Mr. Joseph Liskanich was raised in Northampton, graduating from Northampton High School in 1976. In high school he especially enjoyed science classes.
Joe was a wrestler in the 126-pound class and won fourth place in district wrestling. In football, he played cornerback and was part of the Konkrete Kids 1975 Lehigh Valley League Championship team. The Thanksgiving Day game with Catasauqua was always a highlight of the football season. His football coaches were Lou Wolf and Charlie Wogenrich.
During high school, Joe worked summers with Glen Butler and Pete Schneider, his high school teachers, doing painting and roofing.
After high school, Joe was hired by the New Jersey Zinc Company in Palmerton at a wage of $5 an hour. His cement odyssey began at Whitehall Cement. Later, he was hired by Keystone Cement as a mill room attendant.
Joe’s employment progression took him to the packhouse, shift maintenance, burner helper and burner. Old-timers who shared their skills with him were Frank Marx and Joe Domitrivits, who was also his Midget League baseball coach.
Presently, Joe works as an Expeditary A with Bob Litch in the control room, the heart of the plant.
He recalls, “In my 39 years at the plant I have seen many technological changes, as we changed from a wet process to a dry process plant.”
Joe has been married 42 years to the former Tina Werkheiser. They are very proud of their daughter Heather and twin grandchildren Joseph and Gianni.
In his spare time, you can find Joe hitting a golf ball at Iron Lakes Golf Course.
A very amiable man, he is a dedicated employee working with his coworkers to produce quality cement.
We wish Mr. Liskanich and all our friends at Keystone Cement a safe and prosperous year.
