Last Chapter Archives - Page 3 of 5 - Pittsburgh Quarterly

2018 Fall Last Chapter

Montgomery, Macino, Vento, Capretto, Marcu, Widdoes, Luderowski

Ruth Mitchell Montgomery, 101: Five years after she and her husband moved to Pittsburgh for a job with the University of Pittsburgh in 1956, Montgomery started the effort to create the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society (now Chamber Music Pittsburgh), attracting the philanthropic support to make the dream a reality. For many years she ran the …

Montgomery, Macino, Vento, Capretto, Marcu, Widdoes, Luderowski Read More »

Davis, Klausing, Donatelli, Lynch, Heinz, Sachs, McEachran, Scully, Sammartino

Nathan Davis, 81: Davis was director of jazz studies at the University of Pittsburgh and a pioneer in bringing jazz education into the mainstream. A tenor and soprano saxophone player, his 44-year tenure at Pitt included creating the Pittsburgh Jazz Seminar, the Sonny Rollins International Jazz Archive, the International Academy of Jazz Hall of Fame …

Davis, Klausing, Donatelli, Lynch, Heinz, Sachs, McEachran, Scully, Sammartino Read More »

Bognar, Franklin, Freeman, Ross, Goldstein, McElhattan, Malone

Nadine Bognar, 87: The co-owner of Bognar and Company, a supplier of coke and coal for the steel industry, she became chairman and CEO in 1992 after her husband’s death. While her business acumen contributed to the company’s continued success, it was her philanthropic efforts and support of a wide range of arts organizations that …

Bognar, Franklin, Freeman, Ross, Goldstein, McElhattan, Malone Read More »

Burger, Beaumont, Fincke, Lowry, Frankel, Papadakos, Dozzi, Troan

Herb Burger, 87: A leading Pittsburgh advertising executive, Burger led the PR effort that created the 1980s slogan, “Pittsburgh: The city with a smile on its face” while president of Creamer Inc. After the firm was sold, Burger started the St. George Group. He was the first chairman of the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, and was …

Burger, Beaumont, Fincke, Lowry, Frankel, Papadakos, Dozzi, Troan Read More »

Cahouet, Romero, Needleman, Maher, Donahue, Katz, Robinson

Frank Cahouet, 85: Cahouet rescued Mellon Bank from the brink of failure in the 1980s and restored the fabled Pittsburgh institution to strength. The first outsider to lead the bank when he arrived in 1987, he inherited bad loans and excessive expenses that led to a loss of nearly $1 billion that year. Cahouet aggressively …

Cahouet, Romero, Needleman, Maher, Donahue, Katz, Robinson Read More »

Steger, Sunseri, Sculley, Livingston, Wilkinson, Croce, Cenk

Wilbur Steger, 87: Will Steger was the creator and driving force behind Consad Research, a consulting firm that tackled practical and prospective problems from the streets of Pittsburgh to the White House. After working as an analyst at Rand, Steger left and cofounded Consad, which he ran for more than 50 years. The brilliant and …

Steger, Sunseri, Sculley, Livingston, Wilkinson, Croce, Cenk Read More »

Pauli, Ruch, Delligatti, Goldsmith, Abraham, Armitage, Desmett, Towle

Chuck Pauli, 73: Pauli was the former CEO and president of Pittsburgh specialty coatings company Kop-Coat. He was vice president and general manager of the Koppers Coating Division when British company Beazer PLC took over Koppers in the late 1980s. Pauli led a management buyout of the Coatings Division, which created Kop-Coat, and he later …

Pauli, Ruch, Delligatti, Goldsmith, Abraham, Armitage, Desmett, Towle Read More »

Washington, Nunn, Litman, Palmer, Page, Filoni

Milt Washington, 81: Washington was the long-time owner of Allegheny Rehabilitation Housing Corp.—one of the largest black-owned businesses in Pennsylvania. He was a man with a tremendous work ethic, and his success in providing low-income housing and in several other businesses he owned allowed him to become a committed civic leader as well. He led …

Washington, Nunn, Litman, Palmer, Page, Filoni Read More »

Gould, Kolar, Paris, Winter, Cardille, Oelschlager, Mosites, Williams

Rodney S. Gould, 93 Gould captained the undergraduate Cornell crew team where he later earned a law degree. He flew 35 World War II combat missions over Germany as a B-17 Bomber navigator. He was vice president of the Blaw-Knox Company and later Dravo Corporation and was very involved in community affairs, chairing the YMCA …

Gould, Kolar, Paris, Winter, Cardille, Oelschlager, Mosites, Williams Read More »

