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Lou
Mason:
Was elected first African-American president of Pittsburgh City
Council in 1970.
Lorin
Maazel:
Influential conductor of the PSO (1984-96), under whose direction,
the PSO won two Grammy Awards for recordings with cellist Yo Yo
Ma. In his earlier years, the Peabody High School grad was also
a violinist with the Orchestra and its apprentice conductor while
he was a student at Pitt.
George
Magovern:
A pioneer in cardiothoracic surgery and research, Magovern, with
the assistance of engineer Harry Cromie, developed in the early
1960s a sutureless heart valve to reduce the time needed for heart-valve
replacement, increasing the survival rate for patients. He and Cromie
founded Surgitool Corp., which became the leading U.S. company for
heart-valve design. In the 1970s, he and engineer Gerald McGinnis
helped found a medical respiratory-device company that today has
evolved into Respironics. Magovern has been at the forefront of
innovative surgical procedures and medical devices. He also was
adept at getting grant money; in the 1970s he received a $100,000
grant—the largest single award in the history of the American Heart
Association—for work on an artificial heart. He also helped develop
a nuclear-powered pacemaker, which led to the creation of the Coratomic
Pacemaker Co. In 1962, Magovern performed the world's second lung
transplant; in the 1980s, he performed the first cardiomyoplasty
procedure. He has had a longtime association with Allegheny General
Hospital, where he served as the chairman of the department of surgery.
Henry
Mancini:
OK, if we want big Oscar winners, Aliquippa's favorite son is it:
He was nominated for 18 (he won four, plus 20 Grammys and two Emmys),
made more than 50 albums and had 500 works published. In all, his
music has been heard in 375 movies and TV shows. Mancini collaborated
extensively with Blake Edwards, first on TV's "Peter Gunn," then
on Breakfast at Tiffany's, which won him two Oscars (think "Moon
River" was simply filling in for Mon River?); his other two Academy
Awards were for the title song for Days of Wine and Roses and the
score for Victor/Victoria. Probably, though, his most-played music
(in cartoons and commercials, as well as the movie series) is the
theme for The Pink Panther. Also a noted conductor, including outdoor
"pops" concerts with the Pittsburgh Symphony in Three Rivers Stadium.
Trivia: one of the greatest film composers of all time started in
the movies in 1952, with a two-week assignment at Universal to work
on an Abbott and Costello film.
John
H. Manley:
Stepped into the lead role at CMU's prestigious Software Engineering
Institute in 1985 with plans to strengthen the nonmilitary dimensions
of the Pentagon's computer-research center in Pittsburgh. Engineer,
considered one of the nation's top experts in software engineering,
who spent 21 years in the Air Force helping to shape military-technology
policies and held high-level positions in several companies, including
ITT Corp. Manley received a doctorate in operations research and
a master's degree in industrial engineering from Pitt, and was appointed
chairman of the computer science department at CMU in 1979.
The
Marcels:
When you think Pittsburgh and doo-wop, you think Marcels. Their
"Blue Moon," released in 1961, was one of the biggest songs of the
pre-Beatles rock era.
Michael
Marcus:
The Squirrel Hill native and Taylor Allderdice grad is a bigwig
in today's Hollywood; president and COO of MGM 1993-97; now a partner
in MBST (he's the "M") Entertainment, a management firm with clients
like Woody Allen, Robin Williams and Billy Crystal.
Dodo
Marmarosa:
Born and raised in Pittsburgh's East End, the eccentric jazz pianist
was one of the country's top players in the '40s and '50s, who soon
thereafter willfully disappeared from public view. Marmarosa was
spotlighted in an early 1947 Esquire magazine at the ripe old age
of 21, joining Miles Davis, Sonny Stitts and Sarah Vaughan on the
magazine's rising stars jazz poll.
George
C. Marshall:
(1890-1959) This Uniontown native is probably best known for his
plan to rebuild Europe after WWII, for which he won the Nobel Peace
Prize. Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army 1939-45, he afterward devoted
himself to the cause of international peace and security. He first
spent time in China as President Truman's representative, attempting
to bring about a peaceful resolution to the conflict between the
nationalists and the communists. As Secretary of State 1947-49,
he made the Marshall Plan a vehicle for the economic reconstruction
of Europe. Actually, never called it that, but always referred to
it by its official name, the Economic Cooperation Administration.
