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C.J.
Queenan:
Senior counsel at Kirkpatrick & Lockhart LLP. A leading spokesman
for regionalism; vice chair of The Working Together Consortium,
and a director of the Pittsburgh Regional Alliance, Extra Mile Education
Foundation, The Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, Pennsylvanians for Modern
Courts, Carnegie Mellon University (chairman), among others.
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Elizabeth
Raphael (1920-1998):
In the 1940s her Downtown gallery Outlines brought the work of modern
artists like Picasso, Paul Klee, and Alexander Calder to Pittsburgh
for the first time. Then in the 1970s and 80s she built -- with
blood and sweat -- the organization that is today's internationally
known Society for Contemporary Craft.
Bertha
Floersheim (Mrs. Enoch) Rauh (1865-1952):
Variously known as "the Jane Addams of Pittsburgh" and "the Lady
Astor of Pittsburgh" during the first half of the century. In the
former guise, she helped to establish the Juvenile Court Association,
the Family Welfare Association, the Pittsburgh chapter of the American
Red Cross, the Tuesday Musical Club, the League of Women Voters
(yes, she was an active suffragist), the Prison Reform Association
of Pa., the Girl Scouts of Allegheny County, Travelers Aid Society
and many others. The founder and president (for 37 years) of the
Milk and Ice Association (providing milk and ice to disadvantaged
children; iceboxes were the only means of storing perishables for
working class and poor people). She worked to transform Mayview
from an alms house into a modern hospital, and was the first woman
in the U.S. to have a "cabinet" position in city government, as
head of Pittsburgh's department of public welfare (a.k.a. department
of charities) 1922-34 (appointed by three administrations). She
also campaigned, pre-"Renaissance," for clean-air laws and declared
their passage (on her 76th birthday) "the finest birthday present
imaginable." Also instrumental, with her husband, in reviving the
Pittsburgh Symphony in 1926.
Enoch
Rauh (1857-1919):
The senior member of Rauh Brothers and Co. (a family business making
shirts) came to public life in 1911, when he was appointed to one
of the first posts in Pittsburgh's newly formed nine-member at-large
city council. Re-elected twice by direct popular vote. Best known
for passage of the Rauh Act, a state law in 1913 mandating employers'
liability and workers' compensation benefits to municipal workers
in first- and second-class cities (i.e. Philadelphia and Pittsburgh).
Also lobbied for such worker reforms as an eight-hour day and child
labor laws. After his sudden death while in office, city firemen
donned white orchids (Rauh's favorite flower) in tribute, and many
dropped white carnations on his casket; flags few at half-staff.
Many local institutions, including Shadyside Hospital and the Harmarville
Rehabilitation Institute, display plaques memorializing his philanthropy.
Helen
Wayne Rauh:
Beechview native and Carnegie Tech grad was beckoned by Broadway
but preferred to stay in Pittsburgh, where she was the leading lady
of the Playhouse from its inception in the 1930s until the 1960s.
Richard
Rauh Sr.:
Gathered together several local theater groups in 1935 and organized
the Pittsburgh Playhouse. The success of the initial season (in
Frick School) encouraged Rauh to seek a permanent home, a rebuilt
former German social club/speakeasy. This became known as the Hamlet
Street Theatre (this year renamed the Rauh Theatre in honor of both
him and his wife, Helen Wayne Rauh) when the Playhouse bought the
former synagogue next door and turned it into the Craft Avenue Theatre
(later renamed the Rockwell Theatre). At its height, the complex
included a theater school and launched the careers of a variety
of talents, from Oscar-winner Shirley Jones to American Theater
Conservatory's innovator William Ball. The Playhouse has also been
home to the area's oldest continual children's theater, the 51-year-old
Playhouse Jr. After going dark temporarily in the 1960s, the Playhouse
has been taken over by Point Park College and is the major facility
of its performing-arts program.
Jay
Rayvid:
Prolific TV producer/director at WQED from the '60s into the '90s,
best known for such nationally known (and often Emmy-winning) children's
shows as "The Leatherstocking Tales," "Once Upon a Classic," "Wonder
Works" and "Where in the World Is Carmen Sandiego?"
Fritz
Reiner:
Searching for a new conductor in 1937, the board of the Pittsburgh
Symphony offered the podium to a series of guest conductors and
provided ballots to subscribers. The successful candidate was the
Hungarian-born Reiner. Known as a driving perfectionist and stern
taskmaster, he took the PSO to new heights professionally and to
wider notice and acclaim in the music world.
Florence
Reizenstein:
Helped to establish the NEED Scholarship Fund. A middle school in
East Liberty is named for her.