Dantry, Dunn, Wertz, Gentile, Jannetta, Lee, Campbell

Jay Dantry, 87 Dantry was a leading light of Pittsburgh’s literary scene through his bookstore, Jay’s Bookstall, which he opened in 1959 and ran until it closed in 2008. The eclectic store on Fifth Avenue in Oakland attracted giants from the literary world for readings and signings including Margaret Atwood, E.L Doctorow, Stephen King, John …

Dantry, Dunn, Wertz, Gentile, Jannetta, Lee, Campbell Read More »

Allison, Massaro, Olander, Harris, Kaiser, Murdoch, Burke, Copetas

Susan Allison, 75 A longtime resident of Erie and Sewickley Heights, “Susie” Allison helped her husband, Craig, build a number of businesses, including Tollgrade Communications, which became one of Pittsburgh’s most successful public companies during the dot-com boom under the leadership of their son Chris. She later devoted her energies to philanthropy, focusing on adoption, …

Allison, Massaro, Olander, Harris, Kaiser, Murdoch, Burke, Copetas Read More »

Bron, Gaffney, Conniff, Waldman, Ebbert, Ellis, Robertshaw, Miller, Walsh, Blum

Klaus Bron, 86 Dr. Bron was a pioneering visionary in interventional radiology and angiography. After studying the nascent field of minimally invasive angiography in Sweden, he came to Pittsburgh in 1964 and .became chief of vascular and interventional radiology as well as chief of radiology at Presbyterian University Hospital. His work created the conditions that …

Bron, Gaffney, Conniff, Waldman, Ebbert, Ellis, Robertshaw, Miller, Walsh, Blum Read More »

Hillman, Lenchner, Spruill, Peters, Faison, Danforth, Hoffstat

Elsie Hillman, 89 The irreplaceable and irrepressible first lady of Pittsburgh, “Elsie” combined vision, commitment, enthusiasm and means with a common touch. Those qualities and a sense of humor and fun helped her spearhead and support political, civic, cultural and philanthropic initiatives for more than 60 years. She headed both the Allegheny County and Pennsylvania …

Hillman, Lenchner, Spruill, Peters, Faison, Danforth, Hoffstat Read More »

Murray, Alexander, Wolfenstein, Mickle, Levin, Legato, Gordon, Snyder, Pavlovich, Dauler, Anderson

John Murray Jr., 82 From 1988 to 2001, Murray was the high-profile President of Duquesne University, who led the Catholic institution through a major revitalization, raising more than $200 million during his tenure. The former dean of the University of Pittsburgh School of Law, Murray was Duquesne’s first lay president and continued teaching in Duquesne’s …

Murray, Alexander, Wolfenstein, Mickle, Levin, Legato, Gordon, Snyder, Pavlovich, Dauler, Anderson Read More »

Aldisert, Van Dusen, Standish, Budway, Geibel, Hilliard, Stewart

Ruggero J. Aldisert, 95 Aldisert was a distinguished jurist who served on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The son of an Italian immigrant, he volunteered for service with the U.S. Marines during World War II, seeing action in the Pacific theater as a battery commander on Johnston Island and the Marshall Islands and …

Aldisert, Van Dusen, Standish, Budway, Geibel, Hilliard, Stewart Read More »

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

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 »

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

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 …

Gaisford, Fisher, Feeney, Mccarran, Veeder, Weis Jr., Wymard Read More »

McLaughlin, Ho, Wolf, Freeland, Purcell, Magovern

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, …

McLaughlin, Ho, Wolf, Freeland, Purcell, Magovern Read More »

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

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 …

Boyle, Ganassi, Wycoff, Madoff-Scheske, Greenwood, Spinabelli Read More »

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

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 »

Dardanell, Seigle, Perloff, Pietragallo, Dixon, Lancaster, Bartley, Hunter, Rosen

Edward Dardanell, 89: A decorated Army combat officer in World War II and Korea, Dardanell became a national leader in the suburban newspaper business, publishing 16 local papers, which later became Gateway Publishing. As a two-term state representative, he championed environmental legislation. Dardanell led efforts to raise $5 million and create Forbes Regional Hospital, to …

Dardanell, Seigle, Perloff, Pietragallo, Dixon, Lancaster, Bartley, Hunter, Rosen Read More »

Richardson, Allen, Bork, Musial, Potter, Horne, Krugman, Millar, Hughes, Cardinali, Ferriero, Jones, Novak

Jim Richardson, 75 Jim Richardson was the creator of the Post-Gazette’s “Seen” column. While running the salon at Kaufmann’s, he suggested a society column to Post-Gazette editor John Craig, and the idea took off. The slight and stylish Texas native had a big sense of fun. A keen observer who spoke with a drawl and …

Richardson, Allen, Bork, Musial, Potter, Horne, Krugman, Millar, Hughes, Cardinali, Ferriero, Jones, Novak Read More »

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