T. Rowe Price

Chapter TwoLESSONS LEARNED, 1919–1925

The following fictional account describes how Rowe might have been introduced to his first job, shortly after graduation from Swarthmore. It is based on photographs of the plant, an interview with Ralph Mehler of the nearby town of Sharpsville Historical Society in Pennsylvania, and the author's experience working at Westinghouse Electric at its oldest plant, then located on Turtle Creek in Pittsburgh. The basic facts are accurate, such as location of the plant, its size, and the principal characters. Only the words of the conversations are completely made up.

Rowe and his fraternity brother Lindsay Cornug stepped off the train into the summer heat of western Pennsylvania in 1919. They had arrived in Leechburg, a small town of four thousand souls planted on the banks of the polluted Kiskiminetas River. The town earned its living by building products made of the steel produced in large quantities in Pittsburgh, thirty‐five miles to the west. The men's immediate destination was the Fort Pitt Enamel and Stamping Company.

The air was thick and humid with an industrial haze and a faint smell of sulfur.

The two young men looked at each other. Rowe rubbed a tear from his eye. For a moment, he could not figure out why he was crying. Then he realized it was from the chemicals and other pollutants in the air. It was certainly very different from the clear blue skies and tree‐shaded campus at Swarthmore.

They found the company right on the river. ...