Michael
Trent Reznor:
Known to '90s rock fans as simply Trent Reznor, this Mercer-born
high school marching-band member went on to turn the contemporary
rock scene on its ear with the release of his mostly self-played
1990 album Pretty Hate Machine, released under the enigmatic moniker
Nine Inch Nails (known to many fans as NIN). Combining a twisted
sprawl of distorted synthesizer rock, dissonant noise, metallic
industrial percussion, and alternately gentle, subdued synth-isms
with strong underlying melodies, an undeniable pop sensibility,
a prodigious musicality and instrumental ability, and a vocal squall
embodying (however unconsciously) the angst and disillusion of a
generation of kids from broken homes, Reznor (along with the likes
of such late '80s/early '90s peers as Jane's Addiction and Sonic
Youth) foreshadowed and helped pave the way for the sonic and cultural
revolution (however temporal it may have been) that would occur
when Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" shattered airwaves, preconceptions,
and radio programming formats in the fall of 1991. Reznor continues
to release groundbreaking, sonically adventurous material, and his
newest effort, several years in the making, is among the most anticipated
of any album released in the last 15-20 years.
Msgr.
Charles Owen Rice:
Famous labor priest who, in the 1930s, formed such pro-labor groups
as the Catholic Radical Alliance. Also regular columnist for the
Pittsburgh Catholic for many years.
George
S. Richardson:
Why is Pittsburgh the City of Bridges? Richardson is credited with
a greater impact on Pittsburgh bridges than any other person in
the 20th century. A gifted bridge designer/engineer with the Allegheny
County Bureau of Bridges, which built many of the area's most distinctive
and world famous bridges (among bridge aficionados) during one of
the greatest eras in bridge-building history in the 20s and 30s.
Richardson designed the George Westinghouse Bridge (one of the most
spectacular bridges) to be five concrete arches, including a central
arch that would be the largest in the country. This bridge over
the Turtle Creek valley was the tallest poured-concrete bridge in
the U.S. Also notable are the West End Bridge; the Sixth (now the
Roberto Clemente Bridge), Seventh and Ninth Street Bridges over
the Allegheny (the "Three Sisters" are the only matching trio of
bridges in the world), the Homestead High-Level Bridge, the Liberty
Bridge over the Mon, the South 10th Street suspension bridge, and
the longest bridge (about a mile) in the county, the McKees Rocks
Bridge over the Ohio River.
Dr.
Harrison H. Richardson:
The youngest man to go to the South Pole, he accompanied Admiral
Byrd in 1939(?) at the age of 19. Richardson was in charge of the
dog team for the expedition.
Branch
Rickey:
As manager or executive, he was with the St. Louis Browns (1913-15),
the St. Louis Cardinals (1917-42), the Brooklyn Dodgers (1943-50)
and the Pittsburgh Pirates (1950-59). He was the first to institute
the minor-league farm system (1919) and integrated the major leagues
by signing (1945) Jackie Robinson to a contract with the Brooklyn
Dodgers.
Tom
Ridge:
Perhaps not since David Lawrence has Southwestern Pennsylvania enjoyed
such beneficence from a governor of Pennsylvania. The Allegheny
County native and former congressman from Erie has pushed millions
of dollars of programs in this area, including: $40 million "Job
Growth 2000," for 16 economic-development projects in 10 counties
projected to create nearly 21,000 jobs; $150 million for Pittsburgh's
convention center; $338 for the Mon-Fayette Expressway, Southern
Beltway and Findlay Connector across several counties; and $38 for
Pitt's convocation center.
Matthew
Ridgway:
U.S. Army general who commanded U.S. in World War II and in Korea.
Following his retirement from the Army in the 1950s, he became president
of Mellon Institute. He opposed U.S. intervention in Vietnam. He
died at his Fox Chapel home in 1993.
Mary
Roberts Rinehart:
The world's first female best-selling mystery writer revolutionized
the genre with her light, humorous style and spunky heroines. Her
thrillers and whodunits have never gone out of print (though some
are now in the public domain), and remain readable and entertaining.
Trained as a nurse in the predecessor of Shadyside Hospital, this
Allegheny City (i.e. what's now the North Side) native turned to
writing simply as a way to get extra money for her growing family.
The fortune she eventually made enabled her sons to found a publishing
company. Used many local scenes and situations in her books; there
are any number of local homes from the North Shore to Sewickley
claiming to be the original inspiration of The Spiral Staircase,
her first big hit (made into a popular play and several movies).
Rinehart also wrote plays and was a war correspondent during WWI,
copping the first-ever interview with Great Britain's Queen Mary.
John
P. "Jack" Robin:
Mayor David Lawrence's earlier liaison between Democratic administration
and Republican industrialists, whose cooperation made "Renaissance
I" possible. Laid foundations for smoke control, more public housing,
expansion of park and recreational facilities. In 1948 became the
director of the Urban Redevelopment Authority. Later became Pennsylvania
secretary of commerce, then head of Ford Foundation programs in
India and East Africa. Returned to Pittsburgh and to chair the URA
during the Caliguiri years. Became professor of public affairs at
Pitt and programming advisor to the Allegheny Conference.
Frank
Brooks Robinson Sr:
Heads the Regional Industrial Redevelopment Corp. of Southwestern
Pa. and was instrumental in establishing a series of industrial
parks and business incubators for regional economic development.
