With Pirate Pride

There is a small coal-mining town southeast of Pittsburgh and north of Morgantown, West Virginia, called Uniontown, PA. Founded on July 4, 1776, the town grew alongside the rise of the coal and steel industries in western Pennsylvania. Route 40, the first national road, still runs through its center.

Uniontown is where Sead and Emmira Zubchevich eventually made their home after arriving in the United States. They first spent time in Central Ohio and Pittsburgh before settling in this small town. Emmira worked at the regional hospital and later opened her own private practice. Sead became a business investor. Their home included office space, something they had never had access to before coming to the United States, and it provided a sense of stability and possibility they deeply valued.

Both survivors and refugees of World War II, they came to this country with the hope of building a better life. Their three children, two sons and a daughter, grew up attending public schools and eventually went on to college. Over time, Uniontown became the center of their world, the place where their family gathered and grew.

Thanksgiving was Sead and Emmira’s favorite holiday. Their children and grandchildren would descend on their home for a long weekend filled with joyful chaos – TV on in the background, spirited debates, backyard football, naps, and shopping trips. The meal was a blend of classic American staples and the Mediterranean dishes they cherished: baklava, hummus, and tabouli. But the menu was secondary. What mattered most to the Zubchevich family was simply being together.

The United States brought two worlds together for Emmira and Sead. They carried with them the history, pride, and pain of their Eastern European heritage, shaped by war and political displacement. In Uniontown, those experiences blended with the hardworking ideals of a coal-mining Pennsylvania community. Their commitment to family and community made their assimilation not only possible but natural.

Thanksgiving became the perfect symbol of that merge, a uniquely American holiday that celebrates gratitude, hard work, and the kind of time together that becomes part of a family’s story. My grandmother, Emmira, would always tell me, “Ado*, there is nothing more important than your family.”

As we approach this Thanksgiving, whether you are near or far, I hope you enjoy the holiday with the people you love. That is exactly what Emmira and Sead would have wanted for all of us. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!!

With Pirate Pride,

Adham

*Ado was my grandmother’s nickname for me. She passed away in 2010, just shy of her 90th birthday. She was still seeing patients and had treated three on the day she passed. She lived a life dedicated to service—both to others and to her family. And every now and then, I can still hear her voice reminding me not to be an idiot. 🙂

*I have posted this story over the years, but wanted to share it again with the River community.