SoldierS & SailorS MeMorial Hall & MuSeuM TruST, inc.
2013 AnnuAl RepoRt (Submitted SpRing, 2014)
SoldierS & SailorS From the President’s desk: OK, for those of you just joining our show, let’s re-cap: in 1908, ground was broken and construction began on the “Allegheny County Soldiers memorial” and in 1910, the doors first opened to the public to honor and remember the Allegheny County veterans of the Civil War. over the next 90 years, this landmark, which became known as Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum, became the only place in our country that honored and remembered all veterans, from all uS military conflicts, and all branches of service. However, in the late 1990s, it appeared that the understanding and intent of the memorial had faded, along with paint and lights. Water damaged the floors and ceilings. exhibits, once displaying personal artifacts donated by veterans themselves, and providing unique views and perceptions of their sacrifices, were unlit and in disrepair. And the entire community looked at Soldiers & Sailors with a quizzical eye, not knowing what all went on inside the walls. Visitors were just as scarce as the funds needed to repair and operate the memorial and programs. in 2000, soldiers & sailors memorial hall & museum trust, inc., began operating independently from Allegheny County to raise funds and awareness, to repair and improve, and to educate and preserve. now, nearly 14 years later, the trust operates successfully with a limited staff and limited funds, but without limits on our plans, vision, and passion. our mission remains the same, but how we accomplish that mission continues to evolve and change with new challenges we face. As most military leaders learn, and all successful businesses do, we adapt and overcome. this report highlights 2013 – another successful year for soldiers & sailors.
Here’S wHaT our viSiTorS and friendS are Saying abouT uS and wHaT we do: ‘" Wonderful museum! A real treasure trove. My family loved it. Thank You.”“" “”“" It is an amazing find in Pittsburgh. I never knew it was here.”“" gettysburg 150 exhibit at the Pittsburgh Home & garden Show
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MiSSion STaTeMenT Soldiers & Sailors memorial Hall & museum is the largest memorial in the united States dedicated solely to America’s military personnel, representing all branches of service and honoring both the career and citizen service member. Soldiers & Sailors memorial Hall & museum trust, inc.’s mission is to preserve a lasting tribute to those men and women of pennsylvania who unselfishly gave of themselves in serving their country during the American wars. through educational outreach programs, museum exhibits and veteran service programs, we share and promote the significance of the facility to the community as a living memorial, an educational asset and a cultural treasure.
“" I'm a WWII Russian concentration camp survivor. American servicemen and servicewomen. I thank you for saving my life and letting me live in freedom in the greatest country on earth. God Bless you all! "
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Memorial day celebration 2013
accoMPliSHMenTS & HigHligHTS viSibiliTy + SuSTainabiliTy = reduced vulnerabiliTy Soldiers & Sailors’ truly thought “outside the box” -- or more appropriately, outside the Hall -- in march 2013 when we presented “Gettysburg 150 - -Travel Back In Time” for the pittsburgh Home and garden Show. the curatorial, education and public relations staff, along with the operations department, designed, created and promoted exhibits consisting of Soldiers & Sailors artifacts, which took visitors back in time from our current conflict to a civil war encampment. With the help from friends, volunteers and the Home and garden Show staff, we were able to inform and educate well over 20,000 visitors in only ten days. most walked into the display with little or no knowledge about our programs and mission. but everyone left with a new understanding and appreciation for what Soldiers & Sailors memorial Hall & museum is all about and has to offer. meanwhile, back at the ranch at 4141 5th Avenue, we again added new life into the memorial while reducing a few ongoing problems. Soldiers & Sailors added a $910,000 roof to the mezzanine level. but this is not your ordinary roof. thanks to funding from Colcom Foundation, Redevelopment Authority of Allegheny County/Community infrastructure and tourism Fund, Allegheny Regional Asset district, and the Richard King mellon Foundation, we now have a state of the art waterproof system, a leak detection system and a vegetative surface that adds life to the structure, reduces storm water runoff, eliminates leaking storm drain pipes and added energy saving insulation.
"Came for a Wedding & enjoyed the historic surroundings" Travel back in Time exhibits at the Pittsburgh Home & garden Show
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Finally, we capped off another great year with our annual Cannon ball gala fundraiser. Again, with the help of our friends, sponsors and donors, we had one of the most successful Cannon balls ever. our theme of ‘going green’ to hard cut to the left when we drafted legendary pittsburgh Steelers and military veterans Andy Russell and Rocky bleier to be our Honorary Committee co-chairs. Just as they led our historic black & gold teams of the 70s to successful seasons, Andy and Rocky helped lead the way to a nearly record breaking fundraising gala. our teams’ efforts netted nearly $63,000. From the legendary Steelers Vip reception and the museum Comes to life cocktail hour to the last presentation, photo booth and celebration dancing, it was truly a night to remember.
other events, programs and happenings of interest: - Various partnerships with the university of pittsburgh, including a first annual “Welcome Freshmen” event featuring a free Silence of the Lambs movie night - Host to two uS Citizenship and immigration Services naturalization Ceremonies - 2013 marine Corps ball - twenty nine wedding receptions - Host to the annual pittsburgh international Folk Festival - over 5,000 participants in our education department tours, Foot locker presentations, summer camps (including “From Slave to Soldier to Soldier: African Americans in the Civil War”), and “this day in pittsburgh History” program at Cornell High School.