One of the most visible successes is Keystone Commons in Turtle
Creek. The former Westinghouse Electric site is now home to more
than a dozen small and mid-size companies.
The
Rev. Jimmy Joe Robinson:
Pastor of the Bidwell Street Presbyterian Church who saved the North
Side from major damage during the riots following the assassination
of Dr. Martin Luther King. He kept the local young people busy and
off the street, thus sparing the neighborhood from the damage wreaked
elsewhere. Also Pitt's first African-American varsity football player.
Willard
Rockwell:
Pittsburgh's one-time aeronautics giant (Rockwell International
was a major contractor on the original Space Shuttle) started in
1919 when Willard bought an existing company to build the axle he
has designed. He later merged several companies to form Rockwell
Spring and Axle Co. (1953), which became North American Rockwell
(1967) with more than $2.4 billion in annual sales when Rockwell-Standard
and North American Aviation. In 1973, Rockwell acquired the Collins
Radio Co. and changed its name to Rockwell International, a big
player in the then-burgeoning space industry and a significant employer
in Pittsburgh. In the '80s, the firm left town and the space industry.
It's now electronic controls and communications specialist Rockwell
Automation and Avionics & Communications, based in Milwaukee. The
Rockwell name remains here on the business school at Duquesne University.
James
C. Roddey:
Pittsburgh businessman and civic leader, helping numerous organizations
go through reorganizations. Has served on and led a number of boards,
including Alcosan, Allegheny Conference on Community Development
and the Enterprise Corp. of Pittsburgh. Was named Vectors/Pittsburgh
Man of the Year in 1986. Following his win in the November 1999
election, the first Allegheny County Executive.
Jennie
Bradley Roessing:
Suffragist and champion of the rights of women and children. In
1907, as chairman of the Allegheny County Equal Rights Association,
drove the "Liberty Truck" (a truck with a replica of the Liberty
Bell on the back) to all 67 counties in Pa. to speak about women's
rights and to raise funds. (She and the truck are depicted in miniature
in the Carnegie Science Center's railroad village.) Also president
of Pa. Women's Suffrage Association and first vice president of
the National Woman's Suffrage Association.
Fred
Rogers:
Child and parent educator and TV personality; ordained clergyman
(whose ministry is specifically children's television); much-loved
creator, producer and host of Peabody (and many other) Award-winning
PBS series "Mister Rogers Neighborhood," which has been in the homes
of American families since 1968. The Latrobe native is much in demand
as a college commencement speaker, where new graduates gleefully
(and tearfully) sing his theme song, "A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood."
Even adults watch the show and write in how Fred makes them feel
"special" in a tough world. Show has also helped launch careers
as diverse as Michael Keaton and George Romero.
Joel
Augustus Rogers:
First African-American foreign (news) correspondent, sent to Addis
Ababa, Ethiopia, by the Pittsburgh Courier, in October 1935.
George
Romero:
Kick-started the Pittsburgh film industry along with help from his
friends and CMU associates, while also validating/giving box office
credence (i.e. credibility, which equals power) to independently
made films, all with his 1968 horror flick/social and cultural allegory
piece Night of the Living Dead. It was received by critics with
open arms, many citing the film's "gritty realism" and sardonic,
fresh approach to a "tired genre" as a revelation, a cinematic eye-opener,
especially to theretofore untapped talent that lay in the margins,
on the fringes of the film industry (i.e. outside the constrictive,
formulaic walls of Hollywood). Romero also helped launch the careers
of fellow Pittsburghers, such as special effects/makeup guru Tom
Savini, filmmakers Pat and Tony Buba, Mike Fornick, John Harrison
and Romero assistant director Nick Mastandrea. And he got his start
on "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," directing the "Movie Movie" shorts.
Jeffrey
A. Romoff:
Senior vice chancellor for health administration and president of
the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). President of
UPMC Health Systems since 1992, and has worked to build it into
one of the leading hospital systems in the nation. UPMC is now the
single largest private-sector employer in Allegheny County. Romoff,
educated at Yale, came to Pittsburgh as regional programming director
of the Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic (1973-74). In 1981,
became adjunct assistant professor of health at Pitt, a title he
still holds along with those of instructor of psychiatry and associate
director of WPIC.
Art
Rooney:
Pioneer of the National Football League, establishing the fledgling
league's fifth team—The Pittsburgh Steelers—in July 1933. An exceptional
athlete himself (Rooney was a member of the 1920 U.S. Olympic Boxing
Team), he was for more than 50 years an ambassador of sports for
the region. He was enshrined in the NFL Hall of Fame in 1964, but
it was a decade later that his teams began an unprecedented string
of success by capturing four championships in a six-year period.
Rooney was also active in community causes, such as United Way and
various Catholic charities. A statue of Rooney, complete with cigar,
sits outside Gate B of Three Rivers Stadium.
