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fall 2009
pittsburgh quarterly • fall 2009 www.pittsburghquarterly.com
fall 2009
$4.95
display until 11.20.09
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fall
special
spotlight
G-20 section
91 84 To do list... Pittsburgh A visitor s guide for those who want to understand this region quickly. by douglas heuck
98 The lore of Johnny Appleseed has roots in western Pennsylvania. by greg suriano
103 A dance to remember A series of events this fall observe the Holocaust. by reid frazier pittsburghquarterly.com
A look at Pittsburgh s recent rankings and evolution from the smoky city to the most livable. by john g. craig jr.
116 The business of retirement living Area senior living communities get creative as they vie for enrollment in a tough economy. by cristina rouvalis
A harvest tale
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You’ve come a long way, city
skyline: John Beale, retirement illustration: Steve Dininno, mill: Library and Archives Division, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA ballet image: choreographer: Stephen Mills, artists: Erin Halloran and Nurlan Abougaliev, photo: Rieder Photography
contents 2009
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38
124
p r i vat e l i f e
on the town
business city
26 What do I know?
50 Full circle for the square
124 Building a better city
33 Reading room Cyril Wecht s latest book by sandra levis
36 Vintage Don t be scared off by screwtops by alex sebastian
38 Homefront An art-filled aluminum abode by marylynn uricchio
45 Dr. D.A. Henderson The end of smallpox by sean d. hamill
every issue 17 Publisher’s letter 18 Stocks & pedestal 21 The observer Why Pittsburgh?
22 The citizen Greening the region by dan onorato
Mellon Square Park s makeover by justin hopper
58 Song of... Shadyside A walk on the shady side by barry paris
67 Arts & events Cultural District happenings
83 Worth the drive Burgh brew houses by barbara eichenlaub
115 Neighborhood joints Regent Square s Square Cafe by joseph mistick
24 Arrivals Professionals new to Pittsburgh
30 On the Wing The Ruffed Grouse by david liebmann
153 Last Chapter 154 Place by paul g. wiegman
PSVP and Gwen s Girls by amy crawford
127 Energy central Western Pa. s power potential by douglas heuck
128 The CEO profile Westinghouse s Aris Candris by dennis unkovik
focus on
Thelma Lovette by jeff sewald
Interior photo by Roy Englebrecht; Mellon Square Park photo by John Beale; Gwen’s Girls photo by S. Rick Armstrong
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133 A portrait in oil Wildcatter Mike Benedum by william dietrich II
143 You’ll manage Building business in Bellevue by chris allison
on the cover: Award-winning artist George Schill used acrylic on canvas plus digital methods to create this G-20-themed cover. Based in Monroeville, Schill creates conceptual and humorous illustrations that serve a variety of national clients, including American Greetings. pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
E N E RGY
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fall 2009 www.pittsburghquarterly.com 1140 Fox Chapel Road Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15238 412.894.7285 fax: 412.253.0998 editor @pittsburghquarterly.com
publisher/editor
Douglas Heuck creative director
Jennifer McNulty director of marketing & advertising sales
Craig Blanchard advertising sales
Anita Alfonsi Wendy Curran Marie Issa George Coco Rudolf regular contributors
Chris Allison, John G. Craig Jr., William S. Dietrich II, Barbara Eichenlaub, Jeffery Fraser, Reid R. Frazier, Sean Hamill, Sandra Levis (Literary Editor), David Liebmann, Joseph Sabino Mistick, Barry Paris, Alex Sebastian, Jeff Sewald, Graham Shearing, Marylynn Uricchio art/photography
John Altdorfer, David Aschkenas, John Beale, Ted Crow, Roy Engelbrecht, James Hilston, Jim Judkis, Tim Menees, Renee Rosensteel, Cathy Rubin, Paul g Wiegman, Jack Wolf editorial interns
Christina Alducka, Kristine Sherred Brooke Taylor To advertise, call 412.894.7285. For home delivery, subscribe online or send a check for $19.95 for two years or $27.95 for three years to the address above. Pittsburgh Quarterly is published by Bending Oak Publishing LLC Statements and opinions expressed herein are not necessarily those of Pittsburgh Quarterly or Bending Oak Publishing. The entire content of this publication is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. Š 2009.
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from te publisher fall 2009
2009
photo by Micheal Ruyechan/istock
has been a trying year for media organizations across the country. Several local magazines have folded; Pittsburgh magazine has been sold to a Colorado company. Let me assure you, however, that Pittsburgh Quarterly remains strong and committed to bringing the very best in magazine journalism to this region. In that regard, Pittsburgh Quarterly has been judged the best magazine in Western Pennsylvania for the third year in a row. While it’s gratifying to win that distinction from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania in its Golden Quill Awards, our goal remains to publish a magazine that reflects and spurs the excellence that we find in abundance in Greater Pittsburgh. We are committed to Pittsburgh and to bringing our readers the best writers, photographers and artists in the region. In short, we are committed to producing a magazine that respects your intelligence and is worth your time. I’d like to point out some items of special interest in this issue. We have several features about the Pittsburgh Summit, which until the last minute has been called the G-20 summit. This includes columns by “The Observer” and by Allegheny County Executive Dan Onorato. On page 91, John G. Craig Jr. traces the dramatic changes in Pittsburgh between 1980 and today, using four recent rankings of the region as his launch pad. A “to-do list” suggests places to see if you’re visiting Pittsburgh and want to understand it. On page 127, we begin the first of a four-issue series looking at Pittsburgh’s contributions to the world’s energy systems. Perhaps you’re not aware of it, but Pittsburgh is one of the world’s most significant energy centers—in production, distribution, technology and knowledge. Energy has been a key part of our past, and it looms large in our future. On page 103 we have a special section by Reid Frazier on a series of Holocaust-related events happening in the city this fall, headlined by the
Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s November staging of “Light / The Holocaust and Humanity Project.” And on page 116 Cristina Rouvalis begins the first of what will be a three-issue series on retirement living in the region. From there, it’s difficult to choose where to focus your attention—this is an especially strong issue, thanks to our all-star cast. Sandy Levis, three-time Golden Quill winner for criticism, takes on Dr. Cyril Wecht’s new book; Barry Paris has the most interesting and engaging piece on Shadyside that I’ve ever read; and Marylynn Uricchio and photographer Roy Engelbrecht take you through a very unusual home, built by the Hunt family of Alcoa fame. Justin Hopper has an exclusive on plans to renovate Downtown’s Mellon Park. And finally, apropos of autumn, Greg Suriano examines the life of Johnny Appleseed, whose original base of operations was Pittsburgh. To our visitors, welcome to Pittsburgh. To our readers, enjoy the issue and autumn in western Pennsylvania.
Douglas Heuck publisher/editor
pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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stocks & pedestal the pittsburgh penguins
Top of the world there is a timeless quality to the Pittsburgh Penguins’ performance this past spring. Hockey fans know that the Stanley Cup is the most difficult to win of all the championships in sports. To hoist the cup, the victors have to win not one, but four grueling best-of-seven series. And this championship was particularly special. After three tough series, the Penguins faced the mighty and dynastic Detroit Red Wings in the finals. Not only were the Wings heavily favored, they had acquired key Penguin Marián Hossa in the offseason, after Hossa said he figured his chances of winning the cup were better with Detroit than Pittsburgh. He appeared prescient after Detroit took a 2-0 series lead. But the gutsy team led by stars Sidney Crosby and Evgeni Malkin came back, winning
four of the next five in an awesome display of determination, poise and will. It marked a changing of the guard in the NHL, with Pittsburgh’s team of young stars staking their claim as the new generation of champions. It also marked a well-deserved reward for the assiduous efforts of owner Mario Lemieux and his team—CEO Ken Sawyer, President David Morehouse, GM Ray Shero and first-year coach Dan Bylsma. They’ve battled tough financial times, kept the team in town and are building a new arena. And now they’re champions. Whether it’s the guys at center ice or those in the front office, their comportment, steadfastness and skill are a credit to hockey and Pittsburgh.
in the stocks as america’s first public television station, WQED has a storied history. Unfortunately, it’s not living up to that legacy. We are disappointed that the leadership of this highprofile nonprofit saw fit to sell Pittsburgh Magazine to an out-of-town magazine chain. In recent years, WQED treated the magazine primarily as a revenue generator to support the costs of WQED—and not as a valuable vehicle for excellent journalism about Pittsburgh. The magazine relied on a standard formula found in many city magazines, producing issues based on listings—best doctors, lawyers, dentists, etc.—designed to attract advertising revenue from those sectors. And when that revenue ceased to be enough, WQED sold Pittsburgh magazine. WQED hasn’t disclosed the price—surprising for such a public entity—but the “word around town” is it went for $1 million. WQED exists because of contributions from local residents and foundations, and from government money. In a very real sense, its assets belong to this community. We believe that WQED should have been more aware of its stewardship obligation to the local community. WQED either should have invested in building a great magazine or it should have found a local buyer committed to doing the same. The future of this nonprofit depends on its ability to remember and recommmit to its main mission—producing top-quality programming for Pittsburgh. If it doesn't and instead continues on the path of selling its assets when times are tough—first WQEX and now Pittsburgh Magazine—it won't be long before the building on Fifth Avenue will be up for sale. pq
wqed
Minding our assets
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illustrations by Ted Crow
on a pedestal
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Supporting Education
Promoting Talent
Science For A Better Life
Why do birds sing? Why does water turn to ice? Why does my heart beat? Nothing is as exciting as science when you experience it firsthand. As scientists do. Thinking critically, working in teams, adapting to change. That is exactly what the Bayer Making Science Make SenseÂŽ program is all about. An initiative aimed at advancing science education through hands-on science programs, employee volunteers and public awareness.
Bayer supports these programs in communities around the world. In the United States, employees adopt classrooms, mentor students and are part of a national movement to reform science curriculums in schools. It‘s about inspiring the next generation of innovators and building a scientifically literate citizenry.
www.BayerUS.com
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photo by James Steidl/istock
hen it was announced
that the G-20 summit would be held in Pittsburgh, some in the national press corps chuckled; others raised their brows. It’s the first time the summit has not been held in a capital city. Why? On one hand, with the world’s economy in turmoil, it would seem to make perfect sense for its leaders to come here. Outside of New York and Boston, our federal government relies on few other cities as much as Pittsburgh for top-level economic insight, the kind found in abundance at the University of Pittsburgh and Carnegie Mellon University. The real reason for the choice of Pittsburgh can be traced to the Pennsylvania primary, usually a meaningless tally of delegates after the nominations are well in hand. Last year, however, Pennsylvania mattered, and the ultimate winner, Barack Obama, spent a great deal of time here. He got to know the region, and he got to know our people. Among them was Dan Rooney, who not only made a Steelers fan of the would-be president, he pointed out our green Convention Center, which became a key factor in the G-20 decision. Pittsburgh’s green reputation is growing and destined to continue. In September, construction begins on the Phipps Center for Sustainable Landscape, the project to build the world’s first living building. The chief catalyst for the greening of Pittsburgh has been the Heinz Endowments, among the nation’s earliest leaders in promoting sustainability. There’s no denying that the G-20 is the capstone of a tremendous year for Pittsburgh. The Steelers and the Penguins brought home world championships.
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why pittsburgh?
{
W
G-20
the observer
The region is hailed during these tough times as an international model of how to rebuild a vital, diversified economy. Pittsburgh was again ranked the nation’s Most Livable City by Rand McNally. And in its ranking of the world’s best places to live, The Economist magazine chose Pittsburgh as the top American city. In the view of the great ancient Greek philosopher Plato, the ideal city had a number of attributes. One was that it had to be of a manageable size. And while Pittsburgh is much larger than any in Plato’s time, it is Pittsburgh’s relatively small size that gets to the heart of why it is what it is. In Pittsburgh, people feel responsible for their city. They’re involved, and they see the fruits of their efforts. In Pittsburgh, the social fabric is intact. Pittsburghers know each other and treat each other accordingly. Is Pittsburgh perfect? Hardly, but it has always been a place of striving. And unlike the largest U.S. cities, it is a place that is perfectable. It is a place of tremendous assets in education, medicine, arts, philanthropy and business. And it is a place where the people identify with the city and build its future. So in the final analysis, the real credit for bringing the G-20 to Pittsburgh lies with a countless number of Pittsburghers. For the past 30 years, they—we— have believed in and worked toward building our own ideal city, a new Pittsburgh. pq
pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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G-20
the citizen
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| by da n o n o r ato
Greening the region
T
he G-20 Summit provides
southwestern Pennsylvania with an unprecedented opportunity to share its compelling story with the world. Ours is the tale of a region dramatically transformed by foresight and innovation, which have led to a remarkable economic and environmental revival. After the collapse of the steel industry in the 1980s, our region worked hard to take advantage of our other strengths to diversify our economy. While manufacturing remains a solid part of our economy, industries of the future, such as healthcare, education, finance, biotechnology and robotics, have expanded and flourished. As a community, we have also taken steps to clean our air, water and land, and to promote smart growth. Southwestern Pennsylvania has become a leader in “green” technology, sustainable development and environmental stewardship. Green economic development has been a major focus of my administration and a cornerstone of the region’s revival. Since 2004 alone, more than $8.4 billion has been invested in Allegheny County—much of that in green development. We are a national leader in LEED-certified buildings, and we are becoming a center for green building materials and design. Working with the business community, nonprofits and educational institutions, we are making southwestern Pennsylvania a center for green entrepreneurism as well. Using state and local dollars, Allegheny County is clean-
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ing and developing brownfields and old industrial sites. We have thousands of acres of brownfields ready for redevelopment into business parks, which reduces development of other land. At three of these business parks, experts project the creation of 21,310 jobs and $48.7 million in annual tax revenue. Allegheny County worked hard to bring Flabeg, a German-based company that makes mirrors for the solar energy industry, to Clinton Commerce Park. Flabeg will begin operations this fall and employ 300 people by 2010. I’ve launched Allegheny Green, a comprehensive initiative to promote sustainable practices within county government and in countywide policies and programs. Part of this initiative involves hiring a county sustainability manager and creating the Allegheny Green Action Team, a group of experts and stakeholders who are helping us to meet our green goals and objectives. With the Green Action Team, our sustainability manager is conducting a top-to-bottom analysis of government operations and identifying ways to reduce our ecological footprint, such as adopting environmentally preferable procurement policies, expanding recycling in county-owned facilities, providing sustainability training to employees, and expanding use of hybrid vehicles. Allegheny County also adopted its first comprehensive plan, which sets recommendations, guidelines and standards for land development, conservation and economic initiatives. The county’s commitment is evident throughout the plan, especially in the sections regarding economic development, housing, parks, open space, greenways, transportation, environmental resources and energy conservation. Among the plan’s recommendations: expanding parks and trails; promoting energy conservation; improving air quality; promoting transit-oriented development; and advancing green building and infrastructure. We are developing policies, programs and incentives to meet the plan’s goals and recommendations, and this effort will solidify our standing as one of the greenest regions in the U.S. Our region is going through some very exciting times, and it has been a pleasure to see it evolve into a hub of technological development and sustainable living. I believe southwestern Pennsylvania stands as a model for modern sustainable growth, and I look forward to showcasing our accomplishments to the world in September. PQ
Dan Onorato is Allegheny County Executive.
illustration by Chris Alcantara/iStock
Building a sustainable economy
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arrivals professionals new to
Pit tsburgh, PA
Lynn Zelevansky is director of the Carnegie Museum of Art. She was most recently curator and department head of contemporary art at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. Prior to her work in Los Angeles, she spent seven years in the department of painting and sculpture at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. A native of New York City, she studied at Carnegie Mellon University before earning a BFA at Pratt Institute and a master’s in photography at New York University. Zelevansky and her husband, Paul, will be living in Shadyside. They have two grown daughters.
Mike Frantz is vice president of enrollment and financial aid at Robert Morris University. He comes to Robert Morris from Wilkes University in Wilkes-Barre, Pa., where he held a similar position. Previously, he worked at Buena Vista University in Iowa. A native
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of Mt. Vernon, Iowa, Frantz received his bachelor’s degree in German and political science at Simpson College in Iowa and a master’s in political science from the University of Iowa. He and his wife, Andrea, and their daughter expect to live in Moon.
Karen Boyd is dean of student affairs at Carnegie Mellon University. She was most recently a doctoral graduate assistant with the Department of Counseling and Human Development Services at the University of Georgia. She has also worked at Clemson University, the Georgia Institute of Technology, and East Carolina University, in a variety of teaching and student- life positions. A native of Hope Mills, N.C., she has a bachelor’s degree in economics and industrial relations from the University of North Carolina and a master’s in counseling and student development from Appalachian State. She is completing her doctorate in higher education from the University of Georgia. She lives in Oakland.
Rocky Tuan is the founding director of the Center for Cellular and Molecular Engineering at the
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Tuan is a world-renowned expert in stem-cell biology and tissue engineering, and will lead research into the restoration of organ functions. Since 2001, he has been chief of the Cartilage Biology and Orthopaedics Branch in a division of the National Institutes of Health. A native of Hong Kong, he received his undergraduate education at Swarthmore College and Berea College, and his doctorate from Rockefeller University. He and his wife, Cecilia Lo, have a school-aged son and expect to live in the city.
Philip Johnson is a senior program officer in The Heinz Endowments’ environment section. A native of northern N.J., Johnson has an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and two master’s degrees from Yale, in environmental science and public health. Johnson has worked for government
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agencies and nonprofits on air and water pollution issues. He founded the nonprofit organization Air Intelligence, which provides scientific and legal expertise to communities facing contamination issues. He is currently completing a doctorate in environmental and risk management. He is living in Robinson.
Ellen Fleurov is executive director of the Silver Eye Center for Photography. A Philadelphia native, she comes to Pittsburgh from San Diego, where she started an arts consulting firm. Before that, she was museum director of the California Center for the Arts in Escondido, Calif., and founding curator of the department of photography at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. She has
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curated over 50 exhibitions and is the author of numerous books and essays. Fleurov has an undergraduate degree from McGill University and a master’s degree in art history from New York University. She’s currently living on the South Side.
Rebecca Harris is director of Chatham University’s Center for Women’s Enterpreneurship. Prior to joining Chatham, she was president of Harris Consulting in Toledo, Ohio. She has started and run a number of businesses, including a publishing company, a marine business and a food company. Harris has an undergraduate degree from Northwestern University and an MBA in marketing from The Fox School of Business at Temple University. She’s a native of suburban St. Louis and
is living in Point Breeze with her husband and two children.
Peter Jesse is director of international development at Carnegie Mellon University. His job is to expand the university’s fundraising efforts around the globe, with an emphasis on Asia. For the past 10 years, he was associate director of international advancement/ major & leadership gifts at Duke University. Prior to that, he served for 11 years as director of annual giving at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. Jesse has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, a master’s from Washington University, and an MBA from the College of William & Mary. He has two grown children and is living on the South Side. pq
Boyden welcomes members of the G-20 and its associates to Pittsburgh. With offices in 19 of your 20 member countries, Boyden has a keen interest in the outcome of the Pittsburgh conference and the economic well being of the G-20 members. We wish you every success in dealing with the key issues in the global economy through this critical dialogue.
1000 Gamma Drive Pittsburgh, PA 15238 412-756-1000 www.boyden.com pittsburgh@boyden.com
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WHAT DO I KNOW? A life’s recounting in the subject’s own words
“
t h e l m a w i l l i a m s lo v e t t e interviewed by j e f f s e wa l d
I was born in Pittsburgh on Feb. 28, 1916, the fifth of 11 children. My family and I lived at 1520 Wylie Ave. in the Hill District. And we all looked out for each other. In 1925, when I was just a girl, Mama and Papa took us to the opening of the Centre Avenue YMCA at Francis Street. From then on, I went there regularly to watch the basketball games. They didn’t allow girls to participate back then, but I went because my oldest brother, Robert E. “Pappy” Williams, played there. (In time, he would become the first black police magistrate in the City of Pittsburgh, and the first black ward chair in the state of Pennsylvania.) So you see, the YMCA has been a part of my life for a long time. My father, Henry M. Williams, was one of the first black registered plumbers in the City of Pittsburgh. His plumbing shop, which opened in May 1919, was on Crawford Street. Papa used to carry all of his tools on his back in this big plumbing bag. When indoor plumbing came along, he was one of the first to do that, including on Polish Hill. Everybody knew Papa. After all, he liberated many people from the inconvenience of the traditional outhouse. Now, Papa was a wonderful man, but he had some rules. Go to school. And never be late. As a girl, I was a student at Minersville School. One day, my cousin and I left for school at the same time—and arrived late. When we got there, she said, “I’m just going to go home.” So I thought, well, if she’s going home, I’m going, too. When I got there, Papa asked me, “What are you doing here?” So I explained. Then he spanked me all the way back to school and told the principal, “This won’t happen again. If my daughter leaves home for school, she’s to go to school.” After that, I had perfect attendance. My mother, Alice M. Johnson, was born in the Hill District in 1892, but my father came from Warrington, Va. According to him, his father was so strict that he just
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photograph by r e n e e r o s e n s t e e l
Thelma Williams Lovette Social worker and community leader Centre Avenue YMCA, Board of Management (1957–present)
Metropolitan YMCA Pittsburgh, Board of Directors (1972–present)
City Planning Commission for the City of Pittsburgh (1992–2006)
Democratic Committeewoman, Fifth Ward (1959–94) Social Worker, Mercy Hospital (1966–84)
had to get away. So he hopped trains to Pittsburgh. When he got here, he met my mother’s father, who worked as a cook at the Monongahela House on Smithfield Street. He got Papa a job working with him as a short-order cook. One day, Grandpa invited Papa home for dinner, and the rest is history. He became one of the family and married my Mama when she was only 15. I graduated from Schenley High School in 1934. Because of the Depression, it took me forever to get my graduation ring—and it only cost $5.25! One Friday, the school secretary announced on the intercom that Monday would be the last day for seniors to bring in their money. I went home and told Mama and Papa. During last period, my teacher said, “Miss Williams, you’re wanted in the office.” Now, if you were called to the office, that usually meant you were in trouble. The
>>
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heart of the hill In 2010, the Centre Avenue YMCA will be renamed in honor of Thelma Williams Lovette for a lifetime of service to her community.
pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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WHAT DO I KNOW? <<
first started, which was like being a teacher’s aide. I did that for a other kids asked, “Thelma, what did you do?” So I went to the number of years and people kept remarking about what a caring office. When I got there, the secretary said, “Your brother just person I was. So they made me a home-and-school visitor. brought in $5.25 for you.” Robert looked like a giant standing Because of the relationships I built in the community with that there holding that money. And I still treasure that ring. job, I met some people at Mercy Hospital, and they asked me if My first job after high school was washing dishes at the I’d be interested in becoming a social worker. I said yes, of course, Ruskin Apartments for $10 a week. I had to be on the floor at and they hired me—the first African-American in their 8 o’clock in the morning. I Department of Social Work— had a break for lunch—and even though I had no degree! In my day, anything you wanted, you could get in the would go into the girls’ lockThey encouraged me to go to Hill. You didn’t have to leave. We all helped each other. er room to put my feet up— school, so I went to the and then I’d have to go back University of Pittsburgh—I We had grocers who would extend credit for food when and wash the lunch dishes, was in my 50s by then—and we were short of money. Papa used to tell us, “When then the dinner dishes. And earned bachelor’s and master’s you earn money, spend it with Harry Rosenfield, I couldn’t leave until 8:30 or degrees. I went to school durbecause when you don’t have it, he’ll help you out.” 9 p.m. It was tough, but it ing the day and worked at was a learning experience. If Mercy in the evenings and on I wanted something, I knew that I was going to have to work for Saturdays and Sundays. It was hard, but I was very grateful for the it. That was Papa’s philosophy. Looking back, I appreciate that opportunity. job because it gave me stamina; it gave me an understanding of So how did Thelma Williams become Thelma Lovette? what life is all about. Because of William J. Lovette. We grew up together. He gave me Through the years, I continued to work hard. I was employed a baby doll at age four and told his family that he was going to as an elevator operator at Bell Telephone when they integrated marry me. “Thelma Willums,” he used to call me. He couldn’t their workforce. Later, I worked for the Pittsburgh Public pronounce “Williams.” Bill went into the service during World Schools as a “team mother” when the Team Teaching program War II. He knew he was going to be going overseas, so he said he
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wanted to marry me before he went. Bill was stationed at Fort Huachuca, Ariz. (and eventually served throughout the South Pacific). I was in Pittsburgh with my family. But he said that he’d like to meet in Chicago for the wedding so that his mother and sister could take part. Thankfully, Mama and Papa said that I could go. So we met in Chicago and got married. That was 1942. My Bill was a bright young man. Before the war, he worked in Chicago for the Jones brothers who, incidentally, were famous for running numbers. Bill rose to be the chauffeur for George Jones, and George recognized that Bill had a lot of smarts. So the Jones brothers encouraged him to attend the Illinois Institute of Technology, which he did, but the war prevented him from completing his last two years. Bill was in the service for four years and when he came home, we settled in Chicago, and he went back to work for the Jones brothers. We stayed for two years and then moved to Pittsburgh, where he got work with a real estate company as a plumber. Bill became a plumber, like Papa. My father trained all of his sons to become plumbers. To this day, a nephew still is doing plumbing in Pittsburgh. When I grew up, families were respected. They were part of life. You didn’t grow up alone. In fact, your neighbors were a part of your family because when we were kids, if our neighbors saw us doing something wrong and corrected us, that was all right. Our parents didn’t get into fights over such things. There was a strong feeling of community. These days, that sense of community is not there because families have moved on. In my day, anything you wanted, you could get in the Hill. You didn’t need to leave. We all helped each other. We had grocers who would extend credit for food when we were short of money. Papa used to tell us, “When you earn money, spend it with Harry Rosenfield, because when you don’t have it, he’ll help you out.” I’ll never forget Harry. continued on page 146
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| by dav i d l i e b m a n n
Ruffed Grouse
The
I
magine a bird like a chicken, but a little sleeker, a little more wild. Rufous, gray, with a tail that is barred with black and white stripes at the tips. When the tail pops open in a half circle, it resembles an earth-tone parasol. What’s most visually arresting about the grouse is its collar. A Ruffed Grouse gets its name from the ruff of feathers around the hind part of its neck and shoulders. It fluffs out like an Elizabethan neck piece, black, feathered and tres chic. Such feathery garb allows the grouse to blend into deciduous forests or mixed hardwoodconiferous stands from Georgia to Alaska, where it happily feeds on a diet of green stuff and wee critters. Ruffed Grouse forage from terra firma to treetop, gleaning as they go. Their varied diets mean that, unlike seasonal songbirds, Ruffed Grouse are with us year-round. That said, I have never seen a Ruffed Grouse. Well, I take that back. There was a stuffed and mounted grouse in my classroom once. It is the state game bird of Pennsylvania, after all, so why not have a specimen on the shelf? Though I’m mildly troubled that since 1931 Pennsylvania has had a state game bird, not simply a state bird, I wonder what teachers could do for environmental awareness if, in addition to the mandated American flag, the state’s bird, tree and flower were pictured on each classroom wall? If this land is your land and my land, as Woody Guthrie said, we’d better make sure our children recognize what’s out there if they’ll have any hope of preserving and protecting it. I’ve never seen a Ruffed Grouse, but I have often heard them—denizens of the forest understory in hardwood stands surrounded by low, broken brush. They vocalize, but not in typical bird-like fashion. They are percussionists of the air, literally. The male’s “drumming” marks his territory. They drum
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in any season, but especially in spring, when a male will find a log or other suitable woodland dais, hop up, fix his claws into the bark and expand his ruff to impress prospective mates. With his tail stiffened and body upright and forward, he rapidly fans his wings in a spectacular whirl of feathers that sounds, for lack of a better aural simile, like a lawnmower engine starting up. Where does the sound come from? John James Audubon thought they beat their sides. Others believed they saw the grouse clap their wings behind their backs. Still others were sure they used logs as drums and wings as drum sticks. But what self-respecting bird would ever use drumsticks of any kind? The fanning is so forceful, rapid and blurred that parsing the motions took 200 years of naturalists’ observations and a movie camera shooting 16 frames a second to get it right. Take advantage of more modern technology and search for “Ruffed Grouse” on YouTube. Far more than a beating in the underbrush, our state fowl is a rhythmic reminder of Pennsylvania’s natural heritage. A walk in the woods might allow you to hear a drumming grouse, especially next spring. Keep your ears open for a rising rhythm that trails off and later repeats. In some locales, you might draw quite close to a bird that is relatively tame, whereas hunted grouse are quite wary. Legal game for licensed hunters, the bird is celebrated by the Ruffed Grouse Society, a 48-yearold international sportsmen’s group based in Coraopolis that works to “promote conditions suitable for Ruffed Grouse, American woodcock and related wildlife.” PQ (www.ruffedgrousesociety.org) David Liebmann, an education consultant, has birded throughout the country, and writes about birds and birds in literature.
photo by Robert Koopmans/istock
The state game bird of Pennsylvania
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reading room
by s a n d r a l e v i s
Of untimely corpses
S
Dr. Cyril Wecht’s latest examines Anna Nicole Smith and Hurricane Katrina
photo by Nick Monu/istock
urely one of our region’s most
colorful anomalies is the phenomenon of a celebrity coroner. Where else but in Pittsburgh would proximity to corpses carry such cachet? Of course, these corpses are media sensations, and the high-profile pathologist who enjoys their reflected glory is rather sensational himself. Former Allegheny County Coroner and sometime politician Cyril Wecht, M.D., J.D., is a prominent forensic expert whose private practice has brought him into contact with some of the most famous dead Americans of the last half-century, including John F. Kennedy and JonBenet Ramsey. Variously described as brilliant, charismatic, arrogant and bombastic, Wecht is both revered and reviled in his hometown, usually depending upon which end of the political spectrum one occupies. His outgoing personality and outspoken pronouncements have made him a frequent guest of Larry King, Geraldo Rivera and Greta Van Susteren, even as the U.S. Attorney’s Office sought his hide for alleged misuse of public resources. Love him or hate him, Cyril Wecht makes Jack Klugman’s quirky
medical examiner “Quincy” of retro television fame seem downright dull. Over the course of his long career, Wecht has documented his most notorious cases in a number of books, including “Grave Secrets,” “Tales from the Morgue,” and “Mortal Evidence.” His most recent publication, “A Question of Murder,” is cast from the same mold, this time concentrating on the overdoses of Anna Nicole Smith and her son; two tragically victimized adolescents; and the dubious deaths of elderly patients in a New Orleans hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The book’s release earlier this year was largely overshadowed by Wecht’s highly publicized legal troubles. Although all charges against him have since been dropped, suspicions of wrongdoing still linger in some quarters. For this reason it is tempting—but fruitless—to overanalyze the book by seeking clues to Wecht’s culpability. It is best to read and enjoy “A Question of Murder” for precisely what it is: a morbidly fascinating glimpse behind the façade
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<< of glamorous celebrities, happy families and caring institutions. Wecht’s co-author, Dawna Kaufmann, is both a comedy writer and tabloid journalist specializing in homicides and missing-persons cases. Her graphic, NationalEnquirer-style writing and “true crime” experience are well suited to the material, for no one could possibly fabricate tales more fantastic than these, least of all the melodrama of the doomed Smiths. nna Nicole Smith, neé Vickie Lynn Hogan, lived a life of grotesque excesses, from her cartoonish bustline and “modified Elvis diet” of junk food and slimming shakes to her abuse of drugs, both recreational and prescribed. Her February 2007 death at a Florida Hard Rock Hotel, resulting from a fatal mixture of prescription medications,
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any circumstances but was complicated by his position as his mother’s sole legal heir, at a time when she stood to inherit a fortune. In 1994, on her journey from stripper to reality-TV star, Anna Nicole wed Howard Marshall, a wealthy oilman 63 years her senior, who left her widowed after 13 unconventional months of marriage. Although Marshall’s son, Pierce, was determined that his sexpot stepmother should not profit from her husband’s death, Smith and Stern had been waging a legal battle for years to claim an even share of the $1.6 billion estate. They took her case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled in Smith’s favor on May 1, 2006, allowing her to pursue her claim. Although the estate had not been settled at the time of Daniel’s death (and is still pending, even at this writing), Anna Nicole Smith Marshall was expected to receive approximately $450 million.
