Eagle, Armco retiree team up to get vets' photos to families
When former Armco plant manager Jerry Puff was able to get his hands on about 75 pictures of uniformed Armco employees taken during World War II, he was thrilled to be able to distribute the pristine photographs and negatives to the veterans appearing in them or their families.
But he lamented that the remaining pictures, numbering in the hundreds, had likely been discarded.
A few months later, Dave Todd, the retired Armco vice president, gave Puff a call.
“He said 'I have the rest of these pictures,'” Puff said Thursday.
Puff explained that Todd had been wintering in Florida when the Butler Eagle article on the 75 photos came out in February, and heard about it when he returned to Butler in the spring.
In February, Puff took on the Herculean task of taking calls from those who saw their relatives' names in the Eagle. He also sent photos to Armco veteran families all over the United States.
Puff is thrilled that the remainder of the photos were located and will now have a chance to end up in the hands of an aging veteran or his or her proud family members.
Puff explained that all Armco employees who served in the military during World War II were photographed by the mill's staff photographer.
Many of the photos include the soldier, sailor, flyboy, WAVE OR WAC'S family members as well.
“I was told that at the time of the war, one of every two people who went through those gates (at Armco) were in World War II,” Puff said.
He said when distributing the original photos, he was surprised at how many heard about the Eagle article from friends and called from far-flung places.
“Butler has a network of people who were involved in some way with Armco, and that network was responsible for the calls from other places,” Puff said.
Harold Feder received an Armco photo of his father, Wallace Fedokovitz, at the Eagle Thursday.
Feder, who uses the shortened name his father created after the war, said his dad never talked about his time in the military. Feder is unaware what rank his father achieved in the Army or what unit he served with in Africa.
He was thrilled Thursday to receive the four photos and negatives in the envelope handed to him by Puff.
“This is wonderful. I really appreciate it,” Feder said as he gazed at the image of his late father as a young soldier. “All I have is his discharge papers.”
Feder said his father died 30 years ago, leaving Harold and his three sisters largely in the dark regarding his military service.
“He was quiet,” Feder said. “He got along with everybody. He was a genuinely nice guy.”
Puff said the photo of Fedokovitz revealed information his son did not know, including the hash marks on his uniform's sleeve that indicated Fedokovitz was in the Army much longer than his son thought.
Puff recommended to Harold that he go to the county Veterans Affairs office to retrieve his father's military records.
“So now he's getting his records and is going to find out something his dad never talked about,” Puff said.
Puff, a Butler native, said he participated in Armco's co-op program in the early 1960s while studying at the University of Cincinnati to be a metallurgist.In the program, he attended classes for seven weeks then returned home to work at Armco for several weeks. During the five-year program, Armco had the chance to decide whether they thought the young Puff would be a good fit for the company.Puff hired into Armco in 1964, when many World War II veterans worked there.“They were all good, solid people,” Puff said.He will always appreciate Armco and the years he spent working there, which is why he took on the project of re-homing the veteran photos.“I have great loyalty to Armco,” Puff said. “They fed me, housed me and sent me around the world.”How to get a picture of your relative?The first 30 Armco veterans' names along with instructions on retrieving a photograph appears in today's edition of the Eagle.Because there are now 10 times the number of photos originally retrieved by Puff, the Eagle will list the names in the newspaper and on www.butlereagle.com in alphabetical order 30 at a time on Tuesdays and Fridays and distribute the photos at the office at 114 W. Diamond St.Because the Eagle office employees will distribute the photos in addition to completing their regular tasks, only the photos listed in the newspaper will be distributed. No phone calls will be taken on the photos, which will be distributed on a first-come, first-served basis.Those retrieving photos can do so between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m., Monday through Friday.The photos are free, but those who also want a copy of the Eagle edition that lists the names must buy the newspaper.Those who want a photo sent to them should send the name of the veteran along with a stamped, self-addressed envelope to Jerry Puff, 104 Frankstowne Lane, Butler, Pa. 16002.
