Hi friends! Reef the fox here with your weekly “Reef’s Report.” Alright everyone, gather around for a tale of legacy, influence and ballet. Yes, you read that right.
Since my mother, Nicole Navarro, abandoned me last week (she claims it was “a quick trip,” I call it “a betrayal”), I took it upon myself to dig into our family history. Spoiler alert: my bloodline is practically Pittsburgh royalty.
Let’s talk about the Navarros, or the Kennedys of Pittsburgh but with more concrete and fewer scandals (I think). My great-grandhuman, Pasquale Navarro, was no ordinary man. Nope. He was once named one of the Top 200 Most Influential People in Pittsburgh; that’s right, a
big deal even without Instagram followers. But it wasn’t just about building skylines. He helped revolutionize the entire construction industry with something called the Pittsburgh Plan, a forward-thinking initiative that opened the door for minorities and underrepresented individuals
to enter and thrive in the construction trades.
At a time when equity in the industry was far from a priority, Pasquale made it one. And he didn’t just earn titles, he earned respect. In the
words of Raymond Volpatt Sr., owner of Volpatt Construction and someone who competed with Pasquale for 50 years: “He was the most trustworthy and honorable gentleman I’ve ever met in the construction industry.”
Now that’s the kind of reputation you can’t build with just bricks and blueprints. And guess what? Navarro Corporation didn’t just build
things, they made magic. Like, actual sparkly theater magic. In the late ’80s, they played a huge role in transforming the old Stanley Theater into the stunning Benedum Center it is today. That’s the same place where my mother recently watched “The Wizard of Oz” ballet,
probably crying into her Playbill while thinking about bricks, yellow and otherwise.
So while she was off getting cultured and classy in our ancestral land, I was here holding down the sanctuary, fluffing my tail dramatically, and possibly googling “how to claim inheritance as a fox.” Long story short: I don’t just walk on mulch, I walk on legacy. And Nicole? She’s not just my mom. She’s a Navarro. And that means something.
Anywho, that’s all for this week. Stay fabulous and historically informed, and until next time, Reef, over and out!