Many pitiable pets housed in the medical center were euthanized by injection. So, too, apparently, were some of the patients.
was not entirely surprising, given the way she lived and her well-known adulation of Marilyn Monroe (another Wecht subject), who met a comparable end at approximately the same age. What is more remarkable is that it followed on the heels of the unexpected death of her quiet and upstanding 20-year-old son, Daniel Smith, from similar causes. Three days after Anna Nicole gave birth to a second child in the Bahamas in September 2006, she awoke to discover Daniel beside her in her hospital bed, the victim of what the author calls “Sudden Adult Death Syndrome.” Ms. Smith and her confidential lawyer, Howard K. Stern, summoned Dr. Wecht, who determined the cause of death to be cardiac dysrythmia resulting from a combination of antidepressants and methadone. Daniel’s premature passing would have been tragic under
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Further complicating the scenario was the questionable paternity of Anna Nicole’s infant daughter. While a Los Angeles photographer was widely believed to be the child’s natural father, the name that appeared on her birth certificate was that of Howard K. Stern, Smith’s attorney, advisor, enabler and—following a Bahamian “commitment ceremony”—her ersatz husband. Observers of a disapproving nature might well look askance at Howard K. Stern, but Wecht portrays him in a surprisingly sympathetic light; not as Smith’s sinister Svengali, but as a nice, sincerely grieving guy whose intentions were honorable, if obscure. He leaves it to Smith’s hardboiled mother, Virgie Arthur, to assert what would seem ominously obvious. “If Howard [Stern] marries Vickie [Smith] and Daniel’s gone, that leaves Howard and the
baby to inherit whatever she has,” Arthur observed, warning “Vickie Lynn, be careful who you hang around with, because you may be next.” Five months later, she was. Despite the book’s title, the question of murder is never raised in the case of Anna Nicole Smith. The official autopsy, performed by Dr. Joshua Perper and reviewed and confirmed by Wecht, declares that Ms. Smith, like her son, died from the acute combined toxicity of multiple medications, with no evidence to suggest deliberate wrongdoing by Stern or anyone else.
B
y contrast, the 1998 death of Stephanie Crowe was clearly homicide; a 12-year-old girl stabbed to death in her bedroom while her family slept. Unlike the Smith case, which possesses a certain air of tragic inevitability, this case, along with that of abducted 7-year-old Danielle van Dam, is senseless, brutal and utterly terrifying to anyone who believes they are safe in their own home. These stories are truly distressing to read, not only because children were murdered, but because their families suffered additional anguish and humiliation resulting from media exposure and the ineptitude of the California legal system. Ghastly as those cases are, nothing compares to the sheer horror of the book’s final chapter, set in the sweltering, lawless confusion of post-Katrina New Orleans. As in the Smith case, the trouble began in the Bahamas, this time with the formation of a severe tropical storm in August 2005. When it reached New Orleans six days later as a category three hurricane, Katrina caused more than 1,000 deaths and damages estimated at $81.2 billion. As the storm approached the low-lying city, Memorial Medical Center, a multistory masonry complex, became the go-to spot of choice for relocated patients, staff, and their families and pets, all seeking refuge from the high winds and torrential rains. They were later joined by more anxious, dislocated people, cramming the hallways, awaiting rescue. But when conditions deteriorated in the aftereffects of the storm, their refuge assumed the aspect of a concentration camp. First, the hospital doors were locked against the marauding
photo by Torque/istock
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thugs and vandals who overran the city. Anyone not in dire need of medical attention was refused admittance. To enforce security, janitors and volunteers were deputized and issued firearms. Then, as levees broke and floodwaters rose, the secondstory electrical grids powering the structure were destroyed, plunging Memorial’s occupants into darkness. Without energy to run life-support systems or ventilate and cool the facility, patients began to expire in the 100-degree heat and were necessarily left to bloat and rot in their beds. Overflowing toilets spilled filth into the dark hallways, adding to the stench and misery. Computers went out, cell phones ran down, and contact with the outside world was severely limited. And the rescue that all America took for granted simply did not materialize. Finally, slowly, after days under appalling conditions, assistance began to arrive. At Memorial, for reasons attributed to operating costs, a program of reverse triage was implemented, in which the most viable patients were evacuated first, and those
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A Question of Murder by Cyril Wecht & Dawna Kaufmann Prometheus Books ($26.98)
least likely to survive the transition were kept until last. There was no rescue at all for animals, however, and many pitiable pets housed in the medical center were euthanized by injection. So, too, apparently, were some of the patients. Among the 45 bodies recovered from Memorial Hospital two weeks after the hurricane, at least nine were elderly patients
who had received lethal doses of morphine prior to their deaths. Was it murder or mercy killing? In Wecht’s opinion, the deaths were clearly homicides. None of the patients’ medical protocols called for morphine, nor did the patients request to be released from suffering. Dr. Anna M. Pou, a staff physician at Memorial, was in fact arrested on four charges of second-degree murder in connection with those deaths, but the grand jury impaneled for the purpose of investigation declined to indict her. The frustrating non-resolution of the suspected Memorial murders is characteristic of the cases detailed in this book, all of which still have loose ends. Indeed, more questions are raised than answered in this volume, chiefly “Is there no justice?” and “Has the whole world gone insane?!” Read it for the stories, not the solutions. Some questions may never be answered. pq
Sandra Levis is a freelance writer living in Point Breeze. For more of her reviews of books of regional interest, visit PQ bookblog at pittsburghquarterly.com.
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vintage
atrons who arrive at our restaurant
after dark, or are focused on prime rib, may not notice the unusual mulch out front. It’s cork, or more specifically, corks, from the dozens of wine bottles we open every night. These souvenirs of pinot noirs and viogniers gone by rest at the base of our birches, over time crumbling and degrading and returning to the soil. That’s some classy mulch, huh? Uncorking a bottle of wine is a terrific ritual, filled with anticipation and theater. But I can’t get too excited when people complain about screwtops and other non-traditional closures replacing corks in fine wine. They look cheap, people say. There’s no romance in a metal twist-off top. Well, maybe. But the very quality that makes cork suitable for my garden— biodegradability—makes it a poor choice for sealing up wine. So I’m happy to see increasing numbers of vintners bottling wines with screwtops. Wine sealed with cork is vulnerable to two problems. First, it can become “corked,” which means organic material in the cork has reacted to the presence of chlorine, typically from cleaning or sterilizing solutions used in the winery or even in the cork’s manufacture. The resulting chemical, 2,4,6-trichloroanisole, or TCA, can render wine as stinky as a wet basement, and give it nasty chemical or garlicky flavors. Second, wine can oxidize—lose flavor and turn brownish—when air gets around a dried-out or misshapen cork and into the bottle. Trust me, you don’t want your wine to breathe until you’re ready to drink it. The cork people—who, to their credit, are working to improve this ancient product for the modern market— estimate 1 to 2 percent of wines bottled with corks end up… corked. The Wine Spectator has reported a figure as high as 15 percent. It happens to the best of wines—literally. This past summer, when I judged wines for the California State Fair, a sparkling brut rosé came out corked. The judges called for a new bottle, and once we tasted the wine the way it was meant to be, we voted it Best in Show. Harry Peterson-Nedry, of Oregon’s Chehalem Wines, has experimented with different closures since 1993, and said screwtops “were an improvement for the varieties we produce, preserving the fruit that drives them and keeping both
| by a l e x s e b a s t i a n
It’s time to embrace (and enjoy) screwtop bottles of wine oxidation and TCA at bay.” Starting with the 2008 vintage, all Chehalem’s wines will have screwtops. More winemakers are reaching Harry’s conclusion. In “To Cork or Not to Cork: Tradition, Romance, Science and the Battle for the Wine Bottle,” George M. Taber notes that in 2006, a year in which 20 billion bottles of wine were produced, 80 percent, or 16 billion bottles, were sealed with natural cork. Some 8.5 percent, or 1.5 billion bottles, were sealed with screwtops. The rest had synthetic corks made of plastic or, in the newest experiment to watch, glass. The new-world winemakers of Australia and New Zealand lead the way, with 50 and 95 percent of their bottles, respectively, screw-topped. Mario Mazza, who studied at Australia’s University of Adelaide, came home to Lake Erie’s Mazza Vineyards and convinced his family to go with screwtops. Mazza Vidal Blanc ($7.49 at Pennsylvania Wine & Spirits stores) is a favorite at our restaurant. Why be snobby about screwtops when, with a twist of the wrist, they open such good wines? Try Conundrum, a California blend of sauvignon blanc, chardonnay and other grapes ($24.99), or the excellent Montes wines from Chile. Wines from California’s Bonny Doon Vineyards—whose leader, Randall Grahm, has been a colorful advocate for screwtops—are reliably good. Bonny Doon’s Pacific Rim Riesling ($11.99) is a regular item in Wine & Spirits stores; their unusual varietals such as muscat, viognier and albarino regularly pop up in Premium Collection stores. Even at the very highest end, some cult winemakers are bold enough to put screwtops on their wines. I hope they’ll inspire more. Because when you tuck PlumpJack Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve ($254.99) into your picnic basket, isn’t it nice not to have to worry about bringing a corkscrew? PQ
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Alex Sebastian is proprietor of The Wooden Angel, Beaver.
photo by Donald Gruener/istock
do the twist
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H O M E F R O N T
Art Aluminum
I
“
want to make a comfortable environment, not change
the way people live,” architect Edward Grenzbach told John Loring when he was interviewed for a 1977 article in Architectural Digest on the house he had just designed for Alfred Hunt. “I’m an environmentalist, not a psychiatrist. I put giraffes among tall trees and polar bears on hunks of ice.” The house is like no other ever built, nor can it be duplicated. Hunt was not only the vice president of Alcoa, the company founded by his grandfather, but an heir to its fortune. Part of his inheritance included Elmhurst, the turn-of-the-century Pittsburgh mansion in which he grew up. But the stolid residence didn’t fit his lifestyle as both a bachelor and a visionary who wanted to showcase the creative potential of aluminum. And so he hired the LosAngeles based Grenzbach to create a new home, one that was contemporary and luxurious in the way of amenities, yet reflected the era of gracious living in which he had been bred. Born with an aluminum spoon in his mouth, Hunt appreciated the need for spacious common areas, a dining room large enough to seat 35, an adjoining terrace for the overflow on a hot summer night, and small things, such as an adequate butler’s pantry and silver and linen closets. But among his important requests were two that make the house extraordinary: he asked that aluminum be used as much as possible throughout the residence and that historic components from Elmhurst be incorporated into the design. Chief among them was the library from Elmhurst that had been added to the house in 1937. Hunt’s mother, Rachel, was a renowned bookbinder and collector of rare books. She and her husband, Roy, commissioned architects Benno Jansen and William Cocken to design the two-story structure. Paneled in French walnut, the room measures 40 by 22, with 15-foot walls intersected by a balcony on three sides. A mural based on the French poem “Carcassonne” by Gustave Nadaud was painted on the fourth wall by Ernest Peixotto (1869–1940). Using the scale of the library as a starting point, Grenzbach planned an entrance
>> by m a ry ly n n u r i c c h i o
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|
photographs by r oy e n g l e b r e c h t
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metal meets modern art above: The bar, with a brushed aluminum
ceiling, features goat skin “Onassis” bar stools originally designed for his yacht. The painting beside the bar is by Ed Paschke, and over the fireplace is an oil by Philip Pearlstein. The neon work of Andy Warhol on the bar is from the museum’s opening. Leather furniture from Pace. left: The gallery has rare matchstick marble walls salvaged from Elmhurst. Viola Frey ceramics and an Albert Paley lamp flank an antique pine breakfront with Portuguese Palissy ware. far left: An aluminum chandelier and balustrade from Elmhurst are juxtaposed with a contemporary painting by Nicolas Africano.
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H O M E F R O N T
>> gallery large enough to hold the rare matchbook marble removed from the foyer of Elmhurst and a sweeping stairway that could accommodate its ornate aluminum balustrade. Matching aluminum and glass doors, all made by Blumcraft, were also positioned throughout the public area, as were ornate chandeliers made from aluminum. That the old blends so well with the new is a tribute to Grenzbach’s deft use of a variety of aluminum products, many so simple they escape a casual glance. Hunt saw an elegance in the metal that he wanted the architect to emphasize, and brushed aluminum steps, a ceiling in the den, aluminum moldings around the doors and windows, and even a 60-by-10-foot aluminum lap pool in the lower level, quietly testify to the metal’s versatility. The most surprising use is the striking exterior, which is covered in slate-like slabs of both cast and extruded aluminum. The current owners, who purchased the home from Hunt’s estate 24 years ago, were smitten by the softly gleaming serenity that permeates the residence. But their challenge was to make it less a showcase and more of a family home, a daunting task given its 13,000 square feet and grand scale.
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“I loved it when we saw it,” says the lady of the house. “It had everything I ever wanted. I was looking for a big, gracious home. Probably my favorite was English Tudor because that’s what I grew up in. But I always felt this house was a combination of the old and the new.” The residents brought in architect Herb Seigle to adapt the home for their needs, combining bedrooms into a master suite and adding a bar to the den, making it a comfortable room for casual entertaining. They also modernized the lighting, using Hal Hilbish from Maguire-Hilbish, and, with Seigle, made numerous trips to New York to purchase the custom furnishings. Extensive built-ins were crafted by local cabinetmakers including Bruce Berman. “The house was very cold; brown walls and lots of aluminum, steel and glass furniture, those vertical aluminum blinds. I made an effort to warm it up with as much wood as possible. We mixed antiques, some of which we had inherited, with contemporary furnishings. I wanted it to look like we had always lived here, not like it was brand new.” Perhaps the biggest change came from the couple’s love of art
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a dazzling display top: The mahogany tables from Karl Springer
in the dining room can convert into one long table. A Venetian glass chandelier lights the glass sphere (foreground) by Bonaventura and Signoretto. The other table-top glass pieces are by Stephen Powell and Toots Zinsky. center, right: An antique horn and ivory armoire from Syria anchors the bedroom, which has Pratesi linens and an antique tea table with silver Martele coffee service. lower right: The home’s exterior is made from slabs of both cast and extruded aluminim. below: The couple’s glass collection includes works by Dante Marioni, Mace and Kirpatrick, Dan Daley, Tanya Lyons and Simon Maberly. opposite page: The Palissy Room holds the owner’s extensive collection of 19th-century French porcelain inspired by 16th-century ceramicist Bernard Palissy.
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>> and collecting. The great expanses of wall are covered with important paintings, sculptures surprise around every corner, and collections abound. Colorful French Robj decanters from the 1920s, Czechoslovakian tobacco jars, scrimshaw, Carlton Walking Ware, old books, crafts, contemporary art glass— much of it from Morgan Gallery on Ellsworth—and decorative
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objects have brought the house to life. But the most astounding collection warrants its very own room. The husband is one of the foremost collectors of Pallisy ware, glazed 19th-century French pottery covered with aquatic landscapes inspired by the work of 16th-century ceramicist Bernard Palissy. “I saw one at a friend’s house,” he says. “Weird things appeal to me. I didn’t know what it was, so I started looking for it. It was very difficult to find. That’s part of the challenge, the chase and the hunt.” The husband has written three books on the subject and has been amassing his collection for 19 years. Like everything else in the home, it testifies to a passion for beauty and design, the thread that links the present to the past. Like Mrs. Hunt’s formal rose garden behind the house, the owners are as much custodians of the home’s history as they are creators of a new work of art. pq
Marylynn Uricchio is the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette’s society editor and Seen columnist.
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H O M E F R O N T
echoing elmhurst opposite, top: Benno Jansen designed
the two-story French walnut library for Elmhurst in 1937. It was incorporated into the new home by architect Edward Grenzbach. Of special note is the glass pyramid in the window by Stanislav Libensky. The mural, based on the French poem “Carcassonne” by Gustave Nadaud, was painted by Ernest Peixotto (1869–1940). left: A statue of the goddess of water graces the original Elmhurst garden. opposite, bottom: The grand staircase is made from aluminum, with a balustrade by Blumcraft from the original residence. A John Currin painting and Cindy Sherman’s self-portrait as Bacchus, are on the wall. In front of the baby grand piano is a wood sculpture by Philip Molthrop.
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It couldn’t be done, but D.A. Henderson’s team eradicated the disease
T Ho E E N D f smallpox
T
written by s e a n d . h a m i l l photographs by r o s s m a n t l e
here are a lot of reasons why
people believe Dr. D.A. Henderson was the best person to lead the successful effort to eradicate smallpox from the planet in the 1960s and 1970s. Usually they revolve around his intellect (unquestionably world class), his training (schooled in “shoe leather epidemiology” by his mentor) or his style of management (choose the right people, encourage them and let them make decisions on the ground). What you don’t normally hear about is about his voice: a soothing, authoritative baritone that sounds more rural than his upbringing in suburban Cleveland would suggest; perhaps better suited to radio than traipsing the world looking for smallpox outbreaks. But once you read the recently released book by Henderson, founder of UPMC’s Center for Biosecurity in Baltimore, entitled “Smallpox: The Death of a Disease”—or hear the stories of how he rallied the thousands of local people who were at the front line of the effort, you begin to understand how that voice, combined with his intellect, his experience and management
>> D.A. Henderson is a professor of public health at the University of Pittsburgh.
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WWW.STEDMUNDS.NET
style, combined to make him perhaps the only person for the job—even if he didn‘t want it at first. “It’s not a hectoring voice,” said Dr. Sanjoy Bhattacharya, a fellow at the Wellcome Foundation in London who has studied and written about why the smallpox program worked in Asia, one of the last major battlegrounds with the disease. “In Bangladesh and India they see him as a father figure, someone who would sit on the floor with them, talk to them. “They had time for him because he had time for them. He would go out into the field with the local workers, and he would put his hand on their shoulders and say, ‘We couldn’t do this without you.’ He has this wonderful way of making people feel they matter.” The value of that human style often gets forgotten when people talk about Henderson and his landmark contribution. That perhaps is understandable when talking about leading what many call the greatest medical accomplishment in human history: the first time a disease—in this case, one of the worst ever known to mankind, responsible for hundreds of millions of deaths—was eradicated. “One of the reasons that motivated me to write the book was to remind people it wasn’t easy, it was damn difficult,” said Henderson, also a professor of public health at the University of Pittsburgh. “We had a lot of obstacles to overcome, but good people to overcome them.”
F I N D I N G T H E PAT H Donald Ainslie Henderson was born Sept. 7, 1928, in Lakewood, Ohio, a middle-class suburb of Cleveland, where he was raised. His mother was a nurse, and his father a mechanical engineer working at an Eveready battery factory, a job his father didn’t enjoy. “He made it very clear that he was going to retire at the first moment he could,” Dr. Henderson says. “There was a life lesson there.” Both of his parents were ScotsCanadian immigrants to the United States, and another life lesson came from his mother’s older brother, a physician and
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member of the Canadian parliament—an example of the combination of medical knowledge, politics and public service that would become crucial to Dr. Henderson‘s career. “He was a remarkable individual,” Henderson said of his uncle. “And because of him, it was just sort of, ‘You’re going into medicine.’ ” Raised in a Calvinist and Republican home, in 1946, Henderson went off to liberal Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, gaining a deferment from the military draft. The racially and ethnically diverse student body—with few Republicans or Calvinists among them—was a revelation to Henderson, as was his decision to continue working on the yearbook, as he had in high school. In addition to honing his journalism and publishing skills—which would become a crucial part of the worldwide effort to communicate with those working on smallpox—Henderson met his future wife, Nana (pronounced “Nay-nuh”) Bragg, a woman two years ahead of him at the school, and a top editor on Oberlin’s yearbook staff. At first, “I would say there was a certain amount of antagonism,” Dr. Henderson says with a chuckle. His wife of 57 years agrees. “I thought he was brash,” says Nana Henderson. “But I also thought he was very good looking.” That brashness was buttressed by a healthy dose of confidence. “He was like the young people he writes about in the book: People who don’t know what can’t be done,” she said. Henderson made a name for himself at Oberlin when he and his roommate started a radio station because one didn’t exist then—it’s still running today—and found a way around the campus rule that said students couldn’t drive cars by buying motor scooters instead. “If he wanted something and was thwarted, he’d accept it gracefully, but you knew he was always working on Plan B,” Nana Henderson said. They became friends but didn’t date until Memorial Day weekend, 1951, when Nana was working as a school teacher in Rochester, N.Y., and Henderson was attending the University of Rochester
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School of Medicine. It went well. They married three months later and have raised two sons and one daughter together. Henderson was working in an internship at Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, N.Y., in 1955 when he was told his draft deferment was up and physicians were needed in the military. Fortunately for Henderson, just four years earlier the Communicable Disease Center in Atlanta had started an Epidemic Intelligence Service, an emergency group investigating epidemics wherever they occurred.
was a proponent of the shoe leather epidemiology that Henderson also promoted. He made sure that he and everyone else who worked for him spent significant time doing field work. By 1965 Henderson had been chief of surveillance for the CDC for four years when he was named director of an effort to eradicate smallpox in 18 countries in West Africa, funded by the United State Agency for International Development. A year later, the World Health Organization’s director, General Marcolino Candau, pushed the WHO assembly to
“One of the reasons that motivated me to write the book was to remind people it wasn’t easy, it was damn difficult. We had a lot of obstacles to overcome, but good people to overcome them. — D.A. Henderson
Public health had not been on Henderson’s radar, but because he wrote a paper as an undergraduate on the history of the 1833 cholera epidemic in Rochester, the CDC saw it as genuine interest. It hired him as assistant chief at EIS and promoted him two months later to acting chief when the prior chief left. A career was born. His boss at the CDC was Dr. Alexander Langmuir, chief of the epidemiology branch, who would become Henderson’s mentor. Creative and demanding, Langmuir
approve a purposely underfunded effort to rid the entire world of smallpox. He did so, Henderson explains in his book, in the hope that it would be rejected because, WHO was already failing in an effort to eradicate malaria in 1966, and Candau didn’t want another eradication effort to fail. Like many experts at the time, Candau also didn‘t think smallpox eradication was possible. “He thought to the end that you’d have
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to vaccinate everyone in the world, and it was generally accepted that that was practically impossible,” Henderson said. Candau also wanted an American— specifically Henderson—to be in charge of the Smallpox Eradication Unit, since it was the United States that had pushed so hard for it, and he wanted the U.S. to take the heat when it failed. Initially, Henderson wanted to stay with the West African program, because he didn’t think worldwide eradication was possible either, given the scant $2.4 million a year WHO allocated for its own management of the program (millions more would be spent by each country). But being the good public servant, he took the post and moved himself and his family to WHO headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. “And I really think if D.A. [Henderson] hadn’t gone to Geneva, eradication wouldn’t have happened,” said Dr. Donald T. Millar, who worked with Henderson at the CDC and later at the WHO in the smallpox program. “He’s got the kind of thing that, it was going to get done, or else—and the ‘or else’ wasn’t always clear.” Millar is referring to Henderson’s hard-driving style of management, which was equal parts demanding and creative, like his mentor, Langmuir. “He would tell me to go home at the end of the day, kiss the kids, help with dinner and come back and work some more with him,” said Millar, who considers Henderson his mentor. Once he took the job, Henderson set a goal of eradicating smallpox in 10 years. Every hour of work was a step in that direction. Given charge of the program, Henderson set out some essential rules that would become its guiding principles. One was that everyone who worked for the program, himself included, spend at least one-third of their time practicing the shoe leather epidemiology in the field—“Or they could find work elsewhere,” Henderson said. Surveillance was also stepped up. Instead of simply counting how many people had been vaccinated against smallpox, as was the norm before the program-
began in 1967, he began asking for estimates of how many people contracted the disease (about 15 million in 1967), how many died (2 million that year), and where they lived. Another rule was open communication, with regular updates about new, local efforts that were successful fighting smallpox. This was collected in a newsletter that Henderson personally edited before sending it to more than 5,000 program affiliates around the world every three weeks. Part of the rationale behind both of those rules was Henderson’s own personal style, but it was also in response to how WHO’s malaria program had been run. “The malaria program was very militaristic,” Henderson said, noting that the program even dictated how data should read on local bulletin boards. “It seemed to me inappropriate. We had to be more flexible.” Looking for local solutions became the hallmark of the program, particularly after the CDC’s West African effort demonstrated that instead of immunizing everyone, the most efficient method for collaring the disease was an identificationand-containment method. Relying on quick identification of carriers, local workers would then descend on a region and immunize in a ring around the area, cutting off the spread of the disease. There were innumerable other barriers—cultural, political and geographical— that had to be overcome along the way, many with Henderson’s direct involvement. But it was the work and the solutions on the ground, in the villages, towns and regions where the hard work was done by local health care workers and volunteers that really got it done. “The real work was done by local people in their countries,” he told a crowd of admirers during his book launch party in June at the University of Pittsburgh. “We in Geneva were serving more as catalysts than really operating the program.” His 10-year goal would be missed by a mere nine months, with the last known case of smallpox occurring in 1977 in Somalia. And although Candau never admitted it, his deputy director wrote a continued on page 147
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I Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy takes aim at restoring Downtown’s Mellon Square
urban oasis above: Visitors to Mellon Square don’t
seem to mind that the fountain no longer dances with intricate water choreography, but soon that—along with colored lights and lush vegetation—will make a return. opposite: Set in an angular, modernist pattern, the “rough terrazzo” paving was invented for use in Mellon Square, based on Sarah Mellon Scaife's love for St. Mark’s Plaza in Venice.