Marshall made efforts to include the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe,
but the idea was rejected by Moscow. Marshall was also one of the
leaders who created the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. In his
last official position, as Secretary of Defense 1950-51, Marshall
oversaw the formation of an international force, under the United
Nations, that turned back the North Korean invasion of South Korea.
Memorials include an institute devoted to world peace, his (Virginia)
house museum and, in his hometown, a highway is named for him and
funding is being gathered to build the George C. Marshall Plaza
near his birthplace.
Marc
Masterson:
Took over the ailing City Theatre (originally the City Players)
in the early 1980s after it became a resident professional company
at Pitt. Mounted an ambitious campaign in the late 1980s/early '90s
to not only make the theater independent, but also provide its own
leak-proof home with working plumbing (not dependable amenities
at the Pitt site). That accomplished, the City has embarked on another
campaign to renovate its South Side home (which has grown, and includes
commercial rental space) and serve as a resource to the small arts
groups (as it was once). Now producing director, Masterson still
occasionally directs some shows, and has acted in a few. The City,
whose mission is devoted to 20th-century American theater, has also
commissioned new works. Trivia: Masterson, a CMU grad, began as
a street performer, a juggler,
Marjorie
Matson:
Civil libertarian whose name now adorns annual ACLU award; most
famous case argued before the U.S. Supreme Court was NOW vs. Pittsburgh
Press, which struck down sex-segregated job ads (i.e. "Help Wanted:
Male; Help Wanted: Female) in late 1960s-early '70s.
Bill
Mazeroski:
Pirates second baseman who in 1960 hit arguably the sport's most
famous home run, still recalled every fall by fans listening to
a re-created broadcast at "Mazeroski's Wall" (the only structure
remaining from Forbes Field). His ninth-inning blast clinched the
World Series over the heavily favored New York Yankees and brought
the Pirates their first championship in 35 years. A Pirate for 17
seasons, during which he set the records for double plays in one
season (161 in 1966) and in a career (1,706); seven-time All-Star
who won eight Golden Gloves; hit winning home run in 1960 World
Series; considered baseball's best fielder and the best player of
his generation not yet inducted into the Hall of Fame.
The
Rev. Henry J. ("Father Mac") McAnulty:
The ninth president of Duquesne in 1959, who embarked on a massive
building program to expand the primarily "commuter" school into
a major university by the time he stepped down in the late '70s.
Under his tenure, Duquesne built several new dormitories (over capacity,
actually; Duquesne rented dorm space to other local schools until
its own enrollment needs caught up), and renovated two former industrial
buildings into academic buildings, and built a new science hall
(Mellon Hall, a Mies van der Rohe design), a student union and a
business school. Many academic departments had had their offices
in old rowhouses along Bluff Street when the building boom began.
Thomas
McConomy:
Chairman of Calgon Carbon Corp., one of the top companies in the
burgeoning environmental field. Also a major player in the current
regionalism movement. He holds key board positions with the PRA
and the Southwestern Pennsylvania Corp. board, in addition to serving
as a vice chair for the Working Together Consortium, and is one
of the people responsible in turning the old Alcoa Building into
a regional headquarters.
David
McDonald:
United Steelworkers president (1953-65), either the best thing since
collective bargaining or the guy who started the industry onto the
path of its ultimate collapse. Under his leadership, union steelworkers
were the highest paid industrial workers in history, with a guaranteed
annual wage, company-paid pensions and insurance, and extended vacations
(with two strikes, one 116 days, in 13 years). Arguably one of the
most powerful men in America; when President Johnson came to Pittsburgh
to campaign, he called on McDonald to ensure a big turnout. In the
early days a tireless union organizer, then longtime assistant to
his predecessor, Philip Murray.
Frances
McDormand:
Can't forget those local Oscar winners. This Monessen High School
grad won hers with a Minnesotan accent in Fargo, creating a new
sort of investigator: a pregnant small-town cop.
Gladys
B. McNairy:
First African-American woman elected president of the Pittsburgh
Board of Education in 1971, and first to head citywide PTA.