Dan
Rooney:
Succeeded his father, Art, as president of the Pittsburgh Steelers,
having worked throughout the organization. He also continued the
Rooney tradition of being active in the Pittsburgh community, serving
on boards ranging from the United Way and American Diabetes Association
to Pittsburgh History & Landmarks Foundation and Duquesne University.
Dan Rooney has also made his mark on professional football, especially
in labor relations, where he was instrumental in brokering an agreement
between NFL owners and players that avoided a strike in 1993. Built
Rooney Field at Duquesne University in honor of his father.
Samuel
Rosenberg:
Though born in Philadelphia, Rosenberg (1896-1972), who came here
in 1907, was dubbed "The Dean of Pittsburgh Painters." Although
beginning as a portraitist, he probably is best-known for scenes
of everyday life here, particularly the less-fashionable and (for
many Pittsburghers) visually unknown areas such as the Hill District.
Although these pieces evince social commentary, Rosenberg's comments
were generally subtle and did not deny that the joy of life could
also be discovered among the poor. A member and president of the
Associated Artists of Pittsburgh, he won every award the group could
bestow. Not static, Rosenberg ventured into Abstract Expressionism
in his later years. His work can be found in several museums. He
participated in several "Internationals," and in later years his
legendary workshop produced a generation of award-winning women
artists, who in turn spread his teachings.
"Rosey"
Rowswell:
Popular and much-imitated mid-century Pirate play-by-play sportscaster
who devised colorful expressions (complete with sound effects, e.g.
"breaking glass" when he would yell, "Aunt Mabel, open the window"
at a long fly ball) to liven up those "rebuilding" years of the
'50s.
Molly
Rush:
Pittsburgh activist for peace and social justice, who with a group
called the Plowshares 9 made headlines in the 1980s by vandalizing
U.S. nuclear weapons and being jailed. She is a member of the Thomas
Merton Center and has received a number of peace awards.
Charles
Taze Russell:
Born in the 1800s in Allegheny City, where in that same century
he founded what is today's Jehovah's Witnesses, a religious group
numbering more than 3 million adherents worldwide. Russell died
in 1916, outliving the 1914 year in which he predicted the end of
the world would occur. He is buried in a cemetery in Ross Township.
Lillian
Russell:
One of the most famous "inhabitants" of Allegheny Cemetery may have
been past the height of her beauty when she came to Pittsburgh,
but she was hardly going to fade away. The famed beauty and actress
wrote a regular column (mostly on personal/beauty advice) for her
husband's newspaper and was the most glamorous member of the Women's
Press Club of Pittsburgh.
Robert
C. Russell:
Anyone looking up things in county courthouses across the country
is likely to have encountered the brainchild of this North Side
resident, who died in 1936 at age 77 (born in Danville, Montour
County). One of his inventions, the Russell Index, was a sort of
proto-computer, allowing the user to quickly access information
like deeds and wills. His company he founded, Russell Index, was
in existence here in North Side offices for about a century, going
out of business in 1996. He also is credited with the invention
of Soundex, a boon for genealogists, allowing quick retrieval of
U.S. census info, using a system similar to the Index.
Edward
Ryan:
When the end of WWII signaled the start of the largest building
boom in U.S. history, this Pittsburgh businessman in 1948 established
Ryan Homes with the primary goal of offering families the chance
to own their dreams at an affordable price. Since then, Ryan Homes
has built houses for nearly 200,000 families in Pennsylvania, New
York, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, Virginia, North Carolina,
Tennessee, and South Carolina.
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Jonas
Salk:
In 1947 became head of the virus research laboratory at the University
of Pittsburgh (later was research professor of bacteriology (1949-54),
professor of preventive medicine and chairman of the department
(1954-56), and professor of experimental medicine (1957-63); developed
the antipoliomyelitis vaccine about midway through his Pitt tenure
(about 1954), with the vaccine getting distributed nationwide in
1955. Awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his work on the vaccine,
which had all but completely eradicated the threat of polio. As
a direct result of Salk's development, cases of polio (an infectious
disease of the central nervous system usually afflicting children,
often resulted in paralysis), declined from 18,308 reported in 1954
to only 61 reported in 1965.
Bruno
Sammartino:
The "king" of studio wrestling in the 1960s. For much of the decade,
he was the champion of professional wrestling and a pioneer of the
entertainment outlet that has grown to worldwide recognition and
millions of dollars in pay-per-view telecasts and merchandising.
Tom
Savini:
Probably the scariest man in Bloomfield. Most known for creating
fairly gruesome makeup special effects for a wide variety of horror
films, but also works as an actor, stuntman and director. He did
the makeup for the original Night of the Living Dead and many other
George Romero movies, and directed the remake of the Dead. Has frequently
worked in Hollywood, but prefers to live in Pittsburgh and work
out of his Lawrenceville studio. Has written a widely used textbook/guide
to creating special makeup effects. And, yes, he does decorate his
house for Halloween.
