From darkness to light, the story of my great grandfather,
Andrew, is one of courage, perseverance and hard work. He left
Slovakia to escape oppression and arrived on Ellis Island in
1913. He eventually moved to Gary, Indiana where he began his new
life as a coal miner. Later he worked in the steel mills, until
tragedy struck in the form of a fatal accident in 1935. The mill
promised work to all of his offspring in reparation, and our
family continued working there for the next 40 years. I consider
myself the descendent of super-men… With spines of steel,
they built my family and this great nation. I honor their memory
and, upon their shoulders, build my future forged in new
opportunities.