Pittsburgh Olympian Turns 100

Pittsburgh native and oldest living African American Olympian will turn 100 on March 9

By JaQuay Edward Carter

Herbert Paul Douglas, the 'fastest runner to come out of Hazlewood,' at a 2018 screening of 'The Renaissance Period of the African American in Sports' at the LBJ Presidential Library in Austin, Tx.

This story is published in partnership with the Pittsburgh Community Newspaper Network (PCNN). It was originally printed in The Homepage, the hyperlocal community newspaper serving Greater Hazelwood, Greenfield, Glen Hazel, New Homewood, the 31st Ward and The Run.

Herbert Paul Douglas, the “fastest runner to come out of Hazelwood,” recently Bronze Medal for a 24-foot 8.75-inch-long jump. After the Olympics he returned to Pitt, completing his Master of Education degree in 1950.

His father, Herb, Sr., owned an automobile repair shop. He made history as the first African American to use a seeing eye dog. This was even reported in Ebony magazine.

Herb Jr. worked as night manager at his father’s auto shop until the Pabst Brewing Company hired him away in 1950. At Pabst,

1501 Preble Ave., Pittsburgh, PA 15233 tel: 412-447-1517 thecityfreshpasta.com Cafe Hours: Monday thru Friday 7:00a-3:00p [winter hours may vary]

Stop down for our full espresso bar, fresh baked pastries, soups, sandwiches, daily hand-made pasta dishes, and scrumptious breakfast options during the week.

Seize an exclusive deal: 20% off all phone orders for pickup*

Looking for dinner? Pick up ready-made pasta and handmade sauces with our retail pasta + ravioli to-go: on sale now! Pre-order by phone or online today.

*Mention this ‘Northside Chronicle Pickup Offer’ to receive a 20% discount on your call-in order. Not redeemable for any other items or offers. Must call in a pick-up order at 412-447-1517.

Impress your guests with our catering menu. Let us make all the arrangements by holding your next business luncheon, or celebration, in our private event space.

Pittsburgh Born & Bread 2110 Brighton Rd, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 (412) 231-7555 Monday - Friday 8am-4pm Saturday 8am-2pm Sunday closed for now.

St. Patrick’s Day Special Chocolate Irish Soda Bread & Irish Soda Bread

Available Saturday, March 12th and Thursday, March 17th Now Taking Pre-Orders, Call or Order Online Today!

Curbside pick-up available. Order online: www.BreadWorksPGH.com

Photo: Jay Godwin, LBJ Library from Austin - DIG14233-057, Public Domain

Tom Friday’s Market

since 1955

said, "I was born 57 years after the ending of slavery." I was shocked when I heard it. It seemed impossible. I had to do the math for myself. I subtracted the year he was born, 1922, from the year 1865, and of course I got the same answer.

Looking over his near century of life, nothing was impossible for Douglas. He was born on March 9, 1922 at 160 Hazelwood Ave., across from Gladstone and the First Hungarian Lutheran Church. He would attend both Gladstone Elementary and Junior High. As a teenager, Herb idolized Jesse Owens’ performance in the 1936 Olympics. Gladstone did not include high school curriculum at this time, so he attended Taylor Allderdice High School in nearby Squirrel Hill. He excelled at sports, playing football, and running track before graduating in June of 1940.

Douglas dreamed of competing in the 1944 Summer Olympics in London. However, World War II caused the games to be canceled. In the meantime, he earned a bachelor’s degree at the University of Pittsburgh. By 1948, he had become a standout athlete, winning three collegiate titles in the long jump.

He sailed from New York to London on July 14th for the games that ran from July 29 to Aug 14. Douglas competed and won the he rose from sales representative to southern district manager, serving as Pabst’s national special markets manager from 1965 to 1968.

From 1977 to 1980, he worked as vice president of urban market development for Schieffelin and Somerset Co., where he helped popularize Hennessy Cognac X.O, V.S.O.P, V.S and other brands in the African American community.