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a
t noontime on a summer’s friday, Mellon Square—the green
public space that lashes together so many of Downtown Pittsburgh’s office buildings, hotels, and businesses—is bustling. Ties loosen, heels are exchanged for sneakers and brown bags and sidewalk-stand hot dogs come out as office workers begin the brisk business of a respite from the cubicle by sitting under a tree or by the flowing fountain. To Susan Rademacher, however, it’s not just the calm of a stroll through the square that’s enthralling, but the paving patterns under her feet. And while others enjoy the relaxation of a tree-side bench, she’s just as soothed by the curve of the supports that hold it up. Because, as parks curator at the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy—the non-profit organization established to help the city restore and maintain its historic parks—Rademacher sees Mellon Square as more than just an urban oasis. She believes Mellon Square to be a historic masterpiece of modernist design, and she’s far from alone. Completed in 1955 as a part of Pittsburgh’s first renaissance, Mellon Square served purposes both base and lofty: at once a parking lot and sanctuary; a public meeting space as well as an opening salvo in the war against Pittsburgh’s image of smog and smoke. In
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full circle for the
square written by j u s t i n h o p p e r photographs by j o h n b e a l e
the intervening half-century, the square’s fortunes have risen and fallen just like the city surrounding it. Without financing for upkeep, its flora, lighting, and once-vibrant colors have fallen prey to ill maintenance. Meanwhile, changes to the design—made out of necessity due to Mellon Square’s ahead-ofits-time green roof concept—can now be retrofitted with technology that has caught up to the artistic intent. Mellon Square has played an important part in each of Pittsburgh’s renaissance movements—from its 1950s creation to its 1980s redevelopment. Now, as Pittsburgh’s reputation once again plays catchup with its lush, green cityscape, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy is determined to bring Mellon Square back to its original glory and to honor it as
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the masterwork of modernism that it is—both as a gesture towards the new renaissance and as part of a new direction for the Conservancy itself. In late-1940s Pittsburgh, trouble was brewing and Richard King Mellon knew it. The tycoon and civic leader had seen executive after executive refuse top positions at his Pittsburghbased businesses, despite lucrative offers, because of their refusal to move to a dark, polluted, industrial city. And attracting new people and businesses to the city was far from Pittsburgh’s only problem. “Mellon and Mayor David Lawrence were thinking hard about how to reposition Pittsburgh after the war,” says Rademacher. “How to attract people and jobs and also how to retain companies—there was a significant threat at that time that Alcoa was going to relocate.” The moment was ripe for a new Pittsburgh, as the optimism running rampant after the World War II heralded a new age in urban redevelopment across America. It was the era that engendered Point State Park, the Pittsburgh International Airport and the establishment of the Allegheny Conference on Community Development. Richard King Mellon himself had been quietly absorbing ideas on his travels and had one in particular that might help keep Alcoa in town. “Mellon loved Rockefeller Center in New York—the concept of a large skyscraper and public plaza and the kind of vibrant public life that goes on between those two places,” says Rademacher. “He
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teaching commons sense In the early 1990s, while trying to convince North Siders at a community meeting to retain Allegheny Commons’s odd, modernist water feature, The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s Charles Birnbaum got some unexpected help. “At four in the morning, my hotel phone starts flashing with a message—John Simonds had dropped off the original plans from 1966, complete with his handwritten history of parks in Pittsburgh. The community did a 360 when they found out it was Simonds’s work.” But it’s not just Pittsburgh that so values Simonds’s work. Internationally hailed as a master of modernism, and known to several generations of landscape design students for his still-essential textbook on the subject, Simonds is the subject of the Nov. 6 symposium “The Hunter and the Philosopher: John O. Simonds, Pioneer Landscape Architect” at The Andy Warhol Museum. The Cultural Landscape Foundation hopes that such symposia will elevate the status of Simonds and other landscape architects.
historic photo: Library and Archives Division, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA; Simonds: University of Florida Smathers Library
For more information: www.tclf.org, www.warhol.org
square roots above: An acre of small shops, restaurants, parking lots, the
People’s Natural Gas building and the old Davis Theater were cleared in the early 1950s to make way for Mellon Square. upper right: Bird’s-eye view of the park today. lower right:
John Ormsbee Simonds, designer of Mellon Square.
decided to build a new headquarters building for himself and, along with Mayor Lawrence, to appeal to Alcoa to remain in Pittsburgh with a new building adjacent to a grand civic space: two corporate skyscrapers anchored by this civic platform that could form a vibrant new center downtown.” In 1949, with $4 million in funding secured through gifts from the three Mellon foundations, the City of Pittsburgh
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began buying up the largely disused Downtown land surrounded by the William Penn Hotel, Oliver Building and then-proposed sites for Alcoa and Mellon skyscrapers. The plan, as stipulated in the Mellons’ grants, was for a 1,000-space parking garage topped by an outdoor green space “for an exclusively public purpose.” Inspired by San Francisco’s Union Square Garage, which had been built a decade earlier underneath the city’s central park, Mellon Square would be the world’s first purposebuilt garage topped by a city park— and, in a way, Pittsburgh’s first “green roof.” To make this vague and ambitious plan a reality, the city engaged the services of landscape architect John O. Simonds and architect Dahlen Ritchey, whose firm was also involved in the Mellon and Alcoa building designs. The team landed upon the Mellon Square that we can largely still see today after a host of changing and abandoned ideas, ranging from the sublime to the bizarre. “There were lots of different iterations, including a display of live sea lions or penguins, even a polar bear, in the square,” says Rademacher. “Cooler heads prevailed, and those stayed at the zoo. But the idea of an oasis, a cool refreshing body of water to anchor the square, remained key. “Simonds [insisted] that it should be a platform. You have a huge change in grade from the William Penn Hotel to Smithfield Street. The platform creates a common space—a common floor—that knits all these buildings together.” The result of the collaboration is a park that acts as a showcase of modernist landscape design. The simple geometries—from the trees and shrubs to the tiles that make up its flooring— combine to build a central square that simultaneously shelters visitors from the busy city streets and accentuates the architecture surrounding them. To Charles Birnbaum, founder and president of the Washington, D.C.-based
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Cultural Landscape Foundation, Simonds’s Mellon Square is historically and artistically important. As a parking garage/park, it combines urban renewal and modernist artistry. It’s also a masterwork by Simonds, who later made his mark with work from the Aviary and Allegheny Commons, to important landscapes from Chicago to Florida, as well a his still-classic landscape architecture textbook. Just as important, Birnbaum says, is the investment Mellon Park has received despite its modernist appearance—as opposed to the smoother, more pastoral, and more readily accepted standards of Frick or Schenley parks. “Simonds did so much for the city, and touched so many lives—his name has enormous cachet in Pittsburgh,” says Birnbaum. “It’s very interesting to me when a designer has that. Mellon Square is a space that’s been historically loved by Pittsburghers—in the ’50s, the ’80s, and today.” In 2008, Birnbaum visited Pittsburgh to speak about Mellon Square and John Simonds to the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, and made a rather influential proposition. He feels strongly that Mellon Square should be given the rarified designation of National Historic Landmark—of which the National Park Service has named only around 2,600 sites of any type, including just five in the city of Pittsburgh. “Birnbaum thought that Mellon Square, once restored, would be very worthy of joining that list,” says Meg Cheever, president and CEO of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy. “But apart from its historic design significance, just as a piece of open space, it seems like a really sound economic idea to restore it. [Downtown] is an area in transition in our city, and it’s really important that the park is a draw.” The Mellon Square restoration represents another change in direction for an organization that’s become used to adaptation. Established in 1996, the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy was initially planned as a “Schenley Park
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Conservancy”—a nonprofit modeled on New York City’s Central Park Conservancy, with just one park as its restoration target. But in order to work with the administration of thenMayor Tom Murphy, the young organization quickly had to change tack and take on all four parks deemed regional assets (Schenley, Frick, Highland, and Riverview). Despite initial trepidation, the change proved fruitful for the city, its parks and the conservancy as well. “In retrospect, it was probably a very good turn of events,” says Cheever. “We now have some very special parks expertise on staff, and you really can’t justify that unless you have a fairly sizeable operation. Working on multiple parks allows us to leverage these assets into every project we’re working on.” In its 13 years, the conservancy has raised and spent over $40 million on projects in the parks, including its renovation of the Schenley Park Visitor’s Center and creation of Schenley Plaza in Oakland. Now, under the administration of Mayor Luke Ravenstahl, the conservancy’s purview has broadened again, this time to include all 171 parks in the City of Pittsburgh. According to Cheever, near-future plans include a restoration of the walled garden in Shadyside’s Mellon Park and a joint venture with the Hill District organization Find The Rivers! to rehabilitate park land just blocks from the historic August Wilson house. The first job the conservancy will undertake, however, is Mellon Square—at the heart of Pittsburgh’s oldest area, and yet newest “neighborhood”: Downtown. “In some ways, Mellon Square has more in common with Schenley Plaza than the other parks—it’s an urban area with a high-density population and a lot of daily foot traffic,” says Rademacher. “It also tells a story about Pittsburgh at a certain point in time and captures the design ethos of an era. So it fits right into what we do in terms of valuing the cultural landscape continued on page 148
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left: The sanctuary of
Shadyside Presbyterian Church, founded in 1867. below: The neighborhood
attracts East End sophisticates and university students alike.
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T the by b a r ry pa r i s photography by dav i d a s c h k e n a s
Song of
he word “trendy” has
been surgically attached to the word “ “Shadyside” since days of yore—far more yore than you think. That most elegant and affluent neighborhood in Pittsburgh’s East End is home to what Andy Warhol dubbed the Beautiful People, and the upscale shops that cater to their needs. In search of a certain high-end luxury item? You can find just about anything on Walnut Street and Ellsworth Avenue, from designer dental floss to iPods custom-sculpted for the bodily orifice of your choice. The 21st-century Beautiful People, of course—and their bank accounts—pale in comparison with the original BPs. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Shadyside provided many of the city’s wealthy industrialists with the nearest residential escape from Pittsburgh’s smoky center. Some of their most fabulous
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Shadyside
top: The Inn on Negley,
bed and breakfast on Negley Avenue. right: At Prantl’s Bakery, head baker Robert Blackwell starts every day at 4 a.m., as he has for the last 34 years. Prantl’s is famous for its Burnt Almond Torte; it sells more than 15,000 a year.
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<< Fifth Avenue mansions are extant marvels to behold. Living two blocks from Fifth in the last block of Bayard Street for a quarter of a century, I was aware of all that. But the full historical trendiness of Shadyside was only gradually revealed to me during my travels with Frisky. Perhaps you’ve heard of him? He was my faithful pit-bull companion longer than Tonto served the Lone Ranger and was himself a Shadyside legendary figure. When my daughter Merica got him as a puppy, I begged her to choose another—perhaps more timeless and original—name, but
above: For the camera, Pamela’s
restaurant owners Gail Klingensmith (left) and Pamela Cohen make a giant crepe-like pancake stuffed with strawberries. This year, they were invited by President Obama to serve their pancakes at the White House on Veteran’s Day. top, right: Sidewalk dining at Cappy’s Bar on Walnut Street. right: Shadyside Variety Store, a Walnut Street institution.
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she held firm. Father knew best: The willful, oversized animal was frisky for about three weeks, max—but slow, lumbering, and lethargic ever after. Except in his patented getaway act. Frisky would position himself by the front door and lie there for hours—sometimes days—at a time, patiently awaiting the entrance or exit of somebody who’d leave the door open a crack for a moment too long. One such careless visitor was the late great dining critic Mike Kalina, who—upon letting Frisk escape for the umpteenth time—marveled, “He’s the fastest obese dog in America.”
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There was nothing to do on dozens of such occasions but depend on the kindness of Shadyside strangers. They never let us down. Sooner or later, one of them would call and say, “We have Merica here.” (When she sent off the box tops to Purina for a free tag, my daughter had put the dog’s name and her own on the wrong blanks.) Am I digressing? No, stressing: Shadyside is a state of mind, as well as a
Bottom line: If you can’t get what you want on Walnut, Ellsworth or Highland— you’ll have to head for Manhattan to get what you need. place. The precise location of its scant 0.92 square mile was not even clear to natives until the sainted Mayor Sophie Masloff put up street signs delineating its semi-rectangular boundaries: Baum Boulevard and Fifth Avenue (north and south), Shady and Morewood avenues (east and west). It’s not to be confused— but always is—with the surrounding neighborhoods of Squirrel Hill, Oakland, Bloomfield, East Liberty and Point Breeze. Shadyside’s etymology is easier than its geography: The woods and farmland there—full of lovely shaded lanes during its mid-19th-century development and since—were the obvious inspiration for the name of the area and for the Pennsylvania Railroad’s commuter station there (its train tracks now accommodating the East Busway). We typically speak of the 19th century as the “beginning” of Shadyside’s resi-
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dential popularity and as far back as its significance goes. Nobody speaks of any Shadyside role in the city’s manufacturing development. Everybody knows Pittsburgh’s legendary iron and steel industry got started on the rivers, right? Wrong. Which brings us back—not a moment too soon—to Frisky. On my nightly rounds with him, our first stop was always the southwest corner of Bayard & Amberson, at the black iron fence around Winchester-Thurston. While Frisk took his time examining the scintillating canine calling cards on the ground, I took mine examining the city’s most obscure historical marker there—too small, shaded and set back from the street to be seen clearly from a car. You have to get right up underneath to read: “Shadyside Iron Furnace. Built on lowlands here in 1792. Birth of the iron industry in the Pittsburgh region. It made stove and grate castings. Closed about a year later due to lack of ore and wood.” I had trouble imagining this exclusive private school in residential Shadyside as the site of the city’s first iron foundry— far from any coal or ore supplies or river transport. To understand it, you have to time-travel out of the 19th and back into the 18th century—with the help of Sarah H. Killikelly’s “The History of Pittsburgh” (1906): Most of the tools, nails and other implements used by westward-bound pioneers in post-revolutionary days were handmade—or fashioned by footpower-propelled machinery—in Pittsburgh. Many of the necessary raw materials (especially wood) were plentiful locally, but essential iron ore had to be transported from fairly meager deposits in the east. As demand grew larger, supplies grew smaller and more expensive. The search for iron on the western slopes of the Alleghenies had been going on since 1780, culminating in the discovery of “blue lump” iron ore in Fayette County and the establishment of a furnace on the Youghiogheny River in 1790, which supplied Pittsburgh with crude bar iron for kettles, skillets, ovens and cannon balls used at Fort Pitt and in Gen. “Mad Anthony” Wayne’s expeditions
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<< against the Indians. Killikelly’s research confirmed that the earliest actual manufacture of such items in Allegheny County began in 1792 with the furnace built at what’s now Shadyside by George Anschutz, an Alsatian immigrant, who learned the iron biz from managing a foundry near Strasbourg before coming to the brand new U.S. in 1789. The Shadyside furnace was a noble entrepreneurial effort but an economic failure, due to the ore shortage and great expense of transporting it down the Allegheny River to Pittsburgh and thence by wagon to Anschutz’s furnace. He abandoned it in 1794 (see box). No more attempts to build furnaces in the city took place for decades, but iron-ore discoveries in the west and new forges in adjacent counties propelled Pittsburgh’s growth nevertheless. Nearly everything made in Fayette and Westmoreland, for example—from household utensils to large sugar kettles for Tom Jefferson’s new Louisiana territory—had to go through Pittsburgh, the logical first market for buyers and sellers alike.
* * *
W
hen the Industrial Revolution and the Civil War brought the big iron and steel boom to Pittsburgh, no mills came to Shadyside—but the people who owned and managed them did. While the moguls built their castles on Fifth Avenue, as noted, the prosperous men employed to run their enterprises gravitated to that area, too, building smaller and less ostentatious but still grand abodes on the nearby side streets—St. James, Devonshire and Castleman among the most gracious. Booth Tarkington’s “Magnificent Ambersons” had nothing on the denizens of Pittsburgh’s Amberson Avenue, arguably the most beautiful six-block residential street in Shadyside. Now, as then, each manse is of a different architectural style and in pristine condition—collectively immortalized in “The Spencers of
Lost in the grid 1794 was a big year for the little ‘Burgh—the year of its incorporation into a borough, whose boundaries started at the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers, running up “the northeast beach of the Monongahela.” The principal thoroughfares were Penn and Liberty streets, parallel to the Allegheny. The cross streets were Marbury, Hay, Pitt, St. Clair, Irwin, Hand, Wayne and Washington. “Unfortunately, the cross streets lost their historic names,” wrote Sarah H. Killikelly in “The History of Pittsburgh” (1906). “Changed to prosaic numbers without any practical advantage, those numbered avenues [on their conflicting grid] only create confusion. The original names of the streets were monuments to men who had been instrumental in laying the foundations of Pittsburgh.” FYI, they were: Capt. Joseph Marbury, an officer of the Fort Pitt garrison; Revolutionary War heroes Gen. Arthur St. Clair, Gen. Edward Hand, Col. John Irwin and Gen. Anthony Wayne. On the east end of that early not-so-golden triangle: Wood Street was named for Col. George Woods of Bedford, who surveyed Pittsburgh in 1784; Smithfield for Devereux Smith, a prominent Indian trader; and Grant Street for hotheaded Maj. James Grant, leader of the doomed band of Scottish Highlanders who were cut to pieces by the French and Indians in 1758 on the spot where the Allegheny County courthouse now sits.
Amberson Avenue,” a turn-of-the-century memoir by Ethel Spencer. It’s a fascinating account of the Shadyside life and times of Charles Hart Spencer and his seven children, born between 1884-1895, in a large Victorian on Amberson. Spencer was an (often disgruntled) employee of Henry Clay Frick and a quintessential example of the growing ranks of middlemanagement officials in urban industrial
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centers of the time. Spencer’s income allowed him to support a family of nine, a cook, two nurses and assorted other servants in comfortable style. His story and his daughter’s book illuminate a class often overlooked in favor of the more dramatic robber barons, at the top, and the immigrant workers exploited by them, at the bottom. Over subsequent decades, stately manors such as the Spencers’ coexisted in harmony with carefully restored smaller homes, as well as modest old-fashioned (and modern new-fashioned) apartments and condos. For the last century, Shadyside has been home to a mix of affluent “old money” families, up-and-coming young professionals, nonconformist artists, and students and faculty from nearby Carnegie Mellon University—offering what its boosters call “urban living with a Greenwich Village feel.” Indeed, especially in the 1950s and ’60s, Shadyside’s famous Walnut Street business district was a uniquely Pittsburgh kind of bohemian haven. One of its finest assets in those days was the Shadyside Theater—“a little gem of a movie house,” says Pittsburgh’s elder statesman/film critic Ed Blank—which opened in the 1940s, playing three double bills a week. It became the city’s premiere art house in 1958, running pictures nobody else would bring, such as the British “Carry On” comedies and Antonioni’s exotic “Blow-Up.” (On our first date, I took my girlfriend to “David and Lisa” there in 1962. Keir Dullea, gone tomorrow.) But it was later reduced to screening softcore sex flicks such as “The Devil in Miss Jones,” before closing forever in 1975. Nothing has much ruffled the feathers of Shadysiders over the years, but some chickens came home to roost during the catastrophic “deindustrialization” of the region in the early 1980s, when some 150,000 steel jobs were lost and manufacturing declined by 62 percent—to the great suffering of families whose breadwinners were thrown out of work. “The gap between rich and poor,” said activist-documentary director Michael Moore, “is probably more pronounced in Pittsburgh than in any part of the country.”
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<< As unemployment soared throughout the Mon Valley, radical out-of-work steelworkers joined with sympathetic clergymen to form a group called The Network to Save the Mon/Ohio Valley (later, the Denominational Ministry Strategy—DMS). The DMS viewed the layoffs and mill closures not as the result of uncontrollable market forces but of conscious decisions by executives in corporations such as U.S. Steel and Mellon Bank. Many of the execs lived in Shadyside and attended prestigious Shadyside Presbyterian Church, home of the nationally beloved radio ministry of the Rev. Robert Holland (and, later, the brilliant sermons of the Rev. Morgan Roberts). The church, which had always been identified with Pittsburgh’s WASP establishment, now became a focus of protest, targeted by a pro-labor group in the Mon Valley as the quintessential wealthy congregation ignoring their plight. Reporters rarely happen to be in the right place at the right time to catch a spontaneous news story. But there I was at the 1984 Christmas pageant dinner at Shadyside Presby, where my wife was the alto soloist. We were in the cafeteria with our two little kids when suddenly, as the food was being served, a half dozen or so DMS “terrorists” in gas masks burst through the doors, tossing balloons full of foul-smelling skunk water around the room. The assistant pastor’s wife fled sobbing. Neither she nor her mink coat ever recovered from the trauma. Everyone was terrified and outraged. Said Ron Weisen, boldest and angriest of the DMS chieftains: “What about our women and children in Aliquippa? They don’t get any banquets at Christmas.” Church elders deliberated intensely over the next few months with assorted community groups before finally, in their wisdom, resolving what they identified as the problem: not the steel workers’ desperate economic straits, but the church’s lax security. New locks and alarms were installed and guard procedures upgraded. “Problem” solved.
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est we appear to consign Shadyside Presbyterian to the negative light of 1984, let us pay tribute to one of its most positive, enduring contributions to the city exactly a century before: It was the membership of Shadyside Presby that decided to found a college preparatory academy for their sons— Shady Side Academy—in 1883. In addition to academic excellence, Shady Side boys were credited with inventing the ice cream sundae at the turn of the 20th century. A junior school was added in 1909. In 1922, ground was broken for a new “country school” at 423 Fox Chapel Road, where the senior school moved while the younger boys stayed in Shadyside. In a 1940 merger with the Arnold School for Boys, Arnold’s campus on Braddock Avenue became SSA’s new junior school, while the Academy’s original Shadyside property—Frisky’s favorite spot at Bayard and Amberson—was sold, first to the University of Pittsburgh and later to the all-girls Winchester-Thurston School. Both Shady Side Academy and Winchester would become co-ed in the 1990s. The equally exclusive Ellis School on Fifth Avenue, meanwhile, is Pittsburgh’s only remaining all-girl Kthrough-12 private school, from its founding in 1916 to the present. In higher education, and on higher ground, sits beautiful Chatham University, across Fifth Avenue from Ellis on Shadyside’s northern edge. Founded as the Pennsylvania Female College in 1869, it was renamed Pennsylvania College for Women in 1890, then Chatham College in 1955 (for William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham), and obtained university status in 2007. The 35-acre campus, situated on Woodland Road, consists of private mansions and spacious grounds once belonging to the likes of Andrew Mellon and George M. Laughlin Jr. It’s continued on page 149
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events guide
Sept.
abba, the music
9 wednesday abba, the music | The closest to ABBA you will ever get! With the true, original sound — and the right matching clothes. Katja Nord & Camilla Hedrén, founders of Waterloo, the premiere ABBA tribute band, will bring some of the greatest moments in pop history back to life. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Benedum Center / 7:30 p.m. / $35–$40
10 thursday 1
15 tuesday 1
lalah hathaway | Lalah Hathaway
stomp | STOMP is an explosive, provocative and sophisticated experience that appeals to audiences of all ages. The troupe uses everything but conventional percussion instruments — matchboxes, wooden poles, brooms, garbage cans, Zippo lighters, hubcaps — to fill the stage with magnificent rhythms. The return of the percussive hit also brings some new surprises, including the addition of two new full-scale routines, utilizing tractor tires and paint cans. PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh Special Benedum Center / $21–$49 Also September 16–20
kicks off the inaugural season of the August Wilson Center. Daughter of ’70s soul trailblazer Donny Hathaway and musician Eulaulah Hathaway, the soulful, jazzy Chicago native has recorded five albums and many hits, including “Baby Don’t Cry,” “I’m Coming Back,” and her classic rendition of Luther Vandross’s “Forever, For Always, For Love.” August Wilson Center for African American Culture August Wilson Center Theater / 8 p.m. / $35–$44.50 Also September 11
11 friday 1 jim gaffigan |
itzhak perlman
enchanted evening | Manfred Honeck, conductor. Legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman joins your Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra in a program including Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 3, Dvorák’s Symphony No. 8 and Weber’s overture to “Der Freischutz.” Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / 7:30 p.m. / $25–$105
A comedic triple threat, Jim Gaffigan has achieved major milestones in standup, acting, and writing. Gaffigan has written some of the funniest and most memorable moments in recent television and film. His clever and quiet style has earned him a spot in the top five most successful touring comedians today. His 2006 Comedy Central special, “Beyond the Pale,” has sold over 150,000 DVDs and 170,000 CDs. Heinz Hall / 8 p.m. / $36.25–$43.25
Visit pgharts.org for tickets, showtimes and additional information.
stomp
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September
church basement ladies
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17 thursday 1 august wilson center world premiere tribute ceremony & celebration | The Center honors August Wilson’s legacy with a tribute ceremony and celebrates its grand opening as the newest contribution to Pittsburgh’s cultural landscape. The evening includes the Sphinx Chamber Orchestra, consisting of young African American and Latino musicians performing Bach, Vivaldi and Mozart, as well as works by composers of color, including Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, George Theophilus Walker and Michael Abels. August Wilson Center for African American Culture / 5:30 p.m. / $50–$500 sphinx chamber orchestra
22 tuesday 1 generations: a jazz discovery between joe negri and sean jones | Pittsburgh jazz musicians have inspired thousands of music lovers around the world. The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust celebrates four generations of jazz in one night with Joe Negri and Sean Jones, along with Dwayne Dolphin and Roger Humphries. Trust Education and Community Engagement Cabaret at Theater Square / 7:30 p.m. / $25
23 wednesday 1 marc bamuthi joseph / the living word project — the break/s: a mixtape for the stage | Take a
19 saturday 1 With a repertoire ranging from Beethoven to Metallica, violin virtuoso David Garrett is reaching levels of rock-star fame, and has truly become one of the most exciting entertainers in the music world. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Byham Theater / 8 p.m. / $20.50–$32.50
david garrett |
multimedia excursion through the land of hip-hop with poet Marc Bamuthi Joseph. A favorite performer on HBO’s “Russell Simmons Presents Def Poetry,” Bamuthi deftly combines movement, spoken word and personal storytelling to deliver a living history of the hip-hop generation. August Wilson Center for African American Culture/ August Wilson Center Theater 8 p.m. / $22.50–$28 Also September 24
recent dynamic composition was inspired by architect Charles Jenks’s extraordinary garden based on patterns found in nature, physics and mathematics. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / $17.50–$83 Also September 26 & 27
26 saturday 1 A celebration of the church basement kitchen and the women who work there, “Church Basement Ladies” is a new musical comedy that follows four women as they prepare food and solve the problems of a rural Minnesota church, circa 1964. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Byham Theater / 1 & 7 p.m. / $28–$39 Also September 27, 2 & 6 p.m
church basement ladies |
eugene onegin
david garrett
Eugine Onegin photo: Tim Matheson for Vancouver Opera
25 friday 1 bny mellon grand classics: ode to joy | Manfred Honeck, conductor; Measha Brueggergosman, soprano; Kelley O’Connor, mezzo-soprano; Christian Elsner, tenor; Franz-Josef Selig, bass; The Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, Betsy Burleigh, director. Gandolfi — Selections from “The Garden of Cosmic Speculation”; Beethoven — “Ah, Perfido” and Symphony No. 9, “Choral.” The titanic Symphony No. 9 begins a three-year Beethoven Project with Manfred Honeck and the PSO. Gandolfi’s
Visit pgharts.org for tickets, showtimes and additional information.
eugene onegin | A truly grand opera, from the composer of “The Nutcracker.” Inspired by Pushkin’s great story, Tchaikovsky’s gorgeous music brings to life the tragedy of luckless lovers. Starring Anna Samuil, soprano, Metropolitan Opera baritone Dwayne Croft, and Met mezzosoprano Susanne Mentzer. Attack Theatre provides elegant dancing. Pittsburgh Opera Benedum Center / $10.50–$140.50 Also September 29; October 2 & 4
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off the record ix: high school confidential! | Off The Record returns
26 saturday 1 philadanco | The Philadelphia Dance Company returns to Pittsburgh to celebrate its 40th anniversary season with a new work from Urban Bush Women’s Founder and Artistic Director Jawole Willa Jo Zollar. Experience a performance filled with the kind of athleticism, passion and contagious exuberance that has made Philadanco a venerable dance institution. August Wilson Center for African American Culture August Wilson Center Theater 8 p.m. / $38–$49 Also September 27
philadanco
30 wednesday 1
Philadanco photo by Lois Greenfield; Tina Fabrique as Ella Fitzgerald; Kidd Pivot photo by Chris Randle
pittsburgh speaker series:
pervez musharraf | As president of Pakistan from 2001–2008, Pervez Musharraf occupied what Time magazine described as “the most dangerous job in the world,” playing a critical role in the War on Terror and directing countless raids on Al-Qaeda and the Taliban. His memoir, “In the Line of Fire,” addresses his struggle for the security and the political future of Pakistan, which he believes can become progressive, moderate and prosperous. pittsburgh speaker series Heinz Hall / 8 p.m. / subscription only
kidd pivot
pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
Oct.
for its ninth year of musical satire, spoofing Pittsburgh news and newsmakers. This time, OTR takes aim at the travails of funding, testing, teaching, discipline, cliques and young lust in a fictional Pittsburgh high school. Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and Pittsburgh Schools Superintendent Mark Roosevelt are featured guest humorists. Proceeds benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. Pittsburgh Newspaper Guild and Pittsburgh AFTRA Byham Theater / 8 p.m. public reception, 6:30 p.m. $20–$60
1 thursday
2 friday
bny mellon grand classics: four seasons | Andrés Cárdenes, conductor and violin; Anne Martindale Williams, cello. Poulenc — “Sinfonietta”; Tchaikovsky — “Variations on a Rococo Theme”; Vivaldi — “The Four Seasons.” Poulenc’s “Sinfonietta” is light, rhythmic and satirical; Tchaikovsky’s “Variations” is a masterful cello concerto composed in the style of Mozart; and Vivaldi’s beloved “Four Seasons” describes the passing year through music — the renewed wonder of spring, an energetic summer thunderstorm, boisterous celebration in autumn, and the cold, brisk onset of winter. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / andrés $17.50–$83 cárdenes Also October 2–4
gallery crawl in the cultural district | Free quarterly showcase of
ella | The Public Theater will transport you to the French Riviera of 1964, as it recreates one of Ella Fitzgerald’s most thrilling concerts in this exquisite gem of a musical, starring the magnificent vocalist Tina Fabrique and a top-notch band. Songs includes “Night and Day,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing (If It Ain’t Got That Swing),” “The Man I Love,” “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” and nearly two dozen more legendary hits. Pittsburgh Public Theater O’Reilly Theater / $40–$60; 26 & under: $15.50 Also Oct. 2–4, 6–11, 13–18, 20–25, 27–31, Nov. 1
art and entertainment at various galleries and arts spaces located throughout the Cultural District. Trust Education and Community Engagement locations throughout the cultural district 5:30–9 p.m. / free
gallery crawl
3 saturday Integrating movement, original music, text and rich visual design, Kidd Pivot’s performance work is assembled with recklessness and rigor, balancing sharp exactitude with irreverence and risk. In “Lost Action,” artistic director Crystal Pite sculpts beautiful movement through a totally dynamic choreographic vocabulary. Pittsburgh Dance Council Byham Theater / 8 p.m. / $19.50–$42.50
kidd pivot |
The hilarious all-American stand-up comedian, actor and co-star of the Blue Collar Comedy Tour. Trust Guest Attraction Benedum Center / 8 p.m. / $43.75
larry the cable guy |
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5 monday
7 wednesday
the australian pink floyd |
david copperfield: an intimate evening of grand illusion | Hailed
Shine on, you crazy Aussies. One of the best tribute bands of all time, The Australian Pink Floyd celebrates the 30th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s 1979 classic rock opera “The Wall” with its jaw-dropping world premiere, alongside renditions of songs from “Dark Side of The Moon,” performed note for note. With many of the original lighting effects and video, this is the closest you’ll ever come to the original band. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Benedum Center / 8 p.m. / $32–$45 Also October 6
6tuesday cowboy junkies | Led by siblings Michael and Margo Timmins, Canada’s underground alt-rock sensation fuses folk, blues and traditional country music. Laced with languid guitars, the Cowboy Junkies use detached, ethereal vocal styling for a truly unique sound. CD Live! Byham Theater / 8 p.m. / $30–$35
by audiences and critics alike as the world’s greatest magician, David Copperfield elevates the ancient art of magic to new heights and redefines it along the way. True to its title, “Grand Illusion” takes one’s dreams (and nightmares) and makes them realistic through the use of sophisticated wizardry. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Benedum Center 5:30 & 8:30 p.m. $30.25–$50.25 Also October 8 david copperfield
shirley jones
8 thursday pnc pops:
shirley jones, marvin & the music man | Marvin Hamlisch, conductor; Shirley Jones, vocalist; Patrick Cassidy as Harold Hill. Charleroi native Shirley Jones made her mark in “Oklahoma” and “Carousel,” and starred in the film version of “The Music Man,” one of the most successful musicals ever filmed, featuring such memorable tunes as “Seventy-six Trombones,” “Gary, Indiana,” “The Wells Fargo Wagon” and “Till There Was You.” Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / $20–$83 Also October 9–11
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9 friday pittsburgh jazz orchestra: sean jones | Trumpeter Sean Jones takes the helm as artistic director of the Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra. A resident company of the August Wilson Center, PJO comprises 16 brilliant musicians. Featured guest performers include Pittsburgh jazz greats Roger Humphries, Nelson Harrison and Nathan Davis. August Wilson Center for African American Culture August Wilson Center Theater / 8 p.m. / $22.50–$33 Also October 10 & 11 sean jones
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john tesh: live in concert | A celebration of everything John Tesh is passionate about — music, dance and family. The performance includes hip-hop, ballet, lighting and staging effects, combined with talented guest performers and young dancers. A high-energy showcase for the entire family. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Benedum Center john tesh 7 p.m. / $20.50–$42.50
the sleeping beauty
16 friday 1 True love awakens with a kiss, as Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre brings to life one of the world’s most beloved fairy tales and greatest classical ballets. This whimsical story of a slumbering princess features the timeless tale of good vs. evil, set to Tchaikovsky’s enchanting score and performed by the PBT Orchestra. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre Benedum Center / $20.50–88.50 Also October 17 & 18
the sleeping beauty |
13 tuesday 1 A sizzling evening of music and dance featuring Pittsburgh’s top performers. Proceeds fight breast and cervical cancer. Adagio Health Byham Theater / 7:30 p.m. / $60–$125; lobby reception & auction, 5:30 p.m.
