Ken Kobus Presents: Generations at Work: One Family's Steel Working History
March 21, 2026
2:00 PM - 3:30 PM
Members of The Frick Societies receive complimentary admission
Join local historian and author Ken Kobus for a presentation on three generations of steel working heritage at the Pittsburgh plant of the Jones & Laughlin Steel Company. Focusing on J&L’s Pittsburgh facilities, located on the South Side and Hazelwood, attendees will learn how the mill worked from an “inside the walls” perspective of three generations of the Kobus family. Kobus is the author of several books, most notably, City of Steel: How Pittsburgh Became the World’s Steelmaking Capital During the Carnegie Era.
Advance registration encouraged; walk-up tickets can be purchased in the Frick Art Museum while space is available. Exhibition admission not included.
About the Presenter
Ken Kobus is a third-generation steelworker with over 40 years’ service in the steel industry at the Jones & Laughlin, LTV and United States Steel companies where he managed various operations. He obtained a BS in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Pittsburgh and is considered an expert about the railroad, steel and coke industries. Ken authored seven books about railroads and steel, the most recent is: Conway Yard – Keystone of the Pennsylvania Railroad, while he considers his most important publication: City of Steel – How Pittsburgh Became the World’s Steelmaking Capital During the Carnegie Era. He has also written articles for the Smithsonian’s online collection, “What it Means to Be American” produced by the University of Arizona; Pittsburgh Quarterly; Pittsburgh Engineer; Western Pennsylvania History and others. Additionally, he has been an amateur astronomer since childhood, as well as taught classes for the OSHER’s Life Long Learning Institute at Carnegie Mellon University.
