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My favorite memory of Lilly had nothing to do with sports
Being a young boy in Lilly gave me such a tremendous amount of joy. I tried to determine one remembrance that would stand above all the...
hughconrad52
Dec 23, 20222 min read


(Dr.) Kathy Phillips' memories of Lilly
Bikes were often the major means of transportation at that time, and I often rode my bike up town and remember trying to get up the hill...
hughconrad52
Dec 23, 20221 min read


On Dec. 23, 1972, I stayed away from home -- so that I could see the Immaculate Reception!
From Jan. 2013 with some 2018 edits Staying away from home on Dec. 23, 1972: The Immaculate Reception Story Growing up in a family with a...
hughconrad52
Dec 21, 20223 min read


Memories of Lilly: Joe Skura, Denny and Geri (Lytle) Lazar, Susan Andrews Johnston
Joe Skura I grew up in “Upper Dutchtown” - Farmer’s Turnpike. I loved so much about growing up in Lilly. First, my cousin, Niki Shedlock,...
hughconrad52
Dec 19, 20222 min read


Happy Hanukkah: The first successful Jewish businessman in Lilly, Pa. was Louis Shulman.
... a Jewish man succeeded in a predominantly Catholic community The building still stands on the corner of Railroad and Cleveland...
hughconrad52
Dec 18, 20222 min read


Winter Reading List 2022-23
Winter Reading List 2022-23, with previous lists included “My Antonia” by Willa Cather, done “Frankenstein” by Mary Shelly, done “It...
hughconrad52
Dec 18, 20222 min read


A tough year for reading, writing, and blogging
… but 2023 will be better To say that 2022 was a tough year may have been an understatement — in certain areas. In others, it was great,...
hughconrad52
Dec 18, 20222 min read


I saw no blatant anti-semitism at the "5 & 10" in Lilly, Pa.: Hy and Dorothy Lariff
Photo — Star of David … Judaism never mattered to me I never remember hearing the term “anti-semitism” in my early years in the...
hughconrad52
Dec 17, 20224 min read


To former Lillyites: What did you enjoy most about growing up in Lilly, Pa.? Christmas recollection
Our childhood homestead in the winter Most of us have special memories of our youth. For so many who grew up in my hometown of Lilly,...
hughconrad52
Dec 8, 20221 min read


Sadness of WWII: Our valiant soldiers defeated Hitler/fascism, but it is now alive in America
Yes, it can Read the novel at Project Gutenberg: http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks03/0301001h.html Part One The question was asked by...
hughconrad52
Dec 7, 20225 min read


A great Christmas present! Free English and Communications tutoring for 2022
Do you have problems writing essays or papers in high school or college? Do you want to improve your SAT and ACT verbal/English language...
hughconrad52
Dec 6, 20222 min read


Nov. 22, 1963 and Thanksgiving Day the following week — both still evoke intense emotions
My recollection of Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28,1963, starts with the weather: It was bitterly cold, especially at about 7 a.m....
hughconrad52
Nov 25, 20225 min read


Linda Hudkins: My "memory of having been there while a nation's grief had yet to abate"
Linda Hudkins is a retired journalist who wrote for decades, and she recalls as a young woman how she reacted to the death of President...
hughconrad52
Nov 23, 20222 min read


Watching the 1960 World Series -- completely -- for the first time
… and Maz’s homer is still the greatest ever As a 13-year-old on Oct. 13, 1960, I was an eighth-grader at St. Brigid’s School in Lilly,...
hughconrad52
Oct 13, 20224 min read


The night Father Jonas asked for “Divine Intervention”: And St. Francis defeated the Duquesne Dukes
Father Jonas McCarthy, TOR, a Franciscan marvel who taught me a great lesson about the power of prayer [A version of this appeared on my...
hughconrad52
Oct 1, 20224 min read


Did Joe Paterno cost Franco Harris the Heisman Trophy?
Joe and Franco did not get along well -- but Chuck Noll and Franco did … new book discusses the friction When I was an undergraduate at...
hughconrad52
Sep 29, 20226 min read


Happy 30th Birthday, Ben! One of the most inspirational and special students I have ever met
Ten years ago, in the fall of 2012, I met one of the most fascinating and inspirational students of my four decades in education. I have...
hughconrad52
Sep 17, 20224 min read


Larry Senko, St. Francis football player whom I recruited in 1985 and who perished in the Twin Tower
Remembering Larry Senko, St. Francis football player whom I recruited in 1985 and who was living the American Dream until terrorists...
hughconrad52
Sep 12, 20227 min read


Frank Cignetti’s greatest win in life was not on the field: It was a victory over cancer
RIP: Frank Cignetti 1937-2022 … lymphoid granulomatosis discovered at the age of 40 When the legendary Coach Bobby Bowden left West...
hughconrad52
Sep 11, 20224 min read


Pirates’ Hall of Fame choices were excellent
Bill Mazeroski trying on his Hall of Fame coat … and Bonds does not belong Imagine how good the Pirates were a century ago. Names like...
hughconrad52
Sep 7, 20226 min read
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