hot pink pittsburgh |
For information and to purchase tickets, visit hotpinkpittsburgh.org or call 412-253-8179.
bny mellon grand classics:
14 wednesday 1 pittsburgh speaker series: Since being thrown overboard at age 7 by his famous father, Jacques, this explorer, environmentalist, educator and documentary film producer has communicated his love and concern for our “water planet.” Today, as president of the Ocean Futures Society, Cousteau travels the world, teaching, exploring and producing films. pittsburgh speaker series Heinz Hall / 8 p.m. / subscription only
jean-michel cousteau |
The Sleeping Beauty, Alexandra Kochis photo by Rieder Photography
11 sunday 1 click, clack, moo (usa) | The cows in this tale are an unusual bunch — they can type and are on strike! What will these clever cows ask in their letters to Farmer Brown? A new musical comedy by Theatreworks USA about the power of compromise, based on Doreen Cronin and Betsy Lewin’s award-winning book. Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater Byham Theater 2 p.m. / $9.50 advance; $11 door pgh children’s theater events take place at locations throughout the region. visit pghkids.org for details
pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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15 thursday 1 drumtalk ’09 | Co-presented with Afrika Yetu, this concert brings together internationally acclaimed master drummers, including Giovanni Hidalgo, Glenn Velez, Zakira Hussein, Takumi Kato, The U.S. Army Drill Band, The Irish Drummers and Native American: Rainbow Eagle. August Wilson Center for African American Culture August Wilson Center Theater / 8 p.m. / $12–$28 Also October 16–18
composing with words | Leonard Slatkin, composer; Angela Brown, soprano. One of the great voices of contemporary literature, Maya Angelou, tells the story of “A Woman’s Life,” set to music by Composer of the Year Richard Danielpour. Mennin’s “Moby Dick” distills the tension and the atmosphere of Melville’s classic novel into a 10-minute masterpiece. The concert ends with the triumphant and beautiful melodies of Symphony No. 2 by Finnish composer Sibelius. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / 8 p.m. / $20–$83 Also October 17 The Tragically Hip is one of Canada’s most enduring and popular alternative rock bands. Their music is introspective, literate and richly melodic. Formed in 1983, The Tragically Hip is renowned for its infectious live performances and is touring in support of its 12th studio release, “We Are The Same.” CD Live! Byham Theater / 8 p.m. $29.50–$39.50
the tragically hip |
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18 sunday 1 lado, the national folk dance ensemble of croatia | LADO presents the rich traditions of Croatian culture with exceptional dancers, singers and musicians performing authentic Croatian folk songs. Described as a “dancing museum” because of its priceless and beautiful authentic costumes, LADO incorporates the diverse influences of the Mediterranean, Balkan, Pannonian and Alpine regions. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Byham Theater / 7 p.m. / $20.50–$32.50
lado, the national folk dance ensemble of croatia
20 tuesday 1 Internationally renowned author, journalist, screenwriter, playwright, radio/television broadcaster and musician Mitch Albom is best known for “Tuesdays with Morrie,” which spent four years on the New York Times bestseller list and is the most successful memoir ever published. His books have collectively sold over mitch albom 26 million copies worldwide and have been made into Emmy-awardwinning television movies. Albom will lecture and give a reading from his latest work, “Have a Little Faith.” Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Byham Theater 7:30 p.m. / S20.50–$32.50
mitch albom |
From rousing ensemble numbers to solos showcasing each member’s vocal style and personality, Celtic Thunder performs powerful ballads, popular hits, and heartwarming songs of love and loss from across the Celtic music spectrum— Irish, Scottish, traditional and contemporary. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / 7:30 p.m. / $47.50 - $67.50
celtic thunder |
23 friday 1
fiddlesticks family concert:
musical travels and traditions | Lawrence Loh, conductor. Cross continents throughout this concert by exploring the music of different countries. Listen to songs inspired by traditions of various cultures. Enjoy Bizet’s “Toreador Song” from “Carmen,” Strauss’s “Bauern” polka, a traditional Japanese song titled “Sakura,” and other favorites. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / 11:15 a.m. / $16 & $19
pnc pops: falstaff Leonard Slatkin, conductor; William Caballero, horn. Copland – “El Salon Mexico” and Four Dance Episodes from “Rodeo”; Barber — Overture to “The School for Scandal,” “Adagio for Strings” and “Medea’s Meditation and Dance of Vengeance”; Williams – Concerto for Horn and Orchestra. Savor a range of musical moods, including Barber’s ballet-inspired dance music, Copland’s toe-tapping hoedown, and the famously reflective “Adagio for Strings,” featured in the movie “Platoon.” Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / $17.50–$83 Also October 25
made in america |
24 saturday 1 margaret jenkins dance company / guangdong modern dance company | A trilogy of dances created by venerated choreographer Margaret Jenkins and her company, “Other Suns” is a visually stunning, cross-cultural collaboration with the Guangdong Modern Dance Company of Guangzhou, China. Combining athleticism, technical acuity and nuance, it creates a highly charged landscape transcending national and cultural borders. Pittsburgh Dance Council Byham Theater / 8 p.m. / $19.50–$42.50
Visit pgharts.org for tickets, showtimes and additional information.
Shakespeare and Verdi: a winning comedic combination! In this bawdy brew, the merry wives of Windsor puncture Sir John Falstaff’s ale-sodden ego with practical jokes. Take this romp through Elizabethan England — let the laughter begin! Pittsburgh Opera Benedum Center / $10.50–$140.50 Also October 27, 30; November 1
falstaff |
29 thursday 1 les miserables, student edition | One of the best musicals of all time, “Les Miserables” is the story of revolution and love, chronicled through Jean Valjean’s life-long struggle for redemption. Set to a soaring, uplifting score, the production combines student actors of The Richard E. Rauh Conservatory with the CAPA Symphony. Pittsburgh Musical Theater Byham Theater / $15–$25 Also October 30—November 1
margaret jenkins dance company/ guangdong modern dance company
pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
Margaret Jenkins Dance Company photo by Lin Xiaoyi; Fallstaff photo courtesy Utah Symphony / Utah Opera
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30 friday 1 bny mellon grand classics:
symphonie fantastique | Marek Janowski, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano. Camille Saint-Saëns — Piano Concerto No. 2; Hector Berlioz, “Symphonie Fantastique.” Acclaimed French pianist Thibaudet makes a rare PSO appearance performing a concerto that Saint-Saëns described as a reflection of a sea voyage. Berlioz’s revolutionary work tells the story of a gifted artist who, under the influence of opium, has fantastic dreams about an ideal love, a mysterious ball and his own execution. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / $17.50–$83 Also October 31 & November 1
Nov. 5 thursday bny mellon grand classics:
classical favorites | Marek Janowski, conductor; Chee-Yun, violin. Mozart — Symphony No. 30; Mendelssohn – Violin Concerto; Dvorák — Symphony No. 7. This engaging program begins with Mozart’s Symphony No. 30, which has never before been performed by the PSO. Mendelssohn’s sunny Violin Concerto displays the virtuosity and passionate artistry of Chee-Yun. The concert concludes with Dvorák’s glorious Seventh Symphony. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / $20–$83 Also Nov. 6 & 7
6 friday he’s just not that into you greg behrendt & amiira ruotola-behrendt | Imagine having one hour to tell people everything you’ve learned about life — and making them laugh the entire time. This is the challenge comedian Greg Behrendt tackles every time he takes the stage. Behrendt, co-author of the two-million-copy bestseller,
pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
“He’s Just Not That Into You,” along with his wife and co-author, Amiira Ruotola-Behrendt, are voices of reason and inspiration for all of those negotiating the treacherous waters of romantic relationships. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Byham Theater / 8 p.m. $20.50–$32.50
7 saturday one man lord of the rings | Master Impressionist/Super Dork Charles Ross takes you from the Shire to Mordor and back in one hour. The man behind “One Man Star Wars Trilogy” recreates, without the use of costume, set, or special effects, “The Fellowship of the Ring,” “The Two Towers” and “Return of the King.” Ross plays all of the characters, performs the music, fights the battles, cries the tears, and ultimately triumphs over evil. A thousand perils, 60 minutes, one man to do it all. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Byham Theater / 2 & 8 p.m. $25.50–$30.50
12 thursday 1 radio city christmas spectacular starring the rockettes | The world-famous Rockettes return to Pittsburgh this holiday season. Fill your heart with Christmas as a cast and crew of over 100 members brings America’s favorite holiday tradition to the Benedum Center. Delight in the dynamic precision of the Parade of the Wooden Soldiers, and be swept away to relive the very first Christmas in the aweinspiring Living Nativity. PNC Broadway Across America – Pittsburgh Benedum Center / $30.50–$100.50 Also November 13–15, 17–22, 24 & 25, 27–29 & December 1–6
8 sunday the adventures of harold and the purple crayon (usa) | In this magical musical adaptation of the well-known book series by Crockett Johnson, Harold journeys through the world that he creates with nothing but his big purple crayon and his imagination. Don’t miss this inventive production by The Enchantment Theatre Company. Pittsburgh International Children’s Theater Byham Theater / 2 p.m. $9.50 Advance tickets; $11 Door pgh children’s theater events take place at locations throughout the region. visit pghkids.org for details
the little foxes | Its juicy characters, scathing humor, and emotional fireworks have made Lillian Hellman’s “The Little Foxes” one of the absolute essentials of the American theater. Living in 1900 in the New South, the wealthy Hubbard clan will go to any lengths to get even richer. Acclaimed actress Helena Ruoti will play the coveted role of Regina, made famous on the screen by Bette Davis. Pittsburgh Public Theater O’Reilly Theater / $35–$55; 26 & under: $15.50 Also Nov. 13–15, 17–22, 24–29, Dec. 1–6, 8–13
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e n j oy c u lt u r a l d i s t r i c t d i n i n g Experience Pittsburgh s best downtown restaurants... Meet for dinner and drinks before or after the show.
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12 thursday 1 light / the holocaust & humanity project | This groundbreaking project explores the universal themes of family, segregation, isolation, survival and hope. Told through symbolic movement and choreography that is often stark, athletic and raw, this production is an effective tool for communicating the lessons of the Holocaust and providing an emotional link to the past. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre / Byham Theater $20.50–$88.50 / Also November 13, 14 & 15
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Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra! Starring Jim Owen as John Lennon, Tony Kishman as Paul McCartney, Tom Teeley as George Harrison and Chris Camilleri as Ringo Starr. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / $20–$83 / Also November 20–22
20 friday 1 An evening of wonderful Italian music featuring Bobby Rydell, Julius LaRosa, The Gaylords and Franco Corso. WQED Pittsburgh Byham Theater / 7:30 p.m. / $20–$83
italian voices in concert |
22 sunday 1
pittsburgh ballet theatre’s light / the holocaust & humanity project
13 friday 1
american revival | Drawing from the traditional musical ties of acoustic, folk, country and bluegrass, American Revival showcases today’s most exciting young artists. Respected nationwide from playing at prestigious events such as Telluride, MerleFest, the Grand Ole Opry and Prairie Home Companion, American Revival brings The Dixie Bee-Liners, Sierra Hull, and Uncle Earl together for the first time. Cohen & Grigsby Trust Presents Byham Theater / 7 p.m. / $27.50–$32.50
27 friday 1 bny mellon grand classics: Manfred Honeck, conductor; Sa-Chen, piano. Peter Ilyich Tchaikovsky — Piano Concerto No. 1; Music of the Strauss Family. One of the most popular works ever composed, Tchaikovsky’s first Piano Concerto features the sweeping, brilliant essence of Russian Romantic music. And, back by popular demand, the concert features delightful music by the Strauss family. Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / $17.50–$83 Also November 28 & 29 manfred honeck
powerful elegance |
29 sunday 1 home for christmas | Mark Milovats performs his Christmas spectacular direct from Las Vegas. The performance features Santa Belle Dancers, Children’s Choir and special Nashville celebrity guests. Trust Guest Attraction Byham Theater / 7:30 p.m. ---
how to order tickets
bny mellon grand classics:
thus spoke zarathustra | Andris Nelsons, conductor; Stefan Jackiw, violin. Danielpour – “Zoroastrian Riddles, Part I”; Mozart – Violin Concerto No. 5, “Turkish”; Strauss – “Also sprach Zarathustra.” Andris Nelsons, a protégé of Mariss Jansons, leads the orchestra in a concert of exotic melodies based on the meeting of Eastern and Western religious influences. Includes the dramatic tone poem featured in “2001: A Space Odyssey.” Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra Heinz Hall / 8:00 p.m. / $17.50–$83 Also Nov. 15
19 thursday 1 classical mystery tour— music of the beatles | “The Long pnc pops:
and Winding Road,” “Hey Jude,” and “All You Need is Love” are just some of the songs you’ll hear when Classical Mystery Tour brings the recreated Fab Four to Heinz Hall. “Penny Lane” with a trumpet solo and “Yesterday” with acoustic guitar and string quartet will sound phenomenal with your
Tickets are available online, by phone, or by visiting the Cultural District box office. A service charge is added to phone orders. Ticket sales are final; no exchanges or refunds. Seats are subject to availability. Ticket availability for some events may have changed since this was printed. american revival
Online
23 monday 1
pgharts.org
By phone pittsburgh speaker series: laura bush | As first lady of the United States, Mrs. Bush was a staunch advocate for global literacy and human rights. She convened a summit on early childhood development, led the movement to raise awareness about the challenges facing our nation’s youth, and fought against breast cancer, heart disease, HIV, AIDS and malaria. Hear history from her singular point of view. pittsburgh speaker series Heinz Hall / 8 p.m. / subscription only
Visit pgharts.org for tickets, showtimes and additional information.
Benedum Center, Byham Theater & Cabaret at Theater Square
412-456-6666 August Wilson Center
412-258-2700 Pittsburgh Symphony Heinz Hall
412-392-4900 Pittsburgh Public Theater
412-316-1600
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Theater Square
655 penn avenue between 6th & 7th streets
wednesday wine flights
8-track: the sounds of the ’70s | Take a journey through the greatest hits of the 1970s, starring the music of the Emotions, the Carpenters, the Doobie Brothers, Labelle, Barry Manilow, Marvin Gaye, the Bee Gees, Helen Reddy and many more. With its powerful rhythms and dazzling harmonies, 8-TRACK is a rockin’ good time. Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret at Theater Square Through September 27 Wed.–Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat. & Sun., 2 p.m. $34.50–$44.50
wednesday wine flights | salsa fridays | Cabaret at Theater
forever plaid
Square, 10:30 p.m. / $5 / doors open at 10 p.m. free for ticket holders of any earlier downtown show (space permitting) 30 Salsa Spooktacular Oct. 2
Sept. 2 passage to paso robles |
$10 / no free passes for this event
Journey to one of California’s premier wine destinations.
late night cabaret | forever plaid | The boys are back by popular demand from the great beyond. It’s the hysterically nostalgic return of the 1950s all-male singing group, miraculously revived to perform the show that they never got to when they were alive. Audiences will be rolling in the aisles and tapping their toes to some of the 1950s greatest hits: “Catch a Falling Star,” “Three Coins in the Fountain,” “Love Is a Many-Splendored Thing” and “Magic Moments.” Pittsburgh CLO Cabaret at Theater Square October 8–March 28 Wed.–Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sat. & Sun., 2 p.m. $34.50–$44.50
jazzlive | Free live jazz showcasing the region’s finest musicians every Tuesday from 5–11 p.m. at Backstage Bar. Sept. 1 Gerald Haymon 8 Roger Humphries/ 15 Colter Harper / Salsamba RH Factor 0 22 Jevon Rushton Group / Pittsburgh Jazz 0 29 Al Dowe & Etta Cox / Puro Queso Orchestra 0
Oct. 6 Thoth Trio / Tony DePaolis 13 Gerald Haymon Band / Jay Willis 0 20 0 Roger Humphries/RH Factor / Tony Campbell 27 Carolyn Perteete / Kenia 0
Cabaret at Theater Square, 6:15 p.m., $35 includes presentation, wine samplings & light fare
Cabaret at Theater Square Saturdays 10:30 p.m.; doors open at 10 p.m. $5 / free for ticket holders of any earlier downtown show (space permitting)
Sept. 5 Mystery’s Most Wanted presents: “Mobsters, Molls & Marinara” 0 Chris Laitta’s 19 Pittsburgh Pundits TV Tunes Sing-a-Long 0 26 0 The Serious Comedy Show 12
10 Mystery’s Most Wanted presents: Oct. 0 17 The Jason Coll Variety Show “One Love to Lose” 0 24 Pittsburgh Pundits 0 31 The Serious Comedy Show 0
14 grenache with panache | Oct. 4
Explore the verve and delight of this highly versatile grape varietal.
Nov. 4 passport to portugal | Chef Toni Pais, Café Zao, takes us to his homeland for a celebration of Portuguese wine and food. craft beer school
14 Mystery’s Most Wanted presNov. 7 TBD 0 21 Pittsburgh ents…Sleigh Bells Over Broadway 0 28 The Serious Comedy Show Pundits 0
visits pgharts.org for information on current Late Night shows.
craft beer school | Cabaret at Theater
backstage bar at theater square |
15 should i drink that? | Sept. 0
live entertainment, no cover, smoke-free 412-325-6769 / backstagebar.com
Square, 6:15 p.m., $25 includes presentation, beer samplings & light fare
Be part of a live beercast with Pittsburgh’s bad boys of craft beer and hosts of the podcast “Should I Drink That?” 20 beyond the pale (ale) | Oct. 0
Travel around the globe with the worldly pale ale, from England to India to the Americas. Co-hosted by Pittsburgh Post-Gazette beer writer Bob Batz, Jr.
10 Tim Stevens / Nov. 3 Dwayne Dolphin 0
17 session beers with lew Nov. 0 bryson | A primer on full-flavored,
17 Don Aliquo Sr. & Don Aliquo Jr. Don Aliquo 0 24 Colter Harper / Jevon Rushton Group 0
reduced-alcohol craft beers. Co-hosted by award-winning beer writer Lew Bryson.
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Visual Arts All visual arts exhibits are free and open to the public (except where noted)
August Wilson Center 980 Liberty Avenue Admission: $6–$10
pittsburgh: reclaim, renew, remix | Honors and preserves black culture in southwestern Pennsylvania. The modular exhibit uses imagery, film and oral history narratives to explore “Communities” and “Culture and Innovations.” Visitors can create unique collages of the region’s story from their perspectives. September 19–ongoing
in my father’s house | Designed as four rooms in a house, each room highlights a distinct approach to preserving and displaying material culture, and includes quilts, pottery, photographs, film and video, MP3s and paintings by African American masters. September 19–ongoing
gallery crawl
707 Penn Gallery
SPACE
707 Penn Avenue
812 liberty avenue
the secret lives of stories: artist jen cooney | Looking at
smoke and mirrors | An exhibition featuring the work of 16 artists who are faking it in every sense of the word. through August 25
how worlds are built and different fanciful creatures interrelate, Jen Cooney transports the viewer past the edges of the page into new, intensely detailed lands. Bursting forth with fantastic creatures of pure imagination, the exhibit invites the viewer to question the delicate balance of worlds where everything is connected through the secret life of stories. September 4–October 17
associated artists of pittsburgh October 30–December 31
709 Penn Gallery 709 penn avenue
medieval techno show satan’s camaro | Artists Justin Strom and Lenore Thomas create characters out of machines and drips, forcing these elements into a relationship with one other. September 1–October 2
transfer lounge | Guest curators: Carolina Loyola-Garcia and Ima Pico. A project that involves art professionals from Spain and the United States, Transfer Lounge creates a unique opportunity for artists from different parts of the world to actively exchange their views and ideas around issues of mobility and transition. October 2–November 21
Wood Street Galleries 601 wood street (above t-station)
physical conditions | Participating Artists: Henrik Menne, Marnix de Nijs and Edwin van der Heide. The exhibit presents dramatic and powerful new works that investigate automation within traditional sculptural practices. Through September 25
nests, rhizomes, seeds | Artists
Future Tenant 819 penn avenue free and open to the public / 412-325-7037 futuretenant.org
dividing the goose | Curated by Jeffrey Schreckengost and Lisa Toboz. Exhibit explores the role of fairy tales in shaping artistic creativity. September 18–October 17 future ten 6 | Sixth annual 10-minute play festival featuring all-new work from local playwrights. 10 plays, 10 minutes, $10 8 p.m. / $10 November 5–7, 12–14
vacant lot | Monthly open mike featuring poetry, music, comedy and storytelling. 8 p.m. / $5 admission (21+) September 9, October 21, November 18
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Anna Divinsky, JoAnna Commandaros, Karen Page and Holland Williams. A collaboration evolving from a cabinet of curiosities becomes an investigation of body and nature. November 13–December 31
julien marie: recent works
julien marie: recent works | French Installation artist Julien Marie works with experimental forms of projection, highlighting simultaneously both the simplicity and the complexity of reality. U.S. debut. October 2–December 31
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o n g o i n g August Wilson Center for African American Culture 980 Liberty Avenue augustwilsoncenter.org / 412-258-2700
aunt ester cycle | “Aunt Ester” appears in multiple August Wilson plays. This character’s impact is examined through productions of “Two Trains Running” by Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre; “Gem of the Ocean” by The Black Rep (St. Louis); “Radio Golf” by Penumbra Theatre (Minneapolis); and a stage reading of “King Hedley II.” Series includes “The aunt ester Women of the Hill,” an original performance by Ping Chong; and “Staging Wilson,” a symposia series exploring new themes and directions for interpreting Wilson’s work. November 11–22 August Wilson Center Theater / $28 per play; $85.50 for all four plays and symposia series
e v e n t s
Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre 542 Penn Avenue / pghplaywrights.com
the revenants | When a violent uprising of the undead forces two couples into hiding, infected spouses take a turn for the worse.. October 16–31 sanctified | When the young pastor of a rural African American church brings in a diva to save the choir and the church, gospel music and comedy abound. November 12–29
Harris Theater 809 Liberty Avenue
three rivers film festival | The region’s largest film festival, featuring more than 40 films screened over two weeks. Presented by Pittsburgh Filmmakers and Dollar Bank, the event includes independent and foreign films, documentaries and shorts, live music accompanying
silent films, experimental work and visiting filmmakers. Pittsburgh Filmmakers Harris Theater 3RFF.com / 412-682-4111 November 6–21
Bricolage 937 Liberty Avenue 1st floor webbricolage.org / 412-381-6999
midnight radio series smackdown | The three radio play finalists compete for a spot on 91.3fm WYEP’s special broadcast of Midnight Radio. October 2 & 3 / 10 p.m. Happy Half Hour 9:30 p.m. / $15
neighborhood 3: requisition of doom | In a suburban subdivision, parents find their teenagers addicted to a horror video game. As the line between real and virtual blurs, both parents and players realize that fear has a life of its own. October 30 & 31; November 6, 7, 13, 14, 20, 21, 27 & 28 10 p.m. / Happy Half Hour 9:30 p.m.
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[ productions listed in purple mark an eventâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first night ]
September sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
1 JazzLive
2 Wednesday Wine Flights
3 8-Track
friday
saturday
4 8-Track
5 8-Track Late Night Cabaret
8-Track
6 8-Track
7
8 JazzLive
9 Abba, The Music Enchanted Evening 8-Track
10 Lalah Hathaway 8-Track
11 Jim Gaffigan Lalah Hathaway 8-Track
12 8-Track Late Night Cabaret
13 8-Track
14
15 Stomp Craft Beer School JazzLive
16 Stomp 8-Track
17 August Wilson Center Ceremony and Celebration Stomp 8-Track
18 Stomp 8-Track
19 August Wilson Center Grand Opening David Garrett Stomp 8-Track Late Night Cabaret
20 Stomp 8-Track
21
22 Generations JazzLive
23 Marc Bamuthi Joseph 8-Track
24 Marc Bamuthi Joseph 8-Track
25 Ode To Joy 8-Track
26 Church Basement Ladies Eugene Onegin Philadanco Ode To Joy, 8-Track Late Night Cabaret
28
29 Eugene Onegin JazzLive
30 Pervez Musharraf
27 Church Basement Ladies Ode To Joy Philadanco 8-Track
jazzlive
cowboy junkies
heâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s just not that into you pnc pops: classical mystery tour les miserables student edition
fiddlesticks family concerts
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tuesday
wednesday
October Australian 5 The Pink Floyd
4 Ella Eugene Onegin Four Seasons
thursday
friday
saturday
1 Four Seasons
2 Gallery Crawl
3
Ella Off the Record IX
6 Cowboy Junkies 7 David Copperfield The Australian Pink Floyd Ella JazzLive
Ella
Kidd Pivot Larry The Cable Guy Ella Four Seasons
Ella Eugene Onegin Four Seasons
8 Shirley Jones, Marvin & The Music Man Forever Plaid David Copperfield Ella
9
Ella Shirley Jones, Marvin & The Music Man Forever Plaid
10 Ella Shirley Jones, Marvin & The Music Man Pittsburgh Jazz Orch. Forever Plaid Late Night Cabaret 17 Composing with Words DrumTalk ‘09 Ella The Sleeping Beauty Forever Plaid Late Night Cabaret
Pittsburgh Jazz Orchestra
11 Click, Clack, Moo John Tesh Shirley Jones, Marvin & The Music Man Ella Pittsburgh Jazz Orch. Forever Plaid
12
13 Hot Pink Pittsburgh Ella JazzLive
14 Wednesday Wine Flights Jean-Michel Cousteau Ella
15 DrumTalk ‘09 Ella Forever Plaid
16 The Tragically Hip The Sleeping Beauty Composing w/ Words DrumTalk ‘09 Ella Forever Plaid
18 LADO National Croatian Dance DrumTalk ‘09 Ella The Sleeping Beauty Forever Plaid
19
20 Craft Beer School Mitch Albom Celtic Thunder Ella JazzLive
21 Ella Forever Plaid
22 Ella Forever Plaid
23 Made in America 24 Fiddlesticks Family Concert Ella Falstaff Forever Plaid Margaret Jenkins /Guangdong Modern Dance Ella, Forever Plaid Late Night Cabaret
Ella Made in America Forever Plaid
26
27 Ella Falstaff JazzLive
28 Ella Forever Plaid
29 Les Miserables Student Edition Ella Forever Plaid
30 Symphonie Fantastique Ella Falstaff Les Miserables Student Edition Forever Plaid Salsa Spooktacular
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sunday
monday
tuesday
wednesday
thursday
1
Ella Les Miserables Student Edition Falstaff Symphonie Fantastique Forever Plaid
2
3 JazzLive
4 Wednesday Wine Flights
5 Classical Favorites
8
9
The Adventures of Harold and the Purple Crayon Forever Plaid
November
16 15 Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Rockettes Zarathustra
22 American Revival Classical Mystery Tour Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Rockettes
23 Laura Bush
friday
31 Ella Forever Plaid Les Miserables Student Edition Symphonie Fantastique Late Night Cabaret
saturday
Just Not 6 He’s 7 That Into You
Forever Plaid
Classical Favorites Forever Plaid
One Man Lord of the Rings Classical Favorites Forever Plaid Late Night Cabaret
10 JazzLive
11 Forever Plaid
12 Rockettes The Little Foxes Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project Forever Plaid
13 Zarathustra Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project The Little Foxes Rockettes Forever Plaid
14 Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project The Little Foxes Forever Plaid Rockettes Late Night Cabaret
17 Craft Beer School The Little Foxes Rockettes JazzLive
18 Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Rockettes
19 Classical Mystery Tour Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Rockettes
20 Italian Voices in Concert Classical Mystery Tour Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Rockettes
21 Classical Mystery Tour Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Rockettes Late Night Cabaret
24 The Little Foxes Rockettes JazzLive
25 Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Rockettes
26 Forever Plaid The Little Foxes
27 Powerful Elegance Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Rockettes
28 Forever Plaid The Little Foxes Powerful Elegance Rockettes Late Night Cabaret
29 Home for 30 Christmas Forever Plaid, Rockettes The Little Foxes Powerful Elegance
Visit pgharts.org for tickets, showtimes and additional information.
