Meet Chris Hardie

Chris Hardie is flanked on a recent run by Waynesburg University student Tiffany Davis and Waynesburg Mayor Blair Zimmerman.

By Colleen Nelson

WAYNESBURG, Pa. – When Chris Hardie says, "Gotta Run," you can believe him.

The Greene County, Pa., Office of Development and Planning staffer is out the door running whenever he gets the chance – lunchtime, before work, after work and on weekends.

He is on a mission and the mission has a name – Chris Cross the County for the cure.

While many cancer survivors and their supporters walk the track at Central Greene High School for 24 hours for Relay for Life the first weekend each May, Hardie, 32, puts a longer distance face on what he challenges himself to do for cancer in April.

Chris Cross the County takes him from one end of the county to the other, or even across the county line heading for Pittsburgh.

Hardie has been charting a different course each year since 2007 when he ran his first 51 miles for Relay and raised $3,500. His determination to run no matter what the weather attracts the kind of publicity and sponsorship that adds up to thousands of research dollars for the American Cancer Society.

Getting to know the man so many have only seen on the fly isn’t easy. Hardie is on the go even when he's not wearing his running shoes. It’s a rare moment when he can be found in his office with enough time to chat and even then, he is answering the phone, making copies, organizing notes or checking his watch for the next scheduled meeting while he talks.

He’s been up since 6 a.m. on the day of this interview, and there isn’t a day that he doesn’t work out – boxing, Pilates, aerobics and weight training.

“Whatever I’m in the mood for.”

And then there is the almost daily running regime.

“Out of 365 days I’d say I run 350. I’m in training year-round.”

His shaven head, neat goatee and direct gaze complement his compact muscular build. A white bulletin board behind his desk is neatly gridded with his workday tasks – meetings and projects for the county, tucked around his hours as part-time track and field and cross country coach at Waynesburg University.

“I have to keep organized – there’s a lot of things going on here in planning,” Hardie admits. “Any new construction or business coming into the county goes through this office for ordinance compliance. Storm drains, noise, tax abatement, we deal with it. We plan ahead and connect the dots and make sure it’s done the right way.”

Hardie found his own right way as a high school senior, when he realized his body had found its athletic niche in running.

“I have a strong gas tank – I can keep going. The name Hardie is mostly German but my dad’s Cherokee, too. I’m built like him and we’re a lot alike. He has a little gray in his beard and he’s more into working out than running, but that’s about it. He doesn’t think so but he’s the one who taught me to be able to do this. He gave me his work ethic growing up.”

Hardie grew up in Blair County near Altoona, Pa., on land that his great-grandfather once farmed. He lost a grandmother to cancer, then an aunt.

California University of Pennsylvania gave him a chance to run track and field while earning a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master’s in geography and regional planning. It also gave him another close encounter with cancer.

“One of my running partners, Pablo Prego, started having calf cramps. It turned out to be cancer and it spread quickly. He was only 24. A bunch of us college runners had a run in his honor and the idea evolved over time. When I was at Mount Aloysis College in 2003 I discovered Relay for Life and started helping out. When I moved to Greene County in 2005 and saw there was a Relay here, I got involved.”

When April rolls around, Hardie is ready to run - rain, snow or shine. He has a stock answer for his commitment that is not lessened by being repeated.

“Cancer victims don’t get to choose when they have good days or bad days, so I don’t care what it’s like out there – I’m running.”

This year, Hardie has decided to run in circles for the cure – coordinating the 4th annual Chris Cross with Waynesburg University’s popular Mini-Relay for Life from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. April 18.

“I’ll be running on campus around Johnson’s Commons, doing as many laps as I can. My wife Kelley is the sponsor of the Mini-Relay and our goal is $7,000. The checks are beginning to come in already.”

Hardie bends down and adjusts his laces. He’s bundled up but his legs are bare against another chilly day – a toboggan warms his head. He grins, straightens up and surveys the road before him. It’s lunchtime and Hardie just has time for a quick sprint and a bite to eat.

“See ya now. Gotta run!”

(Colleen Nelson is freelance writer and artist in Holbrook, Pa. She teachers creative writing at Bowlby Library in Waynesburg, Pa. Reprinted from Living in Greene County magazine, a publication of the Observer-Reporter)

Gunmaker with a sound work ethic

Gunsmith Frank Robinson in his Waynesburg, Pa., workshop. Observer-Reporter photo

Master gunsmith says...

It's custom-made that counts

By Jon Stevens

WAYNESBURG, Pa. – Frank Robinson, like many 15-year-olds in the 1950s, wanted a rifle so he could go hunting with his friends.

