Little Man of Steel
by Stephen Michael Berberich
Based on a true story from 1967 Chaos reigned. The nation was at war, protests raged on campuses, cities burned in race riots, and assassins killed popular leaders.
So, did I worry that my poor grades would get me drafted out of college? Guess so.
I was worried a whole lot more whether I could buy the white Chevrolet Malibu ragtop with all black interior I’d coveted since high school. I needed tuition dough too.
Well, heavy industry came to my rescue. Aunt Kay’s neighbor got me a summer job with the big Bethlehem Steel Mill at Sparrows Point in Baltimore. He said he was
management.
My job title was to be as a roll-transfer man. What the hell was that?
No matter. That summer, I’d be earning the best hourly wage of any college kid.
Guardedly then, I drove my mother’s 1956 Plymouth Savoy across East Baltimore through neighborhoods of small post-WWII homes built for returning GI’s on VA loans. I marveled at the consistently neat, framed-in trees and little lawns.
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