That Our Past Shall Not Die: Lehigh Valley’s Heritage in Cement
As solidly as the famous press their prints onto a walk of fame, 1991 Radio/TV alumna Joan Minton Christopher has left the mark of her own hand on history. But instead of casting herself in cement, she put her hand to writing about cement.
Lehigh Valley cement, to be specific. Christopher's new book, The Lehigh Valley Cement Industry, tells the story of our area’s contributions to America’s dams, highways, bridges and skyscrapers. Through words and archival photos from the late 19th Century to the present, Christopher and co-authors Carol Front and Martha Capwell bring the vital industry to life again, and help to preserve a corner of our community’s legacy.
CEMENT AND A PEOPLE’S DAILY BREAD
The Lehigh Valley Cement Industry
has much to tell about the people – from the business-savvy entrepreneurs and executives to the brains of the engineers, to the immigrants who coarsened their hands and bent their backs to the sheer labor of it all.
But this history doesn’t stop at the doors of the mills, nor even with the quarries from whose walls our country’s infrastructure was hewn. Christopher, et al. have remembered that history this large never happens in a vacuum, but rather is immersed in the world it creates for itself; with that in mind, the trio show us the world of early cement in its entirety through the inclusion of dozens of peripheral companies that sprang into existence to supply and support the industry.
AFTER TWENTY YEARS, A BOOK
Things of intrigue tend to stick in the mind. Especially in a creative mind. The cement plants and great quarries that pepper our state make for a way different version of creation than Joan Christopher’s former home of Montana. And when she moved to Northampton, Pa., 20 years ago, coming upon those stacks and craters left a curious impression.
But then, for a researcher, writer and reporter, there’s no telling what curiosities may become fodder for future projects. For Christopher, this book is part of a career filled with projects. A graduate of Purdue University, with a major in creative writing, Christopher came to NCC to satisfy an itching interest in television by taking some courses in Radio/TV.
Her professors were quick to see her talent, and with their support, Christopher turned "some courses " into a degree, trailing a string of straight A’s right through to graduation.
It took her awhile, but with the true patience of an author, she earned her degree. "With the credits NCC accepted from Purdue," Christopher says, "and the flexibility of being able to take one or two classes a semester, I received my associate of applied science degree in four years, while leading a busy life and raising two daughters. I enjoyed the classes, and learned how the television industry works."
Learned it well. After graduating, Christopher landed work with RCN, Clark Productions, and Lehigh Valley PBS. Her research contributed to such PBS documentaries as The Fifties, The Sixties, Bethlehem Steel and Lehigh Valley Amusement Parks, among others.
AMERICA, ONE NEIGHBORHOOD AT A TIME
A product of limestone, clay and water may not make it into the glam product hall of fame, but spin beauty by its humble service to humankind, and cement becomes one dazzling invention.
Joan Christopher knows that. And her book celebrates it, and the heritage of everyday people who helped make this country strong. The Lehigh Valley Cement Industry (Arcadia Publishing), is available in bookstores now, and is part of the Images of America series, highlighting the history of neighborhoods, towns and cities across the country.
--Jim Johnson