But also like many 15-year-olds in the 1950s, Robinson didn't have any money to buy a factory-made rifle.

He sent away to Klein's, a mail order company in Chicago, and for $29, purchased a 1917 Enfield ex-military rifle.

The teenager, who was living in Richhill Township just outside of Wind Ridge at the time, also purchased a kit from a company in Waseka, Minn., to reblue the gun metal.

"And, I also bought some Japanese woodworking chisels," said Robinson, 67, who owns and operates Robinson Custom Guns at 861 Ridge Road, Waynesburg.

So, with his 1917 Enfield, his bluing agent and chisels, Robinson "sat down, fitted things up" and proceeded to strip down the rifle.

His neighbors and friends saw the finished work and decided they would like to have something like that.

Soon, he was taking orders and was making some money, "which I needed as a kid.

"You have to remember, there were no gun laws, no restrictions and no licensing we have today," Robinson said.

Now, nearly 52 years after he made that first rifle, Robinson is considered to be one of the premier gunsmiths in the country.

And, he is not reluctant to say he was self-taught.

"Working from my basement, I developed my talents. This presented a challenge, one that I really enjoyed, with my hobby becoming a very big part of my life," he said.

Robinson's day job, so to speak, was working for Carnegie Gas Co., but since his retirement in 1997, his "hobby" has become his livelihood.

And he is doing quite well at it.

Many, if not most, of his customer business comes from long-distance advertising or from the Internet.

"My work has been written up in Rifle magazine and people from around the country who are very interested in buying a custom-made gun know where to look," he said.

Robinson begins his most popular custom creations with Greene County walnut wood.

"We make only a true custom wood stock, no synthetics, and our rifles are as accurate as they are beautiful," he said.

Robinson buys stump wood and pieces of walnut from the part of the trunk where the limbs attach, where he says the grain is best.

He has the wood cut by a portable sawmill, leaving bark in place, and then dries the wood for nine to 12 months before cutting it into planks.

He often orders English walnut and other select woods from as far away as California.

Customers can choose the wood and the design specifications, including checkering. They can expect delivery within 12 months. The rifle is created to order. Accuracy is guaranteed.

"No two guns are ever alike," Robinson said. "Cookie-cutter guns are produced from manufacturers. Our rifles, that are worked on between 40 and 50 hours each, provide the finest materials handcrafted for outstanding accuracy and appearance at an affordable price to our customers."

Robinson said in a good year, he can make 30 rifles. "We do shotguns and bolt-action rifles. No assault weapons," he said.

He also said he does very little repair work, "except for the convenience of some customers. We are now listed as a manufacturer and most of our business is creating rifles."

To eliminate time and reduce costs, Robinson built his own power carver, a machine that duplicates stocks from original and old patterns. It cost him $1,200 to make. A similar cutter from the factory costs about $16,000.

The most Robinson has ever charged for making a rifle is $5,000, but actually, "When it comes to financial considerations, there are some people willing to pay two to three times what I charge," he said.

Robinson said many gunmakers require the buyer to purchase the action (the metal working that actually fires the weapons). "Some will charge $8,000 to $10,000 for a custom-made gun," he said.

He remembered being at a gun show in Pittsburgh where he and others had their products on display.

People would walk past and admire his guns, but would leave without making a purchase.

A few booths away, another gunsmith from Harrisburg told Robinson that he had a "fine product," but Robinson said no one was buying.

"That man told me I had to charge higher prices because buyers feel the more expensive the gun the better the quality. All I was trying to do was give a good product at a reasonable price."

And just how much people are willing to pay for a quality custom-made rifle was demonstrated when a man came in to his shop in Waynesburg carrying an English Purdy.

"He asked me if I knew what I was looking at and I said, 'Yes, it is a Purdy.'"

The man wanted the stock replaced with English walnut and asked Robinson, "how much?"

"I told him about $3,000 and he told me I was $17,000 cheaper than Purdy. The weapon he had cost $165,000," Robinson said.

Purdy is a London-based company and Robinson said many times prices are dictated by the name. Purdy is top-of-the-line.

Robinson is a man with a sound work ethic. Having worked two jobs – the gas company and gun-making for most of his life – he was able to put four kids through college, including one through medical school.

"Forbes magazine did a story once on the best investments. It ranked the top three this way: Guns, real estate and gold."

(Jon Stevens is bureau chief of the Observer-Reporter/Greene County. His story originally appeared in Greene County Living, a publication of the Observer-Reporter. It was reprinted with permission.)

Periodic post card

West Waynesburg, Pa. 1895