Steel Town Authors Meet and Greet At Heritage Fair

Deborah Rudacille and Frank Behum grew up 150 miles apart, in Dundalk and Bethlehem, Pa., respectively. But the books they’ve written share a lot of the same turf, similar stories about the steelworkers and the hard work in Bethlehem Steel’s largest mills, their families and unique communities.

Both authors were on hand this past weekend at the Dundalk Heritage Fair.

Rudacille’s book, “Roots of Steel, Boom and Bust in American Mill Town,” coincidentally begins with the chapter, “Patriots,” set on Independence Day in Dundalk in the midst of the biggest parade in the state. Released in March of 2010, “Roots of Steel,” is scheduled to come out in paperback Aug. 9.

Rudacille’s next local reading from the book will be included as part of the New Mercury Reading Series, which she co-founded, at The Windup Space in Stations Arts North in Baltimore on Aug. 20.

From Pennsylvania’s Lehigh Valley, Behum is a retired steelworker. His book, “Thirty Years Under the Beam, Bethlehem Steel Exposed," includes transcriptions of 47 oral interviews with workers from the “home” plant in Bethlehem, now—in a sign of a changing America—a casino. His interviews cover many of the departments, the work situations, the union and personal issues of steelworkers. The interviewees range from laborers to superintendents, giving a broad and often conflicting view of one of the major corporations in the U.S.

Hundreds of local steelworkers and retired steelworkers turned out for Behum’s reading and at the old Local 2609 union hall on Dundalk Avenue. His self-published book, finished in December 2010, is in its second printing.

Both books are on hand at the Dundalk-Patapsco Neck Historical Society.

Each author said he or she continue to receive positive feedback from readers, especially those who worked in the mills or had spouses or family who did.

“I started working on the book in 2006,” said Behum, who retired in 1997. “I interviewed 122 people. Surprisingly, there’s a lot of older women buying the book whose husbands never talked about their work. A lot of former steelworkers and their families and history buffs, too.”

A fifth-generation steelworker, Behum’s great grandfathers, one of whom was a former Russian military officer, both landed jobs at  Bethlehem Steel in Bethlehem, the day after arriving from Eastern Europe.

Rudacille said she’s pleased that her book will be coming out in paperback soon.

“It’s a big deal,” she said. “It’s going to make the book more affordable. The hardcover price is $27. You can find it on Amazon.com for $16-$17, but the paperback will probably be considerably less.”

“Roots of Steel,” has wide-appeal for anyone interested in the history of the U.S. steel industry and the cities where it once thrived. But it maintains a special authentic connection to local readers.

“People see their own lives and their families lives in the book, part of which is a verbal history,” Rudacille said. “It could be the story of any family, not just Dundalk, but it’s especially a part of people’s lives from Dundalk.”