Mrs. Marie B. McDonough presents a framed copy of Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom of Speech” print to L-1 BM-ST John Skermont.
Rockwell’s “Freedom of Speech” will hang in union hall once again
MRS. MARIE B. McDonough, widow of retired L-1 BM-ST Robert McDonough, donated her husband’s cherished copy of Norman Rockwell’s “Freedom of Speech” print Aug. 12, 2008, to L-1 BM-ST John Skermont for display at the Chicago union hall.
In accepting the print, Skermont humbly thanked Mrs. McDonough for her generosity: “I remember this print fondly as it hung for years in Bob’s office when he worked at this very hall. Naturally, Bob took the print home when he retired, but I am sure he would be happy to know that it will once again grace the hall of the union he loved so much.”
McDonough was 82 when he passed away June 16, 2006. He joined the union in 1940, and served as a Local 1 business manager from April 1965 through his retirement in December 1989. He was a trustee for the national health & welfare fund from 1966 to 1999, and served on that fund’s administrative committee for 21 years.