Jim
Scahill:
Armstrong County commissioner and one of the biggest boosters of
regionalism. While he hasn't literally butted heads together, he
has figuratively done that with persuasive arguments that, yes,
we used to be so prosperous in the old economy that we didn't need
each other. How persuasive? The Southwest Pennsylvania Growth Alliance
of state legislators and county commissioners from 10 counties worked
together to get a state funding package for the entire region: $20
million for 16 projects.
Richard
M. Scaife:
Philanthropist whose contributions include the Sarah Scaife gallery
of (now the major part of) the Carnegie Museum of Art, Station Square,
restoration efforts at city parks; also owner of the Tribune-Review,
and major donor to many political conservative causes over nearly
30 years that, many observers say, greatly changed the political
debate and agenda in the U.S., including the Reagan presidency and
the "Republican Revolution" of the '90s.
Joe
Schmidt:
Professional Football Hall of Famer from Brentwood who was an All-American
player at Pitt and who went on to play with the Detroit Lions.
Stephen
Schwartz:
He's won two Oscars (score and a song from Disney's Pocahontas),
but Schwartz starting hitting the big time while he was still an
undergraduate at Carnegie Tech. No doubt he's still getting checks
from Godspell, the pop musical version of the Gospel According to
Matthew, which he composed the music for more than 30 years ago
(the play was the master thesis production of buddy Jon-Michael
Tebelak). The show is still among the most-produced musicals in
this country. He also wrote the music for Pippin, the Broadway hit
that made a star of Ben Vereen, originally for Scotch 'n' Soda,
a student-run theater group.
Sister
Jane Scully:
The former Sister Camillus became president of Mount Mercy College
in 1966. During her tenure, the college changed its name to Carlow
College and underwent significant expansion. She changed the role
and perception of being a woman religious, joining the board of
directors of Gulf Oil as the only woman in the 1970s, and becoming
the first woman admitted to the Duquesne Club. She was named Man
of the Year in Education by the Pittsburgh Jaycees, which also nominated
her for the top Man of the Year Award, which went to Pittsburgh
Pirate Willie Stargell.
Rick
Sebak:
Bethel Park native has given Pittsburghers a whole new view of themselves
with his popular "Pittsburgh History Series," documentaries on different
facets of life here. His "pop historian" approach has made the TV
shows a hit nationwide, helping the rest of the country to catch
up on what's worthwhile about this region.
Peter
Sellars:
The innovative and often irascible theater director from Squirrel
Hill got his start as a 10 year-old apprenticing with Margo Lovelace's
marionette theater. He could walk there after school.
Fannie
Sellins:
An organizer for the United Mine Workers, she was brutally gunned
down in Brackenridge on the eve of a nationwide steel strike, on
Aug. 26, 1919. Her devotion to the workers' cause made her an important
symbolic figure.
Eleanor
Schano:
Like the Eveready Bunny, this veteran TV personality is still going—currently
as host of the weekly "AgeWise" show on WQED-TV, which provides
the region's older residents with helpful information on topics
ranging from health and fitness to sex and financial planning. One
of Schano's goals is to dispel myths and stereotypes that can surround
older persons. In 1999, the show was recognized as the "Best Public-Affairs
Program" in the state by the Pennsylvania Association of Broadcasters.
Schano made history in 1959, when she debuted as Pittsburgh's first
female television news reporter. In 1969, she became the region's
first solo anchorwoman.
Frederick
G. Scheibler Jr:
Architectural historians James D. Van Trump and Arthur P. Ziegler
Jr. called Scheibler (1872-1958) "the most original architect Pittsburgh
ever produced," someone who may be considered "Pennsylvania's only
proto-Modern design" and can be compared to Frank Lloyd Wright.
The volume of his work is modest, much of it domestic, evidenced
in landmarks like the Old Heidelberg apartments, and most of it
contained in the East End. Yet his following has almost a cultlike
status. He was the subject of a recent book by architectural historian
Martin Aurand. Adolph W. Schmidt. "Front man" for the Mellon family's
financial and civic concerns (and married to Helen Mellon), Schmidt
served as a governor of T. Mellon & Sons, was president of the A.W.
Mellon Educational and Charitable Trust, and was an official of
the Allegheny Conference during first "Renaissance." During the
Eisenhower administration, he was an expert on, and sometimes participant
in, NATO affairs. He later served as ambassador to Canada. The Litchfield
Document noted his "most intelligent concern and understanding of
educational needs and social problems."
Gladys
Schmitt:
Author of such novels as David the King, Alexandra, Rembrandt and
the Godforgotten, the lifelong Pittsburgh resident taught for decades
at Carnegie-Mellon University, where she was Thomas Baker Professor
of English Literature. Her work also appeared in such publications
as Atlantic Monthly, Harper's Bazaar and Scholastic. She was named
a Distinguished Daughter of Pennsylvania.