Andrew
W. Mellon:
Became head of T. Mellons & Sons Bank. With his brother Richard
Beatty Mellon, combined interests in coal, steel, coke, aluminum,
oil, railroads, etc., to become one of the world's great financial
empires, incorporated as Mellon National Bank in 1902. He later
served as Secretary of the Treasury, and was known as the greatest
secretary since Alexander Hamilton. He was named ambassador to England
in 1932. A.W. established the National Gallery Art, among the numerous
public bequests that, at the time of his death in 1937, were estimated
to be half a billion dollars. Father of Paul.
Paul
Mellon:
Worked
with father A.W. on designs for National Gallery, later serving
as president and major benefactor, and oversaw additions to the
gallery. Longtime devotion and benefaction to the visual arts. Lived
most of life away from Pittsburgh, though he returned to engineer
the merger of Mellon Institute and Carnegie Institute of Technology
in the 1960s.
Richard
Beatty Mellon:
Brother of A.W. and key player in helping him make Mellon a financial
giant. Among his many philanthropic efforts, he helped establish
the Mellon Institute for Industrial Research in 1913 and built the
multimillion (in 1935!) East Liberty Presbyterian Church, still
a local landmark. He was the father of Sarah Mellon Scaife.
Richard
King Mellon:
"Partner" with David Lawrence in Pittsburgh's first "Renaissance".
Presented downtown Mellon Square Park in memory of his father, R.B.
Mellon, and uncle, A.W. Mellon. Among his philanthropies, he also
gave the city the family's East End estate, now Mellon Park.
William
Larimer Mellon:
A guiding force in Gulf Oil (where he developed the world's first
drive-in gas station), influential in state politics, served as
chairman of the state Republican party from 1926-28.
Dr.
William Larimer Mellon Jr.:
Eschewing traditional Mellon paths, "Larry" Mellon earned
a medical degree and devoted a large part of his life and fortune
to helping the poor and destitute in Haiti, where he founded a hospital
and has become known as the Haitian Albert Schweitzer.
Thomas
H. Milhollan Jr.:
Saved and expanded a 110-year-old Aliquippa steel company by acquiring
Kidd Drawn Steel Co. and combining it with Washington, Pa.-based
Precision Industries in 1985. The company, Precision Kidd Steel
Co., now employs 75.
Albert
Miller:
Personally discovered in 1955 what is now the Meadowcroft Rockshelter
archaeological site (near Avella, Washington County), now recognized
as the earliest documented site of human habitation in North America.
Co-founded (with brother Delvin) the Meadowcroft Museum of Rural
Life to preserve the heritage of Western Pennsylvania's countryside.
Delvin
Miller:
Besides being harness racing's "Man of the Century" (named by the
U.S. Trotting Association), this noted breeder, trainer and driver
of standardbred horses co-founded (with brother Albert) the Meadowcroft
Museum of Rural Life.
Dennis
Miller:
Castle Shannon native and Point Park College graduate who parlayed
his stand-up act to a successful television and movie career. He
started in Pittsburgh television at KDKA, hosting the kids' television
show "Punchline" and as a frequent contributor to "Evening Magazine."
After he left Pittsburgh in the mid-'80s, Miller moved to Los Angeles
and was discovered at the comedy club The Comedy Story by Saturday
Night Live producer Lorne Michael and joined the cast. His current
show on HBO, "Dennis Miller Live," fuses stand-up, talk and commentary
and won an Emmy Award for Best Writing in A Comedy Series.
Antonio
Modarelli:
Music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony (1930-37), after eight
years in Berlin composing and conducting, and the only American
composer to be elected to the Society of German Composers. Never
fully accepted by Pittsburghers, in part because he was a local
boy, born in Braddock.
Dudey
Moore:
Legendary basketball coach at Duquesne with 144-44 record, including
the 1955 National Invitational Tournament.
Dr.
Richard W. Moriarty:
First director of (and instrumental in founding in 1974) Children's
Hospital Poison Control Center and the "father" of Mr. Yuk, the
now-universally recognized symbol of poisons and toxic materials.
