I stay because this is home.

At 86, Lucille Rollins has multiple generations of steelworkers in her family, and she raised her own children near the mill. The mill meant income, a full table on holidays, gifts, gratitude. But she was always aware of the cost: her daughter was born with asthma.

"I stay because this is home. I have family here, my grandchildren, my great-grandchildren. I want to be part of their lives," she explains.

Her plea to the owners of the region’s steel mills is direct: "invest more in clean air, energy, and our city and this region." Beyond that, she pictures a city not defined by steel alone. "Not an extended steel city, but a tourist city," built around our lakefront and the Jackson family. "I see a future of an awesome Gary."

Photos: Tyrell Anderson / Decay Devils