Charles
Schwab:
The Williamsburg native (1862-1939) graduated from Saint Francis
College in Loretto (near Altoona) when he was only 16. President
of the enlarged U.S. Steel Corp. from 1901 until 1903 and of the
Bethlehem Steel Corp. from 1905-16; also chairman of the board of
directors of Bethlehem Steel 1905-39.
Suzie
McConnell Serio:
This Brookline native brought home the gold as part of the champion
U.S. women's basketball team in the 1988 Olympics. Following a stint
as teacher/coach at Oakland Catholic, she "went pro," joining the
Cleveland Rockers of the Women's National Basketball Association.
David
Servan-Schreiber:
This 38-year-old local psychiatrist shared the 1999 Nobel Peace
Prize for his volunteer work with Doctors Without Borders, an international
group that provides relief to the injured and sick in war-torn countries
and places struck by natural disaster. Servan-Schreiber, director
of the Center for Complementary Medicine at UPMC Shadyside Hospital,
served in northern Iraq following the Gulf War, working for about
six weeks as a general practitioner.
Frieda
Shapira:
Matriarch of the Giant Eagle grocery family, she has been a force
in community service, particularly, but not limited to, the area's
Jewish population.
Saul
Shapira:
Grandson of one of the founders of the Giant Eagle supermarket chain,
which, under his leadership, is now the dominant grocer in Western
Pennsylvania with more than 200 stores, expanding into nearby states.
Dr.
William E. Shoupp.
In 1937, Westinghouse erected the world's first industrial atom
smasher in Forest Hills. Shoupp headed research there that led to
the discovery of photofission, the first use of gamma rays to split
uranium atoms, a major contribution toward development of atomic
energy and the atom bomb.
Paul
A. Simmons:
First African-American in Pennsylvania to sit regularly as a Common
Pleas Orphans Court judge; first African-American to become a U.S.
District Judge for the Western District of Pennsylvania (1978; he
was President Carter's first African-American judicial nominee).
In 1965, was the first African-American to run statewide for a judicial
office in Pennsylvania, and in 1975 was appointed judge of the Court
of Common Pleas of Washington County (nominated by both parties
in 1975 and elected to a full term). The Monongahela native worked
his way through Pitt (graduated with high honors in 1946) even though
he had lost his leg in a railroad accident in 1942. Harvard Law
grad in 1949. Legal career included teaching at South Carolina College
Law School (1949-52) and North Carolina Central School of Law (1952-56).
Active in civil rights litigation, including advising plaintiff's
counsel in Briggs vs. Elliott, a companion case to the more famous
Brown vs. Board of Education of Topeka, Kan.
Reid
Simmons:
Computer-science researcher who, in 1991, was part of the team designing
Ambler, a 12-foot-tall, six-legged robot designed for exploration
of Mars, which used a laser scanner to map terrain in front of it,
making its own decisions about how to move over rocks and soil.
Richard
Simmons:
When he graduated from MIT in 1953, his first job was as a titanium
research metallurgist at Allegheny Ludlum Steel Corp., a company
he was later to lead as president at the age of 41 and, with other
investors, purchase. An astute scientist and businessman, he has
been a major force in the survival and expansion of the metals industry,
both locally and nationally. In 1996, Simmons, among the country's
richest men, was a prime mover in the merger of Allegheny Ludlum
and Teledyne Inc., forming a diversified company with $3.8 billion
in sales, including $2 billion in specialty metals. He became CEO
in 1997. He has endowed scholarships for Western Pennsylvania students
at several colleges, established a venture capital fund for Western
Pennsylvania economic development, and has served in various business
and civic capacities, including chairman and director of the Allegheny
Conference on Community Development, director and past chairman
of the United Way and chairman of the Pittsburgh Symphony Society.
Herbert
Simon:
Professor of computer sciences and psychology at CMU and a leading
researcher in artificial intelligences won the Nobel Prize in 1978
for "his pioneering research into the decision-making process within
business."
Clarence
E. Smith:
Influential jazz banjo and mandolin player starting in the 1920s,
playing with Louis Armstrong, Count Basie and others.
W.
Eugene Smith:
Another of the great Pittsburgh "portrait" photographers, Smith
(1918-78) produced 10,000 negatives for Stefan Lorant's book Pittsburgh:
The Story of an American City.
Wendell
Smith:
Pittsburgh Courier sports editor, who used his column to denounce
segregation in the major leagues. Played big role in the integration
of Major League Baseball—his efforts contributed to Jackie Robinson's
signing with the Brooklyn Dodgers in 1938; would often travel and
room with Jackie Robinson on Dodgers trips, arranging his travel
and housing itinerary, because in some cities Robinson couldn't
stay with the rest of the team since hotels were sometimes segregated.
First black writer named to the Baseball Hall of Fame (the J.G.
Taylor Award for sportswriters). First black member of the Base
Ball Writers Association of America. One of the first black scouts
for white major league baseball.
