50 Shades of Grades begins in Clairton, PA

The good news was that the first 50 pages of his book are available for free on the internet. The bad news is that after reading the first 50 pages I was hooked and made the purchase. Since I couldn’t wait for a hard copy I ordered it through Barnes and Noble on my Nook. (note: Dr. William “Bill” King’s book “SCHOOL DAYS: Coming of Age in the Mid-20th Century.” is also available online through B&N, Amazon.com and Xlibris). The story is fascinating. Born Jimmy Haigy during the Great Depression on Clairton’s Crest Street to a Turkish Muslim father and a Scottish/Welsh mother, he was the eldest of several siblings. He moved with his family to an apartment above the Blue Bird, then to an apartment above the store on the corner of Waddell and Third Street, and to a house on Toman Avenue. By his own admission Jimmy was a free spirit at best and a tough little thug at worst. He was permanently banned from one of Clairton’s pool halls for cracking the owner over the head with a blunt instrument, terrorized the Auto Shop teacher at CHS, left home and did a stint working for Zach Robinson at the Gold Coast, and a host of other rebellious activities before stumbling into the basement of the Colonial Theater where a rag-tag boxing gym had been set up. There he began his boxing career, hence the “Rings” in the title of his book.

Jimmy (Marcel would come later) did a stint in the Army during the Korean War but stayed stateside during his entire tenure. After being released from the Army, he followed a buddy to New York where on a lark they decided to go to cosmetology school. He became a hairdresser in New York (hence the “Ringlets” in the title) but in typical Clairton fashion he became one of the best, winning many national and international styling trophies and titles and purchasing a Cosmetology School. When he began doing hair and competing, he decided he needed a name that sounded French so he adopted “Marcel,” as a handle. But there was another chapter or two in his life before he retired to Florida and wrote his autobiography at the urging of his wife. You must read the book to discover them.

I interviewed Mr. Haigy for this blog and found him to be as charming and interesting as his book was to read. He is still a dyed-in-the-wool Clairtonian who follows Bears football and returns for occasional visits. He had stories of Clairton that were not in the book, such as the Kaiser-Frazer dealership owner who kept snakes as pets. One got loose and…. well, you don’t want to know what happened but suffice it to say it did not improve car sales. Perhaps that is one reason why Kaiser-Frazer went out of business.

It might be noted that if he had a rough start and spent the first chapter of his life as a ne’er do well, he spent the next chapter learning and growing and accomplished many goals he never dreamed he’d achieve, such as attending college at NYU, serving on numerous boards, consulting and helping establish rules that would enhance the safety of boxers, and many other areas of service. James “Marcel” Haigy’s ledger is much heavier on the credit side than on the debit.