A Man of High Standards

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: when you have an opportunity to have a “world’s collide” moment, it’s a good idea to take it, if you feel so inclined.

My friend and fellow Laurel Hill Cemetery tour guide Joe Lex gave me an opportunity to write and record an episode of All Bone Considered podcast, which features the life stories of permanent residents of Laurel Hill East (in the East Falls neighborhood of Philadelphia) and Laurel Hill West (just outside the city, in Bala Cynwyd).

The subject of this episode: Charles Benjamin Dudley, the first chief chemist for the Pennsylvania Railroad and the primary founder of the American Society for Testing Materials, now known as ASTM International. Dudley is buried at Laurel Hill West.

I’ve been a tour guide at Laurel Hill East for 10 years, and I’ve worked at ASTM for 33 years. Writing and narrating the Dudley ‘ABC’ podcast was clearly a case of world’s colliding.

There are other connections as well: Dudley lived in Altoona during the same time as ancestors of mine lived there. Plus, my grandfather worked for the Pennsylvania Railroad. All of this led me to further appreciate the scope of Charles Dudley’s accomplishments.  

Please feel free to click here to listen and learn more about Charles Dudley!

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