[ productions listed in purple mark an event’s first night]
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worth the drive
by b a r b a r a e i c h e n l a u b
Eins, Zwei, G’suffa!
photo by Annette Diekmann/istock
T
urning leaves are a sure harbin-
is available to go in bottles and may be purchased at distribuger of Oktoberfest! If you can’t make it to tors and local restaurants. The restaurant features from-scratch Germany, several local options may do. options, including regional, vegetarian and traditional German Grab your designated driver and hit the fare. If the weather is nice, be sure to sit outside in the intimate road for a tour of western Pennsylvania’s courtyard area. www.pennbrew.com microbreweries, each of which offers a The Red Star Agave Grille in Greensburg is located in the twist on the annual tradition. historic train station, built in 1910. Head East End Brewing Company is the only brewer Jeff Guidos brews the beer true microbrewery in the area—beer is its only on-site using imported malts and business. (Brewpubs brew beer and serve food hops from Eastern Europe and the and drink on the premises.) Owner and masPacific Northwest. Generally, six ter brewer Scott Smith makes an assortment beers are on tap: Golden Light, of some 28 award-winning beers. At any time, Canvas Back American Pale Ale, eight beers are on tap, with a handful available Black Pilsner, and three seasonal by the bottle. They include American Pale Ale, options. When available, don’t Barleywine (11 percent alcohol), bestseller Big miss the Liquid Evil Belgian Hop IPA, and Smokestack Heritage Porter. The Tripel, which boasts 9.2 percent latter has been selected the No. 1 smoked beer alcohol. The restaurant features in the world by BeerAdvocate.com. The brewSouthwestern cuisine—a spicy ery has limited public hours, but a visit has its complement to the beer. benefits. You can talk with Scott, look around, www.redstarbrewery.com do a taste test, and get your growler refilled. Finally, the most recent addiGrowlers are bottles or jugs that can be purtion to the Pittsburgh beer scene is chased and refilled at some breweries. Hofbräuhaus at Southside Works. Growlers and bottles are the only way to buy It’s designed to replicate Munich’s the beer there, but the beer is available by the original Hofbräuhaus, and incorpoThis fall, tap into local brew pubs keg at local distributors, or on tap at dozens of rates many of its 400-year-old to sample a pint (or stein) of some local restaurants, all listed on their Web site. traditions. Master brewer Eckhard of Pennsylvania’s finest beers. www.eastendbrewing.com Kurbjuhn always has five beers on Lawrenceville is home to the Church Brew Works; a brewtap, and whether you select a sampler of five mini-mugs or the pub in the former St. John the Baptist Church (1902). Head full-liter stein, you will be served beer made in the strict tradibrewer Brant Dubovick crafts eight beers and one cast-condition of the German purity law, using only hops, barley, malt and tioned ale, all with celestial names such as Pious Monk Dunkel water. It features several dining options: a traditional beer hall and Pipe Organ Pale Ale. Beer-to-go may be purchased in botwith live entertainment and an outdoor terrace; an outdoor tles, growlers or mini-kegs and is also available at local distribbeer garden with river and city skyline views; and the utors. The steel and copper tanks in which the beer is made are Bräustüberl, which has a quieter atmosphere for more intimate the focal point of the main room, resting on the former altar. dining. From wursts and schnitzels to strudel, the options are The eclectic menu includes salads, sandwiches, grilled meats decidedly Bavarian. The Bier Hall has a festive atmosphere with and brick-oven pizzas, including the unusual Pittsburgh pierolive entertainment and patrons doing group shots from glasses gie pizza. www.churchbrew.com mounted on a ski and revelers standing on their seats and Penn Brewery, the first craft brewer in Pennsylvania, is in singing along. If you’ve ever been to Munich, this should bring Deutschtown on the North Side. The big news is that the lease back fond memories. www.hofbrauhauspittsburgh.com has been resolved and they are staying put. They make nine Whether you go to one or all of these breweries, it will be beers, six of which are available at any given time. The beers worth the designated drive. pq range from the popular Penn Pilsner to the seasonal Penn Oktoberfest Bier and St. Niklaus Bock. The German-style beer Barbara Eichenlaub is a freelance writer living in Fox Chapel. pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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A walk downtown 2 hours
F
p p g p l ac e
down. Across William Penn rom rafael viñoly’s green Way is the soon-to-be renConvention Center, head to Grant ovated Mellon Square Street, the traditional seat of Pittsburgh Park. Walk 100 feet and government and corporate power. You’ll turn left onto Sixth see the enormous U.S. Steel building, now with Avenue. Cross Smithfield UPMC on top. U.S. Steel remains the largest tenant, Street. but the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center is the region’s biggest employer. On the right is the Gulf Tower, former home of Gulf Oil, v i e w f r o m mt. wa s h i n gto n founded here by the Mellons, America’s first venture capitalists. Beyond the Bank of New York Mellon building on the left is the Allegheny County Courthouse (1883), designed by H.H. Richardson and considered by many to be one of the nation’s best examples of 19th-century architecture. Check out the frescoes on the staircase to the second floor as well as the central courtyard. From the front, look across Grant Street to the Frick Building (1901), designed by Ahead on your left, you’ll Daniel Burnham and built by Henry Clay Frick (after see Trinity Cathedral (1907) and his bitter split with Andrew Carnegie) to be larger the First Presbyterian Church than the Carnegie Building, which is no longer there. (1903). Between them are some of Grant Street was named for British Maj. James Pittsburgh’s earliest graves. On Grant, who led a premature attack on Fort Duquesne your right is the Duquesne Club, during the French and Indian War. Pontiac’s forces regularly voted the best city club massacred Grant’s all the way back to Grant St., which in America. Since 1873, it’s been used to be Grant’s Hill. Not long after, that hill was home to Pittsburgh’s business the site of an orchard that would become the source of titans and the destination for “Johnny Appleseed” Chapman’s first apple seeds in his U.S. officials seeking to mobilize western trips. The hill was later leveled, which you can industry for war. It’s a club, though, and private. see looking at the Frick Building’s façade (the front Finally, ask anyone for directions to PPG Place. door used to be on what’s now the second floor). You’ll pass through Market Square on your way to Cross Grant Street and turn right to Fifth Avenue. Philip Johnson’s renowned glass castle, built for Look up at the Union Trust Building (1915), another Pittsburgh Plate Glass. In winter, the plaza becomes of Frick’s, designed as an indoor arcade. It’s worth an ice rink bigger than Rockefeller Center’s. From entering and looking up at the center of the building. PPG Place to the Ohio River lies the land that was Exit towards the Omni William Penn Hotel, entercleared in Pittsburgh’s Renaissance; the pioneering ing the Starbucks and then taking a quick look at the urban renewal that created Gateway Center and lobby of Pittsburgh’s historic hotel. Take the elevator Point State Park. to the 17th floor to see the ballroom and Art Deco >> room by Joseph Urban. Exit the lobby via the steps
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Repetitive Vision (1996) by Yayoi Kusama, image courtesy of the Mattress Factory
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m at t r es s facto ry
fa l l i n g wat e r
Fallingwater image courtesy of Western Pennsylvania Conservancy; Carnegie Music Hall Foyer image courtesy of Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh; All other photos by John Beale
p n c pa r k
Places to visit for a quick understanding of this historic region
c a r n eg i e m u s i c h a l l f oy e r
t h e st r i p d i st r i ct
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Mt. Washington
if geography is destiny, Pittsburgh’s place to understand both is Mt. Washington, towering above Downtown’s Golden Triangle. Either drive up McArdle Roadway or take the Duquesne Incline. The incline, one of two, has served commuters and tourists since 1877 and, its Web site says, is “the third most romantic place in America”—the third scariest if you don’t like heights. At the top, you’ll see why USA Today called it the second most dramatic vista in America. You’ll also see why Venice isn’t alone as the city of bridges. Mt. Washington used to be called Coal Hill, and the Pittsburgh coal seam plus the confluence of the Allegheny and Monongahela rivers into the Ohio below explain Pittsburgh’s early significance. In 1753, the British sent a young George Washington here to discourage further French incursions. Washington’s early trips here, however, were all disasters. He nearly drowned. He led British troops into a savage massacre. And when a French officer he’d captured was murdered by Indians under his command, the event sparked the French and Indian War.
A night on the town d e p e n ds o n t h e s h o w a n d yo u r sta m i n a
the 16-square-block Cultural District was the dream of H.J Heinz II to turn a red-light district into a cultural center. Today it boasts six theatres including the majestically restored Heinz Hall and Benedum Center and the Michael Graves-designed O’Reilly Theater. The theaters are home to the city's major arts groups — The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Pittsburgh Opera, Pittsburgh Civic Light Opera, Pittsburgh Dance Council and Pittsburgh Filmmakers, among others. The District’s newest addition, the August Wilson Cultural Center for African American Culture, opens this fall as a tribute to Pittsburgh’s great playwright. On a typical weekend evening, the Cultural District streets teem with people eating, drinking, taking in a show, or checking out various galleries.
Ohiopyle 1 h o u r , 3 0 m i n u t es s. e. of pittsburgh
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if you have time and a car,
2 h o u r s i f yo u h av e a m e a l
contrary to how it sounds, you’ll find no pasties and pole dancers. The Strip is Pittsburgh’s produce market, and on Saturdays, it’s the place to go for a late breakfast, people watching or late-night club hopping. Restaurateurs (and everyone else) buy their supplies here. Also on sale are any manner of goods, from handmade wool hats from South America to anything having to do with the city’s main religion—the Steelers. The Strip is where Pittsburghers of all stripes mingle and do business together.
....
Mapquest Fallingwater and Ohiopyle. Considered one of America’s greatest private residences, Fallingwater was built for the Kaufmann family by Frank Lloyd Wright and is magnificent in any season, especially the fall. If you’re a Wright fan, consider nearby Kentuck Knob. Call for reservations for both, which are run by the Western Pa. Conservancy. On your way back, drive through the beautiful Laurel Highlands to Ohiopyle State Park, where the tumbling Youghiogheny River offers white-water rafters excitement and possible death. Running through Ohiopyle is the Great Allegheny Passage, the superb rails-to-trails project bikeway connecting Pittsburgh with Washington, D.C.
The strip district
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Oakland 2 – 3 hours
increasingly, the center of Pittsburgh’s contributions to the world come from Oakland, four miles from the Ohio River. It’s home to four universities, the region’s biggest hospital complex, Schenley Park, Phipps Conservatory and the Carnegie Museum complex. The most visible edifice is the University of Pittsburgh’s Cathedral of Learning—worth a
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visit to see the Nationality Rooms. Across Forbes Avenue is one of the first of some 1,300 libraries Andrew Carnegie built across the world. The huge building also houses museums of art and natural history. If you can stop in just one place there, see the Carnegie Music Hall foyer and the opulence of the era when Carnegie was the world’s richest man. Finally, travel half a mile down Forbes to the Carnegie Mellon University campus. Just walk through the University Center, look around and listen; Pitt and CMU form one of the nation’s great university centers.
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the S outh Side’s Carson Street is Pittsburgh’s biggest concentration of young energy. From live music to restaurants and bars and tattoo shops, this old Eastern European neighborhood coexists with its young revelers. When the Steelers won the Super Bowl, the biggest party was on Carson Street. At the south end of Carson, is the SouthSide Works, built on the former site of one of the region’s sprawling steel mills. Now home to American Eagle Outfitters, apartments, stores and night spots, it’s a prime example of the brownfield redevelopment that has attracted Pittsburgh international attention.
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in 1907, allegheny city was annexed into Pittsburgh. Now known as the North Side, the area is home to PNC Park and Heinz Field (home of the Pirates and Steelers), the National Aviary, the Carnegie Science Center and three other outstanding museums. The Pittsburgh Children’s Museum is one of the best in the country, and The Andy Warhol Museum and the Mattress Factory are one-of-kind, the latter featuring installation art. If you want sauerbra-
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ten, potato pancakes and authentic German atmosphere, stop at Maxâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Allegheny Tavern, in continuous operation for more than 100 years. Finally, half a mile west of Allegheny General Hospital are the Mexican War Streets, an area full of beautifully restored homes. But apropos of a region with continuing population decline, this gentrification has remained in a tenuous state for decades.
Homestead & Braddock
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2 hours for a round trip drive until 30 years ago, these and other Monongahela River towns were the heart of the worldâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s steel business. Mills stretched for miles and immigrant families rose to make the American middle class. Shiftwork was so lucrative and the hours so variable that generally, women didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t work outside the home and men didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t need higher education. This explains a Pittsburgh pattern thatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s only recently changed: low female workforce participation and low educational attainment. Drive into Homestead across the Homestead Grays Bridge, named for one of Pittsburghâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s two Negro League baseball teams. On the right are a series of smoke stacks. This is the site of one of the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s seminal labor battles. The infamous strike of 1892 against Carnegie Steel resulted in 11 deaths. Broken up by the state militia, the strike largely quelled the labor movement until the 1930s and set the tone for the bitter local labor-management relations that have subsided only in the past two decades. Fifty years ago, Nikita Kruschev visited the massive Homestead Works. In its place now is the Waterfront mall. Across the river in Braddock, the site of a French and Indian ambush massacre of British troups guided by a young George Washington. Andrew Carnegieâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s first steel mill, the Edgar Thomson Works, still operates in Braddock, and across the street is one of Carnegie's first public libraries. Drive through Homestead and Braddock, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll see ground zero of the Pittsburgh transition and two towns that will never be the same. pq For more expansive information, visit pittsburghquarterly.com and view the items listed under â&#x20AC;&#x153;Pittsburgh Essentials.â&#x20AC;?
World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh Building a vision of broadband-empowered learning throughout our community with on-line programming. The Council promotes, on a non-partisan basis, greater understanding of important international issues, throughout the community and with a special focus on the regionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s secondary schools. This project is financed by a grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Department of Community and Economic Development
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color photo by John Beale, historic photo: Library and Archives Division, Historical Society of Western Pennsylvania, Pittsburgh, PA
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R E G I O N A L I N D I C AT O R S
city
y o u ’ v e c o m e a l o n g w a y,
by j o h n g . c r a i g j r .
Highly assessed in a number of recent national and international rankings, P I T T S B U R G H and its transition are attracting widespread attention. Here’s a closer look at what those ratings actually >> measure, and how the region has changed.
top: Jones & Laughlin Steel Corporation’s Southside Works (foreground), located just up the Monongahela River from Pittsburgh’s Downtown, operated from 1898 through the late 1980s and was razed for redevelopment in the ‘90s, resulting in The SouthSide Works—a retail and dining destination with high-end urban living units. bottom: Pittsburgh’s Downtown today, also known as the Golden Triangle.
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R E G I O N A L I N D I C AT O R S
Social and Economic Resilience
52
The 2009 Mercer Quality of Living Survey ranks Pittsburgh 52nd in the world. This annual report aims at an international business audience and compares 215 cities based on 39 criteria. Among the most important are: Political/economic stability, safety, education, hygiene, recreation and transportation. Each city is indexed against New York (100). The top five cities are Vienna (108. 6), Zurich (108), Geneva (107.9), Vancouver and Auckland, (both 107.4). Also scoring ahead of New York, which is 48th on the list, are Honolulu (103.3), San Francisco (103.2), nd Boston (101.9), Chicago and — 2009 Mercer Quality of Living Survey Washington, D.C. (both 100.4). The next U.S. cities after New York are Seattle (99.9), Lexington, Ky., (99.8) and Pittsburgh (99.7). a bit of history: Since 1988, University of Pittsburgh scholars Frank Giarratani, Vijai Singh and Christopher Briem have often noted what they describe as the region’s resilience, evidenced by modest but steady growth in employment and output since the late 1980s. The transition has been painful,
in the world.
but the regional economy and social fabric have been radically diversified over the past 30 years. The universities have played a major role, in partnership with state and local government, business leaders and private foundations. The primary focuses of attention have been exploiting the region’s unique cultural and energy assets, as well as investing in infrastructure improvement, brownfield redevelopment, worker retraining and technology promotion. Manufacturing, including steel, still plays a major regional role with 89,200 jobs in June. Today, however, Pittsburgh’s main source of employment by a wide margin is educational and health services (figure 1). The 230,700 jobs in this sector exceed totals in Baltimore and St. Louis, two of the nation’s centers of higher education, health care and research. Only the much larger cities of Philadelphia, Boston, Detroit and Minneapolis have as many people employed in this sector as does Pittsburgh. relevant pittsburghtoday.org indicators: Under the most recent ACCRA cost of living composite index, Pittsburgh scores 92.8. This is well below the 103.5 average for the 14 benchmark cities against
Universities, Health and Research Drive Pittsburgh’s Economy Today
(fig. 1) JOBS TODAY
(fig. 2) UPMC TRENDS, Admissions, Revenues, Employees and NIH Awards
data graphics by James Hilston
(1975–2008, select years)
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which it is measured. The national rate, which is a market-basket average and recalculated every quarter, is always 100—the higher the score, the higher the cost of living. Pittsburgh Indicators measures annual pay in 18 occupations in 15 benchmark regions. Physicians and family practitioners are the region’s high-paying jobs in this measurement, at $184,320.
That 2008 number topped all benchmark regions but four (Boston, Kansas City, Charlotte and Milwaukee), as well as the nation at $161,490. Registered nurses, the region’s largest medical jobs category, has lower annual pay, at $59,200, than all benchmark regions except St. Louis and Charlotte. The U.S. average is $65,130.
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The Economy Forbes magazine ranks Pittsburgh 10th best in its “livability” measures for 379 U.S. metro areas with a population of 500,000 or more. Not surprisingly, three of Forbes’ five measures concern financial well-being: unemployment rate, personal income growth and cost of living. The other two are crime and cultural opportunity. The only cities of significant size in Forbes’ top 15 are No. 8 Baltimore, th No. 9 Denver and No. 10 Pittsburgh. Forbes’ top — Forbes, 2009 three in order are Portland, Maine; Bethesda, Md.; and Des Moines, Iowa. a bit of history: In the early 1980s, a significant national recession pushed Pittsburgh to the economic brink. The local steel industry, which had been in slow but steady decline for 30 years, went off the cliff as inflation reached a high of 20 percent in June 1981. Federal Reserve Chief Paul Volcker’s tight money policies took immediate hold; the prime interest rate had reached 21.5 percent in June 1982, and housing, steel and auto production slid into a decline that took the rest of the decade to overcome. Between 1979 and 1983, Pittsburgh lost 44,800 steel jobs—51 percent of the region’s total—along with an equal loss of related industrial employment. By 1983, 192,700 people were out of work, and when the hemorrhaging stopped in 1986 there was a permanent loss of 120,000 manufacturing jobs. The pain was particularly acute in Beaver County, where the unemployment rate in February
photo copyright © Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 2009. All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission.
10 of U.S. cities.
In April 1983, four thousand protestors turned out in the rain to jeer President Ronald Reagan. They wanted import quotas; he told the audience inside the Pittsburgh Hilton that there were limits on what he could do.
For more than 60 years, The Pittsburgh Foundation has served our region and nation, helping, advising and working with our donors to meet critical needs. Together, we make our communities a better place for all. Today, we steward over 1,000 funds, ranging from $10,000 to $40 million, created by donors with a passion
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for Pittsburgh, and a deep commitment to its people. There are many options for creating a fund — they are as wide-ranging as the interests in our communities. If you would like to know more about what we do and how we can help you build a fund to bridge the generations, please call us at 412-394-2653. pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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R E G I O N A L I N D I C AT O R S
>> (fig. 3) UNEMPLOYMENT DET
PGH
BM AVG
3% % 6% 9%
7.7% Pittsburgh 9.5% National avg.
12%
9.8% Benchmark avg.
15%
17.1% Detroit
Older and Less Crowded The Economist magazine’s Intelligence Unit annually rates 140 international cities on 40 indicators in five categories: stability, health care, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. Pittsburgh was the top-rated U.S. city in 29th place overall, followed by Cleveland. The top 10 cites, 1 to 10, are Vancouver, — The Economist, 2009 Melbourne, Vienna, Perth, Toronto, Adelaide, Sydney, Copenhagen, Geneva and Zurich. London is 51st and New York 56th. “Canada, with low crime, little threat from instability or terrorism and a highly developed infrastructure, is the most livable destination in the world,”
Top-rated U.S. city.
Hollowing Out and Spreading Out
(fig. 4)
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POPULATION CHANGE Selected Communities (1980 vs. 2007)
pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
according to the editors. “High scoring cities tend to be mid-sized and located in developed counties with a low population density,” they explain. “This means they can benefit from the availability of both cultural and recreational attractions, but with low crime levels and fewer infrastructure problems than are found among larger populations.” a bit of history: In the decade before the steel collapse, the Pittsburgh region experienced a 1.9 percent population loss. In the 1980s, the loss was 7.4 percent, as hard times produced net annual population losses as high as 50,000 people per year. By middecade, the massive emigration had ceased. However, annual population losses averaging 1.5 percent continued through the 1990s, establishing demographic
data graphics by James Hilston
1983 was a staggering 28 percent. Getting beyond those momentous events was a challenge that continues to this day. relevant pittsburghtoday.org indicators In July 2008, regional employment was 1,176,895, the highest monthly number since July 1999’s 1,178,319, which was a record. The most recent monthly total was a preliminary figure of 1,144,058 in June, which reflects the current recession. Pittsburgh’s unemployment rate and rate of job loss in 2009 have been high, but much lower than numbers recorded in other benchmark regions. The region’s unemployment rate in June was 7.7 percent, lower than the rate in all of the 14 benchmark regions against which Pittsburgh measures itself. The benchmark average in June was 9.8 percent, the national rate was 9.5 percent, and Detroit’s rate was 17.1 percent (figure 3).
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norms that persist. In a 2002 paper, Robert Gradeck of Carnegie Mellon University explained the consequences: “On a net basis, 389,000 people who left the region between 1970 and 2000 were estimated to still be alive in 2000. Children and grandchildren born to these out-migrants number an estimated 205,000 in 2000. Had the Pittsburgh region had neutral net migration rate between 1970 and 2000, the year 2000 population would have been nearly 3 million, as opposed to the actual figure of 2.35 million.” In the years since Gradeck wrote, small declines have continued, with the result that Pittsburgh is unique among the nation’s population centers with three decades of loss, going on four (figure 4). A related consequence is that Pittsburghers of different age groups have significantly different social profiles. For example, adults (age 25 to 64) with a college degree or higher total 24 percent of the population, putting Pittsburgh in the bottom third of the nation’s regions. When only Pittsburghers between 25 and 34 are considered, the percentage with a college degree or higher is greater (41.9 percent) and tops all but eight U.S. regions. When the same calculation is limited to post-graduate degrees, only Boston, Washington, D.C. and San Francisco have a higher percentage than Pittsburgh. relevant pittsburghtoday.org indicators: Burglary is the principal property crime in the U.S. In 2007, the Pittsburgh burglary rate was 456 per 100,000 residents. That’s the lowest among the benchmark regions, which average 734. Only Boston and Minneapolis had a lower murder rate than Pittsburgh, and only Denver had a lower robbery rate. In the five years ending March 31, 2009, the average price of a single family house in Pittsburgh has appreciated 17.6 percent. This compares with a national average of 23.4 percent and 15.5 percent for benchmark regions. Among that group, the high was Baltimore at 41.8 percent, and the low was Detroit at minus 18.8 percent (figure 5). The Texas Traffic Institute publishes a traffic congestion index of delays on major roads during peak travel hours.
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>> Among benchmark regions, only Cleveland had less congestion than Pittsburgh, with Cleveland drivers losing 12 hours a year in traffic, compared with Pittsburghers’ annual loss of 15 hours. Washington, D.C. (62 hours) and Detroit (52 hours) had the most congestion among benchmark regions.
( ATES HOMEIAAPPRECIATION RATES TION R PPREC A E M HO (March 2004–March 2009)
+41.8
(fig. 5)
+15.5 + 17.6 BENCH M AVERA ARK GE
+23.4
PITTSB
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U.S AVERA . GE
BALTIM
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Livability Places Rated Almanac again declared Pittsburgh America’s most livable city in its latest edition (2007), leading San Francisco, Seattle, Portland and Philadelphia, in that order. The measure ranks 379 metro areas in housing, — Places Rated Almanac, 2009 cost of living, transportation, jobs, education, climate, crime, health care, recreation, performing arts, restaurants and historic districts. There is so much different material aggregated
Most livable city.
that it is difficult to identify this index’s point of view. The editors say they favor places with low housing costs, little crime and “things to do.” The result is that a city such as Pittsburgh scores well because it is not characterized by dramatic highs and lows. (Pittsburgh’s highest category is recreation, where it ranks 21st, and its lowest is climate, at 135th.) There have been seven versions of the index since 1981, and Pittsburgh is the only city to be among the top 20 cities in each. a bit of history: Much has been made over the
data graphic by James Hilston
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years about the large number of local governments in the Pittsburgh region. This reality is a product, in large part, of the region’s topography, which was and remains determinative in its development. The confluence of a major national river system at The Point created the center of the metropolis. But hundreds of miles of navigable water drove industrial and communal development far from that urban core and sustained a vibrant and relatively far-flung industrial and social life. The coal mining of Appalachia was a related and significant factor in how and where communities were established. Dozens and dozens of small towns and boroughs in 22 counties were part of that system that remains to this day. The great bulk of them were impacted negatively by the highways and automobiles that replaced railroads following the Great Depression. Poverty and abandonment are well-publicized aspects of life in the region’s urban core,
but the same realities exist in equal measure in small towns tucked in green valleys and tree-banked river communities. In many places, however, it is largely a matter of out of sight, out of mind. relevant pittsburghtoday.org indicators: Of the Pittsburgh adult population, 53 percent have taken music lessons or classes at some time in their life. This compares with 48.5 percent for the nation, according to the latest data from the National Endowment for the Arts. According to the last U.S. census (2000), 14.8 percent of Pittsburgh children lived in poverty. This was the highest rate among the benchmark regions, which averaged 12.8 percent, but lower than the national average of 16.6 percent. African Americans accounted for 6.8 percent of the Pittsburgh population in that same census. Boston, Denver and Minneapolis, all under 5 percent, were the only benchmark regions with lower black population rates. pq
This report has been compiled by John G. Craig and the staff of Pittsburgh Today Regional Indicators. Pittsburgh Today is unusual among U.S. benchmarking efforts because it was not created to measure a specific civic agenda, nor is it part of an established political or social program. The five-member managing committee began publishing indicators in 10 topic areas in 2005 on www.pittsburghtoday.org, funded entirely by private foundation funds. The University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Social and Urban Research provides administrative support and counsel; 3 Rivers Connect manages the Web site and organizes data. Paul O’Neill is chairman; John G. Craig Jr. is president. For a corrected version of figure 1 from the Summer 2009 issue’s Regional Indicator report “Life After (and with) Steel,” visit pittsburghquarterly.com.
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a
by g r e g s u r i a n o
harvest “News Right Fresh from Heaven” and Seeds Fresh from Pittsburgh:
tale
t h e t r av e l s o f j o h n n y a p p l e s e e d
A
merica’s art, literature and popular culture are ripe with the story of Johnny Appleseed, the colorful eccentric who planted orchards to feed America’s pioneers. He is often linked with legendary folk characters Paul Bunyan, Rip Van Winkle, the Headless Horseman and John Henry. The best-known literary work is Vachel Lindsay’s free-verse poem “In Praise of Johnny Appleseed.” And perhaps the most intriguing musical piece is a 1978 symphonic work called Johnny Appleseed Suite written by the great Hoagy Carmichael. Folksinger Pete Seeger felt such a connection that he wrote a regular column for Sing Out! magazine in the mid-1960s under the name “Johnny Appleseed Jr.” MGM’s 1957 Civil War epic “Raintree County” has Johnny planting an exotic apple tree—the Golden Raintree—which serves as a Holy Grail of happiness for the film’s characters. Yet as mythic as his legend has become, Johnny Appleseed was a real man, John Chapman, whose ini-
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tial base of operations was Pittsburgh. He was born in 1774 in Leominster, Mass., the second child of Nathaniel and Elizabeth Simonds Chapman, who died when John was two. Nathaniel Chapman was a Revolutionary War soldier whose local Minuteman company responded to the April 19, 1775 Lexington alarm and also participated in the Battle of Bunker Hill. It was a legacy that would echo in his wandering son, who, like Paul Revere, would become a roving sentinel during the War of 1812. A lover of animals and nature, the young Chapman became an apprentice tending an apple orchard. That, and his religious upbringing, formed the foundation of what would become the mission of this wilderness prophet: to deliver a Christian message of love and nourishing apple trees to frontier folk. In the process, he would become a major figure in the westward expansion of the United States.
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Frontier bound
A
t about the age of 18, Chapman and his half-brother, Nathaniel, headed west from Massachusetts on foot. Nathaniel soon returned, but John stayed in Pittsburgh. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s believed he bought a small piece of land and built a cabin on Grantâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hill, the location of present-day Grant Street in downtown Pittsburgh. There, a general associated with Fort Pitt or its successor, Fort Fayette, hired Chapman to tend the apple orchard on his farm. It was there that Chapman conceived his plan to establish nurseries in the Ohio River Valley, using seeds from that Pittsburgh orchard and those he collected from other local cider mills. The Bibles and religious tracts Chapman carried on his journeys derived from a fortuitous business trip to Greensburg, where Judge John Young, a Swedenborgian, presented Chapman with books to spread his Christian message to frontier families. In the early 1800s, Chapman gave his Pittsburgh property to a widow and her children. And armed with plenty of Pittsburgh apple seeds, he left for Ohio, first to a farm near the Licking River, and then to Steubenville. He continued on, planting seeds in West Virginia (then Virginia) on the Thomas Grimes farm near Fowlerstown. The result was the famous Grimes Golden apple, a
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fruitful passion Johnny Appleseed was a wandering ascetic, whose orchards helped Americans move west. pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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>> forerunner of the Golden Delicious, West Virginia’s state fruit. With a businessman’s eye, he chose nursery sites where pioneer settlements and ultimately towns would develop— essentially preparing the way for new settlers lured by legislation encouraging expansion west. His earliest major excursion, observed by numerous logcabin families who already were calling him Johnny Appleseed, began in 1806, via two canoes strapped together, with stops along the Ohio and Muskingum rivers. During these early nursery-planting years throughout Ohio’s Jefferson, Ashland, and Richland counties, Chapman replenished his seed supply with trips back to Allegheny County’s cider mills. Among his routes were the old Indian trail from Pittsburgh through Fort Sandusky, or through the Ohio wilderness in a west/northwest direction from Pittsburgh to the Black Fork of the Mohican River. When his family moved west in 1805, Chapman helped them build a cabin along Duck Creek near Marietta, Ohio. He knew the area well, and it became his base for 20 years. On the urging of two prominent Marietta citizens, he planted a nursery there and also helped treat patients during a fever epidemic. By the 1830s, when civilization had followed his established orchards all over Ohio, Chapman concentrated his efforts farther west, purchasing land in Allen and Jay counties near Fort Wayne, Ind.
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Restless, wiry, and scraggly-haired, he was a religious ascetic whose needs were few. escribing chapman as Often he gave shoes and other gifts he’d an itinerant preacher received to poor settlers. The man was a devoted to planting apple 19th-century St. Francis, refusing to harm seeds fails to explain why even insects, and seemingly immune— he achieved legendary stadespite his bare feet—to injury from the tus. Certainly, he was an countless rattlesnakes present in the unforgettable character in underbrush areas he traversed. He purchased abused animals and gave them to more core culture humane settlers; he provided food and shelter from top: Classics Illustrated Junior comic for lame horses in the book, 1960; Wood engraving published in colder seasons until they Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Nov. 1871; recovered and then U.S. five-cent Johnny Appleseed stamp, 1966. loaned or gave them to deserving settlers. He subsisted on a meager vegetarian diet; he hated wasting food and believed it was a sin to kill any of God’s creatures for human sustenance. And wherever he went, the saintly Chapman was respected, whether by white settlers or Native Americans, who especially appreciated his endurance for pain and his physical courage. This universal goodwill allowed him to roam pioneer areas with impunity, even during hostilities. Paul Revere may be remembered as America’s most patriotic messenger; but that single night’s work pales in comparison to Chapman’s continuous efforts as a frontier harbinger of attacks by the British and their NativeAmerican allies during dress and behavior. Always barefoot, he the War of 1812. According to one of the wore a cooking pot or some other first major articles on Chapman, in makeshift construction as a hat. He never Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in needed more than some discarded old November 1871, “Johnny traveled day and pants and a coffee sack for clothes. night, warning the people of the approachHis single extravagance was a huge ing danger. He visited every cabin and leather bag, which carried his apple seeds. delivered this message: ‘The Spirit of the
An eccentric patriot
D
Classics Illustrated Junior comic book, issue no. 515, 1960 © Gilberton/Famous Authors. Previous spread: illustration from Harper’s New Monthly Magazine, Nov. 1871, orchard photo: iStock
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Lord is upon me, and he hath anointed me to blow the trumpet in the wilderness, and sound an alarm in the forest.’ The aged man who narrated this incident said that he could feel even now the thrill that was caused by this prophetic announcement of the wild-looking herald of danger.” Chapman was also a herald of the Gospel. He always carried Bibles and Swedenborgian tracts, leaving extracted book pages at one cabin and returning later to retrieve the section for another settler. He would read to his hosts before a fire in their cabins, sitting on the floor, asking if they would care to hear “some news right fresh from heaven.” As reported in the Harper’s article, “A lady who knew him in his later years writes: ...‘We can hear him read now, just as he did that summer day, when we were busy quilting upstairs, and he lay near the door, his voice rising denunciatory and thrilling—strong and loud as the roar of the wind and waves, then soft and soothing as the balmy airs that quivered the morning-glory leaves about his gray beard. His was a strange eloquence at times, and he was undoubtedly a man of genius.’”