" This museum has so many ‘hidden treasures.’ It was a wonderful experience."
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Mezzanine level vegetative roof
coMMunicaTionS, Public relaTionS and awareneSS “Please visit our website at soldiersandsailorshall.org for more information about us, our mission, programs and events – and ‘Like’ us on Facebook, ‘Follow’ us on Tweeter, and watch us on YouTube.”
that’s what we say or print every time we have the opportunity to promote our existence. because there are so many ways to reach our community, raise awareness, and promote our mission today, it takes a constant effort to keep up with it all. “Social media” is here to stay, in some capacity or another. in 2013, we began to update our website to be more user friendly and useful, opened a pinterest account, added QR codes and text sign ups, and reached out through more emails than ever before with Constant Contact. So in addition to the promotional efforts via our radio and tV advertising and public service announcement avenues (KdKA, KQV, WdVe Radio; KdKA pittsburgh today live, Comcast news makers and Fox 53), and countless press releases, our public Relations department is finding new ways to build reach and teach outside our old walls.
Self-Sufficiency For several years now, we have reported on our successes and financial stability. in 2013, we continued our trend and can report another debt free year. And although our net unrestricted Assets dropped just over 5% from 2012 to 2013, so did our expenses, resulting in a net gain in our unrestricted assets. through our mezzanine vegetative roof project, we reduced expenses, repair needs, and extended the life of the building, resulting in an additional positive impact on our financial stability. And in the process, we opened a few new doors, made a few new friends, and convinced a few new donors that Soldiers & Sailors memorial Hall & museum is a worthy investment.
“" We absolutely loved having our wedding at Soldiers & Sailors and were very pleased with how everything turned out! Marjorie, Amber, and the rest of the staff were amazing to work with.“" 5
SoldieRS & SAiloRS memoRiAl HAll & muSeum tRuSt, inC. STaTeMenT of acTiviTieS for THe year ended deceMber 31, 2013
SoldieRS & SAiloRS memoRiAl HAll & muSeum tRuSt, inC. STaTeMenT of financial PoSiTion for THe year ended deceMber 31, 2013
SoldierS & SailorS audiT waS done by MaHer dueSSel. THe enTire audiT iS available in our office. we received “clean” audiTS froM MaHer dueSSel, 2000-2013.
our coMMuniTy & SuPPorTerS THank you for your 2013 conTribuTionS: $500 and More
$100 - $249
$99 and below
Mr. rayMond edinger dr. walTer ScHraTz 82nd airborne div aSSociaTion MS. cHeryl finlay PaSSavanT HoSPiTal foundaTion
JewiSH war veTeranS no. 49 c/o clarence goMberg Mr. wallace b. McgaugHey, Sr. 9TH Pa reServeS Mr. & MrS. douglaS druMHeller Mr. rayMond roTa veSle PoST 418 vfw aMerican MercHanT Marine veTeranS aSSociaTion Mr. & MrS. JoHn biedrzycki Mr. MicHael bookSer THoMaS & deboraH driScoll Mr. george b. knoll, Jr. on beHalf of george knoll, george b. knoll, Sr., ricHard M. knoll, ralPH r.knoll, & P.J. ManSueTTi Mr. MicHael krauS caTHerine loevner & Mark loevner faMily foundaTion in MeMory of arMand lee gerber Mr. JoHn newHouSe MicHael & Janice MccarTHy Mr. wilfred rouleau
Mr. Mark laPe Mr. & MrS. williaM leJa Mr. Marian broz MS. SuSan M. luebberT MS. caroline Mccabe Mr. david Pogue waveS naTional woMen'S overSeaS Service league Mr. dan koller
$250 - $499 Mr. & MrS. Paul a. PlaTek MS. JudiTH anderSon wiveS of SubMarine veTeranS of wwii c/o Mr. & MrS. TakacS diSabled aMerican veTeranS MicHael e. flournoy MS. MeliSSa good MS. cHarlene Hrivnak Mr. cHriS Moore vieTnaM veTeranS inc.
SPecial THankS We have always found ways to engage and encourage supporters of our mission to help us in a variety of ways, and not limiting it to financial donations. And as we all know, often it’s the little things that add up. Whether it’s a check in the mail or an in-kind offer, every little bit helps. especially for those special projects or ideas that make the museum and memorial just a little better. our 2013 started off with a very special donation from levin’s Furniture. thanks to our new friends at levin’s, we now have a comfortable, professional and appropriately furnished waiting area in our first floor lobby.
