Donora: Home of champions and the clean air movement

Editor’s note: For the next few weeks, Ralph Stone will be writing about an imaginary family from Omaha, Neb., touring the Mon Valley on a summer vacation.

Last week’s story found the Higgins family visiting the Joe Magarac Steel Museum. Their next stop was in Donora where a fantastic museum was located, depicting just why this small town rightfully became known as the Home of Champions as well as a history lesson, in which they learned why Donora was also considered the kickoff point for this nation’s badly needed Clean Air Act.

It all began more than 100 years ago when Donora was invaded with a low lying, lingering, deadly smog, which had resulted from what once was a flourishing zinc works. The smog became so very dense that on the evening of the 1947 Halloween parade, the costumed ghosts and goblins could barely see their own hands in front of them. The smog also spread upstream and across the river to other Mon Valley communities, but the greatest damage occurred in Donora and directly across the river in the village of Webster.

Serious ailments and even several deaths resulted from the smog as the older citizens were especially affected. A few years following, a similar smog hit the streets of London, England. The entire scenario led politicians, health experts and clean air designers to insist on stricter laws to curb industrial waste and enforce laws to prohibit those silent killers.

In summary, this little corner of Americana became the starting point for Clean Air Acts across our glorious nation.

One of the more glorious features of Dragon history was in the element of sports. This tiny community has produced what is perhaps the greatest output of outstanding college and professional athletes than any other community of its size.

Let’s look at a few reasons such a statement is valid. For openers, this one-time industrious hub, in addition to its zinc production, also gave birth to a trio of baseball greats that will line up and surpass any other trio of natural hitters who exist in such a tiny area as Donora. This trio includes none other than “Stan the Man” Musial, and both Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr.

With more than 3,600 base hits, Musial was the National League’s hit leader until Henry Aaron and Pete Rose dethroned him. Any time the mention of Donora is made, there are two items that often come to mind. They include that nasty Donora smog and the one and only “Stan the Man.” So beloved is he to any true fan of Donora lure, that the bridge which connects Donora to its counterpart across the river in Monessen has been named the Stan Musial Bridge.

Right alongside this Cardinal great comes the Griffey father/son duo. Ken senior was born and bred as a Donora Dragon, where he excelled in not only baseball, but also on the gridiron and the round ball court. He would go on to spend the greater part of his outstanding baseball career as an outfielder for the Cincinnati Reds.

Ken Jr. was also born in Donora, but did not spend his childhood there. His dad’s influence, along with that Donora pride running through his veins, propelled him to become one of the greatest players baseball has ever known. He belongs to a very small fraternity of baseball sluggers who have managed to hit over 600-round trippers. He did so during an era when other stars were expanding their talents with steroids. Not so with Ken Jr., his record remains untainted.

Perhaps one of the most satisfying accomplishments in the careers of that fatherand-son team was the day they were both in the starting lineup as outfielders at Seattle’s Safeco Field.

Along with Musial, they make up a portion of the lifelike wax models that are displayed in this outstanding museum.

Not to be outdone by baseball, perhaps the production of football greatness may even surpass those sandlot glories. Over a century ago, Donora produced what has become known as the “greatest high school football team to ever suit up in western Pennsylvania.”

Many observers agreed that this declaration covers the entire state. For two years running they were the undisputed state champions in basketball as well as football.

That entire starting lineup of the 1944 season is also a part of an unbelievable wax model display. Although those powerful Dragon defense units and their outstanding line play greatly paved the way for two championship undefeated seasons, it was the power packed fleet footed backfield which brought those Donora teams into the national spotlight.

The ’44 Dragons were led by quarterback Arnold “Pope” Galiffa, who would go on to achieve All-American fame as West Point’s quarterback. As a cadet, he earned 11 varsity letters including letters in basketball and baseball as well as football. He was a unanimous choice to be elected to college football’s Hall of Fame.

Backing the “Pope” in that dynamic high school backfield was a pair of touchdown twins, halfback Roscoe “The Rabbit” Ross and fullblack “Deacon” Dan Towler. Their combined speed and power left most of their opponents exhausted as they romped up and down the gridiron fields scoring touchdown