Johnny’s legacy
I
n 1842–43, Chapman made his last trip back to the Marietta family farm, checking on his established nurseries and pioneer friends. After settling back in Fort Wayne in the spring of 1845, Chapman heard that wild cattle had broken into one his nurseries in a northern Indiana county, so he walked there in bad weather to care for his trees. He returned to Fort Wayne ill and exhausted. He stopped at the home of an old friend, William Worth. There, on March 18, 1845, he died at the age of 71. Chapman’s obituary in the Fort Wayne Sentinel immediately established his legendary status: “Dies in this city on Tuesday last... in this neighborhood, at an advanced age, Mr. John Chapman (better known as Johnny Appleseed). The
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deceased was well known through this region by his eccentricity, and the strange garb he usually wore. He followed the occupation of a nurseryman, and has been a regular visitor here upwards of 20 years. He was a native of Pennsylvania... He is supposed to have considerable property, yet denied himself almost the common necessities of life—not so much perhaps for avarice as from his peculiar notions on religious subjects... He always carried with him some work on the doctrines of Swedenbourgh [sic]... His death was quite sudden. He was seen on our streets a day or two previous.” Like the comforting heavenly spirit that ends the Disney cartoon about him, Chapman’s legacy remains with us—at his memorial sites in Leominster and Fort Wayne’s Johnny Appleseed Park; at the numerous fall harvest festivals that bear his name in Ohio, Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, Illinois, Delaware, and Indiana (the largest being in Fort Wayne); in dozens of children’s and adult books celebrating his life and legend (“Johnny Appleseed: Man and Myth” by Robert Price; “Johnny Appleseed: The Legend and the Truth” by Jane Yolen and Jim Burke; et al.); and through the research and promotional efforts of the Johnny Appleseed Society and Museum at Ohio’s Urbana University and the Johnny Appleseed Heritage Center in Ashland/Mansfield, Ohio. Mostly, though, we celebrate John Chapman’s memory through every homegrown apple we bite into, at every American orchard where our families pick apples in the autumn, and by our appreciation for the courageous pioneers who settled our nation west of Pennsylvania with the help of Johnny Appleseed. We owe much to this patriotic man—whose Fort Wayne gravestone reads “He Lived for Others”—and to the modest Pittsburgh apple seeds he spread throughout our early western frontier. pq
Greg Suriano is a freelance writer and historian who lives with his family in Pittsburgh’s South Hills. He is the author of seven books, including “The Pre-Raphaelite Illustrators,” and “Gershwin in His Time,” and as a senior editor for Random House, edited/compiled the Library of Freedom series.
choreographer: Stephen Mills, artists: Erin Halloran and Nurlan Abougaliev, photo: Rieder Photography
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A DANCE TO REMEMBER
O
LIGHT
COMES TO PITTSBURGH
by reid r. frazier
n September 12, 2001, Steven Mills, the artistic director of Ballet Austin, staggered into work with a cup of coffee in hand, and, like most of America, began talking about the national calamity he'd watched on television the previous day. Mills has produced national touring productions such as “Hamlet,” which Dance Magazine called “sleek and sophisticated.” His “Taming of the Shrew” premiered at the Kennedy Center. But he had never touched overtly political subject matter. Ballet is a classical art form, and most of its practitioners are more at home enmeshed in storylines from medieval folklore or Renaissance theater than those from CNN or Newsweek. But something inside of Mills changed on 9/11. “At that moment, I decided I needed to have a deeper conversation with my audience,” Mills says. That decision led Mills, a Catholic raised in Kentucky, to befriend a Jewish Holocaust survivor in Houston. It led him to Europe’s most notorious concentration camps. It took him through four years of introspection, research and soul-searching.
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<< A DANCE TO REMEMBER
This fall, Mills will take another step on that journey, when Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre brings his Holocaust-inspired ballet to life in Pittsburgh, Nov. 12–15 at the Byham Theater. “Light / the Holocaust & Humanity Project,” originally mounted in Austin in 2005, is no ordinary ballet. For one thing, Mills will not license the work to companies without an intense accompaniment of Holocaust-related programming. So PBT artistic director Terrence Orr and executive director Harris Ferris committed to developing a full community-based program around “Light.” PBT is working with the United Jewish Federation’s Holocaust Center to create a slate of lectures, exhibits and concerts leading up to the ballet designed to situate PBT’s performance of “Light” in a broader context and inspire community-wide dialogue. “The people that shared their stories with me are too important to me to just allow it to be a dance,” says Mills. “I wanted people who didn’t know about dance or didn’t even care about dance to know about this project.” PBT scheduled the production of “Light” and its surrounding events to coincide this November with the 71st anniversary of Kristallnacht, the infamous “night of broken glass.” Widely regarded as the start of the Jewish Holocaust, Kristallnacht was the Nazis’ first organized assault on Jews in Germany and Austria. Beginning on Nov. 9, 1938, synagogues and Jewish businesses were burned. Jews were beaten, and more than 30,000 Jewish men were imprisoned.
A community panel on silence
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Among those scheduled to speak before local audiences this fall is Fritz Ottenheimer. Ottenheimer, 84, of Forest Hills, was a 13-year-old in the medieval southwestern German town of Konstanz. “I remember waking up when they blew up the synagogue,” says Ottenheimer, whose father, Ludwig, was among the 30,000 German Jewish men arrested that night. Ludwig was taken to Dachau concentration camp and nearly died from dysentery before his release the following month. In 1939, Ottenheimer emigrated with his family to New York. The events of Kristallnacht still resonate, all these years later. “We lived just around the corner from the synagogue. It actually shook my bed. At first I couldn’t understand what could have exploded. I looked out the window and there was a wall of fire where my synagogue had stood.” Ottenheimer, who settled in Pittsburgh and worked for 30 years at Westinghouse, says he’s not much of a ballet fan, but he’s keeping an open mind about whether “Light” will succeed. It brings up a good question: Can a ballet do justice to a history as large and as cruel and as meaningful as the Holocaust? This is the stuff of multi-volume histories and sober documentaries. But some think it is through art that we can learn
rev. donald green
THE BREAKING glass on Kristallnacht can be seen as the end result of silence. As anti-Semitism roiled throughout Europe in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, Christians failed to stop it. And most didn’t speak up. When the hatred boiled over on Kristallnacht, the silence of many German churches made them complicit. That is the central point the Rev. Donald Green would like to make before many of the region’s Christians in the week prior to the debut of “Light.” Green, executive director of the Christian Associates of Southwestern Pennsylvania, will be part of an interfaith panel, “Of Faith and Kristallnacht.” The event is presented by
photo provided by Christian Associates of SWPA
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CA N A BA LLET D O J U ST I C E TO A H I STO RY AS L A R G E A N D AS CRUEL AND AS MEANINGFUL AS THE
choreographer: Stephen Mills, artists: Erin Halloran, photo: Rieder Photography
H O LO C A U S T
the most, because it connects the audience at the emotional level. “What art does is it takes the experience down to the level of the individual—how a family experienced the details of the Holocaust,” says Edie Naveh, executive director of the UJF’s Holocaust Center of Pittsburgh. “It touches on our humanity in a way the historical record cannot.” The coming of “Light” coincides with another historical moment—the end of the era when those who witnessed the Holocaust are still alive to tell its story.
Christian Associates, with assistance from the Holocaust Center of the UJF, on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at the Lutheran Church of the Good Shepherd, Monroeville. “My ideal audience will be 90 percent Christian, and 10 percent Jewish,” says Green. “The Jews understand the church’s role in the Holocaust. Christians do not. It’s not something we talk about.” Green is a Lutheran minister; ironically, Martin Luther’s anti-Semitic writings contributed to many of the anti-Semitic beliefs that led to the Holocaust. (Lutheran ministries in North America have denounced these anti-Semitic writings.)
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“There is a sense of urgency to do this now. The last of the survivors are leaving. The witnesses to the Holocaust are passing,” says PBT’s Ferris. Ferris admits “Light” may give audiences more than they’re used to handling—this isn’t “The Nutcracker”—but he thinks ballet-goers will be up to the challenge posed by the topic. “It will be disturbing, to be honest. We don’t think it’s the kind of thing that will spice up a subscription season,” he says. “As much as we
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With some notable exceptions, German churches too often remained silent in the face of anti-Semitism, for instance, the perception that the Jews were responsible for the crucifixion. American Christians, confronting a world where racial and religious animosity abounds, need to understand this history, Green says. “We need to understand the church’s failure to speak against evil, and where does that come into play in our day? We need to think about the issue of how we deal with anybody who is different from us, especially when economic times are tough.” pq
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FOR MAURICE SENDAK, the captivating thing about “Brundibar,” a children’s opera written and performed in a concentration camp, were the child actors who originally performed it. The renowned children’s author, artist and illustrator mounted the piece in 2003 with the Chicago Opera Theater and Tony Kushner, the Pulitzer Prizewinning author of “Angels in America,” who wrote the Englishlanguage libretto. “Brundibar” was first performed in Theresienstadt, a “model Jewish settlement” in what is now the Czech Republic. The camp was a Nazi propaganda vehicle, intended to show international observers the living conditions of Jews under the Third Reich. Visitors were treated to a performance of “Brundibar,” written by Hans Krása, a Czech composer and camp inmate. The children performed it more than 50 times. “There is strong evidence that they knew what their fate would be,” Sendak said. “It’s hard for us, as adults, to grasp what it means for children to know they are going to die.” The designs Sendak created for the 2003 production set the piece firmly within the dark and folkloric world familiar to any aficionado of “Where the Wild Things Are” or “In the Night Kitchen.” The result is “vintage Sendak,” says Jonathan Eaton, director of the Opera Theater of Pittsburgh, which will mount Sendak’s “Brundibar” in November (see calendar) with Pittsburgh CAPA students as the cast. “Sendak’s sets are quite spectacular visions,” says Eaton, who mounted a previous version of the opera in 2000. “The designs are timeless and attractive.” The story follows two street urchins who must buy milk to help their ailing mother. They consequently face off with, and eventually overcome, Brundibar (Czech for ‘bumblebee’), the tyrannical town organ-grinder. “The wicked never win,” the chorus sings, in a moment of extreme irony. Sendak’s parents were Polish Jews whose families were destroyed by the Nazis. He called “Brundibar” “one of the few works, amazingly, which has come out of the Holocaust that is entirely about the courage of children in the face of oblivion — in the face of destruction.” pq
Brundibar: A performance of Sendak’s children
cover illustration by Maurice Sendak from the book, “Brundibar,” Hyperion Publishing
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<< have responsibility to entertain and uplift through our art form, we also realize that the arts have this underlying role in shedding light on more difficult topics.” Ferris, Orr and local attorney and entrepreneur Hal Waldman are the three largely responsible for bringing “Light” to Pittsburgh. Waldman is a past board president of PBT. Along with his wife Diane, Waldman is active with the local UJF’s Holocaust Center. The group was talking last year after a meeting when Ferris mentioned Ballet Austin’s production of “Light.” Waldman said he’d like to bring it to town. He felt so strongly about it, he offered to pay for any funding shortfalls the ballet company incurred to bring it to Pittsburgh. (That’s no small chunk of change—PBT is trying to raise
$300,000 for “Light.”) “If you’ve ever met a survivor, if you’ve ever seen the tattoo on their arm, you understand that this kind of inhumanity has to be avoided in the future,” says Waldman. Still, one might wonder, a ballet about the Holocaust? “There is an incongruity to it,” Waldman says. “The beauty of the art form matched with the most grotesque event in human history—how do you reconcile that?” Will Mills and Orr pull it off? Pittsburghers will judge for themselves. In Austin, after the 75-minute performance (no intermission for this one), audiences were mostly silent after the ballet. Hundreds stayed for the “talk-
A DANCE TO REMEMBER
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photo © Carnegie Mellon School of Music
Notes from the Underground
NOW RECOGNIZED as a major European composer, Gustav Mahler conducted some of the world’s best musicians and wrote transformational symphonies. But to the Nazis, the creations of Mahler and other contemporary Jewish composers were entratete musik — “degenerate music.” As part of the series of programs surrounding “Light,” the notes and harmonies of these outcast musicians will once again rise above an orchestra. The Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic will play a concert Nov. 9 — the 71st anniversary of Kristallnacht — honoring and resurrecting the work of these composers. Commemorating the date will be a brief introduction from Fritz Ottenheimer, an 84-year-old Holocaust survivor who lived through Kristallnacht and later emigrated to the U.S. The concert is curated by a CMU graduate, Israeli composer and professor Nizan Leibovich. “We’re trying to understand the continuity of history through one of the most traumatic times in history,” says Noel Zahler, head of the CMU School of Music. “Music is a reflection of the times we live in. Music allows us to express emotions that words probably cannot.” Beginning in 1937, the Nazis took aim at art or music from “alien races” or any other works that “threaten[ed]
to undermine the moral strength of the German people.” Among the composers was Arnold Schönberg, an Austrian-born Jew forced to give up his post at Berlin’s prestigious Hochschule für Musik in 1934 after the rise of Adolf Hitler. The Philharmonic will recite Schönberg’s monument to the Holocaust, “A Survivor from Warsaw.” Also on the program will be Bohuslav Martinu’s “Memorial to Lidice,” penned by the Czech-born conductor in remembrance of the Czech village razed by the Germans in 1942. The night will conclude with Mahler’s “Todtenfeier,” a movement from the composer’s Second Symphony. Mahler did not live to see the Holocaust (he died in 1911), But the composer and conductor experienced the gathering anti-Semitism that eventually led to the rise of the Nazi party. “I am thrice rejected,” he famously told his wife. “As a native of Bohemia in Austria, as an Austrian among Germans, and as a Jew throughout the world. Everywhere an intruder, never welcome.” pq
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An exiled life of art FOR THOSE WHO ESCAPED THE HOLOCAUST, exile awaited. They had to make a new home elsewhere, knowing they could never go back to where they came from. One such exile was Henry Koerner, a Viennese-born painter who eventually became a Pittsburgher. An exhibit of Koerner’s paintings — “Henry Koerner’s Pittsburgh” — at Chatham University’s Woodland Art Gallery, the college where he taught art for many years, will show how one artist reckoned with his own fragmented history and envisioned his new home. The show will be guest-curated by Koerner’s son, Joseph, an art history professor at Harvard. “My father fell in love with Pittsburgh because it looked a lot like Vienna,” says Joseph Koerner. Koerner came to the U.S. in 1938, at the age of 23. His father, mother and brother all stayed behind in Austria and died in the Holocaust. When Koerner first arrived in the U.S., he worked as a graphic artist for the U.S. Army’s Office of War Information, designing propaganda pieces for the war effort. He later worked as a cover artist for Time magazine, creating some 50-plus covers between 1955 and 1967. In 1952, he came to Pittsburgh, to become the artist-in-residence at the Pennsylvania College for Women, which later became Chatham College. Koerner, who died in 1991, developed a unique style that combined traditional impressionism with surreal elements — a lady with a pig’s head, for instance. These were natural extensions of the painter’s own life experience, says his son. “Everything is turned on its head,” says Joseph Koerner. “Reality just completely transforms itself through a disastrous political moment, and life and people and the world we know really doesn’t look like anything we expect.” In later years, Koerner spent many of his summers shuttling back and forth between the family home on Negley Avenue in Squirrel Hill and Vienna. His easel found its way to locales such as Panther Hollow, East Liberty and Mount Washington, as well as the streets and parks of Vienna. For that reason, his work doesn’t fit into a typical mold, says his son. “My father was interested in big, human themes. It was half about Pittsburgh, and half about Europe. No one really felt at home with his paintings in that normal way, because I think he was kind of dislocated.” pq
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<< back” sessions after the curtain fell. PBT will offer similar post-performance discussions for its audience. Mills says he tried not to burden the production with historical specificity or cumbersome visual cues—there are no swastikas, no goosesteps, no Nazis. The Holocaust is both backdrop and metaphor. The dance tells the story only of the victims—those who survived and those who didn’t. There are five movements to the work, starting at the beginning, with Adam and Eve. Then there is a period of gathering darkness, imprisonment, death and, finally, survival and rebirth. The dancers writhe and clutch at one another, shiver, shudder, float and melt into one another. The cattle car to a concentration camp is staged as a shaft of light from which the dancers must not leave. The group moves incrementally, minutely, across the stage, and one by one, its members fade out of the light. The production decisions that went into “Light” come directly out of Mills’ experience in dreaming up the project. Shortly after 9/11, he met Naomi Warren, a Holocaust survivor who had lived in Houston after immigrating to the U.S. Warren had been in three concentration camps. After arriving at Auschwitz, she was separated from her mother and younger sister. Warren was funneled into one line, for those headed for a work detail. Her mother and sister went into a line that ended ultimately at the gas chamber. The last she saw of her mother were her “big gray eyes,” Warren told an interviewer. Warren survived by squirreling away bits of food she found stuffed into suitcases in the sorting room where she worked separating other prisoners’ confiscated belongings.
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My Parents No. 1 (1945), painting by Henry Koerner
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<< Mills, rapt, listened to her story. He decided he wanted to tell the story of the Holocaust—at least, one little piece of it, through ballet. He went to Europe to visit several concentration camps. He talked to survivor after survivor. He read voraciously and digested the experience. He is not Jewish, so he felt uneasy about taking on the topic. He almost didn’t do it—how can a dance take on the murder of 6 million people? Warren told Mills to do it and pushed him to expand the subject beyond the Holocaust of the Jews. “Naomi encouraged me to tell [the survivors’] story through an American perspective that deals with the other issues we continue to struggle with as Americans,” Mills says. The repression in the Darfur region of Sudan and the racial and ethnic killing witnessed in the Balkans and Rwanda in the 1990s are proof that many of history’s lessons have gone ignored. “When you talk to survivors, it’s important for them that [the work] not just be about the Holocaust because we still live in a world where genocide is active and present, even as we speak,” Mills says. When Mills told his friends and colleagues about his idea, a slight panic swept over them. “It is with a little trepidation that one’s artistic director tells you that he’s selected the Holocaust as a topic for a body of work," says Cookie Ruiz, the executive director of Ballet Austin. “I’m aware of the things that sell, I’ve done qualitative and quantitative research. I’ve done the demographics. I’ve studied the sociographics of our audience. At the most basic level, I would not be truthful if I didn’t say, ‘Will this be a draw?’” But Ruiz knew Mills and knew he had found something more important than subscription sales. “A piece like this has to be authentic,” says PBT’s Orr. “The dancers have to find a way into the work in a way that’s personal to them. It’s not as if the choreographer can come in, turn on the music, and say, ‘Here are the steps.’” To begin their preparation for this important work, Orr took his dancers and staff on a two-day
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orientation, in which they traveled to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C. Then Ruiz brought in Elie Wiesel, the Nobel-Laureate and Holocaust survivor, as part
singular experience of the Holocaust, and what, if anything, art can teach us about today’s world. Among those who plan to be there is Ottenheimer, some 70 years after the night that changed his life. Ottenheimer, who returned to Germany in 1945 as a soldier in an Army mil“ W H E N Y O U TA L K T O S U R V I V O R S , itary police unit, says the Holocaust lessons are as I T ’ S I M P O R TA N T T H AT ( T H E clear and applicable today as they are hard to face. W O R K ) N OT J U ST B E A B O U T “The lesson is, it does T H E H O LO C A U S T, B E C A U S E W E matter what individual people think and what inSTILL LIVE IN A WORLD WHERE dividual people do. When G E N O C I D E I S ACT I V E A N D injustice is done, people have to get involved,” P R E S E N T, E V E N A S W E S P E A K . ” Ottenheimer says. “They cannot just walk away of Ballet Austin’s programming. “He told the aufrom it, because eventually, they pay too steep dience, ‘Don’t sleep.’ When issues of atrocity are a price.” pq present, don’t sleep,” Ruiz says. Reid Frazier is a freelance writer living in When the curtain lifts on “Light,” there will Wilkinsburg with his wife and two daughters. be many interested in how well it portrays the
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“LIGHT / THE HOLOCAUST & HUMANITY PROJ ECT” EV ENTS
Calendar 2009–2010 Know Before You Go. PBT and Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh look at the creative process, historical research and emotional impact of “Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project.” Oct. 6, 12:15–1:15 p.m. 612 Smithfield St. Free. Space limited to 50. 412-281-7137. Henry Koerner’s Pittsburgh. A three-part exploration of Koerner’s world post-Holocaust, curated by his son Joseph Koerner. Exhibit runs Oct. 12–Nov. 12 at the Woodland Art Gallery at Chatham Univ. 412-365-1232. Holocaust Education in the 21st Century: Religious and Cultural Perspectives. Featuring Michael Berenbaum, of the American Jewish Univ. Explore inter-religious dialogue and recent genocides. Oct. 25–27, Seton Hill Univ. 724-830-1033. Fateless. The award-winning film by Lajos Koltai about a teenage boy sent to concentration camps. Oct. 29, South Side Works Cinema, in conjunction with the Pittsburgh Jewish Israeli Film Festival. Further details TBA. Rauh Jewish Archives Exhibit. Commemorating Holocaust survivors in Pittsburgh. Nov. 1–30, Senator John Heinz History Center. 412-454-6000. Hitler Youth. An exhibit developed in Germany. Keynote address by William Meinecke of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, 7 p.m. Nov. 2–Dec. 14 at the Jewish Community Center, Kaufman Building. 412-421-1500. Education in the Third Reich. A symposium on Nazi youth inculcation. Lecture by William Meinecke, of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum. Attending
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teachers will receive PA Act 48 credit. Nov. 2, 8 a.m.–4 p.m. UJF Holocaust Center. 412-421-1500. $30 fee includes lunch and materials. Of Faith and Kristallnacht. A panel discussion with Sister Gemma del Duca, National Catholic Center for Holocaust Education at Seton Hill Univ. Rev. Don Green, exec. director of Christian Associates of South Western Pa., and Rabbi James Gibson, head rabbi of Temple Sinai of Pittsburgh. Nov. 4, The Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 4503 Old William Penn Highway, Monroeville. 412-421-1500. The Use of Comic Books in Teaching the Holocaust. A lecture by Beverly Harris–Schenz, chair of the Univ. of Pittsburgh German Dept., on the teaching the Holocaust to German students since the end of WWII. Nov. 5, 8 p.m., Jewish Community Center. 412-421-1500. Brundibar. Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner’s adaptation of a children’s opera originally performed by the children of Theresienstadt concentration camp. Performed by Opera Theater of Pittsburgh. Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m., Nov. 7, 6 p.m. and 7:30, Nov. 8, 2:30 p.m. CAPA Theater, Downtown. 412-456-6666. Three Rivers Film Festival, Special Film Event. Nov. 6–21, Harris Theater, Downtown. Further details to be announced. Carnegie Mellon Philharmonic Concert. Featuring works of prominent European Jewish composers banned during the Nazi regime. Nov. 9, 8 p.m. Carnegie Music Hall, Oakland. Tickets are $5 for general admission, $4 for
senior citizens, and free to college students with valid university ID. 412-268-2383. German Jewish Immigrants and Their Contributions to American Film. Features a 4 p.m. Nov. 10 lecture by Lucy Fischer, Univ. of Pittsburgh professor of film studies and English, and PBS documentary film, “Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood,” at 7 p.m. Nov. 11. Univ. of Pittsburgh, Frick Fine Arts Building. 412-421-1500. Remembrances of Kristallnacht. With survivor Fritz Ottenheimer, followed by a showing of the documentary film, “Cinema’s Exiles: From Hitler to Hollywood.” Nov. 11. 7 p.m. Univ. of Pittsburgh, Frick Fine Arts Building. 412-421-1500. Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s Light / The Holocaust & Humanity Project. Nov. 12–15, Byham Theater. Tickets on sale Sept. 8 at 412-4566666. Group and student matinee tickets at 412-454-9129. Premium tickets available for opening night performance and pre-show tribute dinner at 412-454-9136 or visit www.pbt.org/performances/light. Poland, Personally. An exhibition of personal artifacts buried by Holocaust victims to tell their stories. Nov. 12–15, Byham Theater. Journals of the Holocaust. An exhibit created by 8th graders at Winchester Thurston School that follows the lives of Holocaust survivors. Nov. 12–15, Byham Theater. Nov. 20–Jan. 15, Winchester Thurston School Gallery.
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neighborhood joints by j o s e p h s a b i n o m i s t i c k
Square Café here are two features that are essential before any establishment can become a neighborhood joint, and Square Café in Regent Square has both. The first is a counter or bar. A raised countertop and stools will anchor a place. In this case, size is not important. The Square has just nine stools, enough to do the job. The second is a gaggle of regulars to fill those stools. Perched slightly above the fray, they enjoy an insider’s view of the action and share continuous repartee with the staff as they jostle around the sacrosanct coffee, soft drink and dessert area. At the Square, the regulars include Maria the nurse, Bill the techno guy, the two joking window washers, Jim the recumbent cyclist, John the attorney, Sylvia the horseback riding artist and Larry, who announces his arrival with the bon mot, “The man with endurance sells insurance.” Seven days a week, this steady contingent is joined by other regulars and many occasionals at the tables both inside the joint and along the wide sidewalk outside. The weekend crowd includes doting grandparents, young families, artsy types, cuttingedge fashionistas and a few of those starry-eyed couples who are obviously wearing their dancing clothes from
photo by Melody Farrin Photography, illustration by Jennifer McNulty
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the previous night. Like modern-day religious pilgrims, Square Café acolytes arrive by any means that will get them there— on foot, by motorcycle or bicycle, in
everything from a Prius to a Hummer. Distance runners and Frick Park hikers make the Square their finish line. And some patrons, alors, even cross two rivers to get there. Regent Square is one of the most liberal neighborhoods in the East End, and the crowd at the Square cuts across all boundaries. Raise any of the day’s pressing issues—war, peace, race, cultural trends, gender preference, age discrimination, human rights—and you will find enlightened conversation. Or simply bury yourself in the morning paper and enjoy the food, and you will leave sated. The menu is as varied as the clientele. Carnivores and vegetarians alike are greeted with ample choices
from a seasonal menu and daily specials. Bulk up with the Square Protein Breakfast of four eggs, bacon and sausage or grab the Tofu Scramble or indulge your inner-child with Nutella crepes. Tackle a Black Angus burger smothered with cheese and sauteed mushrooms or tickle your fancy with Johnny Cakes. And, at the end of the day, what could be better than a place where you can get a bowl of hot oatmeal on a whim? The wait staff is young, intelligent and quick with a quip. Most of them are long-timers who obviously like people and love working at the Square. With a spattering of tattoos, piercings and easy smiles, they help make this place possibly the hippest breakfast joint in Pittsburgh. According to its Web site, Square Cafe is “family friendly, gay friendly, dog friendly, vegetarian and vegan friendly, and has a strong focus on community involvement.” As owner Sherree Goldstein says, “Our goal is to provide fresh, innovative food for breakfast, brunch and lunch. With all the world’s problems, like the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, this is the simple part of life and it should be fun. We’re just flippin’ eggs and makin’ french fries here.” pq Square Café, 1137 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square, (412) 244–8002. Breakfast and lunch served daily until 3 p.m. Square-cafe.com. Joseph Sabino Mistick is a lawyer, law professor and writer.
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the business of
Retirement Living Five years ago, a senior citizen wanting to move into a stately retirement community would typically put his name on a list and wait, sometimes for a year or two. Today he would have little trouble finding an apartment in a community that boasts such amenities as indoor pools and spas, a golf simulator and enough fitness classes and musical clubs to tire someone half his age. Already facing competition from new competitors such as Providence Point in Mt. Lebanon, the retirement communities here are being squeezed by a sluggish real estate market and an economic meltdown that is making people more cautious about selling their homes. Many retirement communities are nearly full and still have waiting lists for the larger units, but they are stepping up marketing to keep their share of a shrinking applicant pool. Marketing a retirement home has always been more than a real-
The competition among Pittsburgh’s finest retirement communities is heating up as the economy cools
by c r i s t i n a r o u va l i s
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estate pitch. And more than ever, it is selling peace of mind and a lifestyle change. “When you talk about retirement communities, some people think of nursing homes,” said Eric Gross, the executive director of Masonic Village at Sewickley, which opened in 2003. “They don’t realize that there are these incredible places out there that are like college campuses for seniors.” Retirement community executives entice seniors onto their pristine wooded campuses with luncheons, wine tastings and chef demonstrations. But before they sign up, prospective residents have to come to grips with the momentous step of giving up their homes, sifting through 50 years’ worth of memories, and downsizing dramatically. For some people in their 70s and 80s, selling their home symbolizes defeat and a loss of vitality. But Gross said the reality is often the opposite. “Sometimes at home, they are depressed. Here they come to life.” New residents at Longwood at Oakmont will often say, “I wish I had done this two years sooner,” said James Pieffer, senior vice president of Presbyterian SeniorCare, the parent company of
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illustration by Steve Dininno
[ F I R ST I N A S E R I ES ]
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>> Longwood at Oakmont. “But getting them to make the plunge is taking longer. When you are making your last house decision, people typically don’t do it quickly. The current real-estate market has made people jittery. Pittsburgh never had the same bubble, so it didn’t have the same bust. But it is more psychological. People tend to be more nervous. We try to hold their hands.” Longwood and other communities, such as Friendship Village of South Hills, offer the services of a realtor who will gently tell seniors how to update and stage their homes. Such “lifecare” communities also pitch themselves as financial security should a senior eventually get sick and need assisted living or skilled nursinghome care, which can cost more than $6,000 a month. Residents pay a substantial upfront fee, typically ranging from
$100,000 for a one-bedroom apartment to $600,000 for a carriage home with amenities such as a custom kitchen, vaulted ceilings and garage. Often, 90 percent of the entrance fee is refunded to heirs after the resident’s death. Residents also
Aging baby boomers seem more receptive to the idea of a retirement community... in fact, boomer children sometimes come in with their senior parents to tour a retirement community and end up putting their own name on the waiting list.
