Hear from industry leaders about historic, current and future environmental concerns at our keystone event just a few blocks from "ground zero" of the 1948 Smog in Donora that eventually led to clean air legislation.

DURATION: 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
VENUE:       Donora Borough Building Banquet Hall, 603 Meldon Avenue (Sixth Street entrance)
PARKING:   On street - FREE
LUNCH:       Light lunch provided - 12:00 p.m. to 12:30 p.m.
RSVP:          donorahistoricalsociety@gmail.com with name of organization, contact, number in group
SMOG MUSEUM OPEN HOUSE: just a half block away - 2:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

SCHEDULE OF PRESENTERS:

Schedule of speakers is still a work in progress

BRIAN CHARLTON-Donora Historical Society and Smog Museum
TITLE: The 1948 Donora Smog Disaster - abbreviated version
The Donora Works of American Steel and Wire Company stretched nearly three miles along the Monongahela River thirty miles south of Pittsburgh. Within the industrial complex, that employed over eight thousand, were Blast Furnaces, Open Hearths, a Blooming Mill, Rod Mill, Wire Works, Nail Mill, Acid Plant and the largest Zinc Works in the world. The red, black, white and yellow smoke pouring from the Works frequently forced streetlamps and headlights to burn twenty-four hours a day. As the week before Halloween 1948 began the people of Donora were focusing on a parade, a football game, "Trick or Treat" and a national election. No one could know that a severe temperature inversion had settled over the valley. By Wednesday visibility was as limited as anyone could remember, plus many people were having difficulty breathing. The effluent from the mill that was typically carried away by prevailing wind currents reached the ceiling of the inversion and fell back to earth in the stagnant atmosphere. The weekend was a nightmare. Thousands were ill, hundreds needed medical attention, and by Monday morning twenty-one were dead. The Donora Smog Disaster was a wakeup call to years of ignoring the deadly effects of industrial pollution. The incident sparked a conflict that continues to shape the political and economic debate, not only in the United States but, around the world, between industrial and economic interests and pioneers for the protection of the environment and public health.
DURATION: 30 minutes

ANDY MCPHEE-Author
DONORA DEATH FOG - Clean Air and the Tragedy of a Pennsylvania Mill Townpublished in 2023 by University of Pittsburgh Press Comprehensive historical non-fiction book about the founding of Donora in 1901 through the six-day smog event in 1948 that left twenty-one people dead and thousands sick. McPhee will discuss his research and book which will be for sale.
DURATION: 15 minutes

STU BOYD-Rostraver Historical Society - 1948 Smog survivor
TITLE: A firsthand account from a survivor and a victim's grandson 
Born and raised in Webster, Stu was a young schoolboy during the 1948 Smog directly across the Mon River from the Donora Zinc Works. More poignantly, Stu witnessed the suffering and ultimate death of his step grandfather Milton Hall, one of the twenty-one recognized victims of the 1948 Smog. Stu will discuss his experiences of living in Webster during that time.
DURATION: 10 minutes

ANTHONY J. SADAR-Air Quality Meteorologist - retiredAllegheny County Health Department - Air Quality ProgramCertified Consulting MeteorologistEnvironmental Science Communication, LLCAdjunct Associate ProfessorGeneva College
TITLE: Post Donora:  Climatology and trends of temperature inversions in southwestern Pennsylvania
Surface-based temperature inversions contributed to a deadly air stagnation condition seventy-five years ago in Donora.  An extended stagnation period in October 1948 led to fatal levels of air pollution in the industrial town located in southwestern Pennsylvania. A first-of-its-kind climatology has been completed from thirty years (1991 - 2020) of ground level temperature inversions derived from morning and evening upper-air data for the Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania area. This presentation will discuss the frequency, strength, and depth of surface-based inversions and their trends, and the implication of the climatology to present and future atmospheric conditions.
DURATION: 25 minutes

FRED MCMULLENWarning Coordination MeteorologistNational Weather Service - Pittsburgh
TITLE: Weather Support From the Front Lines
When you think of the role National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) National Weather Service (NWS) plays in hazardous weather, you may think of the forecasts they produce or the Watches and Warnings they issue leading up to a storm. What you may not realize is that the NWS has eyes on the sky before, during and after some of the country’s most dangerous weather. Meteorologists from NWS work on the front lines to support agencies who prevent and fight wildfires, collaborating closely with state and local fire control agencies, as well as the Forest Service and other federal agencies.
DURATION: 20 minutes

DR. ROBERT EASTAssociate Professor; Director of Environmental StudiesWashington & Jefferson College, Washington, Pennsylvania
Title: Integrating the Donora Smog Tragedy into an Undergraduate Environmental Studies Program: The W&J Experience.
Despite being one of history’s great infamies, a surprisingly small number of students come to Washington & Jefferson College (W&J) knowing even basic facts about this bellwether environmental event. This presentation will outline some pedagogical strategies and approaches which have been implemented by the Director of Environmental Studies to build both quantitative and qualitative skills in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences across the curriculum using the Donora event as an exploratory case study.
DURATION: 20 minutes

LINDSEY FRENCHAssistant Professor, Faculty of Media, Art and PerformanceUniversity of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
and
ALEX YOUNGMedia Manager, Video and Media Design, School of DramaCarnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
TITLE: Developing an Olfactory Media Library for an Atmospheric Commons
The atmospheric commons requires negotiations of risk as we collectively imagine climate futures. In this presentation, we share early work towards developing an Olfactory Media Library - a socially engaged mobile art and research lab focused on developing tools and practices for embodied learning about the air we share, while asking critical questions about climate, atmosphere and environment. Expect completion in 2024. Expected display in 2025.
DURATION: 30 minutes

NINA VICTORIA, J.D.Community AdvocateCenter For Coalfield Justice, Washington, Pennsylvania
TITLE: Natural Gas in Southwest Pennsylvania: Past, Present, and Future
A discussion of the natural gas industry, its impacts on human health and the environment, and its future in Southwest Pennsylvania.
DURATION: 30 minutes
Center For Coalfield Justice Website

GASP - Group Against Smog and Pollution, Edgewood, Pennsylvania
Presentation title and description expected soon.
DURATION: ?? minutes
GASP Website

Lyssa EberhardtProgram ManagerAllegheny CleanWays, Etna and McKeesport, Pennsylvania
TITLE: The work of Allegheny CleanWays
Allegheny CleanWays’ riverfront cleanup program is aimed at creating trash-free rivers and streams throughout the Pittsburgh region. Their litter cleanups and remediation of large-scale dumpsites are aimed to remove trash and debris from the region’s hillsides, open lots, and greenways and is the first crucial step to full restoration of the valuable green spaces. Their environmental education focuses their efforts on student activities and lessons that lead to lifelong behavior and attitude changes about the environment. And finally, by identifying dump sites and researching best practices, Allegheny CleanWays gains more critical information to educate the public and advocate for policy changes at the local and State level.
To see the impact that Allegheny CleanWays made in Donora and the Mid-Mon Valley, please read our May 19, 2023, event below.
DURATION: 15 minutes
Allegheny CleanWays Website

Ashley KyberCreative Leadership Program CoordinatorRivers of Steel, Homestead, Pennsylvania
Presentation title and description expected soon.
DURATION: ?? minutes
Rivers of Steel Website

SMOG MUSEUM OPEN HOUSE
ADDRESS: 595 McKean Avenue
After the symposium, venture up Sixth Street a half block to tour our Smog Museum from 2:00 p.m. until everyone has left.