Laurels & lances: History and repetition

Laurel: To living history. It’s no secret that Pennsylvania’s origin story is the origin story of the nation. But a New Kensington woman brings it to life with her own family tree.

Mary Lee Brady-Atkins, 95, is a remarkable woman. She got her bachelor’s degree from Pitt before moving on to get her master’s and doctorate from Smith College. She spent 51 years teaching psychology at Michigan State. She is also a descendant of America’s third president, Thomas Jefferson, and Sally Hemings, the enslaved woman who was his wife’s half-sister and mother of at least four of his children.

The story of her ancestry is intriguing. So is the story of the piece of history she has because of it — a parchment copy of the original Declaration of Independence written by Jefferson. It includes edits and notes made by the conflicted author — a slave owner in a slave state who condemned slavery but carried on a decades-long sexual relationship with Hemings that started while she was a teenager.

Brady-Atkins isn’t just one of the many descendants of Jefferson and Hemings. She is the oldest — and she is a living link to one of our most important founding fathers and the embodiment of how far we have come since he wrote the nation’s statement of being.

Lance: To a predictable letdown. On Wednesday, Kennywood made what the amusement park probably felt was a sad and unexpected announcement. The Steel Curtain roller coaster would be closed for the 2024 season, which begins Saturday.

But is it a shock? Not really. Since being unveiled in 2019, the black-and-gold thrill ride seems to have been closed more than it has been open. And fans have noticed.

“It was very disappointing to see the Steel Curtain closed for the majority of last season,” said Nathan Hough, who takes his two kids to Kennywood. “I enjoyed when it was open as it took pressure off of lines for other rides in the park.”

Kennywood’s announcement said the closure was for “extensive modification” that would improve “longevity and reliability.” OK, that sounds proactive but also a tad ominous. How much modification can the ride need when it is only 5 years old and has been offline for a chunk of that time?

Maybe the park should figure a way out of the ironic ups and downs the Steel Curtain provides in a very different way than intended. More time is spent apologizing for it than reaping any benefits.