In just five years, the number of fatalities of small children in
Allegheny County due to accidental poisonings went to zero, and
the Center has kept close to those results. Now the center of the
National Poison Control Network, the local Center not only maintains
a 24-hour hotline for parents to deal with accidental poisonings,
but also presses industry for more complete labeling of potentially
dangerous materials and, of course, distributes all those green
Mr. Yuk stickers for free.
Laurie
Moser:
The Squirrel Hill native founded Race For The Cure, a 5-kilometer
race and fundraising event to benefit the Susan G. Komen Breast
Cancer Foundation. The Race, which is run each Mother's Day weekend,
has been duplicated in more than 100 cities across the country since
its inception in Pittsburgh in 1993. Locally, it has raised more
than $3 million for breast cancer research.
Tom
Murphy:
Pittsburgh mayor who, perhaps, launched "Renaissance III" before
being elected mayor—as a state legislator, he got state funding
for an ambitious and then-unprecedented project to transform an
environmentally hazardous site (Herr's Island, a former slaughterhouse
area) into a model mixed-use development. Not only has Washington's
Landing been successful beyond prediction, but it also sparked greater
popular interest in the beauty and possibilities of local riverfronts.
Murphy's "Renaissance" also includes hiking/biking trails, as the
big city most prominent in the national Rails to Trails movement
has a mayor who regularly jogs.
Dr.
John Murray:
The architect of Allegheny County's new government plan, ComPAC
21, which goes into effect in 2000. A nationally known legal scholar,
since becoming president of Duquesne University in 1988, Murray
led an expansion of the college that saw improved facilities, new
schools (The Rangos School of Health Medicine) and national recognition,
including being named one of the top 10 Catholic colleges in the
United States.
Philip
Murray:
First president of the CIO's Steel Workers Organizing Committee
(which became the United Steelworkers of America, the largest union
in the nation, under him), recognized by the steel companies in
1937. The Scottish immigrant and former miner (and mining union
official) in Southwestern Pa. was autocratic but revered by later
generations of union steelworkers. SWOC was actually organized by
John L. Lewis (who hand-picked Murray to be president; the two later
had a famous falling out when Murray succeeded Lewis as CIO president).
Several attempts from within the ranks of steelworkers to organize
a union failed, running into opposition from other labor leaders,
government and of course the steel companies. SWOC greatly improved
wages and conditions, and Murray ran the union unopposed until his
death in 1952.
Danny
Murtaugh:
One of the most successful managers in Pirates history. He managed
the Bucs in four different stints during 15 seasons between 1957
and 1976. During that time he became one of only 36 managers to
win 1,000 games, compiling a record of 1,115-950, his win total
ranking second on the Pirates all-time list to Fred Clarke's 1,422.
He led the Pirates to four Eastern Division Crowns and two World
Series Championships (1960, 1971). He was named The Sporting News
Manager of the Year in 1960 and 1970. Years with the Bucs as a player:
1948-51; as a manager: 1957-64, 1967, 1970-71, 1973-76. On a day
in the 1970s, when it was pointed out to him that his starting lineup
was the first-ever all-black starting lineup in Major League history,
he said he didn't notice: "All I saw was that they all had Pirate
uniforms on." Among the more unusual commemorations is an underground
literary journal named Murtaugh (its symbol is a rocking chair),
which included baseball-related poetry, cartoons and essays. Murtaugh's
number 40 was retired by the Pirates in 1977.
Michael
Angelo Musmanno:
A pro-labor firebrand in his younger days (pre-WWII). The McKees
Rocks native worked in both a steel mill and a coal mine to get
money for school (he earned seven degrees from five universities).
He was one of the defense attorneys in the Sacco-Vanzetti case,
and published a book about it, After Twelve Years, in 1939. He also
wrote a novel, Black Fury (made into a movie), slamming the Coal
and Iron Police, which helped to abolish that institution. In the
1940s he was elected to Pennsylvania's Supreme Court, and served
as one of the judges at the Nuremberg war crimes tribunal. His subsequent
causes included leading raids on Communist Party offices in Pittsburgh
in the 1950s, leading rallies against presumed flag desecration
in the 1960s, denouncing "obscene" movies and books, and insisting
that Columbus was the true discoverer of America (he even died on
Columbus Day, 1973). Favorite bit of trivia: He lived in the hotel
that the then-new Point Park College took over on Wood Street, and
did not relocate even when it became a dorm. A local highway is
named in his honor.