Sara
Soffel:
The first woman judge in Pennsylvania (appointed 1930, retained
in 1941 and 1951 elections). Also the first woman to receive her
entire legal education at Pitt Law School, and the top student in
the class of 1916 (though she didn't get the entire award that would
have gone to a male student). In 32 years on the bench, her decision
to grant an injunction limiting pickets during a steel strike was
upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court and set a precedent against mass
picketing. Incidentally, niece by marriage of the infamous Mrs.
Soffel of movie fame.
Edward
Specter:
Director of the Symphony Society who worked for years to revive
the orchestra, which in 1910 had "temporarily" suspended its performing
season—until 1926.
Dr.
Benjamin Spock:
The famous "baby doctor" whose Commonsense Books of Baby and Child
Care changed the upbringing of American children, was a professor
of child development at Pitt.
Ray
Sprigle:
This Post-Gazette reporter won a Pulitzer Prize in the 1930s for
his reporting of President Franklin Roosevelt's alleged "packing"
of the Supreme Court. The coverage led to exposing Justice Hugo
Black as a former member of the Ku Klux Klan. In 1948 he wrote a
21-part series, "I Was a Negro in the South for 30 Days," in which
he posed as a black man to experience what it was like for 10 million
people living under a system of legal segregation at the time. A
major award in his honor is conferred by the Pittsburgh Press Club
every year at the annual Golden Quills Banquet for excellence in
local journalism.
Norma
Sproull:
Under her, the Child Health Association of Sewickley put Pittsburgh
on the culinary map in 1973 with the tasteful Three Rivers Cookbook,
now in its umpteenth printing. Three sequels were to follow, raising
more than $2 million for Western Pennsylvania children's charities.
Wilver
Dornel "Willie" Stargell:
The Pirate Hall of Fame leftfielder and first baseman was a popular
team leader as well as a great hitter (475 homers during his 21-year
big-league career, twice leading the National League in homers,
with 48 in 1971 and 44 in 1973). He drove in 1,540 runs, scored
1,195 and had 2,232 hits with a lifetime batting average of .282.
Helped the Bucs to two World Championships.
Joseph
Starzelski:
Another miner who was killed the same day as Fannie Sellins (Aug.
26, 1919), presumably for holding similar positions before a strike.
Dr.
Thomas Starzl:
The world's first successful liver-transplant specialist and director
(now retired) of UPMC's Transplant Institute (now named for Starzl).
The superstar medic who put Pitt on the map as the world's foremost
(and often busiest) transplant center and a pioneer in new techniques,
including multiple transplants. (The Transplant Institute is self-sufficient
and UPMC is now the single largest nongovernment employer in the
city.) A researcher who developed new drugs as well as surgical
techniques, a practicing surgeon and teacher, and worldwide best-selling
author of books about transplantation. Just having him at Pitt attracted
other world-class doctors to work and study with him.
Ernie
Stautner:
Played for Pittsburgh Steelers 1950-63 (defensive tackle 6-2, 235),
enshrined in Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1969. Bulwarked strong
Pittsburgh defense for 14 years. Played in nine Pro Bowls, winning
Best Lineman Award, 1957. All-NFL, 1956, 1958. No. 2 draft pick,
1950. Known for excellent mobility, burning desire, extreme ruggedness,
unusual durability. Recovered 21 opponents' fumbles, scored three
safeties in career. Born April 20, 1925, in Prinzing-by-Cham, Bavaria.
Clarence
Stein:
Planning consultant, along with Henry Wright (listed in Roy Lubove's
Twentieth Century Pittsburgh as principal planner), for Chatham
Village, a model housing project developed in the 1930s on Mount
Washington. Stein was author of the book Toward New Towns for America
(1951).
Gertrude
Stein:
Born in Allegheny City (now North Side; site so honored with a historic
plaque) but family moved when she was a child. Probably noted more
for her eccentric life and artistic salon in post-WWI Paris as for
her actual literary output.
William
Steinberg:
His 24 years at the helm of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra was
the longest of any PSO conductor. During his tenure (1952-76), the
German-born Steinberg increased the worldwide reputation of the
symphony. During its first European tour in 1964, Queen Elizabeth
selected the PSO's first concert for her only scheduled appearance
at the Edinburgh Festival. The Steinberg years saw the PSO move
in 1971 from Syria Mosque to its new, acoustically improved home
in Heinz Hall.
Tim
Stevens:
Longtime president of the Pittsburgh chapter of the NAACP, has served
as executive director, and started as a youth leader in the 1960s.
His has become a familiar face, especially to viewers of local TV
news, as spokesperson addressing such issues as police brutality
and recent Ku Klux Klan rallies. Stevens also is a well-known local
jazz musician and critic.
