Ever crossed the Golden Gate Bridge? Or perhaps seen pictures of the splendor of a midtown 1930's Manhattan skyline. Or, ever dreamed of making that historic transcontinental railroad trip connecting the two?

Well, these are just three little mementos left by a company which died last week. I suppose we don't think of a company dying in the sense of a human death, but this one almost reaches that level. Because, it made its mark, literally, on millions of people, worldwide, for over a century and a half.

I have no vested interest in this story... I don't now, nor have I ever known anyone who worked there, and obviously never will. I just find it somewhat sad, for whatever reasons and conditions which caused it, that Bethlehem Steel is no more. Consider this:

The DNA of this company was formed before the Civil War in South Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and following a turn of the century reorganization by steel man (not stock broker!) Charles Schwab, Bethlehem would go on to employ millions, and make countless contributions to this nation's industrial and defensive strength from skyscrapers, bridges and railroads to warships, aircraft and even bayonets.

But, this "As American As An Institution Can Get" institution fell prey to cheap imports and overwhelming debt tied to pensions and other costs. On a much grander scale, I suppose it's like the demise of the family farm when the heirs can't afford to pay the inheritance. Sad, indeed.

So the next time I see NBC's Rockefeller Center or the USS Lexington or the facade of the Waldorf-Astoria or the Chicago Merchandise Mart or the Supreme Court Building, I'll tip my hat to this institution known as Bethlehem Steel. Yes, it died last week, but oh what an institution it was! Long live the thoughts.