Stan
Musial:
Stan the Man, a 24-time All-Star and three-time league MVP with
the St. Louis Cardinals, was born in Donora in 1921. Inducted into
the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1969. TOP
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Eric
Namesnik:
A Butler County resident who won a silver medal for swimming in
Olympics in the 1990s.
Chuck
Noll:
The Steelers were the perennial losers of pro football, never winning
a title of any kind until Chuck signed on as head coach in 1969,
helping the Steelers win first-ever championship (AFC Central) in
1972. Steeler coach till 1991, Noll is the only coach to win four
Super Bowls (IX, X, XIII, XIV—1975, '76, '79 and '80). 23-year record:
209-156-1 in all games. Won nine AFC Central titles, and is sixth
in all-time wins. Enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1993.
The AFC titles and Super Bowl wins in the 1970s led to Pittsburgh's
being crowned "The City of Champions." (The Pirates won two World
Series in that decade, but championship play was not new to the
Bucs.) The Cleveland native was also guard-linebacker for the Browns,
1953-59.
Joe
Namath:
Beaver Falls native who brought credibility to the fledgling American
Football League, forcing a merger with the more established National
Football League. After a stellar college career at Alabama, Namath
quarterbacked the New York Jets to one of the great upsets in football
history in Super Bowl III. But off the field is where he had the
most effect as the first and most famous to link athletics and sexuality,
notably in his pantyhose ads and brief attempt at a movie career.
Evelyn
Nesbit:
The dark-haired beauty from Tarentum first gained fame as a model,
notably in the then-new realm of art-photography (the extant images
are still stunning). But the one-time Gibson Girl will be forever
known as "The Girl in the Velvet Swing," who figured prominently
in the sex-and-murder trial of her husband, Allegheny rich boy Harry
K. Thaw. Nesbit, like many an enterprising young woman, had a fling
with prominent architect Stanford White (while she was still single;
she was only 15 at the time); but unlike most women, she told her
husband about it. He obsessed about it, then publicly shot White
and famously got off in the "trial of the century" (where the 19-year-old
bride's testimony was salaciously appreciated) for the "crime of
the century." Even after most of the century (and its crimes) have
passed, this one still captures the imagination. Most recent incarnations
are the musical Ragtime (still a current hit) and an award-winning
series two years ago in Mount Lebanon magazine about Nesbit's post-trial/post-divorce
life in that South Hills suburb.
William
Newlin:
The president and CEO of downtown Pittsburgh law firm Buchanan Ingersoll
PC has been instrumental in negotiations affecting regional economic
development. In 1983, he was a founding director of the Pittsburgh
Technology Council and co-founder of the CEO Venture Fund established
three years later. He played important behind-the-scenes roles in
keeping both the Pirates and Penguins in Pittsburgh. Newlin has
also been recognized nationally, being named Inc. magazine's Entrepreneur
of the Year in 1991 for his service to emerging companies in the
region.
TOP
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Rebel
Oakes:
Managed Pittsburgh's baseball team in the defunct Federal League,
1914-15. He also served as the inspiration for the name of the team,
The Pittsburgh Rebels.
George
T. Oliver:
Less was not more for most Pittsburg(h)ers. In 1894, the U.S. Geographic
Board of Names decreed that Pittsburgh should be Pittsburg—an unpopular
decision with locals. In 1911, Sen. George Oliver (1848-1919), a
local newspaper publisher and real-estate developer, appealed and
won, restoring the traditional Scottish spelling of the city's name.
John
Oliver III:
The longtime conservationist became the first secretary of Pennsylvania's
new Department of Conservation and Natural Resources in 1995. The
DCNR oversees river conservation efforts, state parks, management
of more than 2 million acres of state forest land, and other resource
issues. For 25 years, Oliver, a Sewickley Heights native and descendant
of major local industrialist families like Oliver and Hillman, was
associated with the Pittsburgh-based Western Pennsylvania Conservancy,
a private, nonprofit land-conservation organization that has helped
acquire more than 200,000 acres of wild lands and natural areas,
including five state parks. He became president of the group in
1978. Oliver, 59, oversees an agency with nearly 1,300 full-time
and 1,400 seasonal employees and a $177 million budget. Oliver has
promised to protect fragile ecosystems in state parks and forests;
promote recreation, education and economic opportunities; improve
park and forest infrastructure facilities; promote conservation
partnerships with urban and rural communities to protect greenways,
open spaces, rail trails, river corridors and natural areas; and
encourage tourism and economic development by promoting the state
park and forest system.
