People Archives - Pittsburgh Quarterly

Flag Sojourn: America 250 Will Commemorate Western Pennsylvania’s Role in the American Revolution, Industrial Revolution and Technology Revolution, Marking the Nation’s 250th Birthday Here’s a bold statement to ponder as Americans prepare to celebrate the 250th birthday of the country’s declaration of independence from the British on July 4, 2026: Without Pittsburgh, maybe there’s no …

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American Spirit Culture

Steel City Sparks

by Samuel Peters

Every July Fourth, as the last light fades behind the hills that cup this city on three sides, something old and immigrant-born rises above the rivers. The barges are already in position a mile below the Point, loaded and wired and waiting. At 9:35 p.m., the first shell breaks open above the Ohio, and for …

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Profiles

Remembering Jacqueline Morby & Arnold Zegarelli

by PQ Staff

Earlier this month, two prominent Pittsburghers passed away, Jacqueline Morby and Arnold Zegarelli. Morby was a very successful private equity investor, who, along with her late husband Jeff, founded and funded the Cure Alzheimers Fund. You can read Jeff Sewald’s excellent interview with her about her life here — Jacqueline C. Morby, Businesswoman & …

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Obituaries Profiles

Martin G. McGuinn: A Great American Life

by Douglas Heuck

On April 26, I got a brief email from Marty McGuinn complimenting me on a remembrance column I’d written a few days earlier on Dick Simmons. I thanked Marty and added, “I’ve only helped two guys with their autobiographies…” The two were Dick and Marty. I didn’t know then that Marty’s time was short. Marty …

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People Profiles

Richard P. Simmons: A Great Man and a Great Friend to Pittsburgh

by Douglas Heuck

“The values of the organization are set at the top. The entire organization looks up to see what the CEO is doing—not what he or she is saying. So for those of you who aspire to be a CEO, remember the burden that you carry—not just to make the handful of strategic decisions you will …

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Opinion Profiles

50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. VII

by PQ Staff

Editor’s Note: We asked Pittsburgh leaders to give their prescriptions for Mayor Corey O’Connor on how to build a bright future for Pittsburgh. Their answers follow. Previously in this series: 50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. VI Alex Dick, Co-Founder, Dick Building Company Divisiveness dominates national politics while capital and talent …

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Profiles

50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. VI

by PQ Staff

Editor’s Note: We asked Pittsburgh leaders to give their prescriptions for Mayor Corey O’Connor on how to build a bright future for Pittsburgh. Their answers follow. Previously in this series: 50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. V Amanda Gillen, Executive Director, The Frick Pittsburgh Museums & GardensTo me, the heart …

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Profiles

50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. V

by PQ Staff

Editor’s Note: We asked Pittsburgh leaders to give their prescriptions for Mayor Corey O’Connor on how to build a bright future for Pittsburgh. Their answers follow. Previously in this series: 50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. IV Jerad Bacher, President & CEO, VisitPITTSBURGHNow is the time to intentionally forge what’s …

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Obituaries People

Gumberg, Tobin, McGregor, Blumstein, Sheetz, Northrop, McDonough, Fenves, Davidson, Murphy, Patterson, Queenan

by PQ Staff

Ira Gumberg, 72With a Harvard Business School degree, he joined J.J. Gumberg Company, the real estate company his grandfather started, and as chairman, he helped grow the shopping center mall business. The company launched its retail property division in 1977 and built the first American-style mall in India, eventually expanding throughout the subcontinent. He was …

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Profiles

50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. IV

by PQ Staff

Editor’s Note: We asked Pittsburgh leaders to give their prescriptions for Mayor Corey O’Connor on how to build a bright future for Pittsburgh. Their answers follow. Previously in this series: 50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. III Kendra Whitlock Ingram, President & CEO, Pittsburgh Cultural TrustThe arts have a unique …

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Profiles

50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. III

by PQ Staff

Editor’s Note: We asked Pittsburgh leaders to give their prescriptions for Mayor Corey O’Connor on how to build a bright future for Pittsburgh. Their answers follow. Previously in this series: 50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. II Wayne Walters, Superintendent, Pittsburgh Public SchoolsAs Mayor O’Connor begins his tenure, Pittsburgh’s path …

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Profiles

50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. II

by PQ Staff

Editor’s Note: We asked Pittsburgh leaders to give their prescriptions for Mayor Corey O’Connor on how to build a bright future for Pittsburgh. Their answers follow. Previously in this series: 50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor, Pt. II Jim McQuade, President & CEO, Dollar BankMayor O’Connor has a real opportunity to …

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American Spirit History

Elegy for an Irish American Catholic Family

by Mark Holan

My mother died in late November at the age of 95. She was the last surviving member of her Irish American Catholic family. Her passing closed the century-long story of a Pittsburgh archetype, once more familiar, now a faded shade of green. Her parents emigrated from rural County Kerry, separately and single, shortly before Ireland’s …

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Profiles

50 Leaders Give Their Rx for Pittsburgh Mayor Corey O’Connor

by PQ Staff

Editor’s Note: We asked Pittsburgh leaders to give their prescriptions for Mayor Corey O’Connor on how to build a bright future for Pittsburgh. Their answers follow. David Holmberg, CEO, Highmark HealthI lived Downtown for many years before the pandemic and saw firsthand the experiences that brought people together. Pittsburgh’s future depends on creating a vibrant, welcoming …

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Profiles

The Art of Determination

by Tara Rieland

Thomas Solich is the owner of Solich Piano & Music, which has stores in Cleveland, Columbus, Detroit, and, as of 2022, Pittsburgh. Blind since birth, he became a champion wrestler, classically trained pianist and successful entrepreneur, becoming one of the largest Yamaha piano dealers in the U.S. Solich lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife …

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Profiles

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. VII

by PQ Staff

Editor’s note: The Pittsburgh Quarterly team has interviewed many of the most interesting and noteworthy people in our “city-state of Pittsburgh” as my old editor and friend John Craig used to call this area. The number of interviews that have appeared in this magazine reaches well into the hundreds (writer Jeff Sewald alone has interviewed …

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People Profiles

A Hero in Pittsburgh

by Scott Holleran

Assassinations abound. in July 2025, a gunman shot President Donald Trump on fairgrounds near Butler. The nation’s biggest health plan’s CEO was killed in New York City. An arsonist targeted Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family. Islamic terrorists vowed to assassinate America’s top pop star, Taylor Swift, causing her to cancel a concert. And …

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People Profiles

20 Years of Interviews, Pt. VI

by PQ Staff

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American Spirit

The Tools Left Behind

by Jeff Dooley

Frozen forever in their black-and-white time, the two men gaze at me from separate photos atop a dresser. In one, my late paternal grandfather, Ray, “RC,” squats in the bright Florida sunshine while holding a tray of fish. A caption written on the photo’s border is in my grandmother’s (his wife Catherine’s) neat cursive: Snapper …

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People Profiles