A generation ‘constructed’ for tragedy: Older Black men hit hardest by overdose crisis

Alan Scott’s loved ones described the triumphs and tragedies in his life.He earned a “top salesman of the year” award from his employer, one of the largest pet food companies in the country at the time. He was also a sharp dresser who donned tailored suits and hats for outings with his friends.He lived with prostate cancer for a decade, enduring chemotherapy and other treatments that couldn’t keep the cancer from spreading to his bones. And he sought solace during hard times at a church near Braddock, where he grew up during the 1950s, ’60s and ’70s — a period that led to the shuttering of most steel mills across the Monongahela Valley. & & (From top) Alan Scott in Chicago in 1987. Alan and Elaine Scott on their wedding day, July 14, 1984, in Alsip, Illinois. Alan Scott in Downtown Pittsburgh in 2017. (Courtesy photos)Scott died in July at age 70. It wasn’t the cancer that took him. Rather, it was a fatal combination of fentanyl and cocaine, according to the Allegheny County Office of the Medical Examiner. He’s survived by his wife, daughter, two sisters and other family members and friends, some of whom described their grief during...