On June 11, 1982, a Pittsburgh Press newspaper clipping described the Hazelwood honorees at the 2nd Annual Community Banquet. Douglas was honored along with the No. 13 Engine and Truck Company, the Hazelwood Office of Community Action, sportswriter Jim O'Brien, Joe Vilsack, Mildred Johnson, restaurateur Frieda Pyrek Kish, and Alberta Eldridge.

Douglas continued to work as an urban marketing consultant until he retired in 1987. He was inducted into the Pennsylvania Sports Hall of Fame in 1992.

In 2018, he was inducted into the inaugural class of Allderdice’s Sports Hall of Fame. On March 9, 2022, Douglas will celebrate his 100th birthday, God willing. A century of sportsmanship, scholarship, and success.

JaQuay Edward Carter is a historian and the founder and president of the Greater Hazelwood Historical Society. n 3639 California Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15212 | tel: 412-766-4500

Monday - Saturday 8:00AM - 5:00PM | Closed Sunday

Last butcher shoppe in Pittsburgh city limits to carry fresh hanging sides of beef. Call us with your order Wholesale, Retail, & Restaurants Welcome! Daily home delivery $2.50 for $25 Min Purchase • Delivery Areas Vary • Includes Freezer Meat Specials

Lenten Fish Specials Norwegian Salmon Fillets $10.99 lb. Tuna Steaks $4.49 each Tilapia Fillets $4.99 lb. Perch Fillets $6.99 lb. Cod Fillets $9.99 lb. Breaded Cod $8.99 lb. Beer Battered Cod $8.99 lb. Breaded Haddock Fillets $6.99 lb. Whiting Fillets $2.99 lb. Catfish $6.99 lb. Easter Orders Locally Sourced & All Sizes Amish Hams Bone-in SilverStar Hams Semi-boneless Albert’s Hams Semi-boneless Winter Spiral Cut Hams

Homemade Easter

Smoked Kielbasa $5.99 lb. Croatian Kielbasa $5.99 lb. Fresh Kielbasa $5.49 lb.

Boneless Amish, SilverStar, SilverStar Tavern, and Albert’s Tavern Hams. Plus Homemade Pierogies & Easter Bread!

Seafood Crab Legs Crab Cakes @ market price Cleaned Raw Shrimp Cooked Shrimp Breaded Shrimp

CCAC student wins National Court Reporter Foundation scholarship

By Ashlee Green

Katie Picciano, a court reporting student at Pittsburgh’s Community College of Allegheny County (CCAC) has been recognized by the National Court Reporter Foundation (NCRF) for her high academic achievements.

Picciano, who was nominated by CCAC and has completed the internship portion of her schooling, is this year’s winner for the NSRF Student Intern Scholarship. The $1,000 scholarship is given out every year in order to, according to a press release, “ensure that rising student court reporters and newly appointed court reporters receive encouragement and incentives to learn and strive for excellence.”

Picciano’s scholarship application essay responded to the question, “What has your student intern experience taught you about this profession in a post-COVID world?” She cited, according to the press release, “an increased reliance on technology” and how it “exposed weaknesses in the courts as well as in society as a whole.”

Court reporters, according to The Association for Court Reporters and Captioners (NCRA) website, are “highly trained professionals who share a unique ability to convert the spoken word into information that can be read, searched, and archived.” They complete “word-for-word transcrip-

Photo: CCAC

CCAC student Katie Picciano is the winner of this year's National Court Reporter Foundation Student Intern Scholarship.

tions at trials, depositions, and other legal proceedings,” reports the Long Island Business news, and right now, there’s a nationwide shortage of them.

“My teachers and classmates at CCAC, my National Court Reporters Association mentor, and all the professional court reporters I have met during my internship have been genuine and encouraging,” Picciano said in the press release. “They kept me motivated to stay on track to graduate in less than two years during a pandemic.”

Picciano’s official court reporter career will start this month at West Chester, Pa.’s Chester County Courthouse. n

More education news is available on our website: www.thenorthside chronicle.com Looking for an opportunity to serve your community?

The Northside Chronicle is now taking internship applications. Mail resume and cover letter with three work samples to:

The Northside Chronicle 922 Middle St. Pittsburgh, PA 15212

or email to:

editor [at] thenorthsidechronicle [dot] com