Clothing

• DONOR: Victor Zona

Victor Zona donated his PRO Award jacket. He and his wife were packing for their move to North Carolina when they discovered the jacket from Victor’s days working at YST Campbell works on the hot strip rolling mill.

Zona wrote, “I worked in the YST Campbell hot strip rolling mill in various positions such as a furnace charger, stocker, laborer, and furnace scheduler from 1969-1977. YST gave the PRO Award jackets to the entire hot strip crew in recognition for breaking prior steel production tonnage records.” This was in the spring of 1977 and, by that fall, announcements of mills closing around the valley soured workers’ moods.

Zona wrote that “finding the jacket brought back many memories during my time at the Sheet & Tube. Working there funded my college education.” That statement was true for many Youngstown residents who were able to spend a summer working in the hot mills to pay for a year of college at YSU.