Joseph Merle (“J. Merle”) Laird was born on May 18, 1903, in West Homestead, the first child of Victor Merle and Annie Laird. He was the elder brother of Edith, Thomas, and Susan Laird.
J. Merle was reputed to be an excellent student and good athlete. Baseball and soccer were his favorite sports. He related stories about the good times that he experienced while playing ball in the United States Steel Industrial leagues. He often took his sons to watch sporting events (Pirates & Steelers) at Forbes Field in Oakland and thoroughly enjoyed watching all types of athletics on television. Once at a picnic at his oldest son’s home, he deftly moved a soccer ball around much younger family defenders. Merle was in his sixties at the time.
Merle’s father, Victor, felt that it was important to educate the women and to ensure that the men learned a trade. Consequently the Laird girls were provided with higher educational opportunities and J. Merle was guided towards a vocation after graduating from Homestead High in 1921.
The 1922 Homestead High School yearbook lists his status as simply “Working”:Class of 1921 in 1922 Homestead High yearbook.
Merle was employed at the U. S. Steel Mill in Homestead, Pa.The 1930 Census records that 26-year old Merle was working a Clerk at the Steel Mill and living at home with his parents at 323 West 15th Ave: 1930 United States Federal Census
The work at U.S. Steel was sporadic. During the Great Depression, Merle and his best friend Ray Rutter bought and operated an Ice Cream Truck. During one U.S. Steel employee strike, Merle landed a position with the Pennsylvania Liquor Control Board. After the strike ended, Merle was called back to the mill but opted for the security of the State Store. He always received excellent reviews for his work with the state and progressed within the organization. He attained positions of manager at a variety of different sized stores. He traveled by street car and bus all over Allegheny County to get to his various assignments. He was offered office positions by Pennsylvania State but he opted to stay close to home and family. He finally obtained a managerial position in Munhall, PA, where he worked until his retirement in 1968.
Merle was an avid reader. He related that during his childhood he would take a flashlight to bed and read books under the covers while his parents thought he was sleeping. History appeared to be his favorite subject. He could name all of the presidents and vice presidents in chronological order and could provide detailed information about all of them. He also read and recited poetry and was very good with mathematics. He was an excellent writer with beautiful penmanship. He would help his children with written homework assignments and the grade results were always in the “A” category. One of his best pastimes was doing daily newspaper crossword puzzles. His challenge was not to complete them but to complete them in a better time than the day before. He also enjoyed music. He played both a banjo and mandolin. He would sit on his front porch swing playing his banjo and would sing songs (“Oh Susanna”, “Jeannie With The Light Brown Hair”, and “My Little Margie”) about his three daughters. He was also an excellent amateur magician. Visitors to his home were wowed with card tricks and feats of magic.
He married MARGARET MARIE KOZEY on August 06, 1930 in Duquesne, Allegheny Co., PA.
According to the Homestead city directory for 1931, newlyweds Merle and Margaret lived in an apartment on 10th Avenue:
Margaret and Merle created a wonderful family life for their 6 children: Tom, Sue, Jean, Margie, Joe, and Jack. Merle was very proud of the fact that he was able to help all of his children attain a college degree.
[above photo: Merle and his sister-in-law Irene Kozey]
Merle never tasted whiskey, wine, or beer. He saw the effects that alcohol had on some of his friends and relatives and vowed never to taste it, and never did. He was fairly religious and attended mass every Sunday morning where he ultimately became an usher and money collector. He never swore and would use the term “ah pshaw” when upset. His daughters could not wear shorts in public and being a cheerleader was out of bounds.
Merle was honest to a fault. He used an Atlantic Credit Card when he purchased gasoline for his car. He would save his receipts and check them against the monthly bills when they arrived. He noticed that a receipt that he had for an Atlantic Station in Butler was never billed. This station is where he stopped when taking his daughters to Slippery Rock State College. On a subsequent trip, he stopped at the station and asked the attendant why he was not billed. The man explained that the station had undergone new ownership and the past owner had gone out of business. Merle learned that the past owner lived a few miles away in Lyndora, PA. On the return trip from Slippery Rock, he drove to Lyndora and found the past owner and paid him for the past purchase.
The family dinner table was a social event at the J. Merle Laird household. Besides the inhabitants at 323 West Fifteenth Avenue, other people would randomly appear. Friends of the family (e.g., Joe Morgan), cousins (Graves), aunts and uncles would appear unannounced. As children got older, their spouses and children were also welcomed. There was much laughter at these get-togethers and nobody was beyond “teasing”. The Laird family had a “cutting wit” which may have been instituted by J. Merle. He was also the recipient of such shenanigans and always took it well. Merle had a great Irish wit and could laugh at himself.
Merle Laird was “stay at home” person. He enjoyed going from his back porch to his front porch depending on where the sun was shinning. Walter Graves told him: “Merle, you should at least sit on the other side of the bus once in awhile.” J. Merle did not like to travel. He would worry about travel arrangements, how much to tip the waiters and bellhops, directions, etc. His wife Margaret liked to travel and he would occasionally go to make her happy but then couldn’t wait to get back home to his porches. For Christmas one year, his children bought him plane tickets to Florida and sent them across the room to him in a toy airplane. He looked at the tickets, put them back in the plane, and sent it back to the other side of the room. He eventually traveled to Florida with Aunt Gin and Uncle John Kozey.
Merle Laird treated all people without bias. He was a friend to the African American people in our neighborhood and they liked and respected him as well. Many of our black neighbors attended Merle’s funeral. Merle died on July 6, 1990, in Munhall, PA.
Laird Family History 