Donna M. DeBlasio is an associate professor of history at Youngstown State University and the director of the Center for Applied History. Martha I. Pallante is a full professor in the Department of History and its chair. Both are natives of the community and alumni of Youngstown State University in the 1970s. DeBlasio and Pallante are committed to the preservation and interpretation of the Mahoning Valley and the institution they serve. Both have recently published works focusing on the local area and its people.