Thomas
O'Brien:
Chairman and chief executive officer of PNC Bank Corp. (13th largest
bank in the U.S.), which is building a major new structure downtown,
perhaps the largest construction project in the city in the past
10 years. The $100 million customer-service building on the site
of the former B&O Railroad Station will provide 500 new jobs. The
PNC name will also be a big one on the North Side, when the new
home of the Pirates, PNC Park, opens in 2001. The banking giant's
$30 million commitment is a big factor in keeping Pittsburgh a major
league city.
Madalyn
Murray O'Hare:
America's most famous contemporary atheist was born in Pittsburgh,
nee Mays, and grew up in Brookline and Mount Lebanon. Her 1963 lawsuit
against the city of Baltimore led to a Supreme Court decision banning
school-sponsored prayer and Bible readings in American public schools.
She initiated several other lawsuits based on the principle of separation
of church and state. She founded the American Atheist organization
and disappeared mysteriously several years ago with her son and
granddaughter.
Paul
O'Neill:
The current chairman of Alcoa preaches a new paradigm of business
that is more responsive to shareholders' concerns, but does not
dismiss community interests. Thus the century-old local company
ceased its sponsorship of the Mount Washington time/temperature
sign (since adopted by Bayer) because "there was no value added
for the shareholders." But when it came time for Alcoa to move to
new headquarters, the often-largest aluminum company in the world
did not forsake its hometown. Not only did Alcoa assist in North
Shore development by building its new glass-walled headquarters
there, but the firm also donated its downtown landmark to provide
a home for local economic development groups, including the Pittsburgh
Regional Alliance, the Chamber, the Allegheny Conference on Community
Development, the Convention and Visitors Bureau, and the Regional
Industrial Development Corp., among others.
Tony
O'Reilly:
CEO of H.J. Heinz Co, 1979-98 (also the first non-Heinz to be chairman,
president and CEO), heading era of unprecedented profitability and
global growth, expanding into Africa, China, Eastern Europe and
the Pacific Rim. Among key acquisitions was Weight Watchers International,
now the largest weight-loss program in the U.S. Also responded to
environmental-market demand with the world's first "dolphin safe"
canned tuna (Starkist) and fully recyclable ketchup bottle. The
former Irish "footballer" is commemorated by the new theater that
opened in downtown Pittsburgh in December 1999.
Frederick
J. Osterling:
After he remodeled Clayton for the Fricks, he produced a masterpiece
via another Frick commission: downtown's Union Trust Building (today's
Two Mellon Bank Center).
TOP
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David
M. Pahnos:
Original director of the CMU Robotics Institute, founded in 1995
to commercialize the mobile robotic technologies NASA has developed
and to send viable technologies back to NASA for use in space projects.
The Institute received a $2.5 million grant in 1994 from NASA to
establish the consortium. The consortium is also working on: with
New Holland North America Inc., a robotic harvester (a prototype
has been developed); with Caterpillar Corp. to automate surface
mines and quarries; and with Boeing Corp. to develop advanced controls
for high-speed, off-road, autonomous driving.
Leroy
Robert "Satchel" Paige:
This Negro League legend (he played 22 years, part of that time
starring for the championship Pittsburgh Crawfords) became the oldest
"rookie" of all time when on his 42nd birthday he was sold by the
Kansas City Monarchs to the Cleveland Indians, where he pitched
a 6-1 record, mostly in relief, as Cleveland won the 1948 pennant.
He also pitched three innings for the A's in 1965 at the age of
59; voted into the Hall of Fame in 1971.
