Oral history interviews with Francis L. DeSomma, 1986-1987.

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Oral history interviews with Francis L. DeSomma, 1986-1987.

http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/31484960

DeSomma recalls his Italian immigrant family history: his grandparents coming to work in America before World War I, life for his maternal grandparents in New Castle, Pa., life for his parents in Pittsburgh's Oakland section, and his education in a multi-ethnic, multi- racial school. In the second interview, DeSomma recalls the 1928 presidential election, prohibition and speakeasies, Franklin Delano Roosevelt speaking at Forbes Field in Pittsburgh before winning the 1932 presidential election, his relatives working in WPA and CCC jobs, early unionizing in steel plants in the 1930s, the education system in Pittsburgh, his army flight service during World War II, and his work with the Federal Reserve System and then the Mackintosh-Hemphill cast iron rolling plant. In the third interview, DeSomma again discusses his army experience, conditions of African-Americans in the army, his army reserve duty, and working for Mackintosh-Hemphill in a variety of white-collar jobs. He describes the quality control test performed on molten metal, the use of nicknames in the plant, the ethnic make-up of the plant, the death of the steel industry in western Pennsylvania, unionization by the United Steelworkers of America in the 1930s, and organizing the office and technical workers in the mid-1970s.

Sound recordings: 8 sound cassettes (ca. 7 hrs. 30 min.)Transcripts: 16, 32, 36 leaves.

Pennsylvania State University Libraries

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SNAC Resource ID: 7319788

Pennsylvania State University Libraries

Related Entities

There are 5 Entities related to this resource.

DeSomma, Francis L.,

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6sr0156 (person)

DeSomma worked in the Mackintosh-Hemphill cast iron rolling mill, 1950-1984. From the description of Oral history interviews with Francis L. DeSomma, 1986-1987. (Pennsylvania State University Libraries). WorldCat record id: 31484960 ...

United Steelworkers of America

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6c863vq (corporateBody)

The United Steelworkers of America (USWA) was established 22 May 1942, by a convention of representatives from the Amalgamated Association of Iron, Steel, and Tin Workers (AAISTW) and the Steel Workers Organizing Committee (SWOC) after an intensive organizing initiative by the Congress of Industrial Organizations (CIO) in the 1930s. After mergers in 2005, it was renamed United Steel, Paper and Forestry, Rubber, Manufacturing, Energy, Allied Industrial and Service Workers International Union (USW...

United States. Army

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6km312r (corporateBody)

The United States Army is the largest branch of the United States Armed Forces and performs land-based military operations. It is one of the seven uniformed services of the United States and is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution, Article 2, Section 2, Clause 1 and United States Code, Title 10, Subtitle B, Chapter 301, Section 3001. As the largest and senior branch of the U.S. military, the modern U.S. Army has its roots in the Continental Army, which wa...

Gottlieb, Peter, 1949-

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6nz98m5 (person)

Mackintosh-Hemphill Company

http://n2t.net/ark:/99166/w6f81c67 (corporateBody)

In 1859 James Hemphill, W. S. Mackintosh, and W. N. Hart entered into a partnership to purchase a machine shop at the corner of 12th Street and Pike Street in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Their products included steam engines. They subsequently incorporated as Mackintosh-Hemphill Company, Ltd. In 1878 the company purchased the adjoining Fort Pitt Foundry and refitted it for the manufacture of rolling mills for iron and steel makers, including the Bessemer Works in the Homestead section of Pittsburg...