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pay a monthly fee—typically anywhere from $1,800 to $4,000. Such fees might cause sticker shock, but retirement community executives call it insurance for future health care needs. That monthly fee stays the same whether a resident lives independently or ends up in more costly assisted living or nursing home care available at the same retirement community. The contract is similar to a long-term insurance contract, which is why nonprofit continuous care retirement communities are regulated by the Pennsylvania Insurance Department. “I have never yet met a resident who said, ‘I can't wait to get to that skilled nursing care. I want to get my money’s worth’,” said Bobbi Jo Haden, senior
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executive director of Friendship Village of the South Hills, a community in Upper St. Clair. “But it provides security. They know exactly what they are going to be paying. It is the knowledge and security that their health care will be provided for under the same roof.” Friendship Village holds seminars in which an executive explains the details of the fees, including an option that lets people put down a smaller deposit that depreciates to zero within five years. Friendship Village, which is celebrating its 25th anniversary, also aired a TV commercial that showed seniors playing free golf on their lush grounds, exercising in the fitness facility and eating in the elegant dining room. Sherwood Oaks in Cranberry held a wine tasting and informational session this year to attract residents.
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•
Enjoys an unexpected plot twist • Frequent flyer • Clever conversationalist •
Knows the next chapter gets even better. Continue to engage the intellectual, impassioned, playful you at the region’s most dynamic retirement community. The Longwood at Oakmont complete lifecare program allows you to address your physical, emotional, spiritual, and financial well being.
opposite, top: A Tai Chi class at
Give yourself the peace of mind and security in knowing you are making an investment to appreciate. For additional information about the Longwood at Oakmont community, call 1-866-797-6233.
Sherwood Oaks. this page, top: St.
For a life as unique as you.
the ammenities strategy
Barnabas Crystal Conservatories pool. far left: The fitness center at Masonic Village. left: The art studio at Friendship Village.
www.LongwoodatOakmont.com
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the new comfort left to right: Cozy living rooms at the new Hanna HealthCare Center at Longwood at Oakmont; The Washington Room offers fine dining at Providence Point.
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Occasionally, executives there offer free upgrades or deferred entrance fees. Its Web site resembles a vacation brochure, saying, “Enjoy the lovely homes, lakes and gardens of Sherwood Oaks.” The community is also marketing the patio homes it is constructing, complete with fireplaces, a great room and two-car attached garages. “The units we are building now are much different than the ones we built in
the 1980s,” said Mark Bondi, president and chief executive officer of Sherwood Oaks. “Our bathrooms are bigger. Our kitchens are bigger. Did you know anyone who had granite countertops 15 years ago? We have the ability to do whatever you want to do with a unit.” Despite the bad economy, the longest waits at many retirement homes are for the large units with all the custom touch-
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es. Often, a person can move into a simple one-bedroom with little or no wait. The newest player, Providence Point in Mt. Lebanon, even has patio homes with a fireplace and a basement—for those who have trouble downsizing. Seniors began moving into the apartments there this summer. The community, owned by The Baptist Home, features underground parking beneath a football-field-sized courtyard that leads to two towers, and amenities such as a surround-sound movie theater and a wellness center, complete with a spa. Although it is a tough climate in which to open, Maryclare Poprik, director of public relations at The Baptist Home, believes western Pennsylvania can support more lifecare communities, as the Philadelphia area does. “Allegheny County has a wonderful elderly population. There is a huge market here.” Such lifecare retirement communities are becoming more popular nationwide. In 2005, there were some 2,240 continuous care retirement communities nationwide, up 500 from 1995 and up 2,000 from 1985, according to the American Association of Homes and Services for the Aging. The average age of the resident in independent living is 84, and the median monthly cost is $2,672. About 70 percent of the residents are female. Other retirement communities, including the Village at St. Barnabas in Richland, its Woodlands carriage homes in Valencia, and its Washington Place apartments in Richland, charge residents as they use services—a payas-you-go approach they argue is more economical. A resident pays a $3,000 nonrefundable application fee, and then $1,500 to $3,500 for independent living. “We feel our system works well— especially in a down economy,” said John Sterling, director of admissions at St. Barnabas Health System. “You only pay for assets you use. A low percentage of seniors need nursing care on a
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permanent basis. Why pay for it upfront if you don’t need it?” But the executives at lifecare communities argue that people are living longer and many are ending up in nursing homes. “You can blame modern medicine. We are fixing parts and living longer,” says Jeff Mohler, marketing manager for Masonic Village of Sewickley. “You can call it a curse or a blessing, depending on your attitude.” The most compelling marketer for a retirement community is a content resident. Ginny and Carl Manganaro, a couple in their 70s, moved into Longwood at Oakmont in January of 2008. A secondgeneration couple, they chose the community after watching Ginny’s late father thrive there when he became a widower. Although it was initially tough for Ginny to pare down all of her kitchen equipment from her Murrysville condo, she soon learned to appreciate the ease and sociability of eating in a dining room. The couple participates in Bible study, exercise classes, water aerobics and all sorts of musical activities. “People don’t comprehend how rich the experience is,” Ginny said. “They picture us going to our rocking chairs and our brains going to mush. We try to counter how stimulating our lifestyle is at Longwood at Oakmont.” Aging baby boomers seem more receptive to the idea of a retirement community, says Gross at Masonic Village. In fact, boomer children sometimes come in with their senior parents to tour a retirement community and end up putting their own name on the waiting list. That’s why Masonic Village lowered the minimum move-in age to 60 from 65 a year and a half ago. “We are going to see a lot more baby boomers enter retirement villages,” Gross said. “They want to travel. They want freedom. The generation we serve now tends to be frugal. They grew up in the Depression. Boomers are more willing to spend money on themselves.” pq
Cristina Rouvalis is a former PostGazette reporter who is now a freelance writer.
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hands-on philanthropy
photo by S. Rick Armstrong
PSVP member Magali Curiel (center, left) and coordinator Barbara Reed assist girls with personal projects in the computer room at Gwen’s Girls.
building a better city by a my c r a w f o r d
Personal Investment PSVP brings acumen and dollars to bear s a Pittsburgh police commander, Gwen Elliott knew the struggles of girls in the city’s toughest neighborhoods. When she retired in 2002, she founded Gwen’s Girls, a nonprofit that would look out for them. But from the beginning, Elliott knew it needed to grow. That’s where Pittsburgh Social Venture Partners came in. Operating on the idea that venture capitalist models can be applied to philanthropy, PSVP makes grants to local nonprofits serving at-risk youth. Members pledge $5,000 a year, along with their time and skills. PSVP member Karl Krieger, a retired manufacturing executive who has worked with Gwen’s Girls for four years, has helped executive director Lynn Knezevich write annual reports, set policy and build a board of directors. “We recognized that they were doing something unique,” Krieger says, “but they were just getting started, so they needed some outside guidance.” With PSVP’s help, however, Elliott and Knezevich built a stable foundation for Gwen’s Girls, ensuring that it would con-
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tinue to serve Pittsburgh’s girls even after Elliott’s death from cancer in May 2007. Social Venture Partners originated in Seattle in 1997, when a group of business leaders wanted to bolster their philanthropy with time and expertise. John Denny, the former director of community relations for the Hillman Co., learned of this approach and thought it could work in Pittsburgh. “You have to put the money where it’s going to grow the organization,” says Denny, now PSVP chairman. One of 25 Social Venture Partner affiliates in the U.S., Canada and Japan, the local group began with 18 partners in 2000 and now has 47. They work with organizations such as Phase 4 Learning Center, which helps students who have left school earn their diplomas, and Every Child, which works to keep children in stable families. The partners help grow the nonprofits just as they would a business start-up. But PSVP’s mission is also to help people become better philanthropists. “It’s not just writing checks,” Krieger explains, “it’s getting your hands into an organization.” Partner Susan Kaminski left her execu-
tive position in Silicon Valley in 2001 to focus on family and philanthropic work. Her husband Greg, a Pittsburgh area native, had always wanted to return home, so the couple moved here with their three children. They looked for a way to get involved with nonprofits and quickly settled on PSVP. “The whole concept of being able to use these skills we had learned in the business world appealed to us,” Susan Kaminski says. “And for me it’s been incredibly educational.” Magali Curiel would agree. A native of the Caribbean island of Curacao, she came to Pittsburgh in 1997 to attend Point Park University. By 1999, she had fallen in love with the city. After working her way up to become a senior marketing specialist at Thar Technologies, Curiel wanted to give something back. In 2007, she joined PSVP, attracted by its hand-on model. “I can apply what I’ve learned and share it with them.” She’s also recruiting friends to PSVP. Nonprofits, Krieger notes, “don’t have time to think about the mundane issues of how they are going to survive next year.” But with PSVP’s help, organizations such as Gwen’s Girls will survive and continue to do good things for children around Pittsburgh. pq Learn more at psvp.org.
Amy Crawford is an education reporter at the Tribune-Review in Greensburg.
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E N E RGY special section
E N E RGY& pittsburgh THE WORLD’S TOTAL PRIMARY ENERGY SUPPLY Evolution from 1971 to 2006 of world total primary energy supply1 by fuel (Mtoe, million tonnes2 of oil equivalent)
12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0
1971
1976
1981
1986
1991
1996
2001
2006
combustible renewables & waste
nuclear
oil
hydro
gas
coal/peat
FUEL SHARES OF TOTAL PRIMARY ENERGY SUPPLY1
1973
other3
0.6%
1.8% hydro
2.2%
0.9% nuclear
6.2%
0.1%
combustible renewables & waste
10.1%
16.0% gas
data source: International Energy Agency; graphics by James Hilston and Jennifer McNulty
6,115 Mtoe
2006
10.6% 20.5%
11,741 Mtoe
24.5% coal/peat 26.0% 46.1% oil
34.4%
40,000
2050 40,000+ Mtoe
30,000
PRIMARY ENERGY SUPPLY1 OUTLOOK, 2006–2050 1
Excludes electricity trade.
2
A tonne (t) or metric ton (U.S.) also referred to as a metric tonne, is a measurement of mass equal to 1,000 kg or 2,204.62262 lb.
3
Includes geothermal, solar, wind, heat, etc.
20,000
17,721 Mtoe 10,000
11,741 Mtoe
2006
2030
o u r r es o u r c es a n d e x p e rt i s e a r e k e y s to t h e r eg i o n ’s f u t u r e by d o u g l a s h e u c k
eginning in this issue and then picking up steam over the next three, Pittsburgh Quarterly is publishing a series examining Pittsburgh’s contributions to and potential in the realm of energy. Few regions in the world are as well prepared as greater Pittsburgh to play a key role in a variety of different energy sectors. When you put the pieces together, what emerges is a compelling scenario. Westinghouse is the world leader in nuclear energy. Consol is one of the nation’s leading coal companies. The Marcellus Shale, containing largely untapped natural gas reserves, has touched off a new gold rush in the region, as companies vie to purchase leasing rights and get rigs in the ground, even as energy prices have plummeted. And a host of other companies contribute in a variety of ways: Eaton, Ansys, EQT, PPG, Plextronics, BPL Global and scores of others, including the region’s electricity companies. Finally, the region’s brainpower—at the University of Pittsburgh, Carnegie Mellon University, West Virginia University and the National Energy Technology Laboratory (NETL) in South Park—is among the world’s most concentrated and capable. If you look at the graphic on this page, a few things are clear. First, look at the large percentage of energy produced by what can be called core sources—coal, gas and oil—compared with the amount provided by alternative/hybrid sources. Second, you’ll see that based on current consumption rates and population growth expectation, energy usage is expected to climb dramatically in the next four decades, nearly quadrupling from 2005 to 2050. From these two facts, a couple of realizations emerge. One is that the idea that simply replacing oil, gas and coal with renewable sources is not realistic. A second, however, is that our core sources alone will not be sufficient to support global needs. In short, our future energy needs are not a matter of the core energies vs. nuclear vs. renewables. We will need all of them. And beyond that, we are going to need to develop the technology to maximize each source and to make each as environmentally acceptable as possible. The bulk of our energy series will begin with the winter issue and continue through summer, and it will look at three main categories: core energy, alternative/hybrid energy and energy management. In each of these arenas, Pittsburgh is particularly poised to both make dramatic contributions to the world’s energy needs and to grow dramatically in regional jobs and expertise. pq
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From the dark old days to a bright future, Westinghouse CEO
Aris Candris has kept his eye on the promise of nuclear energy
A
ris Candris is not what
you might expect. He skis black diamonds and enjoys snorkeling, scuba and free diving. On any given Sunday, he’ll jump on his bike and ride the hills of western Pennsylvania with no particular plan in mind. A perfect evening must include a great cigar. He and his wife value the time off they spend every year in Greece. The CEO of Westinghouse Electric Company holds an important key to the future of the world’s energy supply and to the future of Pittsburgh. An exceptionally modest man, whose wife Laura is a nationally recognized employment attorney, Candris grew up in Greece, went to college in Kentucky, and earned his doctorate in nuclear engineering from Carnegie Mellon University. Starting his career as a senior engineer in the Advanced Reactor Division, he has worked at Westinghouse for more than 30 years. Candris was applying his knowledge of nuclear physics at a time when the world was frightened by anything nuclear, but he kept his eye on the future. When the oil crisis hit in 1973, Candris knew the world’s long-term energy needs must eventually depend on nuclear power.
Back then, the timing wasn’t right. Today it is. Over the last 120 years, the timelines for Westinghouse and the Pittsburgh region have followed a parallel course. Both boomed for the better part of the 20th century, fell into decline, retooled, and are now poised to make their mark again. Candris sat down with me to explain why he believes Westinghouse is at its best point in decades. As western Pennsylvania seeks economic development opportunities amid the current chaos and massive downsizing, the story of Westinghouse offers important lessons.
alternative energy It’s no secret that everyone everywhere is contemplating alternate forms of energy. One of the best and cleanest alternate forms already in place is nuclear energy, and Westinghouse leads the world in technological superiority. The crown jewel is its AP1000™ nuclear reactor, which has only half the moving parts of other reactors. Its passive safety systems, which do not require external power to operate in an emergency, provide the AP1000 design with unique safety and operational advantages.
written by d e n n i s u n ko v i c | photograph by j i m j u d k i s
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power house The world is becoming ready for the benefits of nuclear energy, and Aris Candris has Westinghouse well poised to supply it.
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NAVIGATE THE ROAD TO SUCCESS
MC MA H O N FI NAN C I A L 6 5 0 WA S H I N G T O N R O A D / S U I T E 1 0 0 0 P I T T S B U R G H PA 1 5 2 2 8 / 4 1 2 3 4 3 8 7 0 0 W W W. C H R I S - M C M A H O N . C O M
Creating the world’s most advanced nuclear reactor was not by luck. An economic downturn in the U.S. after the Three Mile Island accident (1979), combined with the Chernobyl disaster in 1986, slowed development of and support for nuclear power around the world. For nearly 20 years, Candris and his colleagues hoped for some external event (perhaps runaway oil prices?) that would give nuclear energy a second chance. “For years we scrounged, set up our own secret ‘skunk works’, and diverted corporate resources so we could fly under the radar and hopefully come up with a better nuclear platform,” Candris said with a laugh. Apparently it worked; so far China has signed up for four AP1000 units with the promise of more. The AP1000 has been identified as the technology of choice for six new U.S. reactors, including the only six for which engineering, procurement and construction contracts are signed. The company is also pursuing new reactors in the United Kingdom and South Africa, while continuing to invest in its core fuel and services businesses. The strategic advantage of leadingedge nuclear technology is obvious, but the role played by the new owners is not. In 2006, former owner BNFL (British Nuclear Fuels) sold Westinghouse to a consortium headed by Japan’s Toshiba Corp. and two minority investors. The $5 billion price deal was a long-term, strategic bet by the new owners and a key step for Westinghouse. As Candris said, “If we had not been under our current ownership and management, we likely could not have achieved our current level of success.” In order to bid on major projects such as the Chinese deal, a company needs the financial resources to guarantee it can perform on time. “That is why having a parent company like Toshiba that understands global business practices and invests in technology development can make all the difference.” As it turned out, Toshiba not only made a good bet on Westinghouse, but at the same time Toshiba’s heavy equipment group, which makes turbines and nuclear
equipment, has found expanded opportunities with Westinghouse’s nuclear projects.
staying in pittsburgh The rumors circulating several years ago about Westinghouse possibly moving its operations out of our region were true. “Without meaningful economic support from the Allegheny Conference and incentives from local governments and the Commonwealth, we may well have decided to move south because of very attractive packages offered by other states,” Candris said. The loss of Westinghouse would have been devastating, and the outcome argues that government incentives work. And, almost unheard of these days, Westinghouse is adding to its workforce. Candris is almost apologetic when he explains that dealing with healthy growth is one of his major daily challenges. “That almost sounds like we don’t appreciate what we have,” he said. But with senior employees approaching retirement, bringing in new people is critical. In the last three years, Westinghouse has hired more than 4,000 people, bringing its workforce to over 11,000. Working in nuclear energy isn’t “flipping hamburgers,” Candris said. Nearly 80 percent of Westinghouse employees have experience in power, fossil fuels and energy supply. Most possess bachelor of science degrees or better. The Commonwealth and local governments are wise to keep in touch with their needs. One of those is a highly educated workforce. It’s also important to view foreign investors like Toshiba as partners in greater Pittsburgh’s future. If you happen to run into Candris on the slopes or spot him on his weekly bike ride, give him a thumbs-up. In a ferociously competitive world economy, technology companies are in huge demand. And Westinghouse remains a Pittsburgh company. pq
Dennis Unkovic is a partner at the law firm of Meyer, Unkovic & Scott LLP.
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E N E RGY special section
images from “The Great Wildcatter” by Sam T. Mallison, courtesy of the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation
michael late benedum
P
OIL
a character portrait in
written by w i l l i a m s . d i e t r i c h i i
ittsburgh and steel are virtually
synonymous. Less well known is Pittsburgh’s rich heritage in the oil business. In 1854, inventor and businessman Samuel L. Kier built the nation’s first oil refinery as a crude, five-barrel still 100 feet from today’s U.S. Steel Building. In 1859, Colonel Edwin L. Drake drilled the first oil well and struck oil at 59 feet in Titusville. Drake’s well opened the western Pennsylvania oil fields, setting the stage for the auto industrial age and the 20th century economy that surged on a sea of oil. Andrew Carnegie made his first big money speculating in oil. In 1874, Charles Lockhart sold Pittsburgh’s largest refinery, Lockhart & Frew, to Standard Oil for stock. He rode the ballooning fortunes of Standard to a considerable fortune. And, of course, the Mellon fortune, Pittsburgh’s great-
est, rested in large measure on oil. In 1901, A.B. and R.W. Mellon backed Anthony Lucas, the Austrian prospector who brought in Spindletop, a spectacular, 100,000-barrel-a-day gusher near Beaumont, Texas. Thus the first big Texas oilmen were not Texans, but Pennsylvanians. Their nephew, W.L. Mellon, went on to build Gulf Oil into one of the so-called Seven Sisters international oil companies. However, the preeminent figure in Pittsburgh oil history is Michael Late Benedum. The “king of the wildcatters” found more oil in more places in the world than anyone in history. He was born in 1869, 100 miles south of Pittsburgh in Bridgeport, W.Va. He was the fifth of six children born to Caroline Lantz Benedum and Emanuel Benedum. Emanuel was a close friend of Civil War Confederate General Thomas J. “Stonewall” Jackson and a
The first big Texas oilmen were not Texans, but Pennsylvanians. Mike Benedum,“king of the wildcatters,” found more oil in more places in the world than anyone in history.
texas tea time
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(from left) Michael Late Benedum, Amon Carter, Joseph Clifton Trees and Walter Hallanan in Fort Worth. pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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prosperous landowner and merchant. But when his financial prospects faded, young Mike quit school at age 16 to support the family. His first job in a Bridgeport flour mill paid him $16 a month for a 12-hour day. He left after two years to manage a competing mill for $35 a week and soon after took a third position at $50 a week. His career as mill manager ended, however, when his coat sleeve got caught in the massive gears of a grinding mill, badly mangling his arm. He secured a sales job for a line of mill equipment and a bounteous $100 a month. Most important, he learned he could sell. Still unsatisfied, though, he quit, seeking opportunity in the bustling river town of Parkersburg, 75 miles west. He boarded the train but never made it to Parkersburg. Seated in the B&O smoking car, young Benedum observed an older man searching for a seat. He insisted the man take his seat, and their conversation set Benedum on a new course. The stranger was John Worthington, general superintendent of the South Penn Oil Company, a unit of the gargantuan Standard Oil Company. South Penn ran all Standard’s operations in W.Va. Worthington was immediately impressed by the tall, blue-eyed, straightbacked young man and offered him a job. “Well,” said Benedum, “I’m looking for a job. What’s the future in it?” A soft smile broke over Worthington’s face. “Oh yes, there’s a future,” he replied, and Benedum said, “Thank you sir, I’ll do it.” So began a 70-year run. Worthington assigned Benedum to lease targeted property for future drilling. He received $500 in twenties and fifties and a list of names. One name was a prominent farmer who had been a consistent holdout. This happened frequently in the leasing business, and such target names were called “king bees.” Benedum set out to see this “king bee” but first
stopped at a bank and turned in his large bills for all singles. He figured that, as he counted out the dollars, a stack would be more impressive than a few large bills. When he met the farmer, he suggested the man’s wife join them. And she knew exactly what she could do with the mounting stack of $1 bills. The farmer signed, and Benedum engaged him for $10 a day to accompany him to see his friends and neighbors on the list. When Benedum reported back the next day, his bosses asked if he’d made a dent in the list. Benedum said he had leases from every property holder, putting them on the table, along with the remaining half of his allotted money. When Worthington heard the news, the 20-yearold Benedum was on his way. Worthington always referred to Mike as “my son.” Benedum, however, soon asserted his independence. When Worthington sought a “must have” 1,200acre tract in Monongahela County, he authorized Benedum to go as high as a dollar an acre. The parcel’s owner flatly told Benedum he was a “one price man.” There would be no bargaining. The price was 10 cents per acre, and Benedum said he’d have to call the office for approval. Worthington was overjoyed and said, “See if you can get it for 5 cents an acre.” Benedum exploded: “I’ll be damned if I do,” and slammed down the receiver. He closed the 10cent-per-acre deal, and Worthington recounted the story endlessly. In 1894, Worthington appointed him assistant general land agent at a salary of $150 per month. He had responsibility for all of South Penn’s operations in Marshall County, W.Va. and Greene County, Pa. In the oil industry’s early days, leases were often disputed, and occasionally property was leased more than once. Some disputes went to court while others were settled on the spot with the threat of vio-
The next day, his bosses asked if he’d made a dent in the list. Benedum had leases from every property holder, along with the remaining half of his allotted money.
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E N E RGY lence and sometimes raw force. In his new position, Benedum faced a Pittsburgh promoter who strong-armed a South Penn crew operating on a bona-fide lease. Taking along a couple of burly roughnecks, Benedum rode to the property on horseback and found 10 armed men. Benedum walked toward the oncoming trouble, and seconds before violence erupted, their leader, a giant of a man, yelled “Stop, it’s my friend Mike Benedum.” Two weeks earlier Benedum had made the man a small loan. Benedum explained the situation, agreeing to pay the invading crew more than their Pittsburgh employer, and the big man walked away happy.
special section with a good profit and sold it to Joe Trees. It returned Joe’s investment three times over, and he sold it back to me. I got my money back again and a piece of the royalty continued to bring me small returns for 30 years.” That summer, Benedum leased 1,500 acres south of Cameron, near Fish Creek. He paid a pricey $5 per acre, or $7,500 in all. With Worthington on vacation, Benedum’s immediate supervisor came down from Pittsburgh and accused him of taking a kickback on the leases. Benedum quit on the spot. But, convinced that he had caught a thief red-handed, the South Penn executive insisted Benedum personally buy the leases. Dead certain of their value, Benedum A partnership begins / borrowed $7,500 and bought the leases from South Penn. Noah Clark, president of South Penn, rushed down from Pittsburgh to save ith his more consertheir rising star. Benedum didn’t change vative brother, Charlie, Benedum had his mind, but agreed to help Clark pick up invested in lease royalties, which are cresome valuable leases in Greene County. ated when a lease holder sells his future He paid his own expenses and did not income stream for cash today. The royalcharge Clark for his work. Two days later, ty income gave Benedum a taste of the a gracious letter arrived from Clark comcompounding power of capital and mending Benedum for his contribution to whetted his appetite for independence. South Penn; enclosed was a check for One summer day in 1895, Joseph Clifton $5,000. Trees, a former engineer at South Penn, In May 1896, Benedum married Sarah significant stranger spotted Benedum having lunch at a Lantz, the daughter of a prosperous A chance meeting on a train and hotel. He had a proposition. The fateful farmer from whom he had leased oil an impromptu job offer from John meeting was the beginning of a remarkrights. In Benedum’s words, the Lantzes able 50-year partnership. Worthington, superintendant of were “well informed, friendly, God-fearDrilling was about to begin on a very South Penn Oil Company, started ing—a family like my own.” A year later, promising farm in Pleasants County, Benedum on his way as a wildcatter. their first and only child was born, a boy W.Va. Needing cash, the owner would named Claude Worthington Benedum in sell half of his one-eighth interest for honor of John Worthington. $2,000. Trees optioned the property for $2,000 and sealed the deal with $45. It was all the money he had after drilling 17 dry wells in a row. He asked Benedum to put up the remaining $1,955. Driving a hard bargain / Benedum had known Trees at South Penn and held him in high regard. The red-headed Trees was 6 feet, 3 inches of solid muscle, a former football standout at Western University of Pennsylvania (now the University of Pittsburgh). In those prehe value of oil leases depends on the success of NCAA days, Trees also played professional football for a desperwells drilled nearby. In mid 1896, the Fish Creek leases for which ately needed $75 a game. Collegiate schedules were irregular then, Benedum had paid $7,500 were becoming hot properties as South and Pitt had scheduled a Saturday game with Penn State the same Penn drilled a succession of producing wells bordering Benedum’s day Trees had a pro game. Knowing they couldn’t win without leases. Unwisely, South Penn sent down the man who had forced Trees, Pitt convinced Penn State to reschedule. Trees got his $75, Mike to buy back the leases to negotiate a buyback. He opened and Pitt later won the game. with Benedum’s initial purchase price $7,500; his final offer was Benedum studied the property maps for a few minutes and $75,000. Benedum turned them all down. agreed to back Trees for a three-quarter interest in his royalty. It South Penn turned up the heat by drilling several wells right was a bet on Trees as much as on geology, the first of a long run of on the line, in some cases slanting the drill bore onto Benedum’s winning bets. How good was it? Benedum said, “In three or four property and threatening to drain his oil. It was at best unethical years, it paid me my interest several times over. I sold it to my brother Charlie at a nice profit. Charlie got his money out of it >>
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and probably illegal. Benedum had to drill several wells on his leases and drill them fast, but he had no money. He asked several drillers, hat in hand, to drill on the come. And they did, partly because they believed in the leases but more importantly because they believed in Benedum. Nineteen wells came in, but Benedum still needed to come to terms with South Penn’s parent, Standard Oil. John D. Archbold was John D. Rockefeller’s right-hand man and the operating head of the Standard Oil behemoth. Archbold was 48, Benedum was 27. His youth probably worked in his favor. Through intermediaries, including Archbold’s son, who had worked with Benedum at South Penn, a meeting was arranged with the oil titan in New York. By all odds, Benedum should have been squeezed out by Standard with only modest compensation. By Benedum’s reckoning, his properties were worth $250,000. Until the very last, though, he insisted on $600,000 and made a strong case. He finally settled for $400,000, or $8 million in today’s money. It was the first big-league demonstration of Benedum’s legendary negotiating skills.
and northern West Virginia. No less a figure than Archbold, when told about promising signs of oil in Oklahoma, exclaimed: “Are you crazy man? Why I’ll drink every gallon of oil produced west of the Mississippi.” In the new century, however, the center of gravity for oil moved southwest to Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana and, later, California. Compounding Benedum’s problems, he had decided, at his brother Charlie’s urgings, to diversify his holdings out of oil into much “safer” banking and manufacturing. He put significant money in the First Citizens Bank and became its chairman. In three years’ time, his glass and pottery manufacturing companies were bankrupt and First Citizens closed its doors. And Benedum and Trees had drilled a long string of dry holes.
Trees summed it up well: “Money has always been a byproduct with Mike. The thrill of discovery has been his only goal.”
A string of losses /
F
rom 1897, until the Illinois Play in 1905, Benedum had lean years. By 1902, he had lost the whole $400,000 and was deep in debt. Several factors propelled his fall. In 1901, the Mellon-backed Spindletop blew near Beaumont, Texas, at the incredible rate of 100,000 barrels a day. The price of crude plummeted to 10 cents a barrel, pressuring Benedum’s royalty payments and making future drilling in West Virginia far less profitable. Before the turn of the century, Standard had been built on oil found in a triangle bounded by northwestern Pennsylvania to western Ohio (Lima),
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great gusher Santa Rita No. 1, the discovery well of Big Lake field in West Texas.
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A new company /
I
n 1904, Benedum and
Trees set up the Benedum Trees Oil Company with offices in Wheeling. It was more of a holding company than an operating company, and each new play stood on its own. If Trees came in with Benedum on a project, most often they were 50/50 partners. Either could come in or opt out as they chose, with Benedum invariably in. In 1905, a leaseholder requested they come to a town named Casey in southeastern Illinois. Prospects didn’t look good. Benedum’s old mentor Worthington knew the territory and said, “Don’t get burned, my son.” About ready to decamp for the site, they came upon a bizarre-looking itinerant dressed in formalwear, claiming to be a geologist. The locals regarded him as a crank. Prevailing wisdom saw the “trend” (the path of the underlying oil) as going northeast to southwest. The stranger said that, in this case, the trend ran northwest to southeast, and that they might hit pay-dirt in Robinson, 30 miles southeast. After investigating Robinson, they leased 50,000 acres for 10 cents an acre. Almost nobody expected oil there. Being short on funds, they parceled out 45 percent to Pittsburgh investors and kept the rest for Benedum Trees. The first well came in at 25 barrels a day, the second at 2,000. It was a major field. In 1904, Illinois had not been credited with a single barrel of oil production. In 1907, it produced 24 million barrels and ranked third nationally. An army of prospectors moved in and sank wells by the hundreds. Benedum Trees had to drill furiously to protect their reservoir. Trees was the driller and engineer and Benedum the financier, trader and salesman. Their talents meshed perfectly. They ended up selling, on extended payment terms, to the flamboyant
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Theodore Barnsdall. When the first payment was due, Barnsdall didn’t have the money but sold a piece of the increasingly valuable property. He did the same thing all the way through and never laid out a nickel. Benedum and Trees ended up with $2 million ($40 million in today’s money) on the deal. On Barnsdall’s advice, they decided to investigate opportunities in Caddo Parish, La. Characteristiclly, they leased big—130,000 acres. After drilling four dusters, well No. 5 came in at 3,600 barrels a day. That opened up the fabulous Caddo field, which by the end of 1952 had produced 185 million barrels of oil.