Jimmy
Stewart:
(1908-97) The Indiana native actually did seem to embody the small-town
ideals of his home town, which has honored him with a prominent
statue in his Mr. Smith Goes to Washington mode, and more recently
with a museum. Notable movies include It's A Wonderful Life, Harvey
and The Philadelphia Story, for which he won an Academy Award (he
was nominated five times, was honored later in his career with an
Oscar for Lifetime Achievement in motion pictures). Also a humanitarian
and a WWII war hero, flying 20 combat missions as command pilot,
being promoted to squadron commander, then becoming operations officer,
and after that, serving as chief of staff, 2nd Combat Wing, 2nd
Division, 8th Air Force. He was decorated with six Battle Stars,
a Distinguished Flying Cross with two Oak Leaf Clusters, an Air
Medal with three Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Croix de Guerre with
Palm, the highest honor bestowed by the French. Upon retirement
from the service, he received the Distinguished Service medal, and
he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1985. The airports
in both Indiana County and in Los Angeles are named in his honor.
Ralph
Stiefel:
The Swiss-born inventor who started the seamless tube industry at
the beginning of the 20th century, thus eliminating the problem
of rupturing pipes; honored with a Pennsylvania Historical and Museum
Commission sign on Lawrence Avenue at Seventh Street in Ellwood
City, one block from the site where his plant once stood.
David
Stock:
The founder of the Pittsburgh New Music Ensemble had two battles
to fight when he started in the 1970s: first was simply to get music
lovers over the assumption that "the only good composer is a dead
composer," and, second, to convince the music world in general that
an ensemble from Pittsburgh was worth major attention. He had more
success than many predicted, due largely to his sense of showmanship.
When the PNME played its Carnegie Hall (N.Y.) debut during the height
of "terrible towel" Steelermania, he dressed everyone in gold turtlenecks
with black jackets and called the group "the Terrible Ensemble."
He had an album cover shot with the musicians, wearing hardhats,
playing their instruments in the Duquesne Incline (and don't think
it was easy to get the harp in there). Over the years, the group
has premiered dozens of new works and brought 20th-century music
(the only century played) to audiences around the country.
Charles
Morse Stotz:
In 1936, this Pittsburgh native architect produced the first serious
look at our local architectural heritage as author of The Architectural
Heritage of Early Western Pennsylvania. The book, with a bountiful
assortment of drawings and photographs, provided a valuable record
of buildings before 1860—some already vanished, some vanished since
then.
Mihail
and Kay Stolarevsky:
Musicians and founders of the Chatham Music Day Camp, known for
decades for its success in schooling young children in the arts.
William
Thomas "Billy" Strayhorn (1915-67):
The influential jazz artist/prodigious composer and Duke Ellington's
collaborator for many years received most of his formal musical
education at Westinghouse High School. Strayhorn composed the lyrics
and score for his first musical, Fantastic Rhythms, while still
enrolled there. He collaborated with Ellington for almost three
decades, producing such classic jazz hits as "Satin Doll." Strayhorn's
most famous composition, "Take the A Train," became the Ellington
orchestra's theme song.
William
Strickland:
A certified genius (winner of a MacArthur Fellowship "genius" award),
the North Side native, Pitt grad and potter/ceramicist started the
Manchester Craftmen's Guild while still an undergraduate (in 1968),
later adding the Bidwell Training Center (in 1972). Both programs,
reaching out to disadvantaged young people with (respectively) the
arts and job training (not that they're mutually exclusive) have
been held up as models around the world. Some 75-80 percent of the
high-risk high school students who have come to the after-school
art programs during the past five years have gone on to college.
The Guild also houses an acoustically wonderful concert hall/recording
studio, and won a Grammy on its first CD. Strickland himself, still
a Manchester resident, has also been honored by the White House
and has served on the board of the National Endowment for the Arts.
Dr.
David Strickler:
Pharmacist who invented the banana split at his drug store in Latrobe.
Maxine
Sullivan:
Life magazine dubbed the Homestead native "the new heroine of the
swing era." A successful recording artist, the influential jazz
vocalist also appeared in such films as St. Louis Blues with Louis
Armstrong.
John
B. "Jock" Sutherland:
Popular Pitt football coach (1907-24) with 111-20-12 record. He
returned to Pittsburgh in 1946 as the coach of the Steelers, and
led the Steelers to a first-place tie with the Philadelphia Eagles
in 1947. Jock is an honoree in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Also
a dentist, teaching in Pitt's dental school. A road near Pitt Stadium
and a dining hall are named for him.
Luke
Swank:
A Johnstown-born (1890-1944) photographer who earned a national
reputation, especially for his shots of industrial scenes. A 12-foot-long
photomural of steel mills was displayed at the Museum of Modern
Art in New York in 1932. He earned praise from Frank Crowninshield,
editor of Vanity Fair. In 1935 he became official photographer for
the University of Pittsburgh and later opened his own studio here
with the help of Edgar J. Kaufmann, for whom he took photographs
of Fallingwater, later exhibited at MoMA.
TOP
Pittsburghers
of the Century
Introduction
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A | B
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| F | G
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3:
H | I
| J | K
| L
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4:
M | N
| O | P
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5:
Q | R
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6: T
| U | V
| W | Y
| Z
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