Dad started working on towboats around 1945, when he was about 15. He and several of his brothers and neighborhood friends worked for Zubik Towing in Pittsburgh. They were known by other workers as "The Mosquito Gang" because of their age and thinness.
Dad worked for several companies through the years. His first steady job as a pilot was with Coal City Towing out of Pittsburgh. He also worked for Zubik Towing (at least, one of the Zubiks), the Onward Towing Co., Ashland Oil, Thomas Petroleum, Cardinal Carriers, Union Mechling & Dravo Mechling (I think), and Campbell Transportation Co. He retired from Campbell just a few years before he died in 1996.
