People Archives - Page 15 of 21 - Pittsburgh Quarterly

How did I find myself in Pittsburgh? That’s a complicated question. I was born in Tampa to Greek immigrant parents, so my first few years were spent in Florida surrounded by a very Greek community. (There are more Greeks there than you might think.) Then we moved to Gary, Ind., where my father worked as …

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Profiles

Chuck Bunch

by Evan Pattak

The early 1990s seemed like a halcyon period for PPG Industries, one of Pittsburgh’s most venerable and best-known companies. Its three business pillars—coatings, glass and chemicals—each was producing about one-third of the firm’s revenue, a tried-and-true formula that promised decades of success. Then came the revolution. Thanks in part to market forces that included globalization, …

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Obituaries

Ferguson, Mastiff, Kay, Kalson, Musgrave, Simmons, Guarino, Gallagher

by PQ Staff

Dr. Albert Ferguson Jr., 95 Dr. Ferguson founded the University of Pittsburgh Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, which he chaired from 1954 until he retired in 1986. As a Marine during World War II, he performed enemy surveillance in islands in the South Pacific, surviving a torpedo attack on the boat transferring him to an island …

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Arrivals

Nicholson, Bullock, Parker, Gee, Holmberg, Walker, Vignali

by PQ Staff

Robin Nicholson will become the third director of the Frick Art & Historical Center. A native of Edinburgh, Scotland, he comes to Pittsburgh from Richmond, Va., where he was deputy director for art and education at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. Previously, he was director and curator of the corporate art collection of the …

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Profiles

William E. Strickland Jr., Educator and Activist

by Jeff Sewald

I’m a North Side kid. I grew up in the Manchester section of Pittsburgh and graduated from Oliver High School, where I was lucky enough to meet a person named Frank Ross, who was my art teacher. In several important ways, Frank turned my life around dramatically. I was raised in a small row house …

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Profiles

Too strong for fantasy

by Barry Paris

Marcia Davenport and Shirley Temple Black had one, and only one, common interest: Czechoslovakia. Their dynamic paths crossed once, and only once, there. But that was at the end of the story. In the beginning… Everyone knows Shirley, who recently passed away at 83. Hollywood’s most beloved child star later metamorphosed into a skilled diplomat …

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Obituaries

Binai, Carlough, Maazel, Werner, Noll, Kimmel, Lovette, Mellon Scaife, McDevitt Rubin

by PQ Staff

Paul Binai, 81 A former curator of the Carnegie Museum of Art, Binai was a renowned painter whose work has been exhibited throughout the world. Binai was a quiet, erudite man who also served as curator at the Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art and the Detroit Institute of Art. His art was greatly influenced by …

Binai, Carlough, Maazel, Werner, Noll, Kimmel, Lovette, Mellon Scaife, McDevitt Rubin Read More »

Arrivals

Gallagher, Fernandes, Barron, Finger, Suzik, Wilmer, Carey

by PQ Staff

Patrick D. Gallagher will become the 18th chancellor of the University of Pittsburgh on Aug. 1. A native of Albuquerque, N.M., he comes to Pittsburgh from the greater Washington, D.C., area, where he has been serving as acting deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce and director of the National Institute of Standards and …

Gallagher, Fernandes, Barron, Finger, Suzik, Wilmer, Carey Read More »

Profiles

Richard V. Piacentini, Botanist and Innovator

by Jeff Sewald

I was born in New York City and grew up on Long Island, practically across the street from a several-thousand-acre state park in which we played all the time. I loved being in the woods as a kid. I was always interested in plants and animals—mostly plants, to be honest—during my early years. I used …

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Obituaries

Gaisford, Fisher, Feeney, Mccarran, Veeder, Weis Jr., Wymard

by PQ Staff

Dr. John Gaisford, 98 Jack Gaisford was a leading Pittsburgh surgeon, known for creating the West Penn Burn Center. After serving as a surgeon in the Pacific during World War II and treating patients around Hiroshima, Japan, Dr. Gaisford returned home, developing a specialty in treating burn patients. John R. McCartan, 79 Jack McCartan was …

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Arrivals

Evans, Meixell, Munchak, Bracken, Peterson, Lam, Bibby

by PQ Staff

Catherine Evans is the chief curator at the Carnegie Museum of Art. She comes to Pittsburgh from Columbus, Ohio, where she served as curator of photography and also chief curator at the Columbus Museum of Art. Before moving to Columbus, Evans and her family lived in Sao Paulo, Brazil, for five years. A New York …