Arnold
Palmer:
This Latrobe native has won more than $4.4 million from all sources
in pro golf, including 92 championships of national or international
stature from the '60s to the '90s. Sixty-one of the victories came
on the U.S. PGA Tour, starting with the 1955 Canadian Open. He won
the Masters Tournament four times, in 1958, 1960, 1962 and 1964;
the U.S. Open in 1960 and the British Open in 1961 and 1962. Immensely
popular and credited by some observers with making golf more popular
with the non-elite, Palmer was followed and idolized by "Arnie's
Army." Has designed more than 200 golf courses around the world,
and owns various golf facilities (including Latrobe Country Club).
Also owns a sporting goods company and the Golf Channel, a new cable
network. Has won many golf and athletic awards. He's also a pilot,
and the airport in Latrobe is named for him.
Lord
Gerald Palumbo:
This wealthy British aristocrat bought Frank Lloyd Wright's "other"
local commission, Kentuck Knob, and has opened it to the public
for tours, a complement to the nearby Fallingwater.
Lou Pappan:
Restaurateur
and philanthropist whose "pet projects" include his
annual Senior Citizen Picnic, donating unlimited paper products
to any church function, and involvement with the Special Olympics,
M.S. Readathon, Make-A-Wish, Toys for Tots, and the QED Great
TV
Auction. The Beaver County resident (a native of Greece) heads
conglomerate
that included 16 Pappan's Family Restaurants and 18 Roy Rogers
fast-food
outlets.
Mildred
Arbutina Pappas:
When she was living in Washington in the 1970s, this Beaver County
native heard that the historic Vicary House in Freedom was to be
razed for expansion of Route 65. PennDOT had already purchased the
stone mansion built by sea captain William Vicary around 1826. However,
her aggressive campaign and dogged persistence over several years
finally succeeded in having alternative plans drawn up and the landmark
was saved. Today it is being restored by Beaver County Historical
Research and Landmarks Foundation and is open for tours. Malcolm
Parcell. Born in Claysville in 1896, this painter and Carnegie Tech
grad eschewed a life in New York and remained in Washington County,
becoming one of the region's pre-eminent portrait painters. He also
painted romantic landscapes and paintings he termed "mythologies,"
sparked by legend or his fertile imagination. His work can be found
in local collections as well as nationally, including the Butler
Institute of Art in Youngstown and the U.S. Naval Academy. His life
and art were the subject of a 1985 book, Malcolm Parcell: Wizard
of Moon Lorn, by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette's then-art critic Donald
Miller.
Thomas
V. Pastorious:
Pittsburgh beer king. Upon returning from a trip to Germany in 1985,
Tom had the idea for a microbrewery, Penn Brewery, which he operates
with his wife, Mary Beth Pastorious. The first (and still best)
of the local micro-breweries, Penn has won significant national
and international awards, and high praise from the guru of beerdom,
Michael Jackson. The brewery has also acted as an economic spark,
inspiring others to try their hand at microbrews and brewpubs, and
as a social spark, opening (and thriving) during what was supposed
to be Pittsburgh's "depression" of the 1980s. Now also sponsors
the Pennsylvania Microbrewery Festival, celebrating good beer and
the people who make it and drink it.
Philip
Pearlstein:
Pittsburgh native (1924), CMU grad and contemporary of Andy Warhol.
He has established a solid reputation in the contemporary art world,
particularly with his signature neo-realist nudes, painted with
a bright and often harsh intensity of light. Considered one of the
pioneer realists, he opened up new possibilities for representational
imagery in 20th-century art.
Paul
Lawrence Peeler:
Started work as the first African-American teacher in the Pittsburgh
Public Schools in 1937.
Duncan
Phillips:
This pioneer in recognizing the significance of modern art and collecting
it was born in Pittsburgh in 1886, a grandson of James Laughlin,
a co-founder of J&L Steel. The family moved to Washington, D.C.,
in 1896. In 1918, Duncan and his mother opened two rooms of their
D.C. home as an art gallery, which eventually expanded to include
the entire mansion. Phillips has been lauded for his "eye" for art,
and during his lifetime, Phillips had the vision to collect artists
not yet fully recognized such as Georgia O'Keeffe, Milton Avery
and Mark Rothko. On his death in 1966, his wife succeeded him as
director, a post filled by their son Laughlin, who remained as director
until 1992.
