We don’t think too well of Andrew Carnegie, here in the Monongahela Valley. But we say his name a lot.
Carnegie was a lousy boss. Workers in his steel mills sometimes put in 24 hour shifts. When they struck he got his partner, Henry Clay Frick, who is generally despised in this part of the world, to bring in Pinkerton men. The Monongahela River ran red with blood.
(Don’t worry if you can’t pronounce Monongahela. Most people who don’t live here can’t.)
He and his buddy Frick had a private fishing club with a few other robber barons. They had a man made lake with a dam made out of earth. One wet summer, that dam broke. The lake destroyed the city of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, and a whole lot of people.
Perhaps his conscience bothered him, but Andrew Carnegie made an impressive decision. He resolved to give most of his money away.
You’ve probably heard of Carnegie Mellon University. (Carnegie Institute of Technology, when I was growing up.) You’ve probably been to a Carnegie library. His first opened in Braddock Pennsylvania in 1889, The last built in his lifetime was the Carnegie Free Library of Swissvale, which is just a short drive from Braddock, and opened in 1917. (I helped celebrate the centennials of both libraries.)
You know about Carnegie Hall in New York. We have one here in Pennsylvania too. It isn’t as large, but it’s an elegant little auditorium. I’ve enjoyed many concerts there.
There is a Carnegie Foundation, Carnegie Medals, and a bunch of other Carnegie legacies.
Among other things, he liked to give organs to churches. He preferred music to preaching.
He left enough money for his daughter to live comfortably. But his descendants all have jobs. One of them taught drama at-Carnegie Mellon..
If you are going to be a capitalist, and I’m not saying I recommend it, it’s good to pay back.
When you hear Carnegie, you probably don’t think Homestead Strike or Johnstown Flood. You think Carnegie Mellon University, or Carnegie Libraries, or Carnegie Hall.
Elon Musk might take a lesson from Andrew Carnegie.
At present, he is using his money to make a jackass of himself. He is the twit who bought Twitter.
He could use his money and influence to eliminate the Pacific Garbage Patch, build affordable housing, provide free education for young people who otherwise couldn’t afford it.
He could build parks, or music venues, or museums, that people could enjoy.
But he isn’t doing any of that. He’s trying to travel in space, trying to turn Twitter into I’m not sure what and wasting a lot of money.
In 100 years, he will be a footnote in history books. When people hear Musk, they will think melon. Which, come to think of it, is what a lot of people think, when they hear Carnegie. Only the Mellon has two ls, and they’re thinking of a world class university, not a fruit.
Mr. Musk, you have a chance to become a household word. All you have to do is grow up, and understand that your money didn’t magically appear in your offshore accounts. A lot of people helped you earn it. It’s time to be like Carnegie and give back.