I think back to some of the good times and the fun times I was privileged to experience as a board member. There was that electrifying evening in 1994 when the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra made a return visit to the library after an absence of 98 years. Ninety-eight years? Back on Nov. 19, 1898, the PSO, under the music direction of Victor Herbert, performed the second concert in the music hall of the newly dedicated Carnegie Library of Homestead. The cost of that concert was 35 cents.

The PSO's return in 1994 was considered a major community cultural event and board members went all out to publicize the occasion. That night, the audience gave the orchestra one of the greatest standing ovations it had ever received. I can't prove that. Just take my word for it.

There were other memorable moments. Then-Gov. Tom Ridge came to the library as a special guest to kick off its Centennial Celebration in 1989. Mr. Ridge was born in the former Homestead Hospital in 1945. The family moved to Erie when he was still young, but it was obvious to me and all the other guests that he was thoroughly enjoying the occasion that brought him back to his roots.

My wife interrupts my reverie to say she's ready to go and we head for the exit.

On the way out, I glance at the bulletin board with its jumbled array of announcements, schedules and coming events: chess classes, swimming classes, Silver Sneaker fitness classes, River City Brass Band appearance, toddler story time, a sunny funny fair and tickets on sale for performances by Citizen Cope and Hanson. (I frown. Never heard of them.)

"I guess that's what a library is supposed to be," I remark. "Something for everybody. What a place!"

"Are you going swimming tomorrow?" my wife asks on the drive home. I nod my head.

"Who knows, I may be lucky and see Anna Mae there. She's 92, you know, and I'm 81, so I think I should be able to keep up with her for a lap or two."

"In your dreams," my wife laughs.