STEVE KAN: Tom Bromeley passed along a story about Steve Kan, who owned a grocery store on West Washington Street years ago that we’ve been talking about.

Tom wrote, “Being a neighborhood grocery store, quite a lot of the business was on credit. Each customer had a “book” and Mr. Kan recorded in the book whenever a purchase was made.

“One late afternoon, a neighborhood boy came running in; selected a roll of toilet paper; and started to run out.

“Mr. Kan short-stopped him and said: ‘Just a minute, Son. Who is that for?’ The little boy looked surprised and said: ‘Why, Mr. Kan, it’s for all of us.’”

Tom noted that Steve Kan was uncle to and Frank Kan cousin to Henry Pruch, a former general manager of the Kendall Division of Witco Chemical who was involved with a number of clubs and organizations in Bradford.

Frank, Steve’s son, ran a tavern at the location after the grocery store closed.

Tom and Henry both served with the Advisory Board for the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

TOM MIX: Clayton Vecellio of Lewis Run 

He wrote to let us know today is the birthday of a local man who would go on to become “one of the great cowboy actors along with Gene Autry and Roy Rogers.”

Clayton told us Tom Mix was born in Driftwood on Jan. 6, 1880 — a full 135 years ago. The actor died Oct. 12, 1940, at age 60.

“Driftwood is 18 miles south of Emporium on Route 120,” he noted.

Clayton also mentioned a 1964 photo we shared in Friday’s edition of the paper that showed grass growing underneath James Morrison Memorial Bridge/Casey Bridge/Cornplanter Bridge. This was about a year before Kinzua Dam was built and the Allegheny Reservoir formed under the bridge.

Clayton shared his own photo of the bridge.Clayton’s sons Bruce and Brian stand on the bridge in 1964 as it’s being built.