“ " We were honored to have our reception in a building with so much history and love how the space looks in our photos. I would definitely recommend Soldiers and Sailors for a wedding reception, the whole experience was great!”“" grand ballroom of the cannon ball gala 2013
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curaTorial Recognizing the importance of the 150th anniversary of the battle at gettysburg, we created the first book in a new series of books called witness to History –“Gettysburg --Tales the Artifacts Tell.” this first ever ‘e-magazine’ showcases some of the most significant and rare artifacts in our collection from the gettysburg battlefield. Created and produced in house and Soldiers & Sailors, this very limited publication was made possible through sponsorships and distributed to numerous schools via the internet. next, our witness to History series hopes to capture and share an inside look at WWi through our collection.
educaTing THe coMMuniTy more than 5,000 people took part in our education programs in 2013 as we had another busy year facilitating programs for students of all ages. Whether it is school tours, footlocker outreach programs, boy and girl scout programs or the annual History, Reading & Writing Summer Camp, the learning never stops. We also hosted 30 students for a special summer camp program entitled “From Slave to Soldier to Soldier: African Americans in the Civil War”. in addition, the education department continues to partner with local schools and institutions for unique programming including the “this day in pittsburgh History” program at Cornell High School. Finally, Soldiers & Sailors hosted the annual pittsburgh international Folk Festival and the education department helped facilitate programming for attending school students. in our fifth year for Soldiers & Sailors memorial Hall & museum’s 6th Regiment united States Colored troops Re-enactment drum Corps program, seven students participated and performed at thirteen different events including the pittsburgh Home and garden Show, the African American Heritage parade and the Veterans day parade in front of nearly 6,000 people.
" Thank you so much for preserving this part of our state's heritage! It is a wonderful museum." 8
african american Heritage celebration - 6th reg. uScT drum corps
viSion Strategically, Soldiers & Sailors is on the right track with what we set out to do over 13 years ago. based on the feedback provided by visitors, rental clients, and the general public, we are doing great things for the memorial, the mission and the memory of our veterans. Realistically, we can do more and do it better. but that is simply our attempt to strive for the best we can be and produce the best product we can, today and for generations to come. Soldiers & Sailors’ long range vision remains achieving a financial stabilization through revenue generating programs and cost savings initiatives. our short range vision consists of programs, policies, improvements and adjustments needed to achieve those long range plans and reach those future generations. this includes our continued green and energy efficient initiative projects, such as exterior security and façade illumination; display/exhibit led lighting; and water savings and conservation renovations for restrooms. We are also making repairs to the building and trying to slow the aging process, such as stone cleaning, caulking and sealing. Revenue generating projects include expanding rentals for the auditorium; a marketable artifact stock photo data base; and creating an overall public relations campaign to raise awareness, supporters and funders. We have come a long way since the creation of the trust – sometimes taking small steps, sometimes large strides, and sometimes even taking a few steps backward to regroup, refocus and “adjust fire”. but rest assured, Soldiers & Sailors memorial Hall & museum’s feet are always marching... and neVer losing sight of our mission and putting the veterans’ honor and memory first.
“ “" Very nicely done! Thank you to all that serve this great country!”“"
2013 Joseph a. dugan, Jr. Hall of valor induction ceremony
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STaff John F. mcCabe,* Ceo James gubash,* Vice president, director of building operations marjorie Henderson, Vice president, director of development geraldine orr, Vice president, CFo and director of HR John Ford, Historian Amber gehring, Staff Assistant, Facility Rentals and events Carolyn Haser, Artistic director michael Kraus, Curator tim neff, director of education Casey patterson*, Senior Staff Assistant Jamie pavlot - executive Assistant and director of public Relations Jerry Zemaitis*, Assistant director of building operations
SoldierS & SailorS MeMorial Hall & MuSeuM TruST, inc. board of direcTorS 2013 officerS of THe TruST Ralph ussack* - Chairperson michael murphy* - Vice Chairperson paul platek* - treasurer lois Shirley* - Secretary John F. mcCabe, esq.* - president Judith Anderson* peter C. bellisario* elaine H. berkowitz* John biedrzycki* michael bookser* Honorable James brewster* Albert burlikowski* dominic Cersosimo* donald V. Crisp* William Crookshank* Honorable michael doyle Anthony Filardi*
Honorable michael Finnerty Honorable Rich Fitzgerald michael Flournoy* Ron gancas * Clarence gomberg* Honorable Richard Hrivnak bob Jenson* don mcilrath* Chris moore* edward moore* Harry H. negley, ddS* Richard d. orr
William b. pentecost, esq.* Howard W. pfeifer, p.e.* bob perris* darnel pope* michael A. Romaniello* Albert Schraepfer* Walter Schratz* mary lou Spine, lld* Richard Williams William White*
*Veterans who have proudly served
“" It was awesome. I loved it. The exhibits were so cool. Thank you! "
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Medal of Honor exhibit showcasing 5 local heroes’ medals
4141 Fifth Avenue pittsburgh pA 15213 412-621-4253 FAX: 412-683-9339
www.soldiersandsailorshall.org