Dealing with the giant /
F
inding oil is one thing; selling it is something else. The buyer of last resort was as always the Rockefeller behemoth, Standard. They offered 39 cents for oil they resold at $1.40, squeezing the life out of Benedum Trees. So Benedum donned his selling cap and set out peddling his oil to Standard customers at 70 cents a barrel. He could live with the price, and it was a bargain for the buyers. A call soon came from Standard, summoning Benedum to their headquarters at 26 Broadway. Before Benedum left for New York, he got Trees and partner Harry Grayson to agree to give him absolute control of the talks. Trees and Grayson thought $3 million was a very acceptable price for the Louisiana property. Three of Archbold’s lieutenants led with an offer of $2 million. Benedum got up and said, “Come on boys, let’s go back to Pittsburgh.” The Standard team excused themselves and went down the hall to confer with Archbold. Grayson and Trees were tickled to death when they came back with $3 million. Benedum said, “Boys, get your hats.” $5 million now came on the
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OIL table. Grayson’s and Trees’s tongues hung to their belt buckles, but Benedum said, “Well boys, if we hurry down to Penn Station, we can catch the 5 o’clock train.” He told the Standard negotiators he was tired of dealing with seconds and wanted to settle things with Archbold. The big man himself finally came in, and Benedum respectfully and persuasively convinced him that the Caddo concession would yield 50 million barrels, which turned out to be a gross under-estimation. The deal closed at $6 million, yielding Benedum another $2 million. As frosting on the cake, Benedum investors retained gas rights at Caddo. Benedum combined both skills of both salesman and negotiator at the highest level and balanced them in delicate equipoise.
Going global /
A
fter two successful
Mexican plays, in Tampico and along the Tuxpam River, Benedum was ready to extend his search for oil globally. In 1915, his partners secured a fabulous 3-millionacre concession deep in the jungles of Columbia, 375 miles up the Magdalena River. Benedum always thought big, and 3 million acres was certainly big. An on-site inspection showed oil as knee-deep in pools. But it was almost impossible to bring in drilling equipment and men, and even more difficult to get the oil out. Benedum proved equal to the challenge. From his Pittsburgh partners and the public he raised $50 million to fund the Tropical Oil Company. The oil was close to high-quality Pennsylvania crude, but Tropical lacked the money to build a 400-mile pipeline through to the coast. Fortuitously, a call came in from 26 Broadway. The Standard man asked, “How much do you want?” Benedum said he didn’t want cash but would take stock and stay in the game. International Oil, a Standard subsidiary, gave them 25 percent of the company, valued at $32 million. Benedum came out with $7 million, or
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$140 million in today’s dollars. It was one of the great fields of all time. Four signal events established Texas as the crown jewel of the U.S. oil industry. First came Spindletop in 1901; second, well No. 9 established the Big Lake field, a small part of the vast Permian Basin extending across West Texas into New Mexico in 1924; third, Yates No. 1 in 1926; and finally, in 1930, “Dad” Joiners’ Daisy Bradford No. 3 opened the vast east Texas oil fields, the largest in U.S. history. Mike Benedum was the only U.S. oil man to bring on two of the four fields: Big Lake/Permian and Yates.
Plymouth Oil Company /
I
n May 1923, Frank Pickeral, a hustling World War I veteran and ex-soda jerk, brought in Santa-Rita No. 1 at 100 barrels a day. It was a well, but barely. Pickeral and his Texon Oil Company brought it in on a shoestring, and he needed help. On the advice of several Texas oilmen, he went to Pittsburgh to see Benedum, then suffering from a string of dry holes. Benedum suggested young Pickeral talk to Gulf, Jersey Standard and others, but three months later, with no takers, Pickeral re-pitched his case to Benedum. Outstanding salesmen have an Achilles heel. They are often a soft touch for an equally skilled pitchman with a solid story. Benedum was no exception; he was bitten. He excused himself and strode across to Trees’ office. “Don’t do it, Mike,” Trees said. “If the majors don’t want it, you don’t want it.” It wasn’t the first time Benedum ignored Trees’ advice. He cut a deal with Pickeral when the latter had his back to the wall. Pickeral would have settled for anything Benedum offered, but having been a shoestring operator himself, Benedum gave him a fair deal. He would provide the money for eight wells, leaving Pickeral a generous 25 percent. For the project, Benedum organized the Plymouth Oil Company. Turned down by several of his stalwart investors, Benedum syndicated the Plymouth flota-
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OIL tion with a number of wealthy West Virginians. He took 25 percent, and at the last, a reluctant Trees committed for 5 percent. The eight wells were either dry holes or very marginal producers, and Plymouth was out of money. Like a poker player going “all in,” Benedum advanced $800,000. Wells No. 9 and No. 11 proved the field with dazzling profits. In 1926, Plymouth paid dividends of $5.5 million. Unlike Caddo, Colombia, and other big strikes, Plymouth held onto the stake and moved downstream; it became the principal operating company of the Benedum interests.
The Yates field /
T
he Yates field came in
at the end of a notable Benedum failure—his attempt to build an integrated oil company. In 1919, he combined several disparate Benedum units into the Transcontinental Oil Company. The stock opened in August of 1919 at $48 a share. Three years later it was slinking along at $1.50. Everything that could had gone wrong. Then Ira Yates walked in the door. He had a Texas ranch west of the Pecos and was certain oil lay beneath it. He finally convinced Benedum’s field man, Levi Smith, who, in turn, sold Benedum. The 10th commandment of the Texas oil business stated flatly: “There is no oil west of the Pecos.” It was at least a 100 to 1 shot and a bold gamble even for the Great Wildcatter. Benedum hedged his bet by bringing in the Ohio Company to drill four wells in return for 50 percent. They were not drilled on the Yates ranch, but on other Benedum lease holdings close by. All four were dusters. Smith reminded Benedum of his promise to drill the Yates ranch. True to his word, Benedum said that, if necessary, he would do it himself. He finally continued on page 152
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you’ l manage | by c h r i s a l l i s o n
Dreams and bankers The struggle of an entrepreneur
illustration by Cathy Rubin
S
abatino “Sam” DiBattista dreamed of revitalizing sleepy little Bellevue as a means of improving not only the business at his Bellevue restaurant, Vivo, but the merchants around him on Lincoln Avenue. His dream slowly became a crucible as the forces of easy money and lax lending practices converged against him just when he thought he was starting to win. His plight illustrates the fate of many businesses born of the go-go late ’90s when most Americans didn’t realize that, if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is. Sam is a true Renaissance man. Usually decked out in jeans, black T-shirt, Doc Martens and facial stubble, the combination chef, economic developer and music aficionado is also a classic lifestyle entrepreneur. Lifestyle entrepreneurs tend to run businesses that provide a good standard of living. The businesses are not run by following detailed business plans or high-level management practices. They are started with a small amount of capital— most as little as $25,000. Many are retail in nature. And they really drive our economy because small businesses employ more than half the people in the United States. Sam epitomizes many successful lifestyle entrepreneurs. Shoot from the hip and be hip when you shoot. Being successful meant great product, customer intimacy and love. A good businessman should have all of his numbers in his head not on some Excel spreadsheet that no one will read. Lifestyle entrepreneurs know their customers because they speak to them every night. They know them so well that demographic statistics and econometric trend reports don’t carry the weight of the primary research these entrepreneurs conduct every day. And just as squirrels know to hide nuts in the fall, they have a sixth business sense, which they learned in the school of hard knocks. Conversely, “high-growth” entrepreneurs typically develop detailed business plans and raise significant capital from professional investors to create large businesses and rapid revenue growth. Managers have a high level of experience in the industry’s target market. The objective is selling the business through a merger or an initial public offering that gives investors a superior return.
Test Case: Bellevue
A
fter leaving a reasonably good engagement running a major corporation’s cafeteria, Sam and his wife, Lori, opened Vivo in 1999 when people were flush with cash and the Pittsburgh fine-dining scene was beginning to blossom. Sam became head chef, and Lori ran the front of the house and was the pastry chef. Sam didn’t buy into the real estate mantra of location, location, location. He chose Bellevue, eschewing higher-rent locations such as Shadyside, downtown Pittsburgh, Sewickley, Fox Chapel or Mt. Lebabon, where “foodies” live. He took the Field of Dreams approach of “build it and they will come.” All he’d need was great food. Foodies’ lives revolve around the Food Network and dining “experiences”; they loved his simple approach to basically grilling expensive and exotic raw ingredients. Business boomed. People had to call two weeks ahead for a table. After risking so much, life was finally coming together for Sam and Lori. Awards from local magazines and positive reviews multiplied. Then, some terrorists decided to fly planes into the World Trade Center, and the dot.com bubble burst. Business slowed as diners, eyeing their skinnier 401k plans, reduced their midweek meals out. Competition cropped up.
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<< Unlike typical restaurant goers, foodies will leave the beaten path for a new dining experience, going from one trendy new spot to the next. Attracting them was critical for Sam, because, for typical Bellevue residents, fine dining is reserved for special occasions. Sam decided to combat the malaise by making Bellevue a destination— Pittsburgh’s Greenwich Village—by encouraging the creation of coffee shops, offbeat fast food and funky retail. If I build it, they will come. And my businesses will benefit. He became a one-man gang of economic development. He encouraged his sister and brother-in-law to create an edgy hot dog shop called Frankfurter’s, which was featured in local print and television. He helped them develop the concept and menu—a variety of sausages, homemade soups and sides. Business was good. The next project was an attempt to create a Starbuck’s with an attitude called Affogato. The finest coffees, teas, fresh baked goods and panini sandwiches were served in a combination coffee shop and art gallery. The clientele was young and artsy. He encouraged an Italian pizza maker to create a popular Neapolitan bistro called Regina Margherita, which also did well. Sam’s vision was starting to gel. But the small town needed some sort of “anchor” store. And his final piece would be the creation of a Nordstrom’s of vintage clothing in a renovated G.C. Murphy building that had been lying fallow for a few years. Sam obtained a high-interest subprime mortgage and a recruited a few investors to buy the building. And just like Vivo, Frankfurter’s and Affogato, he and his merry band of local free spirits would complete all of the construction on a shoestring with used and lower-cost building materials from places such as Construction Junction. The department store would be called simply “517/521,” its address on Lincoln Avenue. It would be a cross between a consignment shop and a vintage department store where a variety of store owners would operate their own “departments.” If this were the early ’70s, you’d call it a cross between a retail commune and a co-opera-
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tive. Each department owner would rent space, and the store would get a percentage of sales for managing operations, such as building maintenance and the store’s cashiers. Upstairs would be a multipurpose working space for artists and writers. He had his subprime loan and a little investment money, and some financing collateralized by his other properties. He had the building. The process was quite easy. Maybe too easy.
What happened to Mr. Banks?
W
hen our financial system nearly froze last fall, we all started to wonder how the conservative Mr. Banks from “Mary Poppins” became Gordon Gekko from “Wall Street.” What happened to the conservative lending standards that made us feel our money was safe? When did your mortgage lender turn from community partner to someone selling an addictive elixir in the shadows? In years past, small business owners underwent exhaustive application processes to obtain financing. A loan officer evaluated the loan application and, most important, the business itself. It’s called due diligence. Face-to-face meetings with the applicant and his customers. How was the market? What was the borrower’s track record? In short, could the business generate enough money to pay back the loan? If it looked good, the loan officer developed a detailed loan request or “write up,” which he submitted to the bank’s loan committee. If, after discussion, the loan committee approved the loan, the loan officer had regular follow-up meetings with the owner. The lender was also charged with advising the business owner if his business began having problems. If the situation got really bad, the loan would go into “work out,” which many times resulted in a restructuring or, in the worst case, liquidation.
Too good to be true
W
ith sam, none of this
took place. He got his loan with minimal interaction with the mortgage
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company. No site visits or regular follow-up. No deep relationship between lender and borrower. Sam had secured enough money to buy the building and open it, but he didn’t have enough capital to fill the store with inventory. Sales were not as brisk as Sam needed, but he was able to create a decent amount of rental income. However, cash continued to be tight as he completed build outs for new tenants. Cash flow became strained when some of his larger tenants were late paying their rent due to bureaucratic foul-ups. He was forced to subsidize the building’s operation when rent couldn’t cover the high price of the subprime mortgage. After coming close to selling the building and trying to restructure the debt with the lender, Sam threw in the towel. In April, he handed the keys to the mortgage company, which was painful to his credit rating and his state of mind. The word “quit” is anathema to Sam. He remains undaunted and optimistic. Vivo’s business is improving, and he is considering new restaurant concepts. He has an idea for a new audio project. He has designed and will soon produce a low-cost mailorder kit enabling audio hobbyists to build their own record turntables. He plans to market it via the Internet. As Sam would say, “Vinyl is back, man.” Yes, Sam would have benefited from a bank that was a partner, not a pusher. Perhaps a thorough loan officer would have helped him foresee and avoid problems from the beginning. Maybe more capital. Maybe a better business plan. But Sam probably wouldn’t have liked that idea. After all, a field of dreams is supposed to be built in an Iowa cornfield, not a strip mall. pq
Chris Allison, a founder and former CEO of Tollgrade Communications Inc., teaches entrepreneurship at Allegheny College.
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What do I know? continued from page 29
So here we are in 2009. Things have changed, surely, from the days when we had to put newspaper in our shoes if there was a hole in the sole. That’s just the way it was. We didn’t think it was suffering. It was a way of life. We might have had some hard times, but we didn’t know they were hard times. It was just the norm. But we always had something to eat. We always had the hot biscuits Mama made. We always had dessert. Now Barack Obama is in the White House, which is thrilling to me. But I remember a time when we couldn’t vote; not if you didn’t own property, not if you couldn’t sign your name. But Franklin D. Roosevelt helped to change things when I was young. We figured he was another Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln took us from slavery and Roosevelt reminded folks that we were people. We were men and women and had the right to participate. Today, at 93, I can say that I’ve had a good and full life. Besides working, I liked to dance as a youngster—and I was pretty good—at the old Elmore Theatre. I took part in the March on Washington in 1963 and heard Dr. King’s famous speech. I was a delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1984, the Pennsylvania floor whip. In 1996, I was nominated by the YMCA to be one of the Olympic torchbearers for Pennsylvania for the Atlanta games. Now they’re planning to name the new Centre Avenue YMCA after me, probably in 2010. It’s such an honor from an organization I’ve loved all my life. One thing that I know is true is that we all need each other. If you have something that you think will benefit someone else, share it. That’s what I believe. I think that philosophy came from Mama and Papa because we were always taught to give something back. Papa died in 1960 and Mama died in 1982. She was 90 when she passed and was not sick. She just went to sleep and didn’t wake up. She was very fortunate to have had relationships with all of her grandchildren. God blessed Bill and me
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with one daughter and I’m so grateful. She takes care of me. She and her husband are my parents now. You know, my mother always wished to visit Africa to see where we came from. And we’d all say, “Mama, you don’t really want to go back there, do you?” Then she’d say, “Yes I do. I want to find out what it was like.” For my 90th birthday, my daughter took me to Africa. What an experience it was! I stood up on Table Mountain in South Africa and looked up to Heaven and said, “Mama, I’m here. And it’s beautiful.” pq
Jeff Sewald is a writer and independent filmmaker based in Pittsburgh.
The end of smallpox continued from page 48
note to Henderson after eradication: “You were right and we were wrong.” The implications of the world’s first eradication were monumental. “The fact that it has been done once, we believe it can be done again,” says Dr. John Sever, who as vice chair of the Rotary International’s Polio-Plus Committee,
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has been working on eradicating polio for 25 years. Today, at 80 years old, Henderson is still a major player in worldwide debates on diseases, consulting on the flu epidemic and how to counter its spread, and still pushing to have the United States and Russia destroy their frozen samples of smallpox, for fear they could be turned into biological weapons in the wrong hands. “He’s a giant in the field and one of America’s heroes,“ said Tommy A. Thompson, former U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, who brought Henderson on as his chief science officer after the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when fears of bioterrorism abounded. “When he gets his mind set, he isn’t going to be stopped.” Henderson says his ongoing drive, even at a time in his life when he could easily be retired to pruning his garden, comes from the most basic of motivations: “There are still real challenges where you have the arrogance to think you can make a difference.” pq
Sean Hammil is a former newspaper reporter based in Sewickley. He continues to freelance for newspapers, including the Chicago Tribune and the New York Times. pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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RECYCLE
REDESIGN Enjoy it all over again BEFORE
5 41 3 Wa l n u t S t re e t 412.621.0345 w w w. c a e s a r s d e s i g n s . c o m
Mellon Square continued from page 56
and understanding how to keep the history, maintenance and use in balance.” “What’s different is that Downtown is emerging as a neighborhood. There are people living Downtown in greater numbers, and there’s a real desire to keep that growth going. And those people need outdoor spaces. That’s one of the functions of a park—the social fabric. Mellon Square can serve that function for Downtown.” The changes that Pittsburghers will see in Mellon Square won’t seem dramatic. The restoration plan, created by nationally regarded Heritage Landscapes through in-depth research of John Simonds’s original plans, will begin by bringing Mellon Square back to its modernist prime. The pool will be returned to its original ankle-height design and the perimeter trees replanted, to reinforce the park’s naturalism and seclusion. The
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once-obvious geometric shapes of the ground tiles will get a much-needed restoration and cleaning. And a newly planted and walkable terrace—extended over the Smithfield Street shops below the park—will bring one of Simonds’s original ideas back into play. But overall, the most important part of the Mellon Square restoration is the most subtle—and difficult: A maintenance fund, established and operated in perpetuity by the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, to see that this restoration is the square’s final one. “The goal isn’t to change the design,” says Cheever, “but to bring it back as that place of refreshment that it once was.” “What it needs is the daily attention that the city doesn’t have the resources for,” says Rademacher. “You can see that today, even though it’s not in the best condition, people still use the square— they need the oasis. It’s got value as a unique work of art, but also as a place of occupancy in Downtown—for meeting very simple social and human needs.” pq
Award-winning journalist and author Justin Hopper has written about the arts and community in Pittsburgh for over a decade.
Song of Shadyside continued from page 65
also a designated national arboretum, whose 115 varieties of trees (from the Japanese Flowering Crabapple to the Kentucky Coffee Tree) provide perfect outdoor classrooms for students in Chatham’s Landscape Architecture program—not to mention fine places to stroll, meditate and fall in love.
* * * The diverse Beautiful People comprising Shadyside’s 13,754 residents today include Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Paul O’Neill, who are probably among the lucky few unburdened by the main residential challenge of living there:
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Due to the neighborhood’s compact territory and pre-automobile layout, most of its homes lack garages, resulting in a daily Pittsburgh-style game of musical chairs—the one where people put out garbage cans, folding chairs, and similarsized deterrents on the street in what they regard (ferociously) as “their” parking spaces. Commuters who are unwilling or unable to play that game can turn to public transport and the PAT busway stop, located on Negley Avenue between Ellsworth and Centre. That’s the price you pay for being a Shadyside resident. The price you pay for being a consumer in Shadyside depends entirely on your tastes and pocketbook. Shadyside’s bustling core offers a vast array of boutiques, shops and restaurants along its two chic commercial corridors. Walnut Street features the national chain outlets—Gap, Apple, J. Crew, American Apparel, Victoria's Secret, Banana Republic, United Colors of Benetton and Williams-Sonoma among them. But it’s also home to such beloved old-timers as Schillers Pharmacy at the corner of Walnut and Aiken, drug store (and parfumerie) par excellence since 1903; Henne Jewelers, a local fixture for generations; the ever-popular Shadyside Market & Deli; and that childhood paradise (specializing in last-minute Halloween supplies) known as the Shadyside Variety Store. Nifty clothing stores, such as Moda and the White House/Black Market can be found there, too, along with a nice assortment of uniquely Pittsburgh restaurants, including Cappy’s, Doc’s and Pamela’s—President Obama’s favorite place for pancakes! While on Walnut, don’t skip the handy side-street attractions on Bellefonte, such as Bonnie’s Dress Circle and the fabled William Penn Tavern watering hole. Ellsworth Avenue, Shadyside’s second and less dense commercial corridor, features smaller, locally owned businesses, of which my favorite is Richard Parsakian’s glorious Eons—a vintage clothing store, but so much more! Ellsworth also contains the finest highend art galleries in Shadyside, including Gallerie Chiz, Galerie Werner, and the pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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H’Art & Soul of Haiti 2009 A Festive Evening with Haitian Art, Music & Friends Friday, September 11 Bakery Square, East Side For Tickets, Call 412-361-4884 or Visit www.friendsofhas.org
Benefiting
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<< Steve Mendelson Art Gallery, as well as Kozloff & Meaders fine antiques. Among many noteworthy bar-restaurants are the Elbow Room and Harris Grill (low-middle end) and the extremely hip Soba (higher and more gourmet end), plus two of the city’s most happenin’ gay bars, Spin and 5801 (formerly New York, New York). Final consumer note: Don’t think Walnut and Ellsworth offer the only commercial treasures in Shadyside. An up-and-coming third venue has taken root not far away on South Highland Avenue, where shoppers will find the excellent Penhollows home furnishings store, Weisshouse (for the best rugs in town), and the superb Casbah restaurant (for the best lamb since Mary had a little one). Bottom line: If you can’t get what you want on Walnut, Ellsworth or Highland—you’ll have to head for Manhattan to get what you need.
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* * * Frisk and I, on the other hand, would be heading home back down Ellsworth toward Bayard Street in the home stretch of our nightly crawl when—invariably, just before South Aiken—he would yank me hard to the right, onto Roslyn Place. Just as invariably, I’d sigh and give in to his inordinate love of that short cul-desac. It’s a mere 250 feet long and contains just 18 homes, beautifully shaded by huge old sycamores. But it is Pittsburgh’s single most distinctive contribution to urban road-making. Little Roslyn Place—now a historic landmark—is the sole surviving, stillusable street in America built with wooden blocks as paving material. Wood was once common in road construction, but by 1913, when engineer/architect Thomas Rodd built Roslyn Place, lumber was expensive. Why choose wood? One theo-
ry is that horse-drawn carriages were still the main mode of transit and that wood muted their loud clip-clopping sound, whereas stone and brick tended to amplify it. When Downtown bureaucrats periodically tried to repave it with bricks or stone, the residents always successfully resisted. Wood blocks tend to get slippery in winter and uneven over the years, but Roslyn Place last went seven decades before needing to be resurfaced. Frisky and I traipsed there quietly in our wee-hours treks, when nobody was awake to yell at us for leaving you-knowwhat (in those pre-pooper-scooper days) on their lawns. Had they been awake, Frisk wouldn’t have cared. Among his other claims to fame, he was the only dog in America to receive letters (regularly) from the editor of The New Yorker, Bob Gottlieb—who adored him from his first state visit to Shadyside. Talk about trendy: Theoretically,
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Gottlieb came to discuss my articles-inprogress for the magazine. Actually, he came in search of 1940s plastic pocketbooks for a book he was writing on that rarefied subject. Upon finding half a dozen pristine specimens at Parsakian’s Eons on Ellsworth, he pronounced Shadyside “the plastic purse capital of America.” On the short ride home—clutching his bonanza of treasures, as Frisky slobbered over his head from the back seat— Gottlieb appreciatively noticed the sign at the entrance to our last block of Bayard Street. In any other town, it would’ve said: “Dead End.” Here in Shadyside, it was the far more polite: “No Outlet.” “Just think, Barry!” said Gottlieb. “That was your problem before you met me.” pq
Barry Paris is an award-winning biographer, film historian, Russian translator and magazine contributor.
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A character potrait in oil continued from page 141
convinced Ohio Oil to drill the fifth well on Yates’ ranch. And on Oct. 28, 1926, Yates’ No. 1 came in at 4,000 barrels a day. Seventy wells quickly sprang up on the Yates lease, and in 1929, 70-A came in at the Galcondic rate of 204,000 barrels a day. Yates was arguably the richest concentrated field in U.S. oil history, and Ohio bought out Transcontinental for $60 million. Today the Yates Field has produced over a billion barrels and is still going strong.
The other side / over the course of Benedum’s 65-year career, he also had many failures. While wintering at the Rony Plaza Hotel in Miami Beach in the 1920s, Benedum sat in his usual beach garb—coat, tie, vest, fedora hat and black wing tips. He thought there must be some oil off Miami Beach and set to work sinking a well. It ran way over on cost, and a hurricane blew away much of the gear. There was no oil, and the project was a total loss. Another idea focused on the abundant coal in West Virginia and Pennsylvania. Why not try the coal business? With his Wayne Coal Company, he lost millions. The most far-out prospecting he did was for gold—and in, of all places, Virginia. No luck. Trees summed it up well: “Money has always been a byproduct with Mike. The thrill of discovery has been his only goal.” The most ambitious projects Benedum undertook never got off the ground, but they demonstrated the power and scope of his imagination. In the 1920s, a Peruvian railroad engineer presented Benedum and Trees with a claimed lease on 64 million acres deep in the Peruvian jungles, bigger than West Virginia and Pennsylvania combined. Benedum verified the existence of oil by sending down prominent Pittsburgh geologist L.G. Huntley. The scope of the project went far beyond the oil. The plan envisioned mass colonization from Germany, Spain and Italy, and perhaps the creation of a new Andean nation. Mussolini promised a million Italian immigrants. As usual with Il Duce, he promised much and
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delivered little. Even the cautious Trees liked this deal. It never happened. Could there be anything bigger than the Andean Empire scheme? Yes—China. Through intermediaries’ discussions with Chiang Kai-shek and his foreign minister, the slippery T.V. Soong, Benedum was offered the exclusive drilling rights in all of China. Benedum wasn’t sure where the oil was in China, but with the whole damned country, there had to be something. It was a reasonable hunch. However, the Japanese invasion of China in 1937 put an end to Project China.
The Benedum Legacy / in the 1950s, Benedum slowed down but remained active. In 1959, at 90, Benedum finally succumbed to old age. He left no survivors. His wife had predeceased him, and their only child, Claude Worthington Benedum, fell victim to the influenza epidemic of 1919. Three Benedum nephews worked for the Benedum interests. One of them, Paul G. Benedum, took over several of his uncle’s duties during the ’50s. Most great fortunes are accumulated over time. By contrast, Mike Benedum once said: “If you make much money in the oil business at all, you make it very rapidly.” The oil business is like a Keystone Cops movie running in fast motion. Its hits and misses are scored instantaneously. Benedum left an estate of $70 million. Half went to collateral relatives, and half funded the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation. In 2007, its assets were over $400 million. Two-thirds of this goes to Benedum’s home state of West Virginia. The steady gaze from those blue eyes that first caught the attention of John Worthington in 1890 emanated a strong sense of character, and that character enabled Benedum to do the nearly impossible and do it for over 70 years. pq The writer wishes to acknowledge “The Great Wildcatter” by Samuel T. Mallison (1953) in the research of this report. William S. Dietrich II is a trustee and chief investment officer of the Dietrich Charitable Trusts.
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the last chapter Billy Mays, 50
John Connelly, 83
Billy Mays was the consummate pitchman, famous to television watchers across the continent for his booming voice, black beard and persuasive infomercials. He believed in his products, such as OxyClean and Mighty Putty, and it showed. The McKees Rocks native got started on the career path that would make him famous by learning the art of the pitch from a Ginsu knife salesman.
John Connelly was a tough entrepreneur whose knack for making money made him one of the richest men in America. He’s best known in Pittsburgh as the founder of the Gateway Clipper Fleet, but his business acumen started at age 16 when Connelly, the oldest son in a poor family, went to work in a coal mine to support his siblings after their parents died. A former Golden Gloves boxer, the uneducated Connelly made his early fortune selling promotional items used to market businesses. He later pioneered riverboat gambling on the Mississippi River in Iowa, founding President Casinos. A devout Catholic, Connelly secured exclusive rights from the Vatican to market replicas from the Church, which he sold as “Treasures of the Vatican.” Before his fortunes suffered reversals in later years, Connelly made Forbes magazine’s list of the 400 richest Americans.
Mary Anne Kelly, 56 She was a diminutive woman who used her knowledge and passion to advocate for older people as the executive director of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Partnership for Aging. A former associate director of the Hunger and Housing program for Allegheny County, Kelly joined the nine-county partnership in 1994 and built membership to include some 400 partner organizations.
John Scalo, 78
Fletcher Byron, 91
A roofing contractor, John Scalo cofounded Burns and Scalo, which he built into a major Pittsburgh company. One of 14 children born to Italian immigrant parents, Scalo returned to Pittsburgh after Korean War service and, along with Duke Burns, launched Burns and Scalo in 1956. Now run by Scalo’s sons, the business last year employed 250 people, had sales of $30 million and owned 3 million square feet of commercial real estate.
As CEO and chairman, Byron transformed Koppers Inc. and was an early leader in promoting business opportunities for minorities. After college, he oversaw work on a U.S. Navy project that led to the creation of surface-to-air missiles. He became president of Koppers at 42 and reorganized the chemicals company, increasing revenues fivefold to more than $2 billion. An avid reader with an extremely active mind, Byron led by building consensus. In retirement, he tried unsuccessfully to prevent Beazer PLC from its hostile takeover of Koppers. In the larger community, Byron helped found several groups to further minorities in business, including the Program to Aid Citizens Enterprise (PACE), the Negro Education Emergency Drive (NEED) and the National Alliance of Business.
Seddon Bennington, 61 Seddon Bennington was the director of the Carnegie Science Center from 1994–2002. A friendly, intelligent and adventurous native of New Zealand, Bennington and a friend died of hypothermia while hiking in the New Zealand mountains. Before coming to Pittsburgh he was the founding director of Perth’s Scitech Discovery Centre; he left Pittsburgh to become CEO of New Zealand’s national museum, Te Papa. pittsburgh quarterly | fall 2009
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place | by pa u l g . w i e g m a n
The Great Allegheny Passage Somerset County (between Rockwood and the Pinkerton Horn) For trees, fall is a season of readying for cold. Their fragile leaves soon will be ravaged if allowed to remain exposed. They are now worthless. Instead of donning a mournful sepia cloak, trees seem instead to rejoice. In a conflagration of purple, gold, cadmium and scarlet they explode on brilliant, cool October days. Biking the Great Allegheny Passage means riding within a kaleidoscopic tunnel. The circular rhythm of pedals and flickering darts of sun through the opening canopy are meditative, lulling us into miles and miles and miles for a last ride of the season. For directions to this scenic location, see pittsburghquarterly.com.
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Image reprinted with permission from the forthcoming book, An Uncommon Passage: Traveling through History on the Great Allegheny Passage Trail, Edward K. Muller, Ed., Photographs by Paul g. Wiegman, scheduled for release November 2009, by the University of Pittsburgh Press.
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