Lester
A. Pierce:
The 15-voice male singing ensemble he began 62 years ago at Duquesne
University to preserve and celebrate Eastern European music grew
into one of the most famous, and certainly the most traveled college
performing ensemble. The Duquesne Tamburitzans today combine singing
with dancing and authentic instruments (centrally the tamburitza,
a stringed instrument) and costumes. They tour all over the country
(around 80 bookings per year), and occasionally have been unofficial
"ambassadors" of the U.S. State Department, taking American music
programs to other nations.
John
Pople:
His 1998 Nobel Prize for chemistry depended heavily on his 30-plus
years of research at CMU.
Cumberland
Willis "Commodore" Posey:
Born 1858 in Homestead he became a prominent businessman (very rare
for African-Americans back then); a builder of steamboats (42) and
flatboats, general manager of a coal company, small steel company,
and president of the Pittsburgh Courier for 14 years. Friend of
Andrew Carnegie; built a fleet of flatboats for Carnegie to haul
iron ore from the Great Lakes region to Homestead.
Cumberland
Posey Jr.:
The Homestead native (and son of local entrepreneur/boat-builder
Cumberland "Commodore" Posey) put together one of the greatest baseball
teams of all time, the Homestead Grays. He started with the team
as an outfielder in 1911, and became the club's owner, manager and
promoter in 1920. He built it into a top club by 1930, adding stars
like Oscar Charleston and Smokey Joe Williams to solid local talent.
The Grays, the most powerful and nationally recognized team in the
Negro League, won eight national titles, survived the Depression
and sent five members to the Baseball Hall of Fame.
Mildred
Posvar:
Celebrated former mezzo-soprano with the Metropolitan Opera who
founded the Opera Theatre of Pittsburgh, a student/professional
group known for staging significant, but often under-performed works,
in intimate settings. Also helped to "discover" Renee Fleming and
encouraged her career growth.
Wesley
W. Posvar:
Rhodes Scholar; studied at Oxford and earned his Ph. D. at Harvard
(Littauer Fellow) before being named chancellor (the title was changed
to president in 1984) of the University of Pittsburgh in 1967; credited
with "successfully guiding Pitt through the years of student unrest,
and bringing it back from the brink of financial disaster to a position
of prominence among major American universities." Also helped the
School of Medicine's organ transplant program make Pittsburgh a
world center for such surgery; in his 20th year at the school (in
1987), he was the longest-seated head of any major American university.
A building at Pitt was recently renamed in his honor.
Andre
Previn:
The one-time Hollywood composer brought glamour and an appreciation
of modern music to the Pittsburgh Symphony when he was music director
in the 1970s and '80s. He introduced a composer in residence (thus
fostering an atmosphere for new music), and co-created (with playwright
Tom Stoppard) Every Good Boy Deserves Favour, a play for orchestra.
Since its world premiere in Pittsburgh, it has been a favorite with
smaller orchestras around the English-speaking world. He also performed
in a jazz combo with several other PSO musicians and produced many
recordings with the PSO. In 1977, the PSO and Previn made their
national debut on PBS with eight specials, "Previn and the Pittsburgh,"
an award-winning, Alcoa-sponsored series, which ran for three years
and was one of the most popular PBS shows on classical music.
Bob
Prince:
Schenley High and Pitt grad, as the long-time "voice of the Pirates,"
The Gunner came up with many popular nicknames for the players and
such famous slogans as "chicken on the hill with Will" (a home run
by slugger and former chicken-restaurant owner Willie Stargell).
Invented the "green wienie" gimmick. Inducted into the broadcasters'
wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1986.
Karl
Probst:
As the so-called "Father of the Jeep," he gave Butler, where it
was created, bragging rights for the nickname "Home of the Jeep."
Probst designed the vehicle in just 18 hours in 1940, and it took
the Bantam company 49 days to make the original, which was cloned
for use by the U.S. Army.
TOP
Pittsburghers
of the Century
Introduction
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| C
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2:
D | E
| F | G
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3:
H | I
| J | K
| L
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Pittsburghers
of the Century
Introduction
1:
A | B
| C
2:
D | E
| F | G
3:
H | I
| J | K
| L
4:
M | N
| O | P
5:
Q | R
| S
6:
T | U
| V | W
| Y | Z

George
C. Marshall

Andrew
Mellon

Richard
King Mellon
|