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Profiles

Elsie H. Hillman, Political and Civic Leader

by Jeff Sewald

Instrumental in the political campaigns of: Dwight Eisenhower, William Scranton, John Heinz, Gerald Ford, Richard Thornburgh, George H.W. Bush, Barbara Hafer, Tom Ridge and Arlen Specter Board member of many organizations through the decades, including: WQED Multimedia, the Hill House Association, the Urban League, Carlow University and the Hillman Family Foundations. Where does my story …

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Profiles

A Pittsburgh banking career

by Douglas Heuck

In April, Jim Rohr will retire as Executive Chairman of PNC Financial Services Inc. His 42-year career with the bank includes 13 years as CEO, a span that has seen PNC become one of the nation’s largest banks. Rohr has also been one of Pittsburgh’s greatest modern corporate leaders in civic affairs, championing a wide …

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Obituaries

McLaughlin, Ho, Wolf, Freeland, Purcell, Magovern

by PQ Staff

Aloysius “Ish” McLaughlin Jr., 79 An engineer who grew up in Swissvale, Ish McLaughlin rose through the ranks to become president of the Dick Corp., building it into one of the nation’s largest construction companies. A consummate strategist, tireless worker and smart businessman, he won major contracts including the restoration of Washington, D.C.’s Union Station, …

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Arrivals

Sklarsky, Hacker, Longhi, Bier, Stephan, Ivanko, Roman, Webster

by PQ Staff

Frank S. Sklarsky is executive vice president and chief financial officer at PPG Industries. A native of Buffalo, Sklarsky comes to Pittsburgh from Princeton, N.J., where he held the same position with Tyco International Ltd. Previously, he was executive vice president and chief financial officer at both Eastman Kodak Co. and ConAgra Foods, Inc. after …

Sklarsky, Hacker, Longhi, Bier, Stephan, Ivanko, Roman, Webster Read More »

Profiles

Mark A. Nordenberg, Professor of Law & University Administrator

by Jeff Sewald

Minnesota is the ‘Land of 10,000 Lakes,’ and northern Minnesota, where I was born and raised, has more than its share. Because Duluth, my hometown, was built on a hill, we had a scenic view of Lake Superior from our home. To me, it was like an ocean. Duluth was a great place to be …

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Profiles

Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., Highmark CEO

by PQ Staff

At Highmark, we probably spend in the range of $25–30 billion a year in paying claims. That’s a lot of money, and we take the responsibility seriously to try to help organize a system that spends that money wisely—because ultimately that’s all of our money. So, why is healthcare broken? What’s going on? Let me …

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Obituaries

Boyle, Ganassi, Wycoff, Madoff-Scheske, Greenwood, Spinabelli

by PQ Staff

JoAnne Boyle, 78 One of Westmoreland County’s most important leaders, she combined great energy and vision with a sparking personality and wit. A champion of the liberal arts, Boyle was President of Seton Hill University for 26 years, transforming the women’s college into a co-ed university. Deeply involved in the revitalization of Greensburg, she was …

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Arrivals

Keith, Viator, Mellon, Jacobsen, Beaupré, Clark Smith, Howard

by PQ Staff

John Keith is the inaugural R.K. Mellon Faculty Fellow in Chemical and Petroleum Engineering at the University of Pittsburgh’s Swanson School of Engineering. He comes to Pittsburgh from Princeton, N.J., where he was an associate research scholar in the department of mechanical and aerospace engineering at Princeton University. A native of St. Cloud, Minn., he …

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Profiles

Sala Udin, Community Organizer

by Jeff Sewald

My mother and father came to Pittsburgh during the great black migration from the South in the 1920s. They met and married here and took up residence in the lower Hill District. I was raised on Fullerton Street, which was the main drag leading to Wiley Avenue, the cultural heart of the lower Hill. From …

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Profiles

Pittsburgh Mayor: Who is Bill Peduto?

by Christine O'Toole

For his first vacation after his victory in the May mayoral primary, Bill Peduto booked his own stops, packed his own bag and took only one close companion: his iPhone. Within 24 hours, traveling between Helsinki and Stockholm, he used it to tweet the following: Great lunch meeting w/former Finnish diplomat to Baghdad 90-91 & …

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Obituaries

Muse, Hunker, Herberman, Schoyer, Sector, Dill, Michaels, Heasley, Caste, Eck, Churchill

by PQ Staff

Charles Muse Jr., 77 A coal industry executive, Muse was among those who answered the call in the late 1960s to invest in bringing professional hockey to Pittsburgh and create the Pittsburgh Penguins. Muse was a longtime supporter and officer of the Sewickley Valley YMCA and Sewickley Valley Hospital. Jeffrey Hunker, 58 The Clinton administration’s …

Muse, Hunker, Herberman, Schoyer, Sector, Dill, Michaels, Heasley, Caste, Eck, Churchill Read More »