Attilio Berdusco was recognized for engineering a mammoth pillar blast in the Helen Mine in 1955 and he was a pillar of his community
Some men gain recognition for building their communities. Some get notoriety from destroying things. Attilio Berdusco got to do both; in the best possible way. Attilio (or Tillio as he was often called), was born in the Sault in 1929 to Reno and Pauline Berdusco and was the oldest of eight children.
The family lived at the Parkhill Mine until 1939. When the gold mines closed, Tillio’s father then sought work at the Sinter Plant in Wawa while his mother ran a general store at the corner of Broadway and Laurier in Wawa. Attilio’s name appears in the Sault Star regularly in childhood as he excelled at both sports and academics.
He finished high school in Sault Ste. Marie at Sault Collegiate in 1948 and upon graduation received a prestigious scholarship from none other than Sir James Dunn, the President of Algoma Steel Corporation.
Tillio was one of two recipients of a four-year scholarship to Michigan College of Mining and Technology. Beneficiaries of these prizes not only had to have excellent grades but also had to pass a special exam to prove their competence.
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