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Business pioneers deserving of praise

On Monday, Americans will pause and salute the contributions of business leaders and workers who have made our country “the land of opportunity.”

Entrepreneurs Henry Ford, Andrew Carnegie, Bob Sheetz and Jeremiah Detwiler have something in common. They all began businesses that provided employment for generations of workers: Ford in automotives, Carnegie in steel, Sheetz with his Altoona-based gas stations and convenience stores and Detwiler with the New Enterprise Stone & Lime Co., largely operated from Roaring Spring.

Labor Day is a national holiday proclaimed by the U.S. Congress to honor the sweat and effort of American workers.

The U.S. has not become the premier economic power in the world through luck. It has taken shrewd planning and hard work.

During the past 100 years, it has been through the initiatives of nationally known businessmen such as Ford and Carnegie, and local pioneers like Sheetz and Detwiler, that have provided the jobs and careers for generations of carmakers, steelworkers, highway attendants and road builders.

In 1921, the most common jobs were as farm laborers for men and as domestic workers for women. The normal work week was

55 hours, the average pay was 25 cents an hour and life expectancy was 47 years. The average family consisted of two parents and three children.

Now, a century later, the most common occupations in the U.S. are as office workers and sales assistants. Life expectancy is about 78 years. The typical American family has shrunk to two parents and one child.

I was born in 1934, five years after the start of the Great Depression, which essentially ended around 1941. I remember very little about that time, but my parents told me they suffered very little economic harm. My father worked for the largely, at the time, recession-proof Pennsylvania Railroad in Altoona and always had a steady paycheck.

In fact, according to family lore, I was delivered by a Dr. Andrews, who was pleasantly surprised to be paid in cash — $25 — for my Hollidaysburg at-home birth.

One hundred years ago, in 1921, the fastest growing occupations were in finance and real estate, transportation, factory work, teaching and coal mining.

Looking into the future, it is predicted that in the next 10 years, the high growth occupations will be in computer engineering and support, systems analyst, database administration and desktop publishing.

According to data from the Census Bureau, the largest industries in Blair County are health care and assistance (9,867 people), retail trade (8,333) and manufacturing (6,385 people). The highest-paying industry is transportation and warehousing ($49,383).

Sheetz, Detwiler, Ford and Carnegie did their parts in the past. It is now the turn of others to carry on the work of providing opportunities for future workers. Our continued prosperity depends on it.

Labor Day has always been a time for resting and leisurely activities. One hundred years ago, the day was spent picnicking, visiting amusement parks, playing baseball and singing along with early vintage record players.

Now, coronavirus permitting, we are more likely to watch television, visit theme parks, attend a professional sporting contest or surf the Internet.

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