2015

Click on any underlined title to see more detailed information on each program, including videos approved for recording by speaker.  If you have trouble playing any video, please let us know at email: sqhillhist@shhsoc.org

December
History of Glenn Greene Stained Glass Studio
Speaker: GLENN GREENE, Artist and Owner of “Glenn Greene Stained Glass Studio”

“Glenn Greene Stained Glass Studio originally opened its doors in Oakland, a community located in Pittsburgh, PA., and operated there for 12 years. Now located in Regent Square for more than 17 years, Glenn and his unique artwork have become a staple of the neighborhood. – from the Glenn Green Art Studio website

November
An Unbreakable Bond: The Brotherhood of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twyman *Notable NBA Basketball Players from our Area
Speaker: PAT FARABAUGH, Assistant Professor of Communications at Saint Francis University in Loretto, PA.

An Unbreakable Bond: The Brotherhood of Maurice Stokes and Jack Twymandetails the life of Stokes, a Saint Francis alumnus and 1950s National Basketball Association star, and the support of Twyman, his teammate and friend.

October
Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition — History and Current Projects
Speaker: WAYNE GERHOLD

The Squirrel Hill Urban Coalition was founded in 1972. It’s mission, as set forth in the By-Laws is “… to improve the 14th Ward of the City of Pittsburgh through educational and cooperative endeavors of individuals and groups from the area seeking to enhance the physical and social attributes of the community.” – from the SHUC website

September
Pittsburgh in World War I: Arsenal of the Allies
Speaker: ELIZABETH WILLIAMS-HERRMAN, author and College Archivist
at La Roche College

“When the whole of Europe went to war in 1914, Pittsburgh watched the storm clouds gather at home. Yet Pittsburgh was a city of immigrants–the large Polish community urged leaders to join the side of the Allies, while German immigrants supported the Central powers.” – from Book: Pittsburgh in World War I: Arsenal of the Allies

August
Tour of Braddock’s Battlefield History Center

July
Life of Andy Warhol and History of the Warhol Museum
Speaker: ERIC SHINER
Director, The Andy Warhol Museum

The Andy Warhol Museum is a vital forum in which diverse audiences ofartists, scholars, and the general public are galvanized through creative interaction with the art and life of Andy Warhol. – from Andy Warhol Museum website

June
Getting to Know our Neighbors: The Four Faces of Lawrenceville
Speaker: JIM WUDARCZYK, Researcher for the Lawrenceville Historical Society

Lawrenceville was founded in 1814 by William Foster, father of composer Stephen Foster, who was born there in 1826. It is named for Captain James Lawrence, hero of the War of 1812, famous for his dying words, “Don’t Give Up The Ship!” – from Wikipedia

WALKING TOUR
Homewood Cemetery
The walk will focused on the oldest sections of the Cemetery. (Limited or no duplication of sections visited on 2014 walking tour.)

Homewood Cemetery: “Almost 135 years ago, part of the same virgin forest that is now Frick Park was purchased for an equally special purpose: as The Homewood Cemetery….. “
For more info visit: thehomewoodcemetery.com

May
“The World Class Battlefield Next Door” (the Battle of Braddock’s Fields, 1755)
Speaker: ROBERT T. MESSNER Director,Braddock’s Battlefield History Center

Braddock’s Battlefield History Center opened in August of 2012. It commemorates one of the most famous military engagements in the history of Colonial America, the Battle of the Monongahela, or “Braddock’s Defeat” on July 9, 1755 at the beginning of the French & Indian War. – from: Braddock’s Battlefield History Center website

April
History of Colonel James Schoonmaker: An Officer and A Gentleman and a Lot More
Speaker: Historian, FRANK J KURTIK

Colonel James M. Schoonmaker is not a familiar name to most Squirrel Hill residents, yet he was right up there with Frick, Carnegie, Jones and other leading industrialists of the Gilded Age. Mr. Frank Kurtik will talk about how this dashing young Civil War hero from the local area married into a wealthy Squirrel Hill family and amassed a fortune.

March
Chinese Restaurants in America
Speaker: Michael Chen

Michael Chen is President of the Pittsburgh Chinese Restaurant Association. Mr. Chen is a well-established local restaurateur who owns 10 restaurant including “China Palace” , “My Thai”, “Sushi Two” and the Squirrel Hill restaurant ” Everything Noodles”

February
Why all these Presbyterians, and where did they come from??
Speaker: PETER GILMORE, Historian

Presbyterians have long had a conspicuous place in Pittsburgh, and Squirrel Hill. Nearly 170 years ago a writer proposed, “There is no part of the United States which contains a population, more distinctly and peculiarly marked, than the Presbyterian population, for perhaps, a hundred and fifty miles around Pittsburgh, as a common centre.” The prominent Presbyterian presence continued well into the twentieth century.

January
History of Nine Mile Run Watershed
Speaker: ZELDA CURTISS, Retired Environmental Attorney

The Nine Mile Run Watershed is a small urban watershed located in Pittsburgh’s East End. Covering just 6.5 square miles, the watershed is home to numerous exciting initiatives, including the largest urban stream restoration in the United States completed by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers